Wednesday, December 15, 2010

24 Weeks and the rest of November

November 18th marked 24 weeks pregnant.  I am not doing my usual update, because I am too behind and it would take way too long to catch up on where the baby is at developmentally.  I will do a real update for my 28 week post.  But here I am at 24 weeks, 1 day pregnant.  I think that it was at this point that I started to feel pretty tired again.

About 5 minutes after taking this picture, I left for the airport, to go visit Vanessa for the weekend.  I took Friday off, so I flew up Friday morning and stayed until Sunday afternoon.  As soon as Vanessa picked me up, she handed me a folded up shiny paper, that I have become all too familiar with.  It was an ultrasound!  Turns out, she is pregnant too!  She was waiting to tell me until I came up there.  She always does this, and it makes me crazy.  I found out she was pregnant at my bachelorette party, about a week after she found out.  And I found out she was engaged about a full MONTH after Patrick proposed, because she mailed me a bridesmaid book to surprise me, and it kept getting lost.  Anyway, it was a great surprise, but I can't believe she didn't tell me sooner.  She is due June 18th I think, so only about 3 months after me!  

We spent the weekend eating and shopping.  Mostly me eating, since she is miserably nauseous.  She helped me with my registry, which was great, since I don't really know what we will need.  I also had a great time hanging with Emma.  She followed me everywhere I went.  She wanted to play with me, have me read to her, sit with me.  She even waited outside the bathroom door, every time I went, to make sure I wouldn't leave.  It was pretty cute.  I got some Christmas shopping done, and did some relaxing.  It was really nice.

The next week was Thanksgiving.  We had it at our house again, with my parents and brother, Steve's parents, my cousin Lin, and our friends, Jeff and Nisha.  I had a meltdown and luckily my mom and Tina helped me and forgave me when I was a be-otch to them.  Dinner was fantastic as usual, and everyone was a huge help.  I had made a lot of things the day before, so that really helped too.  Although, by the end of the night, my feet and back were killing me, and I was done.  That was when my backaches started, which lasted a couple of weeks.  Here's our yummy turkey...

The rest of the weekend was spent with Steve putting up the outside Christmas lights, me shopping for decorations and presents, and finally, decorating the house.  We didn't get the tree up till Sunday night because we were too tired.  Steve had a genius idea this year....we got a dog gate thingie to keep the cats from killing the tree and presents.  And it works!  The tree is still in one piece, and I haven't had a single meltdown over them ruining it!  You can kinda see it here.

On a baby note...I had my glucose tolerance test the week of Thanksgiving, and I passed.  Which means that I don't have and probably won't get gestational diabetes.  The test really wasn't all that bad.  Then the next week I had another check up with my OB, and she says that I am doing great.  It's funny cuz at the beginning, every appt was so exciting.  And now, it's like a routine.  Check in, pee in a cup, get weighed, see dr, she finds the heartbeat on the Doppler, asks if I have any questions, and then tells me whatever is "next" on the agenda, as far as tests/milestones go.  It takes about 15 min.  So funny.  I still love going and hearing that I am doing well, but it's almost mundane at this point.  I think it'll get fun again soon since we are nearing the end!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Vegas baby!

We took our annual trip to Vegas this year, but this time with a big group of friends, and in November instead of December.  We left on Thursday, and came home on Sunday.  It was SO nice to be off work for four whole days!  We stayed at the MGM.  The rooms were really nice, and the hotel is huge!  It took me four days to figure out where I was going because the casino was just a big maze.  Most of the weekend Steve and I lost money, and we didn't do a whole lot of gambling.  But on the last day, on my last $20, on my last pull of a slot, I got a spin on the Wheel of Fortune machine and won $125.  So I quit and ended up only losing about $100 for the whole weekend.  Steve also won on that machine, and so we ended up ok overall.

The first night we walked the strip and explored a bit.  It was really cold, and basically everyone was just interested in drinking, of course.  We ate at Margaritaville, which was fun.  The second night we went to the Hofbrauhaus.  It was really interesting.  Loud, fun, very entertaining.  As you can see from the pics below, the boys had a great time!  Steve and I ventured off to Red Rock Resort and Casino on Saturday, and now I want to go stay there next summer.  It was super nice.  Awesome pool, movie theater, bowling alley and very clean casino.  So maybe next summer we can go with our parents and baby.  Or by ourselves for a quick getaway.  We'll see.

It was a fun getaway, and we probably won't get another one before this baby arrives!



Monday, November 8, 2010

22 weeks

I forgot to mention in my last post that I am feeling the baby move all the time now!  Steve has felt it a few times, and he is always so surprised by how strong it's kicks/punches are.  It's really fun to feel the baby move around, except when it karate chops my ovaries or my bladder.


We went to the doctor today.  I am measuring perfect, my weight is right on track, and everything seems great!  Next milestone is my glucose tolerance test in 2 weeks.  I better pass!


Here I am at 22 weeks.  I am looking tired because I had just finished a crying fit.  Hormones got the best of me a few days this week!

How pregnant am I?:  22 weeks, 4 days

Weight gain so far:  16 whopping pounds.  Yikes!

Belly Button:  Definitely getting flatter, but not an "outtie" yet

Clothing options:  Maternity, maternity, maternity

Boobs:  Had to go buy bigger bras, AGAIN.  Uf.

Now about the real star of the show:  Last week our baby was the size of a banana, and this week it has grown to a papaya.  It's getting pretty cramped in my uterus now.  The baby pretty much fills all the empty space, and now they will grow together.  Not a whole lot of room already in there though!  Baby Nichols has taste buds, and I read somewhere that I should be eating lots of different foods, so the baby hopefully won't be too picky after it begins eating solid food.  The baby also sleep about 12-14 hours a day!  It weighs more than a pound now, and that will double over the next 4 weeks.  It has eyebrows and eyelashes, and is growing hair on its head.  The crazy thing is, the hair is bright white, since there is no pigment yet.  

Pregnancy "symptoms":   Well, I feel the baby kick a lot now.  Particularly when I lay down to go to sleep at night.  And after I eat.  It definitely likes food!  Also, I am having heartburn, but it hasn't been horrible yet.  I just chew my tums, and try not to lay on the couch after dinner.  I have to make sure I am sitting up!

Cravings:  Sweets still

What I've bought so far:  We haven't bought anything new, but we did pick up the crib that Steve's cousins gave us.  And Mona gave us a swing and a bouncer chair.  We have lots of stuff for this baby already!  And we also picked out paint colors a few weekends ago, although Steve probably won't paint for a few more weeks.

Best moment this week:  Feeling baby kick me all the time.

What I miss:  Nothing really this week.  I am content!

What I am excited for this week:  Vegas Baby!  We leave on Thursday, so only two more work days this week!

21 weeks

Here I am at 21 weeks.

I am definitely getting bigger, but not too huge yet!  This is a comfortable time for me.  No big complaints, and I definitely got some energy back.  I've been cleaning again, working on odds and ends around the house, baking, etc.  It's nice to have some energy back!  During this week, I went to my cousin's 40th birthday party, which was a really good time.  Then the next Saturday, I went to see Lady Antebellum at the Nokia theater with Amanda.  They were awesome and we had a great time!  So I had two late Saturday nights in a row, but I wasn't nearly as tired as I thought I would be.  Before I was pregnant, staying up that late ruined me for a few days.  But maybe that was because a lot of wine usually accompanied those late nights?  Who knows.  But I was grateful to not be completely spent the next day.

We didn't do anything for Halloween this year.  I am sure next year will be much more eventful!  Steve has said that he is in charge of the baby's costume, so lord knows what he will come up with!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

20 week anatomy scan

Yesterday and today we had doctor appts.  Yesterday was with my OB.  We didn't get a new ultrasound, but she did listen to the heartbeat on the Doppler.  She asked if I could feel the baby yet, and I told her I think I am feeling it, but not sure.  She said that the baby was all over the place and she was having to chase it around to find the heartbeat!  I did feel it move last Friday.  I was sitting on the couch talking to Steve, and I felt 2 swift kicks...to my bladder.  Figures.  Then on Saturday I was laying in bed watching TV, and I felt a twitch, kind of like when you get a muscle twitch.  I put my hand on my belly and felt it again, but haven't felt anything like that since.  I know it's moving around though, because I feel weird rumblings that I never felt before!  Anyway, my OB said everything looks great, and my Downs test and Trisomy test results came back with great results, so it seems that we dodged all of the genetic disease bullets so far!

Then today we had our anatomy scan with the perinatologist.  My mom and Steve's mom came with us, since we thought it'd be neat for them to see the baby moving around.  We got to see all the major organs, and then the dr took measurements of EVERYTHING.  Arm bones, leg bones, position of the feet, organ size, blood flow, fluid going in and out and lots of measurements of the head and heart.  It was really really neat!  Of course, since it was stormy today, we lost power in the middle of the scan.  So even though the machine had a backup power source, the DVD recording that we were supposed to get got cut short.  We have to go back and pick up the DVD since when we left the power was still out.  But the good news is, the baby is measuring exactly on track, and everything looks perfect.  There wasn't one measurement that was abnormal.  We made sure to stay away from the girl/boy parts since we don't want to know the sex.  But the tech said everything there looked ok too!

Apparently we get one more in depth scan in 8 more weeks, so again, that will be fun!  I am officially 20 weeks in 2 days, which means half way!

Here are some pics from the scan today...
Baby looks like he or she is blowing bubbles! You can see head, abdomen, and legs/feet!
Perfect little feet!

19 weeks

How pregnant am I?:  19 weeks

Weight gain so far:  I think I was at 10.5

Belly Button:  No change from a couple of weeks ago

Clothing options:  Maternity all the way, with the exception of a few of my old longer tees and sweaters, and flowy shirts.

Boobs:  No change

Now about the real star of the show:  Baby Nichols is a large mango!  And weighs about 1/2lb!  It's getting so big, I can't wait to see it at our scan next week!  It's arms and legs are in proportion, and bone is forming from the previous cartilage.  Which means the baby is really moving now!  Our baby is also now covered in vernix, the white stuff that you see on babies when they are born.  It's a waxy covering to keep it from getting too pruny in its 9 month bath!

Pregnancy "symptoms":   Nothing to report, so again, that's good!  I feel like I am getting the hang of this!

Cravings:  Still sweets, don't expect that to change!

What I've bought so far:  Nothing new this week

Best moment this week:  Realizing that it is harder to move around and get up from the couch/bed, which means baby is growing!!

What I miss:  Wine, although I have had a few sips here and there.

What I am excited for this week:  Well, since I still haven't felt the baby move, I am looking forward to that!  And to our anatomy scan next week!

18 weeks

I haven't been great about keeping up with this...time just goes by so fast!  Here I am at 18 weeks...

How pregnant am I?:  18 weeks (when this pic was taken)

Weight gain so far:  I think I was up to about 8 or 9 pounds by then.

Belly Button:  No change from a couple of weeks ago

Clothing options:  Pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I went shopping and got a bunch of clothes.  Steve almost had a heart attack, but I was out growing everything.  So now I have some cute new options!

Boobs:  No change.

Now about the real star of the show:  Baby Nichols went from an avocado, to an onion (week 17) to a sweet potato.  Last week the baby started putting on baby fat, and also was able to hear.  It's also practicing sucking, swallowing and urinating.  Baby is also developing fingerprints.  This week, the nervous system is developing, and it is becoming really active - kicking, punching, hiccuping.

Pregnancy "symptoms":   Nothing really, which I can't complain about!

Cravings:  Still sweets! 

What I've bought so far:  All the bedding and other items for the nursery that go with it.

Best moment this week:  Feeling good!

What I miss:  Sleeping thru the night without having to get up to use the bathroom.

What I am excited for this week:  To feel the baby move, hopefully it will be this week!  (since it wasn't last!)