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!

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!