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!

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!)

16 weeks!

My last post showed the bedding/theme that I want for our nursery, and I have found quite a few of the items on ebay.  I also found a woman who has almost every piece, and she is putting together a group of items for me to buy.  So I should have everything soon!  I received the clock and the mobile the other day, and the cute little lambs on the mobile made me tear up.  Lol.

Today I cleaned out the rest of the nursery, so now we can start figuring out paint colors and furniture.  I think we will probably clean the carpet in there too.  Steve just has to move a few items out, but everything else is done!  I started a few weeks ago and ran out of energy, so I was very happy to get it done today.

We had a doctor appt on Friday, the 24th, and everything still looks great.  The second my dr placed the doppler on my belly, we heard the heartbeat.  Not like last time when she couldn't find it on that at all.  Then she did an ultrasound to check the length of my cervix, and she said it is perfect, so we don't have to worry about me having a cerclage!  Yay!  We got a few pictures, and one really freaks me out!  Looks like an alien baby!

Baby's head on left, with hand waving hello in the middle

Alien baby.  Head on left again, and that's an eye socket and mouth!

I am getting a real belly now.  16 weeks exactly here.

How pregnant am I?:  16 weeks, 3 days

Weight gain so far:  Well, as of Thursday, when I was 16 weeks, I had still only gained 4 lbs.  Then Friday I was +6 lbs.  Then Saturday I was +7lbs.  I stopped weighing myself after that.  Maybe I will again at 17 weeks, we'll see!

Belly Button:  No change from a couple of weeks ago

Clothing options:  Wearing more and more maternity pants.  It's just more comfortable.  I am having problems with shirts though, because my old ones are too short, but the maternity shirts are way too long.  I might just go back to Nordstroms and buy some regular shirts that are in the longer styles to get me thru the next couple months.

Boobs:  Not sore anymore, and they don't seem so huge.  Guess I've gotten used to them.

Now about the real star of the show:  Baby Nichols went from an orange to an avocado to a turnip.  He or she is growing toenails and is now pumping 25 quarts of blood each day.  Baby is also gaining body fat, soon to be cute chubby hamhock legs like mommy's were.  The coolest thing, is that baby can now hear, so Steve has been talking to it a lot.  Supposedly I should feel it move soon too!  Baby can also detect light, but it's eyelids are still sealed shut.  And it is probably sucking its thumb.

Pregnancy "symptoms":   Nothing really this week.  Last week, I had some GI bug or something, and was having horrible pain/bloating all week long.  Then after about 6 days it disappeared.  My OB doesn't think it had to do with the baby.  I probably just ate something that irritated my intestines.  That was the worst thing so far.  This last week I felt pretty good.  I even got in 2 days of 1 hr walks, which I really need to do more often!

Cravings:  Sweets, which I am now going to cut back on.

What I've bought so far:  More maternity clothes, an UdderCover (only had to pay shipping, got it for free!) and the mobile, clock, a photo frame and window valances, all from the nursery collection that we will have.

Best moment this week:  Having Steve kiss my belly and talk to baby every day.

What I miss:  Still wine.  And being able to sleep on my belly or back.  I always end up on my side and it makes my hips and legs ache.

What I am excited for this week:  To feel the baby move, hopefully it will be this week!