23 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

 

How Far Along: 23 weeks

*I had a vendor come in yesterday and tell me that I look like I'm due sooner than December. Thanks buddy*

*I meant to post this early last week but got sick. These are weeks 19-21 and I'm even bigger now*

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a large mango.

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +10-11 pounds. I started out at 103-105 and now I'm around 114-116 depending on if I weigh myself in the morning or at night.

Maternity Clothes: I got my order from Old Navy and I love all the shirts, they fit great and are super comfy. Hopefully they will last until the end of the pregnancy. Below are pictures of the tops I bought.

 

I also bought some black leggings which I suspect I'll be spending a LOT of time in.

Gender: Team Blue!

Movement: He's quite the mover and shaker in there and his kicks are getting more prominent on the outside as well.

What I miss: My husband, he's leaving today to go fishing for the next 5 days at the beach with his buddies. Something about being pregnant makes me more clingy to him.

Sleep: Better than last week.

Symptoms: backaches and breakouts and the skin on my tummy feeling tighter and tighter

Cravings: Hershey chocolate bars. I had a craving Sunday night and Kristian went out to buy me one and this is what he came home with. He said he wanted to be prepared with all options. haha

Best Moment this week: Getting a healthy heart report at my echo cardiogram ultrasound!

What I am looking forward to: Going shopping this weekend, hoping to find a cute dress for my baby shower in Oct.



Worth Every Penny

So here's the thing, I'm a pretty cheap frugal person by nature. I hate spending a lot of money for things I know I can buy for less elsewhere or for services I know I could do myself. There have been exceptions to this however, for example, when we moved and hired professional movers. BEST. DECISION. Yes we could have moved ourselves but after hiring professionals I will do whatever I need to in the future to afford that luxury when we move again.

With that said when we first started talking a few weeks ago about hiring a cleaning person to come in maybe once a month I was a bit hesitant. It seemed like a waste of money, after all, we could just clean ourselves. Now let me be clear, we DO clean our house. Obviously we do the day to day type of cleaning to keep the house somewhat presentable. The problem is that we've gotten really bad about keeping up with the deep cleaning i.e. mopping, washing windows, dusting those hard to reach spots.  etc.

We moved into the house at the end of February and I got pregnant at the beginning of April and spent most of my first trimester feeling horrible and now I have little pockets of energy that leave as quickly as they come, so for me, trying to keep up with this has been impossible. And even though Kristian is actually REALLY good at that kind of cleaning (I definitely am not) he's typically busy doing more handy-man/physical labor type of projects around the house. Call me crazy but after he replaces all the deck railing single-handedly I feel bad asking him to mop the kitchen floor.

So we decided to bite the bullet and hire someone. We hired the wife of one of the guys Kristian works with and she actually cleans their office as well. It was important we had someone we knew and trusted since they would be cleaning while we weren't home.

Yesterday was her first day and I have to say I was super impressed when I got home. Granted I've never hired a professional to come clean my house so maybe I had low expectations but she went above and beyond and did things we didn't ask or expect her to do. She even cleaned the cat litter box (which we didn't ask her to do)! Kristian said that alone made her worth the money.

Obviously I expected her to do the basics; vacuum, mop, dust etc. but the whole night I kept finding little surprises of things she had cleaned or organized that I didn't anticipate. It was awesome. Below are a few pictures of some of the fun surprises.

She vacuumed our couch! Look at those lines. I didn't even want to sit on the couch when I got home and mess it up.

In Moxie's crate we keep a towel (in case she has an accident) and a soft blanket which are both usually crumpled up and she folded them neatly. I know Moxie was happy.

And by far my favorite surprise, in all of the bathrooms she folded the end of our toilet paper, hotel style. It really is the little things that make me happy!

So even though we ultimately could have done all of this cleaning ourselves it was so nice to have someone come in and get it done for us. It's just getting too hard for me to do it and Kristian doesn't have the time on top of everything else he has to do around the house. It's also nice to have a "clean slate" so to be speak which makes it easier to do our daily cleaning. The plan is to have her come every three weeks. I wish we could afford every two weeks but we just can't right now.

Do you/have you ever had a professional cleaning person?

Heart Matters

This morning I went for another ultrasound for our little man. This time it was a fetal echo cardiogram which we had done because Kristian was born with a heart issue and they wanted to look at the baby's heart a little more closely to make sure he wouldn't have the same/or different problem.

And I'm happy to say that baby boy's heart looked VERY healthy!! They didn't see any issues of concern and everything was measuring and looked normal. I really wasn't very worried since his heart looked great at the anatomy scan but the reassurance from the echo is still amazing to have.

My only disappointment was that I wasn't able to see the rest of him. They immediately zoomed in on the heart and spent the entire time just looking at that, which I figured, however I had hoped maybe they would zoom out at least once and let me have another look at the rest of him. Oh well. The most important thing is that his heart is healthy.

Assuming we don't run into any issues between now and delivery I'm not scheduled for anymore ultrasounds. This could obviously change depending on how he continues to grow (big or small) and if I start to run late. Because of this we have considered going to an elective ultrasound facility around the 30-32 week mark to do a 3D ultra sound just for fun but we'll have to see where our finances stand at that point. It's not something we need but I would love to get a little peek at his face before he gets here. I can't wait to see which features he gets from each of us.

LLP

I'm finally starting to feel better! Woot Woot. And just in time to spend my entire weekend in my house (where I've spent all week) due to that bitch named Irene that is gunning for us. An Earthquake and Hurricane in the same week. Mother Nature is not a fan of us East Coasters right now.

On a happier note I wanted to give you all a heads up about a fabulous deal being offered from an even more fabulous person. My girl Kristen who is the brains/beauty/talent behind Little Laws Prints- custom stationery, invitations, party decor, and prints- has a great deal going on this weekend.  15% off now through Sunday on all stationery including custom orders. Blog friends take 10% off all orders with the coupon code "blogger" at checkout.

I've gotten a few of Kristen's products and they are top notch. And she is very kindly designing the invites and other party goodies for my upcoming baby shower. It's all a surprise but I know it's going to kick ass and can't wait to see what she comes up with.

So for you East Coasters especially who will probably be locked inside most of the weekend, have some fun shopping on LLP's site.

22 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 22 weeks

No picture this week. I've been sick all week and the last thing I need is a picture of myself right now.

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the length of a spaghetti squash (whatever the hell that is)

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 pounds. I went to the doctor's again today because of my cold/rash and they weighed me and I noticed I weighed less than last week, I guess due to being sick all week and not having much of an appetite.

Maternity Clothes: I finally broke down and ordered some maternity tops from Old Navy last week. They haven't arrived yet. At least I'm a small again in maternity wear.

Gender: Team Blue!

Movement: He's been moving a lot more and I can feel him pretty well on the outside. Feeling him move has been comforting all week since I've been sick and worried about how it's affecting him.

What I miss: being able to breathe through my nose...damn cold!

Sleep: Terrible this week but due to my massive head cold rather than the pregnancy. I feel like a zombie.

Symptoms: No real pregnancy symptoms, too busy feeling horrible from my head cold.

Cravings: liquids, not really hungry but very thirsty.

 

Best Moment this week: Going to the doctor today and hearing the heartbeat and getting reassurance that the funk I've had all week doesn't seem to have affected the baby.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing the little guy on my next ultrasound on Monday.



The Yucks

So I briefly mentioned yesterday that I was home sick, well I'm still home sick again today. Over the weekend Kristian came down with a really nasty head cold which he then lovingly passed on to me. Starting Monday night I felt like a truck had hit me. Massive nasal/head congestion, sneezing, coughing you name it. Of course I'm not allowed to take any of the medicine we had in the house so I spent the entire night on Monday on the couch watching HGTV because I couldn't breathe through my nose and therefore couldn't sleep. I think I got about an hour of sleep total that night.

I called the doctor yesterday and was told I'm allowed to take Tylenol Cold, Sudafed, Robitussin and nasal spray (but only for like two days). So I bought some Tylenol Cold and nasal spray, the nasal spray seemed to be the only thing that really gave me any relief and thanks to taking it before bed last night I actually slept until around 4am when I woke up again unable to breathe and couldn't go back to sleep. We also did a Neti Pot last night for the first time ever. That thing is weird and didn't seem to help me much.

My plan was to go into work for a couple hours today to get some stuff done and come home, well when I was in the shower I noticed I had a rash on my chest/stomach/back. It doesn't itch or hurt but it freaked me out, obviously I'm having a reaction to something. I called the doc again and was told to take some Benedryl, rest and if it doesn't get better by this afternoon they'll make an appointment for me to come in tomorrow. So now I'm at home, in bed, checking work emails and trying my best to breathe through my nose.

Being sick sucks. Being sick in the summer when it's actually beautiful outside really sucks and being sick when you're pregnant and can't really take much really REALLY sucks. Hopefully I get some relief soon and the little man is doing better in there than I am.

Holy 5.9!!

Just experienced my very first Earthquake here in Northern VA. Apparently it's clocked in at 5.9 and was felt up to NY and down to NC.

I'm home sick from work today so I was laying on the couch and I felt shaking, at first I thought maybe someone was drilling outside but when it didn't stop I ran and stood in a doorway since that's what they do on t.v. It felt like it lasted forever but I think it was only about 20 seconds. I then went outside where all the neighbors were congregating, freaking out.

Fortunately there doesn't seem to be much damage except for a broken porcelain angel that fell off a shelf. And after 15 minutes of trying to get through on my cell to check on Kristian he texted me that he was okay and actually didn't feel anything while driving.

Very scary and I hope not something I ever have to live through again hence why I won't be moving out to Cali anytime soon!

Did any of you feel the quake??

Like Father Like Son

Since we're having a little boy my mother-in-law went through her house and actually found a few little outfits that Kristian had as a child. I can't believe she still has this stuff after 30-some years but I'm glad she does. Granted they may not be in style anymore but how cute will it be to put our little guy in some of the same clothes his daddy wore as a baby.  See below for the cuteness.

I want to die over these little shorts with suspenders. I can't believe my 6'1" husband was ever able to wear these.

Here's a little sweater with matching hat and mittens that one of Kristian's aunts made for him. This is probably around 12 month size. So perfect for next winter.

Here's another little sweater and hat combo. Also, might fit late next winter. Gotta love the '70s.

We got a few more items but these were the cutest.

Of course our child won't be dressed in all vintage. I've been having the best time buying the little man clothes. And I know, everyone keeps telling me not to buy too many clothes because we'll probably get a ton in gifts but really, can a baby have too many clothes?? I think not! And whoever said having a little boy was cheaper because you won't buy as many cute clothes is wrong, there is so much cuteness out there I can't handle it.

Here are just a couple of the things I've bought so far.

How cute is this little camo, puffer vest?? It's for 12 months so that he can go hunting with daddy next fall.

(no our child won't be hunting at a year old but maybe a little hike in the woods)

This says "Built tough just like daddy". More camo, I know. But on a baby camo is cute, not redneck!

And of course a shout out to me, says "My Mommy Rocks". Yes, Yes I do.

And this last picture isn't clothing related but I couldn't resist posting. Yesterday I was trying to organize all the stuff we have in the nursery and Halpert decided to get into the bassinet my friend Kelli is lending us. I don't think he's gotten the memo that he's no longer the baby of the family anymore!

Suggestions Needed

I'm putting out a request for any suggestions for potential boy names. The one thing I was dreading about having a boy was picking a name. I knew it wouldn't be easy for us to agree on one and I was right. I think we FINALLY agreed on a middle name, though it's not without some compromise but now the tricky part is the first name. I can't tell you how tempting it is to just have the kid and wait until he's old enough to pick his own name but I think that would make the whole birth certificate deal a bit tricky.

There is one name we do both like and unless we can come up with something else we like better that will probably be the name we go with but I'm just not sure I'm 100% sold on it so I'm open for suggestions.

Here are some things we're considering when it comes to the name:

-We don't want something SUPER popular. I don't want our kid to be one of 5 of the same name in his classes. So anything in the Top 10 baby names is definitely out. Would prefer to say out of the Top 50 if possible.

-We want something not super common but also not really weird or hard to pronounce. Cool and unique but not a WTF kind of name. If that makes sense.

-Trying to stay away from names that end in 'son', 'sen', 'syn' etc. I don't want the first and last names to rhyme. We also are trying to avoid names that start with P since our last name starts with P.

I feel like I've looked at every name imaginable already but maybe I'm missing something. And who knows if we pick your suggestion maybe I'll send you a prize!

21 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Looks like I'm hiding a soccer ball under there!

I feel like I've grown a LOT over the past two weeks. If I keep up at this pace I'm gonna be HUGE by the end.

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the length of a carrot

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9-10 pounds. At my doctors appointment yesterday he pointed out that my weight has really "jumped" since last time. No shit. I'm growing a human what do you expect. Considering I barely gained any weight the first 4 months I don't feel so bad. ***Note- he wasn't trying to scold me, just pointing that out so I can be aware and hopefully keep my weight in check and not have a 10 pound baby.

Maternity Clothes: still regular clothes, I need a shopping trip SOON though. My belly seems to have grown overnight and I'm afraid the tops I thought would get me through the summer/early fall won't make it another couple weeks.

Gender: Team Blue!

Movement: He's getting more and more active, especially in the mornings and late evenings. Kristian has now been able to feel him move everynight this week which he loves.

What I miss: a good night's sleep and not having to pee constantly.

Sleep: Not great, I still keep getting up multiple times to go to the bathroom and I'm having a harder time getting/staying comfortable.

Symptoms: Backaches, tiredness and lots of movement

Cravings: Vegetable soup.

Best Moment this week: Kristian feeling the baby move! Also, having another good doctor's appointment yesterday and starting our registry.

What I am looking forward to: Painting the nursery, I really want to start this weekend but it may not happen. Also, my shower in Oct. the planning, has finally begun and I can't wait to see my favorite Floridian ;-)



Odds and Ends

--We officially have a spot reserved for our little guy at a daycare by our house. I'm not in love with the place but I doubt I would be in love with any daycare. The price is decent (still expensive) and it seems like a good place overall. Hopefully it works out.

--I finally had two strangers acknowledge my baby bump to me this weekend. Guess I'm finally starting to look pregnant and not just bloated.

--I also bought what I believe is my first ever adult size large shirt. It's for this winter to accommodate the growing belly. What can I say, I've always been petite so having to buy a large was a bit hard for me.

--The crib and dresser/changing table are now both put together and in the nursery. We still have a ways to go on setting up the room but it's fun seeing those in there.

--We went to Target yesterday to buy four yes FOUR items and we left the store $150 later. Happens. Every. Freaking. Time.

--My husband must love me a lot because he used some of his own fun money to buy me new Coach sunglasses. Apparently he hated my other ones and felt I deserved some quality sunnies for a change.

--I think we are going to splurge for a cleaning person to come in once or twice a month (depending on cost) to do the deep cleaning stuff that is getting harder for me to do. Kristian could do it but believe me he does a lot of other shit around the house on the weekends I don't want to add this stuff to his honey do list.

--Our puppy Moxie has developed a love of sleeping on our dirty laundry in the closet and also grabbing a pair of my dirty undies to carry downstairs and drop at our and any potential guests feet. She also is now putting herself to bed around 8-9pm every night. Regardless of what we're doing she'll go up to our room on her own, lay down and go to sleep.

--We went to register yesterday at Babies R Us. Incredibly overwhelming. I then came home and had to change and edit a lot of it online thanks to my scan-happy husband who was just scanning everything in site in order to move the process along.

--Kristian felt the baby move for the first time last night. He was thrilled!!

20 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 20 weeks-- Halfway Point!!

Wow I look big in this picture!!

 Also, you probably can't tell but I FINALLY dyed my hair again this past weekend, first time in about 6 months! I'm so much happier with the color, my natural color ain't for me.

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the length of a banana

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7 1/2 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: still regular clothes, planning on doing a shopping trip in the next couple weeks. I have NO winter clothes that will work with a bigger belly.

Gender: BOY!!!! So happy I can finally say that!

Movement: He's been a lot more active this week and I'm finally feeling little kicks. Subtle but definitely there. Mainly around 9-10am after I eat breakfast and at night around 8-9pm when I'm watching t.v.

What I miss: clear skin and a good night's sleep

Sleep: This week has been shitty, first from the anticipation of the ultrasound and the last few nights I just can't get/stay comfortable...at least not until about 30 minutes before my alarm goes off, then my bed is the most comfortable place ever. Go figure.

Symptoms: Still some backaches though my boss bought me a new chair for work which has helped a lot. Feeling more movements.

Cravings: Nothing in particular. My appetite is still pretty hit or miss.

 

Best Moment this week: Seeing our healthy baby BOY on the ultrasound!!! Also, Kristian put together the crib on Monday afternoon to surprise me when I got home from work (he was so excited over the news of his son) and we bought the matching dresser/changing table last night.

What I am looking forward to: Going to start registering this weekend and looking at paint swatches for the nursery.

It's a surprise regardless

One thing that gets debated a lot on the baby message boards and in real life is whether or not to find out the gender of the baby before delivery. The typical argument you hear for wanting to wait is that it's one of life's few surprises so better to wait to experience that surprise. For those that choose to wait, I give you all the credit in the world, that takes an insane amount of patience and willpower. Neither of which I have! So Kudos. But here's the thing, even if you find out during your ultrasound or gender reveal party or another way it's still a surprise!

Believe me, laying on that table being 99% sure I was having a little girl and then hearing it was actually a boy was definitely a surprise! A very happy surprise but a surprise none the less. And for me I have to say I'm glad I got that surprise during the ultrasound and not in the delivery room. Finding out the way we did was great... for us. I loved that it was just the two of us (and the ultrasound tech, but I forgot she was there) rather than a room full of doctors and nurses. I loved that we were able to hug and kiss and celebrate with each other immediately and that I wasn't drugged up, exhausted and in pain when I heard the news of my son. It was also nice to have that information for just the two of us for a short time before making all the calls to family and friends and hearing their excitement. For us it was perfect and I wouldn't change it. Plus I now have 4 months to try to wrap my brain around the fact that I'm having a SON! And of course to shop until my house is bursting with blue.

I don't want anyone to think I'm knocking those that wait to find out, as I said, I give you all the credit in the world and I'm sure that experience was/will be amazing but for us finding out early was the way to go. So for any of you out there that are pregnant or plan to be pregnant and debating whether or not to find out early it's just something to keep in mind. Finding out the sex of your baby is a HUGE moment and can be very emotional so just make sure the setting you find it out in is what you feel most comfortable with.

So tell me- did/will you find out the gender before the baby arrives? Any regrets with your choice?

The BIG ultrasound

First off, thank you all for your congratulations on our little boy. We are so excited and can't wait to meet this little dude.

The ultrasound yesterday couldn't have gone any better. I had tried to focus solely on the excitement of finding out the gender so as to distract myself from any thoughts of all the potential problems they could find. If the baby has an issue, typically this is the stage where they will spot it.

Our tech did a great job pointing everything out to us and letting us know each section looked good. It's truly the most amazing thing to be able to see your child's heart beating, to see it's little arms and legs and even his brain. Technology is unbelievable. She did struggle at one point because he was facing my back and she needed to see his face, she started shaking my belly with the wand trying to convince him to turn around which was a bit uncomfortable. Stubborn little bugger.

He's measuring right on schedule and everything looks great. She was able to zoom in a bit on his face and while it's still a bit skeletor looking there's no doubt that he has his daddy's full lips! I so hope he looks like his daddy...but maybe with his mama's green eyes :-)

She finally got down to his boy parts and checked to make sure we wanted to know. I cannot tell you how stunned I was when she said boy. I immediately looked at Kristian and as soon as I saw the (happy) tears in his eyes I lost it. We were both a bit of a mess, just crying and laughing. Sidenote- when I got to work my coworker was worried something was wrong because you could tell I had been crying (all happy tears of course). Honestly it was one of the best moments of my life ever. He claims it was the third best news he's ever gotten (the first and second being when I said yes to his proposal and told him I was pregnant) but I suspect this topped those. He was DYING for a little boy.

Now even though everything looked great we are going back at the end of the month for a fetal echocardiogram. You see Kristian was born 2 months premature and when he was born he had pulmonary valve stenosis which is a condition with the heart. Thankfully they were able to do surgery and fix the issue and he's been fine ever since. He mentioned this to the doctor and she said that just to be on the safe side she wanted to do the fetal echo and check out the baby's heart more closely since the condition can be hereditary. She assured us that it looks fine so far and we shouldn't be worried but better to be prepared at delivery if there is an issue. I'm not worried and just excited to see the little guy again in a few weeks.

I still have so much more to write but this is already ridiculously long so I'll leave you with one of my most favorite pictures from yesterday. Our little man sucking his thumb. So cute I can't handle it.

It's a.........

Results are in:

It's a.......

BOY!!!!!!!!!

The evidence.

So much for mother's intuition! I did have a feeling last night I may be wrong on my girl vibe.

Our handsome little dude.

He looks perfect and we couldn't be more thrilled!!

I'll post more later, still in shock and super excited!

19 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 19 weeks

*taken this morning*

I didn't realize until I saw this picture that the dress has a black line that cuts right across the boob. Makes the boob look deformed. Weird.

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a large heirloom tomato

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: still regular clothes, though after a certain "pen left in the pants and getting ink all over my white clothes in the dryer" incident I may need to go shopping sooner than expected since my limited wardrobe is now even more limited.

Gender: Monday is the BIG day!!! I'm so excited I can't stand it. Don't forget to vote in the poll on the sidebar on what you think it is.

Movement: The last couple nights I've started feeling little "taps" in my lower abdomen, or like a gentle pulsing feeling. It's so cool.

What I miss: not feeling like I have to pee every 30 minutes and I know it's only going to get worse.

Sleep: Pretty good this week, even though I still get up 2-3 times a night to pee I'm able to fall back asleep pretty fast.

Symptoms: Still some backaches and what I'm guessing is round ligament pain. Things growing and shifting around in there. Also, my belly button seems to be flattening out more and more everyday.

Cravings: Still smoothies and this morning I had a craving for M&M's which I might buy at lunch.

Best Moment this week: Feeling those little taps, I think the movement is going to start picking up more and more.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to see the baby again on Monday and hopefully finding out the gender!! Also, Kristian is getting the crib today, we decided on a different one than the one I posted about (long story).

Hung

It only took 5 months but we finally hung some curtains in our bedroom. We weren't in a rush since our bedroom is on the third floor of the house and overlooks the woods so we didn't have to worry so much about the privacy factor. In fact, Kristian would have been fine with never having curtains since he doesn't want to cover our view of the woods and the water. I, however, have gotten really sick of being woken up at the ass crack of dawn every morning thanks to the bright sun that shines in and my eye mask only helps so much.

So I finally talked him into letting us hang some curtains on the condition that we can leave them open at night so he can still wake up to the view but he has to close the curtains when he gets up, which is around 5:30am anyways. It's worked out so far.

I had a hard time finding curtains that I thought might work. I didn't want to get matching sage curtains to go with our duvet cover, for one it would be hard to match exactly and for two I don't really like the matchy matchy look. So I needed something to compliment them and I think/hope I accomplished that.

I found these curtains on sale at Burlington Coat Factory. I was able to get the two curtain panels, two sheer panels and rod for a total of about $85. Not bad. Cheap enough to where if I get sick of them and want to replace them in a year I won't feel so bad.

Here are the pictures:

It's a little hard to tell in the pictures but the curtains are a light grayish/taupe color. The pictures make them look more brown. It actually helps bring out the color of the threading in the duvet color. Not sure what color we'll eventually paint the walls.  

Here's what it looks like when they are closed. I like the circle design in it, gives it a bit of subtle character.

More of a close up of the design.

I'm not 100% in love with them but I like them well enough for now and I've been sleeping much better in the mornings with the room now darker. Plus I think having curtains just makes the room look a bit more finished and grownup.

Baby Bump- Weeks 16-18

Below are the pictures of my baby bumps from weeks 16-18. I'm definitely growing!

Here are some closeup shots. I'm wearing a different tank top in the week 17 picture. I went ahead and bought another one in a larger size for later on and when I discovered the one I usually wear was in the wash I pulled the larger one out for the picture so that's why it's a bit looser on me.

I also finally broke down and did a bare belly shot. These are weird. Not sure I'll post a bare belly shot each time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no stretch marks and lathering my belly in cocoa butter twice a day.

Exactly one more week until our anatomy scan and we find out the gender!!!