24 Weeks

not loving my hair so much this week...

How far along? 24 weeks (6 months!)
Baby’s Size:  cantaloupe
Maternity clothes?  Is there any other kind?
Best moment this week:  Joe FINALLY being able to feel a kick!  Last night while I was laying in bed the baby was kicking really hard in the same spot over and over so I quick told Joe to feel and it worked!
Miss anything?  People not asking me how I'm feeling.  I know they mean well but seriously, there has got to be other things to talk about!  I feel totally fine, like my old self...so far, pregnancy no big deal...
Movement:  All the time.  He's really active during the day and quieter at night.  Let's hope that keeps up after he's born!
Food cravings:  Cereal.  I've been eating it for breakfast every morning and could totally have it for dinner every night too.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Haven't even gagged this week!  Wahoo!
Gender:  snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...that's what little boys are made of...
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms:  I felt like I was going to pass out 3 times this week, always right around 8:15am.  I've been fighting it by bringing orange juice and fruit to work and eating/drinking as soon as I feel woozy...I plan on mentioning it to the doctor at my appointment next week.  I also had the worst cramp in my left butt cheek a few days this week.  It comes and goes and I haven't done anything particularly active that would have hurt the muscle so...according to Dr Google the baby is probably sitting on my sciatic nerve from time to time and causing it.
Belly button in or out?  Still WAY in...but I noticed I have a little beauty mark in it that I'd never seen before...
Happy or moody most of the time:  Happy :-)

Looking forward to:  More room work!  Joe surprised me by finishing the chevron wall last Friday night, I love it!  We're doing our best not to buy anything until after the shower but I can't wait to see how it looks with actual baby stuff in it!  I'm hoping we can get to Ikea on Sunday and pick up the book wall shelves!

23 Weeks

As I'm sure most of you are aware the iPhone 5S & 5C release today.  I think you're also aware that Joe works for a cell phone provider.  This means he left the house at 6:30am this morning and was not home to take my weekly picture...I don't know, I kind of like this angle... 

update: my pal over at C'est Law Vie told me about a camera timer app for my iPhone so I'll be trying that out next time!



How far along? 23 weeks
Baby’s Size:  grapefruit
Maternity clothes?  You got it dude!
Best moment this week:  Getting a reaction from the baby when I was talking to him.  I felt like a total weirdo but all the info I've been reading says we should be talking to him so I gave it a shot the other night while I was laying on the couch.  I told him about my day and when I'd stop, he'd kick.  Pretty cool.
Miss anything?  Wine.  We were talking about different kinds in the office today and all of a sudden I totally missed it.
Movement:  Every day.  In fact, last night I was laying on the couch with my iPad on my belly playing Candy Crush and he kept kicking at it.  It was pretty funny watching it bounce up.  I tried to get him to do it for Joe later that evening but no dice.
Food cravings: I can totally go for a salad, but not one from home, I need one from Saladworks or something.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Bodily fluids still totally gross me out.  Nicole was telling me a story about Jack sneezing and snot running down his face and I literally almost vomited just thinking about it.
Gender:  I've started calling our boy "buddy" when I talk to him, lol.
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms:  My scalp is super itchy, it has been for weeks but I always forget when I get to this post.  Also, I almost passed out yesterday.  I was filing in my office and got really light headed all of a sudden.  I went and sat down at my desk but it got worse!  I took a few sips of lemonade and put my head between my knees for a few minutes and started to feel better.  Crazy!  It happened again today but not nearly as bad so hopefully it won't be a regular occurrence.
Belly button in or out?  Still WAY in...but thankfully slightly less cavernous/lumpy looking...
Happy or moody most of the time:  Definitely happy.  I was in a funk one day but by the time I got home from work it had lifted.
Looking forward to:  I don't know, everything.  I'm in a really good place this week.  We're having a yard sale this weekend so hopefully we'll clear out a lot of junk and have room for baby stuff!  Especially since my shower is in 5 weeks (YAY)!  Also, Joe started marking off the chevron wall!  And, duh, it's Friday!

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks
Baby’s Size:  papaya
Maternity clothes?  All the time.  I also hit up the Old Navy 25% off maternity sale for some fall items (like KJPugs favorite tank).
Best moment this week:  Getting all the furniture set up in the room!  We were concerned it wasn't going to fit right but after pushing everything around & around we found a good configuration.  It's pretty crazy to walk past and see a crib out of the corner of my eye!
Miss anything? Joe not watching me like a hawk.  I know he has my best interests at heart but seriously if I get one more "can you eat that?" I might scream.
Movement:  I felt 2 kicks from the outside this week!  I tried to find a time for Joe to as well but this kid-let just wasn't cooperating.
Food cravings:  I really wanted a salad earlier in the week and I'm in the mood for a burrito today.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Gender:  a little man
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms:  Restless leg syndrome was back with a vengeance...but having to get up and pee every half an hour helped to relieve it!
Belly button in or out?  My weekly email from Pregnant Chicken said my belly button might be poking out this week, bwahahaha!  It's not quite as cavernous as before but it's definitely no where near sticking out.
Happy or moody most of the time:  I'd say I was happy this week.  Working on the room helped boost my mood a lot.  Joe surprised me by painting the walls & ceiling during the day while I was at work!  We decided to go with all different shades of one color in hopes of not making the small room too overwhelming.  I also found an alphabet arrangement that I think we're going to try to install opposite the chevron.  So...it may still be pretty busy in there!

Looking forward to:  Having a little guy to put in the stroller that Joe's parents surprised us with on Wednesday!  We were shocked to see the giant box on the porch with a card telling us to enjoy the gift!

 

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks
Baby’s Size:  pomegranate
Maternity clothes?  I actually wore a couple of non-maternity shirts this week!  Yes, they were long and flowy but it totally counts.
Best moment this week:  Working on our baby registries with our moms on Monday.  It was really nice all 4 of us spending time together oohing and aahing over tiny baby things.
Miss anything?  Hmmm...nothing I can think of right now.
Movement: Yep.  There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it though and nothing that can be felt from outside.
Food cravings:  I think I really wanted something in particular the other night but hell if I can remember what it was...damn pregnancy brain?
Anything making you queasy or sick:  I've been trying to eat more veggies lately.  They don't make me sick but I also don't find them very appetizing.
Gender: a bouncing baby boy!
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms:  I really can't think of anything.  I've been feeling very much like good ole pre-pregnancy Lauren this week.  I have been sniffling a little the last few days, but I think that's just allergies though.
Belly button in or out?  Ugh the lumpiness is still going full force.  In fact Joe was singing the song "Lump" while taking my picture this morning.  I keep giving the little guy pep talks to kick at it or shove his butt against it to round it out.  My weekly update from thebump.com says it may start to even out this week!  Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Happy or moody most of the time:  I was definitely on the moody train this week.  There were a few tears and a few days where I was just plain in a funk that I couldn't get out of.
Looking forward to:  Moving forward on the room!  We've got the furniture in there now but we still need to arrange it a little better and paint and figure out a rug and and and...

It's a...

Oh my gosh!  I totally forgot to post over the weekend about our gender reveal!  I'm super sorry guys!  However, I'm betting most of you already follow me on some other form of social media so you probably already know what we're having...

Our gender reveal extravaganza started on Friday evening with a special manicure.  My mom met me at the nail salon across the street and Quynh worked her magic on my new longer, stronger (thanks to prenatal vitamins) nails.  After our mani/pedi appointment we headed across the plaza for dinner at Applebee's.  No gender reveal excitement there though...

The next morning Nicole, Jack & I headed out to pick up last minute party supplies.  Obviously blue and pink jewelry from Old Navy was necessary.  We also stopped at Party City for plates, napkins, candy and fancy polka dot balloons.

Before I knew it 7pm was here and our friends/family were starting to arrive!  We waited until 8pm to cut the cake so that those fashionably late people wouldn't miss the big event.

 

It was really fun but also one of the most overwhelming moments of my life.  There were about 30 people crammed into the entryway of our dining room waiting to see if the inside of the cake was pink or blue!

It was blue!  We're having a boy!  If you'd like to check it out first hand feel free to watch the YouTube video below that a friend of ours recorded on Joe's cell phone.

About 1/2 our guests left pretty quickly after the cake was cut but most of our favorites hung out for a few hours longer to celebrate our boy!  I stayed up WAY later than I have in months!

I've had a feeling since pretty much the moment I got pregnant that it was a boy but I don't know a lot about boys.  I've always been a girly girl and never had a lot of guy friends or anything like that so the prospect of raising a son & being outnumbered in my house is a little daunting.  So, on Sunday morning before I was even out of bed I updated our registries (amazon & Babies R Us) with more boy appropriate colors and spent some time on Pinterest looking at boy inspired showers and other cute baby boy stuff to boost my excitement.  Then, after Joe headed out to work I decided to hit the 50% off Labor Day sale at Carter's.  I did my best to restrain myself and only picked out 5 adorable little outfits for a total of $36!  I was surprised that I wasn't even sad to not be in the little girl section, I guess my blood isn't quite as pink & glittery as I thought!

I also spent some time over the weekend talking to friends that are moms to boys and have been reassured.  I'm feeling really good our new little guy and couldn't be more excited to meet the little mama's boy in January!

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks
Baby’s Size: banana
Maternity clothes?  All maternity all the time.  Even my regular underwear are starting to be uncomfortable...
Best moment this week:  We had our anatomy scan!  It was fun getting to see the baby again, I swear I wouldn't believe it was there if I didn't see it with my own eyes!
Miss anything?  Not being apprehensive.  I noticed I'm looking a little less toned in the arms/back lately and I'd love to lift or something but I just worry I'm going to do some kind of damage somehow...
Movement:  I've definitely got movement happening but it's hard to tell what exactly.  The ultrasound tech said once the baby hits 16-24oz it'll be easier to distinguish (it's only 12oz now).
Food cravings:  Not craving anything and still not very hungry...
Anything making you queasy or sick:  I appear to have an issue with bodily fluids.  I knew this was a slight problem because I tend to dry heave a little when helping Jack in the bathroom...but then I tried to clean up some cat puke the other morning and lost my breakfast.  Doesn't bode extremely well for bringing a tiny child home...I hear they're all bodily fluids all the time...
Gender:  35 hours to go!  AND my friend Edra, who flew in for our party (and Labor Day weekend, but I'm choosing to believe it's strictly to see us), got us our first present off our registry (even though the items are totally gender neutral)!
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms: Oh my gosh my legs are so restless!  After laying on the couch watching tv for an hour or so I can hardly take it!  I think Joe's happy about it though because I've been getting up and cleaning to stay busy...
Belly button in or out?  It's still way in but I think my uterus being up at that level this week is helping with my lumpiness...  Plus from the looks of that picture I may have actually popped!  I even had my first congratulations based purely on sight earlier this week!  I mean yeah the guy was definitely taking a risk but lucky for him I was excited!
Happy or moody most of the time:  Holding strong at happy!
Looking forward to: No more "it."  In no time I'll be able to refer to the kidlet as he or she!  Look for an update from me Saturday night!!

19 Weeks

How far along? 19 weeks
Baby’s Size: mango
Maternity clothes?  All maternity all the time.  I could probably still get away with regular tops but the stretchy bands on the pants come down so low that most non-maternity tops aren't long enough...
Best moment this week: Starting our registry.  After doing a lot of research and reading pretty much the entire Lucie's List website I started adding things to registries on Amazon.com and Babies R Us.  I'm sure once we know the sex the colors will change but for now it's good to have a few things marked that we know we'll need.

Miss anything?  Having energy.  I always have big plans for the evening but by the time I leave work I'm ready for a nap!
Movement:  There's definitely something going on in there.  I don't usually realize until it stops but once or twice a day I definitely feel something.
Food cravings:  Nope.  In fact I haven't been very hungry at all.  All the articles I read say I should be ravenous in the 2nd trimester but I'm not.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Gender:  We're up to 31 guests for our gender reveal!  Only 5 days until the scan and 8 days until the party!
Labor signs:  Nope.
Symptoms: I've been really tired again this week, I actually had plans to walk with Angela and had to cancel because I couldn't keep my eyes open at 5pm.  I've also had a ton of round ligament pains.  I think this kid has a growth spurt happening with all the stretching going on.
Belly button in or out?  Still looking lumpy thanks to the darn thing!
Happy or moody most of the time:  Happy again this week!  Thank goodness, being a crab is no fun for anyone.
Looking forward to: Working on the nursery!  We've decided to do a book wall and a chevron wall...I'm hoping it's not too busy...  We finally found someone to take our couch, now we just need to get rid of the desk and it's game on.  In fact the furniture came in at Babies R Us yesterday so we have to pick it up in the next 2 weeks.  I'm thinking everything is going to start happening quickly now that the summer is almost over!