25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks, 5 days
Maternity clothes? Hey, hey maternity!  Still able to sneak in some non-preggo items here and there…
Stretch marks? Nope – officially finished my first ‘tub’ of belly butter and onto my second!
Sleep? This has been a good sleeping week!  Despite waking up around 4am every morning I’m not complaining one bit this week!
Best moment this week?  I got my hair did this week and it made me feel amazing!  (I know that might sound extremely selfish but boy did I need it!).  I have pretty thick hair and it has only gotten thicker - I can’t even tell you how great it was to get a cut (and color as you can see in my pick this week)!  Plus getting your hair done makes you feel good about yourself – even if some days you don’t.
Movement?  Oh yeah.....I think that I experienced baby hiccups this week!!!  It happened just after lunch time and there were 3 in a row, evenly spaced – sooo cool!  J
Miss anything?  Still missing my pre-preggo sleep positions but also missing the ability to order a fountain pop (specifically Diet Coke, I’m getting sick of ‘clear’ pop) when at a restaurant – I have been really good at sticking to my NO caffeine rule.
Food cravings?  None.  Still loving my toast/English muffin with PB each morning and the apples have been heavenly! 
Exercise?  Keeping up on my exercise!
Gender: Unknown – had a friend change her prediction from boy to girl this week! 
Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, lower back pain, slight swelling (laying off all salty foods to minimize), round ligament (yup – I said ligament Mack! Lol) pain has begun
Rings on or off?  ON!
Heels or flats? Still wearing those heels when I can!
Belly button in or out? Still in there!
Mood - happy or moody most of the time? For the most part very happy!  There are of course moments here and there….
Looking forward to?  Fall weather!  It might be my favorite season of the year!

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 weeks, 6 days (yah, yah I know that I’m a little behind this week)

Total weight gain? 15 lbs, only up 2 lbs from my 20 weeks appt!  I did it and was able to watch my 'gaining' to get myself back on track! *pats self on back*

Maternity clothes? Maternity is the section for me and I’m not even minding it.  Finding some really cute things out there and always able to get some kind of a deal (which makes Bill and my wallet happy).  Still able to wear some pre-preggo tops so that makes me smile.  J

Stretch marks? Nada – wooohooo!  Not even seeing a hint of the linea nigra (that line that appears and runs up the center of your preggo belly).

Sleep? A solid 8 hours of GOOD sleep is pretty much non-existent.  I’m constantly turning from left to right side as my sleeping positions are very limited and don’t even get me started on the wacky dreams…  I used to LOVE sleeping on my side….these days not so much.

Best moment this week?  My husband (and future awesome daddy) turned 30 this week.  We (have so far) celebrated with 2 dinners and there are more planned!  Birthdays are a HUGE deal for me and I love spoiling the birthday boy! 
OH and I also made my FIRST Baby Laws purchase! My girlfriend, Amanda, told me that I should buy the first stuffed animal for the baby so I happily obliged and bought this super cute elephant from Pottery Barn for Kids - ok so I kinda cheated b/c this was originally from my registry (see 'Baby's first gift and the beginnings of a baby registry') BUT they discontinued the set and I could not NOT pass up this adorable elephant (on the left)!

Movement?  This baby is keeping him/herself quite busy in there.  Some days I swear he/she is doing the breast stroke inside my belly – future swim lessons have been noted.

Miss anything?  Adding beauty sleep to my list this week and still missing my alcohol and tummy/back sleep positions.

Food cravings? Is something wrong with me? – I don’t have one single craving!  However, I do love having my daily breakfast of peanut butter on either a whole wheat English muffin or whole wheat toast.  Oh and I’m SUPER excited that it’s apple season – can’t wait to get a TON of Honeycrisp apples!

Exercise?  Still working on my fitness – although this week I took a break as I was pretty tired.

Gender: It’s a surprise!

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, lower back pain (which is really annoying) still topping the list.  The leg cramps (much milder) still rear their ugly head during the nite.  My feet/legs are a bit swollen at the end of the day – I couldn’t wear one of my favorite knee high boots the other day (which caused a minor melt down bc/c it’s boot season) but am happy to report that I was able to get them on when trying again in the morning – stupid swelling!

Rings on or off?  ON!

Heels or flats? Not giving up the heels yet, although I recently purchased some awesome brown (flat) boots that I can’t wait to rock!

Belly button in or out? Still hanging ‘in’ there LOL

Mood - happy or moody most of the time? Happy little momma!

Looking forward to?  I am currently going through ALL of my childhood memorabilia that my parents have saved through the years.  I’m really looking forward to seeing what was saved and I can’t wait to show my little one some of my favorite childhood memories!  J

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks, 5 days

Maternity clothes? Hard core rocking (and loving) my full blown maternity pants.  I LOVE Fall so I’m really looking forward to purchasing my (limited) fall wardrobe – tomorrow, shhhhhh!

Stretch marks? None!  Seeing the bottom on my Burt’s Bees jar!

Sleep? Pretty good on keeping a steady sleep pattern this week– still randomly waking up a couple hours after falling into REM for no particular reason.  Thankfully after looking at the clock and calculating the amount I’ve slept and what's left to go, I quickly fall back asleep.

Best moment this week?  We literally SAW my belly move this week when the baby was kicking!  AMAZING!  AND Baby Laws has furniture people!  Here’s a pic of the crib (and collection - in this licorice color) we decided on – I can NOT wait for it to come in!

Movement?  This is one busy baby and although I am loving every minute of it because it assures me that things are going well in there, there are a few times when I wish the baby would go back to sleep!

Miss anything? Booze and my sleeping positions (or lack there of) top this list this week…

Food cravings? Still no cravings that stick out and still waiting for something to cause me to drive long distances to obtain.  A few things that I had that tasted REALLY good this week were:  Cheez-Its, a BLT sandwich, and strawberries

Exercise?  Yes, yes, yes and I refuse to give this up until forced!

Gender: Boy or Girl – your guess is as good as ours!  Received another girl prediction (BIG smile here!)

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits and lower back pain (which is really annoying) top the list.  The leg cramps are less frequent (thank you H2O!) and my feet and legs (particularly the left side) seem to be a tad swollen by the end of the day – this will be addressed at my next appointment

Rings on or off?  ON!

Heels or flats? Not giving up the heels yet, although loving the flats AND looking forward to boot weather!

Belly button in or out? In but I predict that it will pop out in the month

Mood - happy or moody most of the time? Happy little momma!

Looking forward to? Bill’s 30^th birthday is next week and while I can’t hit the bar scene (like I used to) I can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with him and our growing family!

The makings of a MSU (Gerber) graduate

Last week Baby Laws received a mystery gift in the mail.  After opening the box, we learned that this mystery gift was from my brother’s girlfriend, Kelly, and we (probably me more so than Bill) loved what was inside…..

The baby golf romper will be perfect for our spring outings (which will hopefully include a trip to campus!) and I love how Sparty pops off the white bib.  However, anyone who knows me, knows that I’m already cringing at the thought of this beautiful white bib getting dirty – but hey that’s what Shout is for right?!

22 Weeks

(Again sorry about the pic this week - it's been one busy and stressful week!)



How far along? 22 weeks, 5 days

Maternity clothes? Full blown maternity pants, still able to rock some ‘regular’ tops.  Looking forward to seeing what the shops have to offer for fall (it’s one of my favorite seasons as I’m totally a jeans, sweater and boots kinda girl).  Right now I am a Gap and Old Navy preggo but in the next couple of weeks I plan to check out some new stores…. J

Stretch marks? None – still religiously applying my belly butter, although I read the other day that  there is no scientific proof that this will help stop them from coming – only genes.  But I’ll still continue the fight – in fact I’ll be needing a new jar soon!

Sleep? So far this week I’ve been able to sleep through the nite for the most part – on occasion I’ll wake up after a couple hours of deep sleep and thankfully have no problems getting back into REM…

Best moment this week?  This best moment this week happened because of the worst moment this week.  Earlier this week Bill and I went for a bike ride and I ended up falling (obviously worst moment).  Thankfully I fell on my side and after a trip to the doctors (2 days later b/c I was too scared to call right away – and I got scolded for this by my midwife) I was comforted by the sweet sound of my baby’s heart beat (obviously best moment).  Hearing that sound and knowing that it was recorded at the same rate as the few weeks prior was reassuring that things were going to be ok.  However this of course hasn’t stopped me from worrying every now and again.  It HAS however stopped me from riding my bike – which is now a permanent fixture on my garage wall.

Movement?  OMG can this baby move – and I’m loving every minute of it!  That baby seems to be most busy right before (my) bedtime and just before lunch.

Miss anything? This week Bill and I joined some of our friends for the NFL opener at a local bar.  Man did I want a Miller Lite like none other!  I still miss being able to sleep on my tummy and back (not because it’s uncomfortable but I read that at this point in my pregnancy I should try to not lay on my back anymore.

Food cravings? No food cravings to report.  However I have been eating some type of bread (toast, English muffin) with peanut butter or a I sub a multigrain bagel with lite cream cheese EVERY morning which goes perfectly with some sort of decaf coffee drink from Starbucks.  Still waiting for my ‘Big MAC at midnight’ moment. LOL

Exercise?  Still exercising with Zumba and the treadmill will soon become an exercise staple in my routine.  I also recently discovered Piyo which is a mix between Pilates and yoga.  I’m in love with it!
 
Gender: Unknown – however we have performed the following gender prediction tests (with results):
The Chinese Gender predictor – Boy (no matter which way I did it – and believe me I tried a couple!) 
The ring on a string test – Girl – we defiantly saw circles! 
Bill’s friend at work predicted a Girl based on some kind of test he performs with the names of mom, dad and both sets of grandparents.

Current ruling:  Boy Baby Laws – 1, Girl Baby Laws 2  J

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, dizziness, shortness in breath from doing everyday activities, and leg cramps – I can defiantly tell when I don’t get my water intake for the day.  Right now I’ve got swelling on my left leg and foot – not sure if this is normal but I’ll be doing some research tonight and calling the doctor IMMEDIATELY if something seems wrong.

Rings on or off?  ON!

Heels or flats? Still rocking the heels – when appropriate of course.

Belly button in or out? In

Mood - happy or moody most of the time? Happy yet this week my mood seemed to be more agitated due to my worrying about the baby – and of course random moody moments rear their ugly head from time to time though

Looking forward to? Starting the nursery as the farthest we got last week was getting rid of the furniture that currently occupied that room!  I’m all things elephants right now!

21 Weeks

(My apologies for this week's picture - it was cleaning day at the Laws Compound) 

How Far Along? 21 weeks, 6 days

Maternity Clothes? LOVING my maternity pants and wearing nothing but.  I am finding that I LOVE the fitted maternity tops that show of my growing belly - I feel like a whale in the loose fitting tops.  That being said I feel like I’m quickly running out of versatile options with my limited wardrobe – looks like I’ll have to take a trip to the mall soon. (shhh, don’t tell Bill!) J

Stretch Marks? Nope! Belly butter twice daily - I'm going to need another tub soon!  My belly is starting to itch once in a while although I’m doing my best not to scratch!

Sleep? This week I’ve only been able to sleep through the nite only 1 or 2 nites.  This stinks!  I’m hoping that this isn’t a view into the future and I’ll be able to get back to my beauty sleep!

Best Moment This Week?  This week Bill and I celebrated our 3^rd wedding anniversary!  I know that it’s not a huge milestone but it was extra special because we are now a family of 3 (humans that is – I certainly can’t forget about our first ‘furry’ daughter, Zoey)!  We also started Baby Laws’ registry!  I enjoyed the items in the store while Bill enjoyed the red lasers that came out of the scanner….

I also found out this week that I can get a DECAF caramel macchiato from Starbucks – this will for sure brighten my fall/winter mornings!

Miss Anything? Besides the obvious (adult beverages – beer, red wine, margaritas), I really miss being able to sleep on my stomach and back.

Food Cravings? I feel like to crave something is to go above and beyond in order to get it and you won’t stop until you get.  I haven’t had any moments like this so I don’t consider myself having any cravings.  The other day I wanted a burger but I didn’t do anything about it.  A couple days before that I randomly popped 5 green olives in my mouth but not because I NEEDED them – I saw them in the fridge and they looked good at time.  Speaking of I kinda want some right now!

Exercise? Still getting wild at Zumba.  I'm also starting to head back to the gym for some treadmill time - I figure once I'm banned (by my midwife) from the Zumba circuit the treadmill will become my best friend.

Gender: It’s a surprise – even we don’t know!

Symptoms? Frequent bathroom visits, dizziness, shortness in breath from doing everyday activities (think 3 flights of stairs which I could do in my sleep 5 months ago!), and leg cramps – although I’ve been able to fix this by upping my daily water intake.

Rings On or Off?  ON!

Heels or Flats? Still rocking the heels – when appropriate of course.

Belly Button In or Out? In

Mood - Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy – although I’ve been noticing that I’ll get in random (minor) funks from time to time…like during the registry process at Buy  Buy Baby when I become extremely overwhelmed in the bottle aisle...

Looking forward to? Starting the nursery!  I love our yellow and gray theme and can’t wait to see our vision come together!  J