The Final Third

OK so today I'm OFFICIALLY in the third trimester.  None of this fake third trimester crap from four weeks ago.  28 weeks done, 12ish to go.  Here's a belly shot for all you wanters.  Don't mind my sweats.  I only get dressed about three times a week now and today isn't my (or your) day.  At least I'm wearing a clean outfit.  You are welcome. 

I'm still feeling really good overall though I swear I get bigger and more stretched out by the second. It's getting harder to maneuver myself out of bed or off the couch but I'm figuring it out.   I'm getting more and more tired and hot for sure, and of course here in Phoenix the hot part is only bound to get worse, but those I can manage.  It seems to be an every-other-day cycle.  I'll have tons of energy and do all kinds of things around the house and then the next day it's all I can do to move from bed to the couch to the fridge.  I'm working on not overdoing it the days where I have energy but I can tell I've got some nesting going on and just want to CLEAN ALL THE THINGS.

The hip pain is getting worse, and due to the hot factor, sleeping with my super sweet body pillow is becoming very toasty, which in turn makes the hip pain worse.  Half the nights I abandon all pillows, blankets and sheets and I'm sure will soon also abandon clothes just so I can bask in the air conditioning vent that sits directly over our bed.  Either that or, as I've mentioned to several people, buy a huge, body sized deep freezer and just move in for the next three months in an attempt to keep cool. 

As far as exercise goes I am still walking the dog for about thirty minutes at least once or twice a day.  I also got a Groupon this morning for ten yoga classes at the really nice studio down the street.  I'm going to try to do prenatal yoga once a week until the baby comes.  I think the stretching will do my hips and legs some good, plus I'm sure there are awesome mental benefits as well. 

I'm up about once or twice per night to pee depending on how much I had to drink before bed and the heartburn has made it appearance.  Luckily it's not constant.  I only get it when I eat something spicy, too acidic (like orange juice or tomato sauce) and I just discovered this morning, overly chocolaty.  I'm crying over the last one.  Of COURSE chocolate gives me heartburn.  Still no odd pregnancy cravings.  I love the foods I loved before and basically eat about the same stuff and the same portions.  I still don't have the results back from my glucose test, but I should hear today.  Hopefully we're all clear there and I can continue eating carbs three times a day and give birth to some sort of tortilla chip or slice of bread.  Like I said...still eating all the same stuff!

Still no real nursery progress. My designer friend graduates on Friday so hopefully I can get her to help me  out after that.  I did go through all the baby clothes a second time and set aside a box of stuff that is either overflow or things I'm not a huge fan of.  I'll wait and see what I get at my showers and sort through all of that too and then take inventory of what I have and need and then go from there.  If my mothers (mother, step-mother and mother-in-law) have anything to do with it I'll never have to buy clothes as long as he's alive!  I'm trying to keep everything sorted into sizes as it comes in so I'm not overwhelmed by the task later on when I'm huge-er and less likely to care as much.

Pretty soon we're taking a ten day trip to Utah for my shower there as well as my yearly girl's trip.  We're taking the dog which should prove fun and interesting.  We're driving which will also prove interesting and most likely uncomfortable for me, but the alternative of not having a car is no bueno. It will be nice to have so much time there and we'll hopefully be able to see everyone we want to before we have the baby and traveling becomes a bit more difficult.  I'm also hoping to take a week or so towards the middle or end of June and go stay with my Grandparents.  My doctor said no flying after the 15h of June but we can drive there.  My main goal is to get out of the heat and just lounge in their pool a lot.  Plus, seeing my Grandma is always a bonus. 

So there's the update.  My life is so very exciting. 

SUGAR!!!!

I'm officially 27 weeks and today was the start of my every three week appointments and the dreaded glucose test.  After consulting with the nurse last time as to the preferred flavor for the deliciousness, I went with orange.

Firstly, yesterday I sort of forgot I was having this test done today and literally ate NOTHING BUT CARBS (not joking.  Cereal and toast for breakfast, macaroni and cheese for lunch and a mid-afternoon snack) until 9pm when I remembered what I had to do and decided to have an egg, broccoli and cheese omlet for dinner.  I know, 9PM isn't really dinner time but that's what happened. 

I woke up this morning and brushed my teeth early so I could rid myself of the toothpasteness before downing the orange goo.  Having heard horror stories about the drink, I was delighted when I found it didn't actually taste that bad.  Sort of like orange soda that someone messed up the mix on and there wasn't nearly enough water.  I was able to gulp it down in about one minute. 

Naturally, as soon as I'd downed the bottle, my phone rang.  My OB's office was calling telling me she had to go deliver a baby and could they reschedule for this afternoon?  Normally?  No problem, but their office is thirty minutes from my house and I had sort of just downed the equivalent of ten bags of Halloween candy for breakfast.  I didn't particularly want to make the trip once just for a blood draw so I mentioned the glucose test and they were miraculously able to squeeze me in only an hour late when they assumed my doctor would be back.  So, I braved the rush hour traffic and made it to the office with six minutes to spare before the hour time limit on drawing my blood was up, did that whole thing then got to go find some breakfast to calm my FREAKING OUT blood sugar levels. 

All in all it worked out well because I would have been super duper jittery waiting to see my doctor, plus I also had to wait for the nurse after my visit so I could get my Rhogam shot (I am O Negative so that's always a literal pain in the butt). 

Everything is great.  This week I'm measuring a week ahead (if you're keeping track in the last three months I've been a week ahead, a week behind and now a week ahead again) and the mister's heartbeat was perfect.  He was also having a party thanks to the excess sugar so it took us a little while to nail down his location for a heartbeat but that seems to be the norm whenever I'm at the doctor's office.  Or maybe always?  Basically he's very active.  Super excited to see how that manifests in his real life.

I feel like I'm getting bigger every day and yesterday, as I was lying on the couch and attempted to get up, I experienced the oddness of my inner ab muscles poking through the separation in my outer ab muscles.  This is something no one had ever mentioned to me before.  I'm sure if I'd thought about it, it would have been like a "no duh" moment for me but not being prepared to see some forgotten inner muscles poking through like a strange worm was SO WEIRD.  Matt looked over at just the right moment and just said "What the hell?!"  My thoughts exactly.  My hips are still hurting a big though the last few days it's been less.  I'm not sure if I've found better sleeping positions or my body is just adjusting, but I'm grateful either way. 

Yesterday Arizona hit a record high for April of 105 and I was pretty sure I was going to die from the heat.  This does not bode well for the next three months. I'm not even THAT hot yet and it was seriously the most miserable day.  I think I'm going to go buy a deep freeze and plan to live in it until the baby is born.  I'm praying this was a freak heat wave and it cools back down until the end of June.  I doubt I'll get my way but here's hoping.

So, there you have it.  My little update.  I'm almost officially in my third trimester and while part of me is super excited, a lot of me is starting to panic just a little.  Or a lot.  Either way this little man appears to be coming for reals so I guess I'd better figure out how to be a parent or something!

Remember that one time? When I lost track of how far along I was and added a week? Yeah, that wasn't so funny.

Ugh.  I had a total pregnancy brain fart last week - thanks mostly to the stupid baby apps on my iPhone - and thought I was 26 weeks and about to hit 27.  Ha.  Very funny.  Take one week away, folks because I did the math this morning and I was 25 weeks and just hit 26.  I blame the apps because the second you're 25 weeks and 1 day, they start showing you all the 26 week stats on baby.  If I had thought about it for two minutes I would have figured it out, but thinking I was thisclose to seven months was just too tempting.

Big progress in the belly department in the last two weeks.  My stomach muscles decided they couldn't hack it anymore and boy howdy do I look pregnant now.  However, in the weight department, I think I'm hanging in there to reach my goal of no more than 15 pounds gained.  Apparently my pre-pregnancy BMI indicates I should gain between 11-20 pounds and I figured I'd aim in the middle.  I lost about 12 pounds in the first trimester and at my last appointment I was still down two pounds from my original weight....which basically means I've gained ten pounds.  Of course, according to my doctor's chart I haven't gained any.  I'm sure the next appointment will prove I've gained a few pounds but obviously at this point that's what I want to be doing.  The little man weighs almost two pounds now and when you add in fluid and placenta and all that crap I should be up a few pounds.  I am walking Watson at least once a day for about an hour, usually twice, unless I make Matt go because I'm too tired.  He's a speedy little walker and we have a routine of running around the park three or four times so I really think that consistent, daily exercise is helping me gain the right weight and not get big in the butt, thighs, arms, so on and so forth.  I feel pretty lucky that, at least so far, I haven't become swollen and super uncomfortable.  For those that care, here is a belly shot from Saturday which was two days shy of 26 weeks...so let's just call it 26 weeks, shall we?  Please note that my exercise clothes from this particular day are HAWT.  Specifically the basketball shorts.  Saddest part?  I don't think I changed out of them until it was time for pajamas.  Matt is a lucky, lucky man.

As far as fashion goes, almost all of the clothes that fit me pre-pregnancy still fit, with the exception of a couple of pairs of pants, mostly due to high waistlines.  I prefer long shirts no matter what so anything that doesn't button up (which, let's be honest, I haven't worn those in like, over a year thanks to casual work environments and my new found ability to wear pajamas or workout clothes ALL DAY.   Yay unemployment!) still fits due to the length.  I did have a girls shopping day when my Stepmom Lisa (LOVE HER!) was in town to see my sister's baby and she bought me some SUPER cute maternity clothes at Motherhood.  One dress in particular is amazeballs and I want to wear it all the time.  I did notice that wearing actual maternity clothes definitely makes me look even MORE pregnant, but that's ok.  It's kind of nice to have people be able to tell it's a baby bump and not just my poor eating habits. 

The baby moves all the time and is really getting into his acrobatics lately.  He's all over the place and it still feels totally and completely weird.  His movement is obvious from the outside most of the time now and I sometimes just sit and stare at my belly trying to figure out HOW this is a normal occurrence! 

We bought our crib this weekend at BuyBuyBaby.  They let me use a 20% off coupon I didn't think would apply to furniture so it was much cheaper than I expected, which is awesomesauce.  I seriously LOVE this crib and am so very excited to have it.  I think the majority of the nursery plan is together in my mind, I just need to figure out what to do with the walls.  This of course is the first thing I need to tackle so I wish I could just make up my mind already so I could get going.

Well, there's your update for the day.  One of my dearest friends had her baby this morning (at home!  She's so brave) and I get to go over and meet the little lady and then I'm making dinner for her family.  Somewhere in there I need to vacuum the floors and the couch because wow, does my puppy shed.  My life is a freaking party, people.

You Are Now Exiting the Second Trimester...sort of.

People who say pregnancy lasts for nine months are big fat liars. Know why?! Because I'm six months (24 weeks) pregnant and I have four months (16 weeks) until my due date. Fer rude. It's all in that "measuring from your last period" thing...and why it never occurred to me that 40 weeks is ten months I truly have no idea. What it comes down to is that pregnant lasts a looooooooong time.

That being said, I feel GREAT! I had an appointment this morning and things look good. Doc says she can't believe I'm 24 weeks and showing so little (another win for being tall and having cavernous hips). I tried to take a belly shot today but the shirt I'm wearing is pretty baggy and it's hard to see much, so I'll attempt another one latere in a more form fitting top. Our little man is now measuring about a week behind, which I thought would be bad until I remembered that gigantor babies run in Matt's family. Having him measure small is actually a good thing for my lady parts and my desire to avoid a C-section. We (ok mostly my doctor) are going to keep a close eye on the mister in my last month and we'll discuss inducing me if he's looking at all over 8 pounds. I'm not too keen on inducing labor, just because I'd like him to cook until he's good and ready to come out, but if that means he's going to break size records, he's coming out early to save his Mommy's sanity.

I only have two minor complaints about being pregnant and they are both linked to sleeping. First, sleeping exclusively on my sides is causing major hip pain. I read up on it and it's the elastin hormone that allows my hips to spread to make room for the baby...but it also allows them to compress due to the pressure of sleeping on them. Of course, as most of you know, it becomes more difficult to sleep on your stomach as the baby grows (though I'm still somewhat able to do that if I use a leg as a sort of kick-stand) and sleeping on your back is also discouraged due to the weight of the uterus squishing some major vein or artery. So basically I must sleep on my side...and sleeping on my side hurts, which means I don't sleep well. This leads to my next complaint of being tired. So you see I'm in a vicious circle here, which I'm sure is familiar to most, if not all women who have ever been pregnant. I have a list of life grievances to discuss with God someday and pregnant women not being able to sleep has officially been added to the list. Of course I absolutely acknowledge that this pregnany has been SUPER easy and, even if it weren't, I feel so unbelievably lucky and blessed to have what appears to be a very healthy little boy growing away I can take anything uncomfortable or annoying pregnancy wants to throw my way. Not that I'm sending out invitation or anything...

Project nursery has sort of started. I have one DIY project for our guest room I need to finish before I go full steam ahead but I've at least settled on a color scheme (navy, shades of orange, grey and white) and bought an awesome rug - found on eBay for a seriously awesome deal. I'm now in the process of narrowing down fabrics for bedding and curtains as well as wall art and light fixtures. I'll start posting little glimpses here and there as we get going. If you'd like to see my brain dump, you can find my nursery inspiration pins here on Pinterest.

I do want to say a word about Matt. He is, without a doubt, the best man in the world for me and both I and this little boy are SO lucky to have him. This may sound strange but just watching him take care of our puppy makes me realize what an amazing father he is going to be. I swear, any woman who wants to test out a man's fatherly instincts should get a baby dog. He is kind even when he's fuming mad and strict without being a douchebag. He takes time every day to play and cuddle and love on Watson. Then there's the way he takes care of me...words cannot express how good he is. I've had a couple of melt downs in the past week. One was over something pretty major and relevant but the other was so completely ridiculous and trivial it makes me laugh now. That sweet man of mine treated team both as the big deals I felt they were at the time. Having him there to help reassure and comfort me, as well as make sure I had everything I needed to feel better was amazing. Of course this isn't new behavior brought on by my state of gestation, but it meant so much to me to had him be so supportive and wonderful when I felt the world was out to get me, even though it wasn't. I've said it before. Marrying Matt was the single best decision I've ever made.

So there you have it. 24 weeks down. It's gone by really fast but I can't decide if I want the next 16 to hurry up or slow down!

21 Weeks. Or, Sometimes It's Too Hard to Think of a Title

21 weeks 5 days.  I'm still feeling great and not showing as much as most at this far along but yesterday while we were out on our evening walk with the puppy Matt said "Wow, you're finally starting to look a little pregnant!"  Yay?!  I am glad I will no longer look like I just ate a five pound burrito for breakfast but I'm feeling large and in charge and a bit...awkward already and I have a looong way to go.  It's also become apparent that unless someone KNOWS I'm pregnant, it's not obvious, which means they all just think I'm getting poochy.  Nothing better than feeling fat and not being able to do anything about it!

It's been gorgeous weather all winter but that means not cold at all which also means we're in for a scorcher of a summer.  Hold me and my whaleness.  I told Matt he'll have to come visit me in the pool when June hits because that's where I'll be living.

I've noticed that I'm much more tired in the second trimester than the first.  This seems to unusual since most women report a burst of energy in the second trimester, but I acknowledge that outside factors such as a light sleeping dog and family in town (more about that below) are contributing factors to the exhaustion, so it may just be that and have nothing to do with the pregnancy. 

My appetite is back and I feel like I'm back to normal food portions.  I seem to have a new found love for Doritos, but I'm keeping it in check because I don't really want an orange cheese baby.  My dad bought FIFTEEN boxes of Thin Mints which have been hard to avoid, but I think I've done pretty well.  I think in total I've eaten one sleeve.

Baby boy is now very active and Matt has finally been able to feel a few kicks from the outside.  When I'm super busy I still don't notice them as much as when I'm resting but he's definitely letting us know that he's in there.  It's really nice to have something confirming his little life every day, rather than stressing out and waiting for the next appointment to hear his heartbeat.  I still can't get over how weird it is that I have a little person in there, moving around and growing like a weed.

I'm still walking every day and some mornings there's definitely a strain on my ligaments from el womb.  I keep wondering if I should get some sort of sling to help out from the outside.  That would kind of look awesome, no?!

As for the rest of life...it's been a very eventful couple of weeks up around here.  First and foremost, my little sister had her baby this week.  Vivan Rachel is totally gorgeous and we're all in love.  The not so great part is that my sister was in labor for almost 60 hours...28 of which were like, HARD labor, and she had to push for TWO AND A HALF HOURS.  Vivan was posterior thus the delay.  Interestingly enough those stats are almost exactly the same as my mother's when she had her first (me).  If you're with me here all of this is pointing to a posterior baby and several hellish days of labor for me considering all of our pregnancies have been almost exactly the same and we all have different sizes of the exact same bone structure.  Party in my uterus, right?  I'm petrified.

Meagan having her baby also meant lots and lots of family in town.  Dad showed up from China and Mom is in from Utah.  Meagan's husband's Mom (got that?) is in from New Orleans.  I have the more spacious living quarters so we've spent a lot of time here at my house.  Overall it's been great and I love having everyone here...but I also realized how very quiet Matt's and my life is, and how routine we've made things.  Having extra people here just jacks all that up.  It's fun for a while but I think three or four days of company is about where we tucker out.  Sadly/luckily, my Dad had to leave earlier than expected so, for the moment, no one is physically staying here, but we are still having some meals and gatherings here so it's quieter but not all the way back to normal.

The great news is my Mom is here and can help me start moving furniture around so we can get started on the nursery for the little man.  I found a crib I'm madly in love with (I think I mentioned that before...) and if I can get Matt fully on board the colors are decided.  Now I just need to hone in on a decor plan, fabrics and get moving!
 
Work has died down quite a bit which is good for me mentally, bad for the bank account.  Hopefully I can still get some odd things going here and there so I can fund the nursery projects but we might have to be on a stricter budget than expected.  It's fine, I'm sure everything will be perfect it's just a minor stress in the back of my head.  There's some opportunities floating around and I can honestly say something has always plopped right in my lap when we need money so I'm not too worried about it.  We'll see what happens coming up and trust that everything will work out like it always does.

So there's the update. I'll probably wait to post a belly shot until 24 weeks.  I'm guessing by then there will be something significant to show.  My next appointment is the first week of April and I think that's when I do the dreaded glucose test.  Cannot wait.  Must remember to stop eating Starburst Jelly Beans loooong before then.  Which will be impossible because hi.  Have you HAD those?  Delicious.

Fifty Percent

Well, I'm at 20 weeks, the official halfway point in this pregnancy.  It seemed like SUCH A BIG DEAL to get here...and now I'm thinking "wait a second I have TWENTY MORE WEEKS TO GO?"

I added it all up and I've been pregnant for 42 weeks in total.  By the time I'm done it will be 62 with only one baby.  That in and of itself is a little depressing and makes me feel like I will NEVER AGAIN NOT BE PREGNANT.  Not that I can complain since it appears I will continue to have fairly easy pregnancies, it's just a long freaking time.  I guess the bonus is that in the last 22 months I've only had  my period like ten times.  Silver lining, right?

I had my monthly appointment this morning and everything is great.  He was moving all over and it took the doctor a while  to get a good position to get the heartrate.  It's in the 150s which is perfect, and my uterus is measuring a week ahead, so 21 weeks.  It may not mean anything but it might also mean he'll come earlier in July which is fine by me!  The less time I have to be pregnant in July heat, the better.

I went to Buy Buy Baby and attempted to register today.  That store is awesome and overwhelming and it made me realize that Amazon may be my best choice because it has the exact colors I want in my swing and bouncer and such.,  and that way I'm not sending people too many options.  I'll still keep the Buy Buy Baby registry for the coupons though.  Can't go wrong with a guaranteed 10% off your registry item and the use of any Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons.  The best thing that came out of it is that I found THE crib I want.  It's very similar to the dream crib at Restoration Hardware but in a better color and half the price.  I feel like the nursery can start coming together now.  Suhweet.

Other than that, nothing too much to report.  Appetite is good, I feel good, baby is good, life is good.  Now just to buckle down and prepare myself for the next twenty weeks.

19 Weeks!

We're at 19 weeks today!  I feel like my belly popped a little bit, but it's nothing like I thought it would be.  I keep telling people I just feel like I look as though I way over-ate at Thanksgiving or something.  This was Saturday so it's 18 weeks 5 days.  And again, hello to my giant arse.  And a dirty mirror.  My bad.  So you see just above my pant line my little bump.  It's probably easier to see sans-clothes but that just seemed too complicated.  Kate = Lazy.  Kate Pregnant = OMG LAZIEST HUMAN ALIVE.

I'm feeling baby flutters a lot more often and it's pretty fun/crazy/fun.  It's still really hard to believe there's a PERSON inside my BELLY and it's MOVING and kicking me.  In addition, it has a WIENER.  I realize I've said all these things before but I'm baffled at all of it.

My appetite has gradually been coming back though I'm still getting full really easily.  I refuse to weigh myself at home so we won't know if I've gained any weight until my next OB appointment on March 5th.  I would guess I'll have gained 3-5 pounds, but Matt says my face is constantly looking skinnier and he thinks I'm still losing weight.  Who knows and, as long as my doctor isn't worried about it, who really cares, right?  I'll be a whale by the end no matter what happens!

I have amassed a little collection of very cute little boy clothes.  There was a super sale on Zulilly.com and they had some really awesome outfits and onsies that fit my NO character clothes, NO cutesy animals rules.  I got a lot onsies with stripes and dots in cute colors and patterns and one ADORABLE outfit with jeans and a plaid shirt under a polo-type thing.  It's my favorite outfit so far, for sure. 

I also found an awesome deal on an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper on Craig's list.  The family that had it lived just up the street from us and kept it in great condition.  It should allow me to keep the baby close by without having to have him IN bed with us but I can still just reach over and slide him to me to nurse.  I'm very excited about the co-sleeper and the price.  Yay Craig's List.

We also started the process of cleaning out the junk room upstairs so we can move the guest room to the smaller room and start setting up the nursery in the bigger room.  I figured since we don't have a loft or playroom we might as well utilize the bigger available bedroom to attempt to make it a play room as well.  I think I'm closer to deciding on colors and a theme for the nursery.  When I do I'll post my inspiration board here and you can all give me your opinions!

So there's the update!  Feeling great, no complaints whatsoever.  Still wish I was showing a bit more but I should really stop saying that because I know it will happen soon enough and then I'll be wishing it were all over.  Ah the joys.

The BIG Ultrasound

Well, it's officially OFFICIAL.  It's a boy, there's no doubt about it.  All the necessary parts are there in all their glory.  I'm getting more excited but can I just say that it's SO WEIRD to be growing man parts?  It seems like some sort of nature fake out.  A girl can grow a boy?  What?

The ultrasound this morning was awesome.  The tech was FANTASTIC and took a lot of time explaining everything she was doing and she said she sees nothing amiss or out of place or concerning and that as far as she can tell, he's perfect.  The doctor will take a look at the ultrasound pictures and do some more measurements to make sure she's right but I'm confident that we're in the clear and he's developing as expected.  He wasn't as wiggly this morning as he has been in other ultrasounds but the tech said that was normal as they start to get bigger.  He was, of course, all curled up with his legs crossed and knees up near his face making it difficult for us to see his man parts for a while, but we poked at him a bit and he finally gave in and showed us the goods.  It was so fun to see his little feet and hands wiggling around and all his anatomy working together to grow and keep him alive.  It really is amazing to be able to see all of that stuff.  Technology is SO cool!

I'm still feeling great and finally have a small semblance of a bump.  It really looks more like I ate a huge Thanksgiving dinner and it's easy to hide so I don't think anyone can tell still but maybe that's just my opinion.  People have told me that I look like I'm losing weight but I'm eating more this week so I'm sure the gain will start soon.  I have noticed that I'm more tired in the second trimester than I was in the first but my guess is that's due to the lack of sleep from puppy patrol and not to the pregnancy. 

Yesterday I felt what I knew was movement for the first time.  It was after lunch and I think he must like sweet potato fries because he was rocking out.  It was CUHRAZY feeling.  It's still hard to believe that there's a living being growing INSIDE of me and now I can feel it moving around and it will only get more intense.  I doubt it's something I'll ever get used to.

So there's the update.  I'm 18 weeks four days, same due date!  I'll scan some ultrasound pictures when I get home and try to upload them and I'll also try to get a bump shot.  The fun continues!

Schmebenteen Weeks

Holy moses, we've made it to 17 weeks!!

There's not much new to report.  I'm starting to feel some tightness in my abdomen and when I lay on my stomach it definitely feels like there's a foreign entity in there but baby still hasn't decided to make an appearance so still no belly shots.  It's all the same, has been since the beginning.  Maybe I'm carrying in my butt?  There's plenty of room in there so I wouldn't be surprised.  I've had a few twinges of what I assume is round ligament stretching pain and that's a bit uncomfortable but nothing horrific.  I sometimes think I'm feeling little flutters but I have serious doubts about them being real.  Maybe one out of every twenty

My appetite is still about the same.  I don't eat as much, portion wise, and figuring out what sounds good is still a bit of a battle but as always, once it's in my mouth everything tastes great.  I have been eating a ton of Mexican food lately but I think it's more out of ease than an actual craving.  Everything tastes better in a tortilla, says me, and that's been a constant in my life.  One of these days I'm going to make a ton of homemade tortillas if I can only figure out how to roll things into a circle...

Clothes, rings, shoes all still fit just fine.  There are a few pairs of pants that are on the higher rise side that are a wee bit uncomfortable but honestly, I'm pretty sure that's due to the pre-baby weight gain and not baby itself since this little sucker has pulled almost eleven pounds off me so far and, as I mentioned, isn't sticking out at all.

Working out is still happening often.  I love my new pregnancy workout DVD and have another one I'm planning to order.  I haven't been as diligent because that sweet puppy of ours REFUSES TO SLEEP so I spend a lot of mornings trying to catch up on the sleep I didn't get the night before rather than working out.  Hopefully soon that changes so I can get back to every day.  I am walking at least forty minutes a day though, so that's good.  I feel great despite the lack of sleep and really have no complaints there.

I went online to register last night.  Boy is that yucky.  And let's be honest, they just don't make cute boy or gender neutral stuff.  I want a nice swing but do my options HAVE to be either cows or pink flowers?  Can't we do something a little bright and colorful and somewhat fun?  Even the boppy covers are hideous if you're not having a girl.  Wah-wah.  The stuff I end up really liking always ends up being the MOST expensive, like the Baby Bjorn bouncy seat which is apparently made of PURE PLATINUM because if not, they are ripping us all off, folks.  I'm going to try to brave Target and Buy Buy Baby later on next week.  Hopefully I have better luck.  At this point all I'm really registered for is a ton of Aden & Anais swaddling blankets.  Those are all I'll need, right? 

I'm in Florida for a few days doing some personal assistant work as a side-job/favor for a friend of mine.  It's BEAUTIFUL here and, extra bonus, I got to see my amazing friend Angie from high school.  After almost seven years of infertility and a horrible adoption experience she just randomly got pregnant and has the CUTEST little girl named June.  I was so excited to meet her and spend some time catching up.  My timing was perfect because their little family is moving to San Francisco at the end of the month, so another couple of weeks and I would have missed them!

So that's that.  We have our "big" ultrasound in a week and we'll see if this little guy is really a little guy and get a bunch of measurements.  It's funny how I was so anxious to find out the gender as early as possible but haven't done much about it since I found out.  Maybe I'm still hoping the ultrasound was playing a trick?  Yeah, probably.

So there you have it.  Week 17 in all it's boring glory.  I'm sure next week will be really similar.  Party on.

Apple Tree Growing a Banana

Well, we had our 16 week ultrasound and everything looks perfect...and baby has a wiener.  What?!?!?!  Craziness I tell you.  I have officially announced the pregnancy to the world and so I will now publish all my ramblings from the last three months.

It's all very exciting and scary and weird and awesome and...yeah.  I think my mind was convinced I would never get to this point so processing the fact that we're actually going to be parents is a little odd, but I love it and I can't wait to meet our little guy.

Below you will find all the posts leading up to today.  Some are a bit repetitive and some are kind of depressing...sorry about that!