Week 26

March 17-23, 2014

How far along:  26 weeks, the last week of second trimester.

Total weight gain: Unsure but I feel like I have not been eating as much as I did last month, but still eating more than usual.

Maternity clothes: I can wear regular leggings but maternity everything else it the way to go.  All my maternity clothes feel comfortable and it makes me smile thinking about when maternity tops and jeans were too big on me.

Stretch marks: Lathering up in belly butter and coconut oil.

Sleep: Good.  Once a week I wake up between 2:30 and 4:30 and stay awake for at least an hour.

Best moments this week: I have just been enjoying being pregnant and loving feeling our baby boy move.  I got the invitation to my baby shower in Orange County and I am so excited to see friends and family.

Miss anything: This weekend was very warm and sunny in our backyard and having a mimosa or a cold beer would have been nice.

Food cravings: I have been trying to cut back on sweets (which I am getting nervous for my glucose test on Wednesday) but treat myself to a doughnut after church on Sundays-something I look forward to for the weekends.

Anything making you queasy: Luckily no.

Gender: Baby boy!

Labor signs: Braxton hicks.

Belly button in or out: My belly button is out and feels soft and smooth.

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding rings on.

Happy or moody: I am usually happy and only once this week was I cranky (my poor students).

Looking forward to: In 3 weeks I am going home for our baby shower and excited to spend time with my family, friends, and be in warmer weather.

St. Patrick's Party

This weekend we had a St. Patrick's Day breakfast with our friends.  Over the years we realize that we enjoy making a big Irish breakfast to celebrate St. Patty's day, that way everyone can enjoy the whole day and not worry about making a big dinner.  Saturday ended up being a warm sunny afternoon, where everyone rolled up their pants and soaked up the sun. 

Julie and I enjoying the sun.

The Folger Family

Wally dog loving being outside with the family and his dog friends.

Week 25

March 10-16, 2014

How far along: 25 weeks  

Total weight gain:  I am hoping just a pound from last week.  I notice I eat more when we go out to eat, which is something we do once or twice a week.  I feel healthy and since starting Lent I have been doing yoga and that is making me feel healthier.

Maternity clothes: Yes and yes.  I am loving being able to wear maternity jeans to switch up from legging (even though they are super comfortable).  Even my regular bedtime and college shirts are getting small.

Stretch marks: No, and lathering up in coconut oil and belly butter.

Sleep:  I wake up throughout the night to roll over but luckily no regular bathroom breaks. 

Best moments this week: This weekend we celebrated St. Patrick’s day and I loved being pregnant and celebrating with our friends.  I love looking at the pictures we took and seeing my little (but fast growing ) baby belly.

Miss anything: During the St. Patrick’s party everyone was having mimosas and boy did they look great!  I enjoyed my orange juice and water but loved watching everyone drink their mimosas.

Food cravings:  Nothing this week but I am enjoying a banana with my breakfast every morning.

Anything making you queasy: Nothing making me queasy but I have not been a fan of eating most of our leftovers (they just do not sound as good as they did when we made them for dinner).

Gender: Baby Boy!

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions (which I have been feeling more during the day).

Belly button in or out: Belly button is fully out and stretching.  I am surprised when I touch it an realize how soft my belly button feels.

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding rings on.

Happy or moody: Very happy except when I do not get enough sleep at night (which seems to be at least one night a week).

Looking forward to: In less than a month is my Orange County baby shower, and I am so excited to see my family and friends.

Week 24

March 3-9, 2014

How far along:  24 weeks

Total weight gain: Well surprisingly I gained 10 lbs since my last appointment!  I think that puts me up almost 20 lbs total (eek!).  The midwife said that since I am at the very low end of the BMI index it is common to gain more weight than expected, and that she hopes I will gain around 35 lbs by the end of the pregnancy.  So far I am not worried, but for Lent I am going to do my new prenatal yoga DVDs 3-4 days a week.

Maternity clothes: This week the answer is yes. Yes to the bottoms and yes to tops.  I can still wear regular leggings but this week I wore a pair of maternity leggings and they were more comfortable on my stomach (plus the leggings are still a little big for me).  With my weight gain the maternity jeans that my friend gave me finally fit, even Will said I look good in them.

Stretch marks: I am rubbing coconut oil and belly butter on my body every night.

Sleep: Well this week I did not sleep as well as I have been.  One night I was up from 2-4 am and last night our little Wally has a rash and kept waking up to scratch (I guess it’s good preparation for when our baby boy is here).

Best moments this week: After talking with the midwife she explained that I will start feeling baby hiccups and last night I did feel them.  They feel just like the regular kicks I feel but just more bumps in a row (which makes it easier for other people to feel the baby move).

Miss anything: Not really.  But going out to eat on a Friday during Lent was challenging (especially since I do not eat fish) and I am so glad that I not a vegetarian-there are not many dinner options on menus.

Food cravings: I wanted to point out that I thought that I did not have cravings but I realize that back in January I was eating tons of celery.  Now I still like celery but notice I have not been eating celery as much as I did then.  I do no feel like I have cravings but a creature of habit when it comes to eating.  I like to eat the same types of food every day, due to making it easy to prepare for work.  This past month I have been in the habit of eating a bowl of oatmeal, a bagel or English muffin, a banana, and a glass of orange juice for breakfast at home.  I like the balance of food and I notice that eating a bigger breakfast (I usually just have either a bagel or English muffin pre-pregnancy) I have more energy in the morning and I am not super hungry by my recess break.

Anything making you queasy: Luckily no, but if I eat something I do not like I cannot force myself to eat it.

Gender: Bouncing Baby Boy

Labor signs: Braxton kicks throughout the day.

Belly button in or out: Belly button is out and stretching, but feels very smooth/soft.

Wedding rings on or off: Weddings rings are on and so far no signs of swelling.

Happy or moody: I am generally happy, especially if I can take a nap after work.  I do feel like I might have a cold coming (slight sore throat) and I am cranky because of the sore throat.

Looking forward to: Just loving the baby kicks! Next month I will be going to Orange County for a baby shower, and I am so excited to see my family and friends.

Week 23

February 24- March 2, 2014

How far along: 23 weeks.

Total weight gain: Unknown, but I know I have been gaining quite a few.  We went out for dinner and not only did I finish my whole hamburger before will even finished half of his I also was able to eat all the French fries that came with my meal.  I did feel full at the end.  I have noticed that I am able to finish my dinner meals now with no leftovers to take home- which constantly leaves Will surprised to see me eat a whole me (I am surprised too).

Maternity clothes: Usually maternity shirts with regular leggings. (In this week's pictures I am using the Bella Band for the first time)

Stretch marks: Just that one pesky tiny spider vein.

Sleep: Great except I seem to find one night a week that I wake up around 2:30 and stay awake for an hour or so.  But the Snoogle is a life saver as well as having a new mattress.

Best moments this week: I believe it was Thursday around 3:00 in the morning I was watching a show on Netflix, hoping to fall back asleep, and I notice my stomach pulsing.  I stared at it wondering if it would pulse again and it did! I can now see little baby kick pulses when I’m sitting or lying down.  This is the strangest yet most amazing this so far.  Will and my girlfriends were able to see the pulsing kicks this past Saturday.

Miss anything: I miss being able to run errands, clean the house, do laundry, and prepare for friends to come over without be super tired or not able to accomplish all those tasks.  It truly is hard for me to slow down and not feel defeated if I can not do everything.

Food cravings: Nothing special, just eating more food.  I do enjoy eating more sweets, which is not a healthy option but such a nice treat.

Anything making you queasy: I have been able to say nothing until this week.  I had a student get sick at the very end of the school day.  With my super sniffer I could just smell her “sickness” and had to make all the other students line up outside early to go home (no worries my aide was with her helping her).  Luckily I have an amazing aide she gave me a mint, disinfected my classroom for me.  I then had to air out my classroom (creating a whirl wind by having both doors open) for 30 minutes after school before I could manage going back into my classroom.

Gender: Baby Boy!

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks.

Belly button in or out: There is no question my belly button is fully out and looks so different than what I am use to.

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding rings on.

Happy or moody: Thrilled to see baby movement!

Looking forward to: My doctor’s appointment next week.

Week 22

February 17-23, 2014

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: Unsure, but I feel like I have been gaining weight.

Maternity clothes: A mixture as usual but as my baby belly is getting bigger I find maternity shirts more comfortable.  I got a Bella Band for a birthday present and have used it to wear some linen capris.  This past weekend I bought maternity jeans and shorts.  The shorts are super cute so hopefully this spring it will be warm enough to wear them (or at least when I go to OC for my baby shower).  I love the pants I bought; they fit me nicely and make it a nice change from leggings. I’m actually wearing the maternity pants in this week’s photo.

Stretch marks: I have notice a slight tiny spider vein on my upper thigh.  I keep rubbing the coconut oil and belly butter lotion every night.  Which feels great on my skin, I might have to use it on my feet and hands too.

Sleep: Good, especially since I had this week off from school so I was able to take daily naps (something that I really love and miss).

Best moments this week: Hmmm, I guess I have a bad baby moment made up by a non-baby moment.  This weekend Will and I drove to Medford, OR to go to a Babies-R-Us to register for baby items.   I was super excited to test out cribs, strollers, car seats, pack-n-plays,...and everything baby.  To my hormonal surprise the OC style Babies-R-Us that I am use to is not what Medford has.  Actually the Babies-R-Us is actually 3 or 4 isles is a Toys-R-Us with no stroller, 3 car seats, 1 crib, and a few general type items.  We did register and Will was beyond supportive and trying to make it fun.  I on the other hand was upset and ended up crying in the car.  But we did move on to the next part of our weekend.  We drove to Ashland, OR to stay the night and had a nice relaxing evening strolling around downtown Ashland and had a delicious dinner. 

Miss anything: I missed having beer and wine to celebrate my birthday, but the non-alcoholic cocktail Will made was delicious.

Food cravings: No craving but just eating more that usual.

Anything making you queasy: Luckily no.

Gender: Bouncing Baby Boy!

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks throughout the day.  Annoying but not painful.

Belly button in or out: Out.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody: Emotional when I am sad, but overall happy.

Looking forward to: My next doctor’s appointment to hear the heart beat and feeling more baby kicks/movement.