My Weekend in iPhone photos

Here is a summary of my weekend as told by my iPhone:

Playing Catch-Up

I've been insanely busy the last few weeks, combined with coming down with the nastiness cough I've ever had has equaled no blogging time for me. There is so much I'd like to blog about - being almost six months pregnant (WOW), my trip to the ER (for the cough, not the baby), all the crap I keep buying for baby girl, and about my VBAC dilemma. I wish I was able to blog by creating the post in my mind and mentally transmit the post from my brain to blogger, because if I could, my blog would be rockin' but of course, I can't.

He's such the big boy now. How did this happen?

One year ago this weekend I was recovering from my D&E procedure after losing our precious Rose. I can't really wrap my head around the fact that it has been an entire year. That entire experience has changed me in ways I can't describe and I still can say that I'm not 100% over what happened, and I'm sure I'll never be. I haven't been able to let my guard down this pregnancy, and I'm not sure if I ever will.

I've been taking a lot more pictures lately so instead of of bombarding you with massive picture posts, I created a photography blog - www.michelleyorkphotography.com if you're interested. I might do something more with photography some day, but right now I'm enjoying the practice.

I'm hoping to get to all the posts I want to share in the next few weeks so please stick around.

Half Baked & Anatomy Scan!

Guess what?

It's a girl!!!

Okay, I know, I already told you, but now it's for real.

Picture from my 16 week ultrasound.

We had our anatomy scan on Wednesday, which is when you would normally find out the gender if you are a normal person, and we all know I am not a normal person. Even though I was told girl at 13 weeks, 14 weeks and 16 weeks - I still had this terrible feeling that they would tell me it was actually a boy at the anatomy scan. Not that I would mind having another boy, but my heart is set on having a girl (and I've already invested in a bunch of girlie things, thank you etsy). And it would probably break my poor MIL's heart if I told her we were no longer having a girl. But no need to worry, after our fourth confirmation of "it's a girl," I think I can sleep easy.

She's waving! 

Today, I'm officially 20 weeks pregnant! Half way through and plugging along. I'm still using my doppler now and again, but not every single night. I'm feeling her move so much more that it's easier to go without checking up on her all the time. I still get nervous if I haven't felt her kick in a while, but I'm learning to let go..just a little.

Baby girl weighs 11 ounces (according to my doctor) and is the size of a mango (according to one of my pregnancy apps). She is definitely a mover and shaker. My last two ultrasounds the tech made several comments about how active she was. She refuses to stay put. Does that mean I have another Carter on my hands? I have an anterior placenta just as I did with Carter so kicks aren't as easy to feel so early, but now I understand why I'm feeling her much sooner than I did with Carter. She is still measuring right on track with my other ultrasounds. It was all good news!

Look at that face!

I'm definitely feeling like I am in the honeymoon stage of pregnancy. I finally feel human. The headaches are less frequent. I can cook again. I am eating more. Sleep is grand except for becoming mildly uncomfortable.

This 3D picture was taken at our elective gender scan at 14 weeks. Baby girl is sucking her thumb!

I'm really looking forward to having a 3D ultrasound around 25 weeks as I did with Carter. He resembles those pictures so much that I want to do a comparison for you in a future blog post.

Did you have a 3D ultrasound with your pregnancy? Did your child resemble the pictures after they were born?

Palm Springs Photo Dump

We spent last weekend in Palm Springs with the in-laws. Technically it was La Quinta, but whatever. I LOVE the desert and plan on retiring here someday. There is something about the energy there that makes me feel so peaceful and happy. It must be in the air..

Andy suggested we do a baby moon / 3rd anniversary getaway here in April, I'm in! Did I mention they have casinos there? Yea that. If there is a casino within 30 minutes of wherever of I am, I have to go. It might be a problem, I don't know. Ha.

By the way, is it extremely inappropriate for a pregnant lady to be in a casino? I found the smoking really offensive. I didn't notice it unless someone sat down next to me and started smoking, to which I would abruptly move and cough at them. It's probably not super appropriate so we didn't stay long. (But I'll be back!)

Carter is such a fish, I swear. He loves bath time and would take two-hour baths if I let him, but I don't...often. Naturally he loved the kiddie pool, but we weren't really prepared to take him to the pool so he didn't have a swim diaper or bathing suit. His diaper was so full he wasn't able to move around the pool. Pool day end.

Carter heaven.

We stayed at the La Quinta Resort & Club. It's a four star hotel that normally goes for $300-$400 per night. But because I'm super savvy, I got two rooms, for two nights at $100 a night. I was pretty proud of myself. (I used Priceline's name your own price feature. I didn't think they would actually give me a four star hotel for $100 a night..but they did). It's a gorgeous hotel if you are ever out there.

There were only a few minor problems.

On Saturday, they weather report said windy. Sure, windy. They did not mention the wind would be blowing in 60 mph gusts that would cause us to be holed up in our rooms for several hours because it was not safe to go outside. After the wind storm passed, it looked like a war zone outside of our hotel. Debris everywhere, trees uprooted from the ground, grapefruit massacre. (They have hundreds of grapefruit trees lining the property). So worth it though..and I'll take any excuse to sit with my feet up in a fancy hotel for a few hours.

One night, as grandpa was trying to put Carter in his car seat, Carter started having a full blown tantrum. Arms flailing, face turning red, yelling, tears and all. Grandpa was struggling to put him in, and Carter hit grandpa with one of his flailing arms. Grandpa in turn took Carter's hand and smacked it! Ummmmm, very awkward and shocking moment for me right there. I explained to Grandpa we do not hit (especially as a punishment for hitting, WTF). Turns out, all Carter wanted was his grapefruit that he had been carefully carrying around and had dropped while getting in the car. It only took a moment to patiently ask him to use his words to tell me what he wants - and tantrum over. I understand Grandpa raised his children in a completely different time so I'm going to forgive that one instance. Carter was over it in two seconds and playing with his grandparents so I'm sure it hurt mommy more than it hurt him. This is probably a huge hot topic right there so I'll leave it at that.

All in all, we really did have a wonderful weekend and I'm really glad we were able to treat Andy's parents to a little bit of heaven during their trip.

Belly Progression - 18 Weeks

I know I had a big belly to begin with, but it was definitely not this big.  I love how my belly becomes very hard during pregnancy, it's the only time I've been able to say I have rock hard abs. Yess.

Here is a belly progression every 5 weeks starting at week 8. I guess I should have reversed the picture order, huh?

The picture in the middle does look similar to where I'm at now, but it's because I was closer to the mirror when I took the picture so it's not proportionate.

I'm still not feeling the baby regularly except for one or two tiny jabs that I feel each day. I'm really looking forward to feeling her move on a daily basis.

One of my  friends is 38 weeks pregnant and due in February, another good friend is 28 weeks pregnant and due in April, and I'm 18 weeks and due in June - I thought that was pretty neat. Two other good friends of mine are pregnant - due in July, and one due August. A co-worker / friend of mine is also due 11 days after me. WTF.

I'm really counting my blessings and thankful we conceived when we did. Having all these close friends of mine (who I see a lot!) pregnant would have made it very difficult for me. I continually pray for a healthy baby..for us all.

We've decided on a name - we had it chosen a year ago and as soon as we found out we were having a girl we started referring to her as this name. It would seem really odd to change her name at this point so I guess it's official. I won't reveal it on the blog just yet (but I've been telling anyone who asks). I'll just say that Carter calls her "Aleeba," which is his interpretation of how her name is pronounced. :)

The in-laws are still in town. Carter is happier than ever with all of the attention. Seriously, he has been SO happy lately. He is constantly giving me these giant cheeky grins and tells me he is "happy" and that he "loves mommy."

I'm hoping to post some of the pictures I've taken with my new camera tomorrow. Be on the lookout!

Xo.

Nursery ideas

As soon as I found out we were expecting a girl, I started daydreaming about what I wanted her nursery to look like. My mind swirled with pinks and purples, and tutus and bows. If Carter had been a girl, her room wouldn't have been very girly. Too much pink would have been overwhelming for me then, but now that I've been surrounded by blue for two years (and trucks and trains and planes), I will eagerly dip my toe into a little pink.

I've decided that I'm definitely repainting the nursery, and Carter's toddler room at the same time. I can't wait to get started on these projects next month. A toddler room for my little boy and a nursery for my little girl? It's a lot to take on, but I'm really excited to start. Although I've been feeling pretty lazy lately so I might need some help.

I know I want to paint the nursery grey, similar to this:

Image found here.

I decided we only need a crib skirt, and sheet. I won't mess with the bumpers (Carter's ended up in his closet, the garage, and then the trash at some point). I found a plethora of etsy stores that will custom make the skirt and crib sheet in a pattern that doesn't make me ill. 

Option E in the below picture is one of my favorites. It should pair nicely with our deep blue glider we already have in the room.

Available from Happy Mae on Etsy.

I also really love option E from the choices below (and A & B), and they would all go with the blue glider.

Also available from Happy Mae on Etsy.

Although I do like softer colors,  I want to go bold with my color choices for her room. I have a couple of Pinterest inspired projects that I want to undertake (her name on the wall, and a fabric book holder) but other than that there isn't much to do.

I'll take before pictures of the room as it is now for Carter, and post them when all is said and done.

Off topic - but my new camera is coming today!!! Eeeek! Happy Friday!

17 Weeks

Actually, I'm almost 18 weeks now.  I can't believe I've made it this far. Is this really happening?

You know as much as I want this baby, I'm really terrified about how I'll juggle two - especially when I'm on maternity leave. I just can't imagine staying home every single day dealing with Carter's antics while trying to take care of a newborn, but I know it will all work out.

We're still having a girl! And I say we're still having a girl because I was secretly worried that the doctor would end up telling me that the elective ultrasound I had was wrong, and our baby grew a penis, but it she did not. I had my 16 week appointment at my doctors office last week, and our baby was again confirmed to be all lady. I'm much more relieved now that it's been confirmed by my doctors office.

I started buying things for the nursery the other day. I'm still going back and forth on what I want to do with the room, but I know for starters we are painting the room grey. I'm pretty set on a grey and purple nursery, with some  other bright colors thrown in. I have a blue glider chair in the room already (we're changing the nursery over from Carter's room, and he'll be getting a toddler room), and I think we're going to keep the blue chair, and add a bright flowery pillow to the chair to give it a more feminine look. I'll post pictures eventually so you'll see what I mean.

As for me, I'm having a harder time this pregnancy then I did with Carter. Pregnancy seemed much breezier then, but maybe I only remember the good parts, and forgot everything else. I have been having debilitating migraines on an almost daily basis which have been my worst symptom so far. Tylenol helps if I take it right when I feel the migraine coming on, but once I'm in the throws of it, there is nothing I can do about it.

I've also started getting Braxton Hicks contractions on an almost daily basis (scary!). My in-laws are coming into town today for three weeks. Andy and I have been doing a lot around the house to prepare, and I know I've been overdoing it. I feel like I'm not doing enough to help him though, but once I start feeling my belly contracting, I have to put my feet up and drink water. I feel so helpless and scared at the same time!

I didn't really start feeling movement until about 20 weeks with Carter, and when I did, it was very strong. I'm sure I felt movement before 20 weeks, I just didn't know what it was, and until it was a good strong kick, I was hesitant to say I felt the baby. This time around I started feeling movement around 15 weeks. I'm still not feeling it often, but at least a few times a day (usually at night before I go to sleep, or when I'm using my doppler) I'll feel these little pops or somersaults. I'm looking forward to feeling her regularly so I don't have to use my doppler every single night, but for now I am.

Off topic, I bought a new camera yesterday! My rebel definitely got it's use out of me, and I was tired of only being able to shoot indoors with a flash unless the lighting was very, very good. I've been eyeing the Canon EOS 7D for a while. I've been doing well at work lately (I'm paid commission from sales) so I was able to get an extra commission check this week. Usually when that happens, it goes into the bank and is used to pay off credit cards and for daily life, but not this time.

I plan on breaking the camera in this weekend so expect some pictures. I'm hoping that I'll actually start taking some better bump pictures too now that you can sort of distinguish a baby bump from the usual flab. I haven't actually gained any weight, but none of my pants fit, and my belly is hard and big - I look fat in the mornings and pregnant by the evening.

Sorry for this picture-less update. I am having a new blog banner designed and am making some minor tweaks to the blog in the coming weeks. I promise to start posting regularly again soon (with pictures!).