Our little troublemaker!

Sorry it's been so long since I've written. We've been crazy busy this month and out of town every weekend. We've hit a bunch of milestones in baby growing land though:) First, I've made it to (and past) the 1/2 way mark of this pregnancy. It's so hard to believe I'm already at this point. I've dreamed of it but to actually be here just seems crazy. And like my pregnancy is flying by. Petri is growing and so is my belly. I feel huge now. I know I'll think I was so small at this point once I get closer to the end but for now I just feel enormous. Not uncomfortable (for the most part) thankfully, but BIG! Petri is moving and kicking around all the time now. I love feeling her and sometimes I lay on my back just to get her moving around some. I poke and prod at her constantly and J yells at me to stop because we'll end up with a scratch and dent baby:P I really can't help myself though. I feel like I could feel her kick from the outside tonight but it was hard to tell since I could feel it from the inside too. The doctor said only a couple more weeks until we should be able to. I can't wait for J to feel her. He talks to her and puts his hands on my belly and kisses "her" but I know he's just going to melt when he can feel her kick.

We're touring our first daycare center tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous and sad. I feel like she's already so grown up and she's not even born yet! We have another tour set up for Thursday and then I need to look into some in-home daycares as well. Hopefully we'll be able to make our decision and lock in a place sometime soon. It will be nice to have that checked off the list!

We started our registry a couple of weeks ago. We weren't planning to but we saw stuff we liked and had time so we started it. It's got pretty much everything on it but we still have a few decisions to make. The hardest one at the moment is the stroller. We're stuck between the City Mini and City Select. Both have their pros and cons and we just can't decide which one is the better option. We decided on a car seat which felt like a monumental decision too. I knew I wanted either a Chi.cco or Gra.co one but deciding which one was the better one for us required lots of playing around and testing out:P

So now for the story of Petri's anatomy scan:) I went in at 19w3d on J's birthday. We were SOOO exited to find out what we were having and to see her again. For the most part the tech was able to see everything she needed but Petri was positioned funny and she wasn't able to see certain parts of her heart, couldn't get a face profile shot, and couldn't see the cord insertion. After a good 1/2 hour of trying to get the measurements (and see if it was a boy or girl!), the tech had me get up and move around and use the restroom. Well when I laid back down, our little stinker pulled her legs up further and crossed her little feet! She wouldn't budge after that. Guess she was sleepy and just too cozy to cooperate:P We were happy to see her and see that from what the tech could tell, everything looked normal but we were really bummed about not being able to find out if she was a boy or girl. So when we got home that afternoon I made an appointment to have an elective ultrasound done the next morning. I drank some orange juice and gave her a good lecture about how she needed to spread those legs for the one and only time in her life:P She listened to her mommy and we found out she was a girl. The tech was so sure she said we could buy clothes, take the tags off and wash them! It was so cool to see her again but again, she was in a weird position and we couldn't see her face:( Oh well, at least we knew what to shop for!

Today was my follow up anatomy scan to get all the other measurements that they couldn't get before. Well Petri was WIDE awake today and moving all around. It was so cool to see. It's crazy how much I still can't feel. The scan was still about 40 minutes long because Petri didn't want to cooperate again. In the end the tech got everything she needed but it took about 10 minutes just to get the one shot of the heart she needed because every time she'd get close to getting it, Petri would move her arm down or move, or something like that. At one point, she completely flipped over! It was hilarious but I know we're in for a treat once she's born:P She's definitely got a little personality in there:)

Below are some pictures from today. We finally got the face profile shot and she's just adorable! I'm so in love!

It's a......... GIRL!

I have a ton of updates and a story to go along with this but I don't have time to write it yet. BUT, we found out last week we're having a GIRL! We're both SO excited and have been in planning/nesting overdrive since finding out:)

Here's a sneak peak at the nursery bedding we've picked out!







More updates coming later:)

19 Weeks:)

I can feel Petri kick now!!! I started feeling what felt like gas bubbles last week and I wasn't sure if it was Petri or gas. Well it's happening pretty consistently and in the same place sometimes so I'm pretty positive it's Petri. Also, I'm not THAT gassy:P I can really only feel it when I'm laying down so I look forward to laying in bed at night:) A couple of times I've been able to feel a really hard spot right below my belly button and I'm pretty positive it's Petri:) J's felt it too and the other day we tried to see if our cheapo crap doppler would work since he/she was RIGHT there but by the time we got the thing strapped on, Petri moved. Little rascal!:)

That's been the biggest development so far. I'm definitely showing a lot more now. I feel like it's obvious to strangers but no one has said anything yet. This weekend I bought a few things from Motherhood and they had one of those fake belly's in the dressing room. I couldn't resist! So below is a picture of me with the belly and a picture of me after dinner tonight. I always forget to take a picture BEFORE dinner because I feel like it makes such a difference. J says it's not that different though:P



It's finally time for my anatomy scan! We go in on Thursday morning and I can't wait. My mom is texting me with a countdown:P Everyone is so excited to find out what we're having. Finally can settle the bet between J and Kortnie too! Kortnie bets $20 it's a girl and J bets a boy. I just want to know who's right!


And for the weekly survey:
How far along?: 19 Weeks

*Total weight gain: Probably up 9-10. I hope not but I think I'm gaining a pound a week.

*How big is baby?: 8.5 inches long:) Size of a large heirloom tomato (whatever that is!)

*Sleep?: Good but starting to not be able to sleep on my stomach which is making things trickier.

*How are you feeling physically?: Great

*How are you feeling emotionally?: Excited!

*Best moment this week?: Feeling kicks:)

*Movement?: Yep! Pretty much every time I lay on my back

*Food cravings?: Just water actually...despite drinking it ALL DAY LONG

*Labor signs?: Thankfully nada!

*What I miss: Sweet tea!

*What I'm looking forward to: Anatomy scan in 3 days!

*Random Thoughts: Is this spider bite on my arm ok during pregnancy or should I call my OB?? It looks ok but it's pretty red around the bite area. J says its more than likely fine but to call if I get too paranoid:P

18 weeks!

I've been feeling more and more pregnant these days and I love it. I think I'm starting to feel kicks but I'm not totally sure yet. They've been happening too often to be gas so I'm pretty sure it's the baby:) I can't wait until I can tell for sure that it's Petri kicking me:) J also wants to point out that Petri is likely punching me too. I can also feel when Petri is at the front of my stomach area. I can feel the harder area and think it's so awesome that I can start to feel him/her. Its only in one position but I've felt it a couple of times now:) J doesn't like me pushing all over my stomach but I know Petri is well protected and I don't push that hard:P

In exactly one week we have our anatomy scan. I'm ecstatic. I'm also getting very impatient. I just can't wait to find out what we're having and I can't wait to make sure that Petri is A-ok. I'm trying not to be nervous about it because I have no reason to be nervous but every once in a while those scary thoughts consume me. Thankfully it's rare:) Since we're finding out on J's birthday, I'm not really sure what we're going to do the rest of the day. I'd love to go register that day but I don't want the day to be completely baby filled unless he wants it to be.

My friends/family have started talking about throwing me a baby shower. I'm excited for it and in disbelief that I'll get to have one of my own. I've been to so many and can't believe I'll finally have one for MY baby:) My friends and family are so excited for us and I know Petri will be loved immensely!

I signed up for birthing classes for August/Early September. I'm looking forward to them and hope that we get a lot out of it. I'm also going to sign up for a breastfeeding class as soon as one opens up.

I'll resume the survey next week but for now here's a picture from me at 17w6d. I'm counting it as my 18w picture though cause I forgot to take one on Monday:P

17 weeks and lot's o pictures and sounds:)

I'm 17 weeks today! I can't believe I'm already almost 1/2 way through this pregnancy. I'm loving every minute but the time is certainly flying by. I know it will only go faster as we get further into the summer to. J and I are notoriously busy 99% of the time on EVERY weekend during the summer. This summer is shaping up to be much the same. We're already booked 3/4 weekends in June with stuff to do:) It's generally very fun stuff but this year we have to factor in getting the house/nursery ready for Petri too. The nursery is a daunting task just to get it to the point where we can paint the walls and bring in a crib and dresser but I'm trying to get more motivated to get to work. It will get done because it HAS to get done, just means I have to make the most of the time I have before Petri arrives:)

I had another OB appointment today. I find them pretty useless at this point but I LOVE hearing Petri's heartbeat so I don't complain:) Today I asked if I could record the heartbeat since J hasn't heard it yet. I tried to upload it but keeps coming up with an error:( I'll try to figure it out to upload later.

This past weekend I went to Pittsburgh for a girls weekend getaway with 2 of my oldest friends. I met both in middle school and we've remained very close friends ever since. My one friend is 28 weeks pregnant and has an almost 3 year old daughter. My other friend has a 15 month old. Needless to say, much of the weekend was spent talking about pregnancies, parenting, baby gear, etc. We even went to a consignment shop in Monroeville and I picked up some great stuff! I got the clothes and bumbo for about $50! Last week J's coworker gave us the highchair shown here too:)



I'm still going to do a weekly survey but I'm going to switch it up a bit. Here's a survey I stole from another friend from TB:)

*How far along?: 17 Weeks

*Total weight gain: probably around 7ish lbs... At the doctors appt this morning I had gained 4lbs in 4 weeks. I think thats what they say is normal but I wasn't too happy about it:P

*How big is baby?: The size of a baked potato or about 5inches long

*Sleep?: Generally good. I'm not going to be able to sleep on my stomach much longer which worries me since I ONLY sleep on my stomach

*How are you feeling physically?: Great

*How are you feeling emotionally?: Excited!

*Best moment this week?: Buying stuff for Petri this weekend and hearing his/her heartbeat this morning

*Movement?: Not yet:( Though, I'm trying to pay more attention since it supposedly should start anytime now

*Food cravings?: Nothing really

*Labor signs?: Thankfully nada!

*What I miss: Sweet tea!

*What I'm looking forward to: Anatomy scan in a few weeks!

*Random Thoughts: Just wondering if Petri is a boy or girl. People keep guessing but I have no "motherly instinct" when it comes to the sex and it's driving me nuts!:P

Maternity Tour

J and I went on our maternity tour of the hospital tonight! It was so much fun and so much information. The hospital is really nice and all the rooms are private which is fantastic. They don't have a well baby nursery so the baby is with you in your room 95% of the time, which I personally love. The hospital policy is also to have the baby cleaned up and handed back to you as soon as possible so the baby can breastfeed which is also something I personally love.

The only thing I don't like is that there can only be 4 people visiting you at a time. My family is huge and complicated and lets just say I have more than 4 parents (not including J's). It's going to be a little complicated with visitors but they can all figure that out when the time comes. And while I might not like the policy now, I can see why it is the policy and I may be thankful for it when I actually have the baby. They changed their policy about the age of children that can visit too. Used to be only kids 12 and older could visit unless they were a sibling of the new baby but now kids of any age are welcome to visit. Makes things much easier for friends and family with kids to visit in the hospital.

So needless to say I'm very excited to deliver there and can NOT wait to meet Petri:) Heres a picture of the mother and baby room. Granted they show the largest room available which they said they try to reserve for MoM's (for obvious reasons) but even the much smaller room we were in was still pretty nice:)

1st Bump Pics/ 16 Weeks!

So I slacked a little a while back with taking bump pictures but that's mainly because I felt like a fat cow. I was so bloated and I was in the awkward not fitting in my maternity OR my regular clothes stage. I've gotten somewhat back on track and today is the first day I compared the pictures. There isn't a ton of change from my last picture 2 weeks ago but theres quite a change from my first picture at 6w1d. No wonder none of my pants fit me anymore:P So here's the comparison:




I've also decided that I'm changing the outfit I take my pics in. I think I look horrible in every single picture I've taken so far and a lot of it is because of the outfit I'm wearing. I wanted to be consistent throughout but it's driving me nuts. So I have to find something else that I'll actually be comfortable with sharing these pictures with people:P

I'm a little late but here's my 16 week survey. Not much has changed. My next appointment is on Monday and I can't wait!

Survey time!
How far along? 16weeks 2 days

Weight gain/loss: Probably up 5-6lbs total

Maternity clothes? Yes, pants pretty much every day. Shirts I'm starting to wear more often. I bought some larger "flowy" shirts last week since my regular shirts don't fit anymore but the maternity shirts are too big. I feel so much more comfortable in the new shirts and feel like I actually look somewhat decent when I go to work now:P

Stretch marks? Nothing new

Sleep? Generally ok

Best moment since last update? Having the news spread and having people ask me how I'm doing and be so excited for us (it's happening more and more)

Food cravings: None

Genders: Less than a month away.

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? Not yet:( I hope I start feeling something soon. Supposed to happen between 16-20 weeks so I'm hoping I won't have to wait too much longer

What I miss? Fitting in my clothes (still true!)

What I'm looking forward to: Doctor's appointment on Monday, can't wait to hear Petri's heartbeat again!

Milestones: Hit the 4 month mark! 5 left to go:)