21 weeks

How you go from a cantaloupe, to a banana, I'll never understand. Who picks these fruits anyways?

How far along? 21 weeks yesterday
I'm feeling: just like myself, just hungrier
Milestones: really feeling some movements in my lower belly. I haven't felt what I could call a kick or anything, but definitely feeling stuff everyday.
What no one tells you: That sometimes you can not poop for weeks at a time. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But seriously people. Prunes, water, fiber, etc don't help.
Sleep: getting up an average of one time a night, so not terrible. Still sleeping great.
Weight: This week, I think I've started to pop. No one yet has asked when I'm due yet, but my kiddos have started commenting that my belly is growing. I think I'm up about 10 pounds.
Food cravings: William commented on how I was starting to eat again. And by eat, I mean stuff my face. I'm always hungry. :) But garlic bagel chips, oranges, and butter pecan ice cream have topped the chart this week.
Currently Reading:
for VLI: New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel
for baby: Happiest Baby on the Block
for fun: Shopaholic and Baby
Current projects: trying to find the time to finish up a knitting project for a friend so I can start on a few projects for Baby Pool
Names: The names I like this week are Braden, Cole, Benjamin, and Garrett.
Words of Wisdom: Ok, not baby related at all. So I got my hair colored. While I LOVE it, it's so fried and I have never seen so much hair on the counter and floor every morning. So last night, I followed Pam's advice and pulled some things from the kitchen. A little olive oil, honey, and egg and presto: a cheap fix. I lathered it on, let it sit for about an hour, and then rinsed out. While it didn't fix it, it was definitely a more recognizable texture this morning. I might try it again this weekend.**

**EDIT - I am in no way blaming my sister for my current straw-like hair. This could be due to many factors such as pregnancy, winter, and the likes. Make your appointments with her soon and make sure you buy lots of product! :)

belly pic

Alright, alright. . .I know I should've posted a half way done belly picture in my 20 week post. I've heard from several people about this. I hated the ones we took in our official place and outfit, so here's one from tonight as I'm getting ready for bed. Note that this is after PapaDel's pizza and cake, so it's not always this large. :) I can still really hide it in regular pants. But it kinda looks like I'm pregnant, doesn't it!? YAY!



And to answer your questions about cribs, I'm leaning towards aqua walls with bright bedding (orange, aqua, and lime green). But this crib has got to last us for several kids. So it has to look good with pink and brown too someday. :)

whoa

Wanna see what actually happens from start to finish inside a body that's growing a baby? No wonder I have to pee all the time. It's a great exhibit from the Museum of Science and Industry. Take a look: Make Room for Baby.

Then after you view that, help me decide. Espresso, white, or both?

the weekend

We had a jammed packed weekend, so I'm thoroughly enjoying an afternoon in pj's watching football. We're heading to my parents for dinner, so that means no cooking either! Nice. I helped teach a class at church called Learning to Minister Like Jesus. It was super fun to get to teach and tag-team with my dad during the class. It was also the first time I was able to use Baby Pool in my examples while teaching. Our little guy's a great testimony to the fact that sometimes prayers don't get answered right away.

Last night, we help Gabe surprise Aubrey for her birthday. Because she's quite the "inquisitive" one, she had a hunch something was up. But it was still fun to hang with them! Here's her faked surprised look:

Happy birthday girlie! Hope it's your most amazing year yet!

stuff

Ok, so I really had no idea how big the baby market is until I started searching these last few weeks. Who knew the amount of stuff out there?! So I might just randomly post a few of these fun finds every once in awhile.

Like this great little guy. Grass growing on your counter? No, a drying rack!
From Boon Inc.


I'm not 100% sure I'll make my own baby food. I'd LOVE to, but we haven't resolved the issue of me working quite yet. But these recipes almost sounded good enough to make for myself. From Honest Fare


These made me think of my sister, who likes to tell people that everyone sees at least one cow everyday. They're from Urban Baby.


All this searching is making me drooling over some options. Would it really be THAT bad to have 3 diaper bags? :)

20 weeks

How far along? 20 weeks tomorrow!
Stretch marks? nothing yet. But I did buy some belly butter this week to start slathering. Although I'm a firm believer that no lotion is going to help if I'm destined to get those pretty marks.
Sleep: I'm still able to sleep on my back, so no complaints yet.
Best moment this week: I love eating out and being able to order fries with no guilt!
Movement: I'm still not entirely sure what I'm feeling. And it's not everyday. But I'm pretty sure it's the little man.
Food cravings: This week, I've been eating Eggo waffles by the box. :)
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: good sushi!
What I am looking forward to: Actually having a belly to show off. Although I'm thankful that I can still wear all my pants and haven't blown my clothing budget.
Names: We are so far away from even agreeing on a long list of names. The names I love this week are Conner, Kendrick, Benjamin, Bennet, and Cole. I LOVE Parker. But Parker Pool? Can't do it.
Milestones: I am half way done! Where in the world did that time go?

meal with Melbys

Tonight was our turn to take a meal to Jeff and Holly! We love hanging out with these guys, especially getting to see their 2 little munchkins. Ok, one munchkin, one chunker. :) Ohh, but what an adorable chunker that new little guy is. I still have to applaud (and shudder) as I think of how Holly had all almost 12 pounds of him in her belly. Ok, not really the having him in her belly, but how he got out.

I decided to have some fun and do 2 different kinds of soups. Broccoli cheese and "Panera's" black bean.. Throw in some salad bread, and apple crisp and you have yum! The ingredients were really pretty and I think they turned out pretty yummy!

 

Here's a few pictures from the evening. It was great to hang out with you guys! We love you both so much and appreciate all your advice and love. We love being closer so we can actually see your little people grow up!

The little lady of the house:

 

me holding Caden:

 

Look at that sweet baby:

 

Etsy

Shame on you Etsy. Are you trying to make me go broke? Ok, I really haven't bought anything yet, but trust me, my "favorites" list is growing each and every day!
*Sorry for the super large pics. I tried resizing multiple times.*

My mom can totally make these. She's going to be a busy woman these next few months.
From Isabellaboo

She has adorable little art prints:
From BlueClara

Oh it excites me to no end to oragnize his closet!
From Potato Patch

Who wants baby biting on those germy shopping carts?
From Paisly Pineapple

Little shoes for a little man
from Bugaloo

nursery ideas

So with Thursday being a glorious snow day, I spent literally all day on the couch researching baby items. Who knew what uncharted territory I was headed into. We new moms must have a target above us with all the things they tell us we "have" to get for baby. I'm asking lots of already-mom's what I really need. I think William is a little relieved that our budget might be saved a little since finding out it's a little boy, not girl. But I'm getting excited to plan this nursery. We'll only be in this place for a year post-baby, so I don't want to go out of control. But I can kinda think of this as a trial run. :)

Everyone knows I love pink and brown. Since that decor scheme needs to be put on hold, I could always go for the super popular light blue and brown combo:





Or I could go crazy. This aqua blue/orange/lime green combo is starting to maybe be front runner in my mind:

love this splash of orange:


just cute:

Ooo, I could totally make these:


So many choices. It's like planning a wedding. Only better because it's not over in hours. Well, let's hope labor is.

week 18

How far along? 18 weeks on Wednesday.
Stretch marks? I thought I saw one right by my belly button, and my heart filled with despair. Turns out it was just a sleep line from my sheets. Phew.
Sleep: Pretty good still. Just the getting up to pee is no fun.
Best moment this week: We had a snow day on Thursday! I spent the entire day on the couch looking at pictures of nurseries and baby stuff. I'll post some of those fun pictures later.
Movement: I think I'm starting to feel the little man, but I'm not entirely sure. Just small little flutters that could easily be gas.
Food cravings: Still just love my orange juice. And pickles (but that's not new to pregnancy)
Gender: definitely boy, not doubt about that.
Labor Signs: long way from that.
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: Bladder control and red wine.
What I am looking forward to: Starting to plan the nursery.
Weekly Wisdom: Complaining about gaining weight when you're pregnant is like complaining you're wet when you go swimming.
Milestones: First weight gain at the doctor! It has begun.

how we told my parents

So I stole this idea from Holly and modified it a bit. We gave them a choice of opening Hershey bars, one with nuts, one without. (get it, nuts? :) Inside one of them was a "golden" (ok, it was actually silver because I had no gold scrapbook paper) ticket that said what the baby was. A fast, easy, fun way because my mom was dying to know buy the time we got over there for dinner last night.

It's a. . .

healthy baby! We were so relieved to see everything in perfect working order at the sonogram! The placenta has already moved up, so they're not labeling me as having placenta previa anymore (thank you God)! It was amazing to see this little person moving around. . .a lot! The sono tech had a hard time getting some measurements and Baby Pool would NOT give us a cute profile picture. But ok, onto the real news: pink or blue? Well, take a look:

a great looking spine:

little foot:

creepy alien baby:

Ok, the good stuff. Meet our little MAN:

Sorry kid, your momma is showing off your stuff. :)

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,
Tomorrow we go to the ultrasound to make sure you are all ok from the episode from last week's ER visit. But even more importantly, if you cooperate we will find out if you are a boy or girl. I am so excited, I doubt I'll be able to sleep very well tonight!

Tonight, I was looking through a few of the baby purchases I've made over the last 3 months years. And then I was crying. I cannot feel you move just yet and you're not making my tummy too big, so it doesn't completely feel real yet. But holding those little clothes and toys, I was totally overwhelmed. I wasn't just wrapping a baby gift for another shower. There's actually going to be someone in these clothes. You. My baby.

We know that boy or girl, you're going to be just the right baby for us. We have no idea what we're doing and I'm sure we'll make tons of mistakes. But I thank God everyday that he chose US to be your parents. I look forward with great anticipation when we see the Kingdom break through all the way and we hear your first cry. I love you so much already.

Love,
Your Mama

a new do

As many of you know, my sister is back at school. . .hair school that is! The last few weeks she's been on the floor and can actually take customers. My hair hadn't been touched in months and was badly in need of a refresher. So I made an appointment and gave my sister freedom to do whatever she wanted. (I think she really liked that part). I'm in love with the new do! And since people are asking for baby bump pictures, I'll kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Although, there's not a huge bump to see yet.

A few things I learned while I was in the chair:

• I have more hair on the right side of my head than my left. Hmm.
  
• Your hair has no memory until it is 80% dry.
  
• If you have to buy "over-the-counter" shampoo, Aussie, Tresemme, and Nexxus are your best bets. Throw away your Pantene. :(
  
• I love the smell of toner in my hair. I hope it lasts for a few more days!
  
• If you want to make an appointment with Jenna, call Regency at 217-531-9937.

Ok, ok on to the before and afters:



I love it!