34,35,36 and Full Term!

I apparently have been really bad at updating the blog again. There has been a ton going on in the last few weeks. Here's a small recap!

First, we had to figure out our new budget as I had mentioned previously. We were/are taking classes through BYU-Idaho and are in a class that teaches some different methods of budgeting. One of the suggestions was to have a specific budget for groceries, gas, spending money, etc. We figured we could really benefit from budgeting our grocery expenses. After I logged into Pinterest and asked friends for suggestions, we came up with a game plan to meal plan one month at a time. We got a calendar, marked a meal for each day (some days were leftovers or something super easy) and then compiled recipes for the rest. We went through the pantry and cubboards to figure out what ingredients we already had and then made our shopping list. We cut coupons and looked for sales and ended up only spending $150 for the entire month of July in groceries. So far, each meal has been great. We have had suggestions on how to tweak a few of them but are enjoying the process. It takes away the "what's for dinner" dilemma and for someone like me, who hates to cook, it makes cooking really simple.

Next, we ended up having both cars break down on us. Jeff needed an alignment, four tires, and cam kits installed in his car. My car needed to have two brake cylinder's replaced and the back brakes done. This was complete and then we found out that the master cylinder is going out now too. The master cylinder will have to wait but the rest got done No, these weren't things we had budgeting for. I was stressing out a lot because I no longer had any income coming in. The mechanic that we have our car serviced by needed some book-keeping done and offered to exchange the repairs on the car for fixing his books. Needless to say, we paid the repairs but I now have a job working as a book-keeper for the mechanic. I love how something always seems to come around when we need it and it all works out.

Now that the cars are in working order again, we got our car seats/bases installed and safety checked. I have been working with kids for a long time and have a lot of experience putting a car seat in the car but Babies "R" Us does a free install/safety check when you purchase the travel gear from them, so we figured "why not?"

We also got to take our birth center tour at University. We figured that it would be nice to get a general feel for where we would deliver and I needed to know where to go when this baby decides it's going to make it's debut. The rooms are HUGE and the staff seems really great. We absolutely love our midwives and feel really comfortable going into this new chapter. The only downside is that there isn't a waiting room on the floor we're delivering on. (Which means our family will have to wait on the 4th floor while we deliver on the 5th) I don't think that the waiting situation will be too inconvenient though being that I'm not wanting a crowd to watch this baby be born. 

I spent my last day with Ms. Peyton on July 12th. I cried as I drove away from their house and am missing her already. After spending two years with their family, it was a hard transition for me. Luckily, they will continue to be a part of our lives. I can't wait to have baby Hill meet Peyton. She has so many things planned to do with baby Hill. I'm not sure that she'll quite understand that he/she won't come out ready to play and swim with her.

Not only are we expecting our first, but my sister in law is also expecting her first child as well. They are due with a baby boy four days before us. My sister, LeRae, however gave birth to her third child. Her first little boy, Terry Dean Anderson, was born on June 19th. From what I've heard, he's a content and wonderfully happy baby. The girls love him and are adjusting to being siblings to a little boy.

Next, (I said there was a lot to report) I got the opportunity to hang out with some old friends at our 10 year HS reunion. There were about 20 of us that showed up. It was great being able to catch up and visit with friends I hadn't seen since high school.

This past Wednesday my in-laws hosted our second baby shower. It was Dr. Seuss themed and turned out wonderfully. We had about 15 people show up. We ate great food, our guests decorated onesies and bibs for us and we got to visit and share this wonderful experience with loved ones.






My dad would draw "tattoos" on us when we were little with ball-point pens. The teenage mutant ninja turtles were the first drawings each of us kids got from him when we were little. Since we isn't here anymore, my Mom thought it would be a good idea for the baby to have their own rendition of TMNT and designed this cute onesie!

Our "Saladmaster Boss", Jeremy attended our shower and drew this one. The Saladmaster slogan is "We Change Lives". 

 Monster

 Name Tag

 Bud Bailey, one of our friends from class, did this one. I'm not sure of the reference but Jeff understands it. lol

 Paw Prints

 The Angels, with Ianetta's number on the back. My SIL, Amber, loves the Angels

 Stephanie, my oldest SIL did this one hoping that we have a girl!

 Eye ball

 I love Mommy, I love Daddy

 The sun rises and sets with me

Bryleigh's "Love ya"










So in terms of updates, I think it's easiest to just do one. The last few weeks have been pretty much the same as this week.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Thirty seven weeks- FULL TERM!!

Cravings: Puffy Cheetos. I have sent Jeff out and asked him to pick up these horribly unhealthy but oh so tasty treats many times in the past few weeks. 

Feeling: Off and on I have felt really sick. Overall I feel great but there have been a few mornings in the past two weeks where I will wake up when Jeff does (4:30am) and be wide awake with nausea, aches and feeling very flu-like. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Knowing that this baby is 100% full term and can come any day now being totally healthy.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: The heat is still my worse enemy. Other then that, the tugging sensation I feel when I walk. I guess it's due to the baby dropping down.

Sleep: I sleep horribly. I can't get comfortable. I am up multiple times during the night and it's still ridiculously hot in our house!

Thirty Five Weeks

Thirty Four Weeks

Thirty Six Weeks

Thirty Seven Weeks

Weeks 32/33 and Baby Shower #1

During week 32 we had another midwife appointment. Everything went routine and normal. We both seem to go into these visits with a million different questions. Usually some time during the week or weeks before I ask Jeff to remember to remind me to ask about something specific. Once we get to the appointment, we ramble on and on and eventually get through everything. I'm so grateful we decided to work with a midwife group instead of an OB for this reason (one of many) and am glad that our appointments are so informative. So far, so good. Baby was measuring on target and everything seems very healthy and normal.

We had our first of now three baby showers this past weekend. I had sent out numerous invitations that included those from my childhood days, high school, college and a few from our old church wards (Brighton and Ft Lupton). We had a great turnout. There was such a great mix of people from so many chapters of my life. It was great to visit and catch up with old friends and to update everyone on what was/has gone on with Jeff and I since we got married. My mom and the Cantrell ladies (Nicole and her wonderful mom, Veronica) threw the shower for us and it was perfect. I'm not very into baby shower games and all the fluff, so they made it very elegant. We had tables set up with dinnerware and cloth napkins. The food was tea party themed (tea sandwiches, scones, fruit and yogurt parfait's). We had a blast. We left the party feeling extremely blessed and spoiled. We got so many great gifts from our friends and family that we know all three of us will enjoy once baby Hill arrives!

 

We have our second baby shower (hosted by my in-laws) on July 17th. We're really excited to be able to attend that shower as well and celebrate with a different set of friends and family. It's crazy to think that we are only 4 weeks away from being "full term" and only 7 weeks away from our due date. It's all coming up so quickly. 

Another great event that happened since our last post was that Jeff and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. We started dating on September 11, 2010 and were engaged on January 11, 2011. I knew that I wanted to marry him but wanted to make sure our relationship was right so we had a six month engagement (I know most still that that's short) and we were married on June 11, 2011. The past two years have been crazy to say the least and so much has happened, but it has also been the best two years and two years I could never forget. To celebrate we spent the day with Jeff's sisters and mother planning out the details of my sister in law's baby shower (she's due 4 days before us) and then we went to a movie (Now you see me) at the Brighton Theater followed by cooking pizzas at home.  It was pretty low key and low cost but it was perfect for us. 

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Thirty three weeks

Cravings: I haven't had any cravings. The instinct to eat healthy and make sure to get the DHA and Omega 3's have been a priority though. (We learned in our birthing class how much these vitamins have an impact on the brain development of baby Hill)

Feeling: I'm feeling wonderful. The heat is not my friend but usually I get to spend my time in the AC or find comfort in the community swimming pool. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Watching my stomach twist and turn in so many directions. It's absolutely crazy and fascinating to be able to watch the baby move around so much!

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: The heat!!! It's way too hot and only June but hopefully with our AC situation getting fixed and the frequent visits to the pool, it won't be too horrible.

Sleep: I still sleep horribly. Between getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the heat bothering me, I don't sleep for more than a few hours. I've also gained a new found skill of being wide awake between the hours of 2 and 4:30 am. I won't be able to go back to sleep until around 5. Thankfully I've been able to sleep from then until around 8-9 most days to get caught up.

Picture from today (Week 33)

Single Digit Weeks

We are now at thirty one weeks pregnant. Jeff and I both think it's weird, exciting, nerve racking, etc that we are in single digit weeks. We are finished with the nursery (minus one picture), we are attending the first of two baby showers next Saturday, we have finished all three weekend classes (8 hours each) of birthing class. We absolutely loved attending these classes. They were put on by a lady named Faith McGinn. She was so informative and presented the material in a way that gave you the reality without horribly scaring you. 

Not a whole lot has happened in the past few weeks but we are getting ready to also welcome our exchange student, Vanessa, from Germany. As it turns out, school starts out here in Strasburg on August 21st. The students are suppose to arrive in Denver a week before school starts which would put her tentative arrival date as August 14th (the day we're due with the baby). I think it's absolutely crazy that we're going to be parents to both a 17 year old and a newborn within the same few weeks. We're so excited to have Vanessa join us and are really looking forward to showing her what Colorado has to offer. She seems really excited about being a "sister" to our child as well.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Thirty One weeks

Cravings: Nothing new. Eating a lot of yogurt, pasta, pickles, and Annie's Shells n Cheese

Feeling: I feel great most of the time. The baby doesn't have a lot of room anymore so I've been uncomfortable when it decides to kick my ribs or stick it's feet up there against my lungs. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Being able to see my stomach move. It's almost weird and creepy but at the same time, fascinating.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Trying to get a good night's sleep and dealing with the heat. I feel like I'm on fire all the time. With being out of work we haven't turned on the AC which makes the nights really really hot!! We installed a ceiling fan but that's not enough.

Sleep: I sleep horribly now. A few weeks ago it wasn't bad but now I have to sleep on my left side which makes my arms go numb and I wake up A LOT from every little noise. Being able to get comfortable hasn't been possible and then the heat is driving me crazy. On the bright side, only nine weeks to go.

Birthing Classes and Doctors Visits

Today we are twenty nine weeks. Yesterday Jeff said that getting to close to single digits is making him anxious and excited. I said that it was making me nervous and worried. The idea of birth scares me a ton. This past weekend we attended the first of three birthing classes. It was put on by Faith McGinn and was down in the Tech Center. She was wonderful. She provided us with so much information and explanation. The class that we started with was Breastfeeding and Infant Care. It seemed silly but she had brought these baby dolls to learn with. She had one for every mom to-be and one for every dad to-be. The dad's went through the same learning process that us mom's did and when she explained why, it was simply so they understood what we were going to have to do and so that they could help refresh our memory after the baby is actually here. We went over diaper changing, swaddling, information on pediatricians, vaccines, circumcision, and a ton more. These next two Sundays will be the labor and delivery part of class.

Yesterday we had our twenty eight week midwife appointment. I had to do the glucose testing for gestational diabetes. The orange glucose drink they gave me was horrible. It made me cringe and gag. We went into our appointment with a dozen questions for our midwife (thanks to Faith's class) and came out even more informed. Both Jeff and I also got our TDAP shots. We are now on a every two week schedule of meeting with the midwifes.

 Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty Nine weeks

Cravings: This week hasn't brought on any cravings. 

Feeling: I'm feeling great. The baby a lot now in the mornings and evenings which is fun!

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling him/her kicking. It's a regular occurrence now.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: The baby is often times pushing on a nerve which makes walking, sitting, or standing not so comfortable.

Sleep: I'm starting to not sleep as wonderfully. I've been waking up a lot more often to rearrange and get comfortable. I've been having muscle pain in my right shoulder from sleeping wrong and with a husband and three dogs, we're all up quite a bit.

Hello Third Trimester...you sure came QUICK!!

Well I didn't do very well at keeping up with this these past two weeks. A lot has gone on and we've been incredibly busy. First off, I graduated from Front Range. (Yea!) I got to walk in the graduation ceremony on May 16th down in Denver. While I was waiting in the hallway for the ceremony to start I started having Braxton Hicks pretty badly. It was hot, I had been standing there for about two hours and they didn't have water or chairs for us to use. I think I freaked out the guy next to me though because he asked if I was okay. I told him I didn't know and that I thought I was having contractions. His response was, "you're pregnant?" I had to laugh because apparently I'm not showing enough for people to realize this fact on their own. I kindly replied that yes I was and tried to focus on cooling down. We (my mom and Jeff and I) went out for Mexican food afterward to which I ended up with food poisoning. haha, oh well. Both my family and Jeff's family met us for dinner on Friday at Old Chicago in Aurora to celebrate as well.

I've been working with a new company called Ownership Thinking. I spend about 4-6 hours a day making warm and cold lead calls to businesses setting up appointments for my boss, David. So far, it has been pretty easy and I've been really successful at it. I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to work from home and have a flexible schedule. Once this baby arrives it's going to be critical that we still have income and that I can tend to both work and my child. Working from home sounds like it would be the easiest thing but I have to make sure to set up a schedule, lock myself in the office and work for the time I allot otherwise I find myself finding other things that "need" to get done. So far, I've been able to handle it pretty well. I think that going to an office is much easier than working from home when it comes to this concept.

We are in our third trimester officially today. Jeff and I were talking yesterday on our way home from renewing our temple recommends about how we only have twelve weeks until we're due with the baby and only thirteen weeks until Vanessa arrives from Germany. We both talked about how crazy, fun, chaotic, and stressful our lives are going to get but we're very excited to see how it goes.

This past week I was able to print off and assemble the baby shower invites for my baby shower up north. Nicole Cantrell and my mom are throwing me a shower on June 22nd and to help out I decided that invitations would be my contribution. They turned out really cute. My mom is mailing them out this next week. I'm eager to see who all is going to be able to make it.

The baby shower for those of our friends and family that live south of I-70 will be on July 17th. I'm in the process right now of obtaining all of the addresses for those we are inviting and getting them to my in-laws. Hopefully I don't forget anyone.

Here's the pictures for weeks twenty six and twenty seven:

J

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty Eight weeks

Cravings: Nothing new this week. Still trying to eat healthy

Feeling: I'm feeling great. No complaints this week.

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling him/her kicking. It's a regular occurrence now.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Nothing is bad right now. Things are going great

Sleep: Still sleeping great. The baby moves and kicks a lot more at night so it's always interesting to see how far asleep I can get before being woke up.

Life is getting more crazy!

This week I am twenty-five weeks into our pregnancy. The baby is kicking all the time and now more than just I can feel it. Jeff has gotten to feel it a lot lately and my sister in law, Amber, got to feel it move last Wednesday. I have noticed that these last few weeks have been a bit trying on me. I'm super irritable and impatient. It makes me feel bad that my fuse is even shorter than normal but sincerely cannot help it. When I'm not irritated, I'm emotional. The stress of every day things get to me more right now and the overwhelming feeling makes me cry. Sorry in advance to friends and family, I don't mean to be this way, but I really can't help it.

This week has brought some great news with it. My sister in law passed on my name to a client of hers that was looking for someone to do part time work from home making phone calls for his business and scheduling appointments. After a short conversation and a weekend wait, I got the call saying that I got the job. This is a huge blessing for us. Both Jeff and I were worried about finances and how we were going to make it work after the baby got here. Now I can stay home, work twenty hours a week and make almost three times what I have been making these past two years. 

This coming week will be another stressful week but hopefully one that ends the stress for a bit. I have to take my two part math final, keep up with my homework from BYU-I, attend class Thursday night, work twenty hours for David, work my normal schedule with Peyton and watch Peyton from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon while her parents are out of town. Needless to say, I will be busy.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty-five weeks

Cravings: Nothing new this week. Still trying to eat healthy

Feeling: I'm feeling great. No complaints this week.

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling him/her kicking. It's a regular occurrence now.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling like a whale. Watching my skin become not so wonderful, having the baby kick my bladder area.

Sleep: Doing great! I still get up every night at least once but am sleeping pretty well.

Twenty three weeks down, seventeen more to go

I am a big fan of our Chiropractor. I have been going to them for about six years now and know that I always feel better overall after being adjusted. I am thinking that a trip in to see Dr. Powell is going to have to happen quick. My hip is out and it hurts to sit or stand for any length of time. At least the baby is giving me awesome and valid excuses to get adjusted.

Figuring out the expenses for the hospital and delivery is starting to set in. We've been trying hard to figure out a budget that allows us to set up a payment plan when the hospital starts billing. I was told by my boss that our hospital can give us an exact number for out of pocket expenses and what options they have for us to pay it off. Personally, I think insurance should pay for all care since they deduct so much out of our paycheck each pay period, but sadly, I know that it'll never happen. Our next step is to find out what that amount is and calculate our "new" budget.

I've been trying to find a job that I can do from home. I knew that I didn't want to do any type of consulting business where I'd have to file a 1099 at the end of the year. With a baby on the way and a need to supplement our income, it seemed pretty bleak.  A friend of mine referred me to a company called Alpine Access. They provide companies with customer service representatives that work from home answering calls. The company services many companies and so far I've gotten hired on with Alpine but am still interviewing with the individual companies to find a match. The problem I am running into is that the training and first thirty days of work are done with no time off allowed. Since I have mandatory class every Thursday evening for BYU-I, I cannot fulfill that requirement. Here's to hoping I can find a position that offers training in the daytime.

School started back up for BYU-I on Monday. I can honestly say that I am in need of a break from school. We are taking a math class with BYU-I until July 23rd. My math class with FRCC ends in three weeks and I graduate with my Associates Degree in General Studies on May 16th. I am really excited to be done with at least one part of my education. My game plan is to take 15 credits each trimester with BYU-I this next year and complete my Bachelors Degree in Business Administration by May. In theory this would get me done with school before the baby starts walking. Here's to hoping my plan works.


Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty-four weeks

Cravings: This week I haven't had any new cravings. Eating healthy is still a priority to me.

Feeling: I feel a bit better than last week but still trying to maintain my eating habits that keep the blood pressure/sugar problems at bay. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling him/her kicking. It's getting much more common at nighttime.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Struggling with my blood sugar and blood pressure. 

Sleep: Doing great! I still get up every night at least once but am sleeping pretty well.

We've got a kicker!!

I have been really bad about remembering to update this. With a wonderful reminder via Facebook, I am doing my due diligence and posting. Everything has been going great. We are both finishing up our second to last semester with the BYU-I Pathway program (a gateway program into BYU-I) and I am graduating in less than a month from Front Range. We're both working really hard in school and at work and trying to keep our house maintained (with no help from our builder and contractors) and finances afloat. So far, so good!

 Last night, 04-17-2013, we got to feel the baby kick for the first time. We were laying in bed, Jeff was reading, I was watching Days of our Lives, when I felt it kick first. I quickly grabbed Jeff's hand and said "press hard right here" and after a few impatient minutes on Jeff's part, he got to feel it too! Pretty exciting. Yesterday marked the start of 23 weeks into this pregnancy. We are officially three months and twenty five days away from our due date as of today. It is all happening really quick. Some days it's pretty scary for me to think about being a mom and that I will have a child to take care of 24/7 but I'm still exciting at the same time.

We've been having a lot of people ask what the baby's gender is. We don't know. We truly want to be surprised when he or she gets here. Some of our friends and family are going nuts not knowing but we are having a great time guessing and wondering. In terms of names, we have a most definite name picked out for a girl (no, we're not sharing that yet either) and about three names for a boy. We figured that at this point if we don't fall in love with one specific name then we can go to the hospital with our one girl name and three boy names and whatever gender this baby is will help decide and then we can decide the rest in the moment.

Aside from all the wonderful parts of pregnancy, these last few weeks have also brought on a new area of concern for me. I have been having a hard time with my blood sugar and my midwife thinks my blood pressure and iron counts may also be a factor in how I'm feeling. I get dizzy, have vertigo, shake, and become very lethargic regardless of what I eat or how often. On the bright side, my midwife says that the symptoms I am describing are very normal during pregnancy and they are not worried. At my next appointment we are going to screen for anemia and check my sugar/pressure levels. Until then I get to eat every hour and eat foods with higher protein counts and lower carbohydrates. 

The top picture gives a pretty good indicator of what I really look like while the bottom picture shows how I feel. LOL We had to change the place where we took these as we finally hung up pictures in our house.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty-three weeks

Cravings: Pudding. This week has been vanilla and chocolate. French Fries still sound great too.

Feeling: I'm not feeling too great with the blood pressure/sugar problems but overall I feel good. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling him/her starting to kick

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Struggling with my blood sugar and blood pressure. 

Sleep: Doing great! I still get up every night at least once but am sleeping pretty well.

Half Way Done

I've heard so many people say that pregnancy can take forever or can fly by really quick. Mine is following the latter. We are already twenty weeks and six days along (twenty one weeks tomorrow) and I can't believe that we are more than half way finished. Even better is the fact that I've had the easiest pregnancy I could have hoped for. We had our twenty week appointment today with our midwife and I've gained a total of 6 lbs. (This being the measurement at 5 pm and fully clothed) She said that I was on track to gain approximately 20 lbs when all is said and done. I can handle that! Considering most babies weigh 6-8  lbs and the rest of the "ingredients" for growing a baby account for 11-13 lbs. The best part about this week is that I think I felt the baby move for the first time! Not sure if it was gas or the baby but something moved. lol

We went last Monday (3/25/13) to our anatomy ultrasound. We didn't get to know much since our ultrasound tech wasn't the friendliest of people but we did find out that baby hill weights approximately 9 ounces and was measuring normal in all the right places. No, we didn't find out gender. We are still determined to wait until he/she arrives. As of right now we are not planning on having any more ultrasounds. (The only way we'd have one is if something was going wrong with me or the baby)

Today at our appointment I found out that I am measuring at 22 weeks when measuring from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus. Exciting! Even though I'm not showing much, I'm measuring great!

This is my beginning of week 20 photo and below is end of week 20 photo

Just a recap of how things are going:

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Twenty weeks

Cravings: Yesterday it was french fries with country gravy

Feeling: I'm feeling wonderful! 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Getting excited to feel him/her move around all the time.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: I'm feeling more irritable than usual. My patience is really not what it used to be. 

Sleep: I still love sleep but am doing well.

Almost half way done

Last week we were seventeen weeks pregnant and still not really showing much more than a fat roll. lol. Here's the pic and recap for the week.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Seventeen Weeks

Cravings: Sent Jeff out around 10pm the other night for Bunny Tracks ice cream.

Feeling: I feel great but also feel really fat. I'm not good at gaining weight without worrying. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Everyone telling me how good I look for being almost half way done.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Feeling not so pretty. Gaining weight but not looking pregnant makes me especially self conscious. 

Sleep: I still sleep in almost every day but feel like I have good energy throughout the day.

Snow, Birthday and Pringles

These past few weeks have flown by really quick. We have experienced the not so wonderful head cold that went around and unfortunately it lasted 8+ days for me and only 3 days for Jeff. I've have also gotten to return to work (nannying for Peyton) and I couldn't be happier to be back. I have missed her tons. Getting to sit and talk with her mom is great for me and I appreciate all of her advice and insight to things going on in my small families lives.

As of February 13,2013 I was fourteen weeks along. I felt like I was gaining a ton of weight but the scale in our bathroom told me that I hadn't gained anything. The fact that my pre-pregnancy pants were too tight in the tummy told me otherwise. I had learned at this point that I feel so much larger after I eat than I ever have before.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Fourteen Weeks

Cravings: Still no cravings, some foods aren't sounding as wonderful anymore. If I see raw meat during meal preparation, it no longer sounds good at all.

Feeling: I feel great but also feel really fat. I'm not good at gaining weight without worrying. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Noticing the changes it has had on our dogs. All of a sudden they are WAY more protective over me than before. This is also a bad thing since they are protective against each other over me. 

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Not being able to sleep. I wake up too many times in the night to rearrange or get comfortable again.

Sleep: I could still sleep for days and days and still feel like it hasn't been enough

On February 20,2013 I was officially fifteen weeks along. Unfortuntely, we forgot to take a picture for this week. Aside from the week of progress into the pregnancy, our baby update is still the same. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing but I'm still feeling great so I'd like to think of the glass half full.

Today...February 27,2013 is my crazy dog, Max's, birthday. He is one wonderful puppy that I cherish more than most things in my life. Today is also the day that we are sixteen weeks along in our pregnancy. Four months has flown by really quickly. I hear expecting mom's complain a lot about how time flies for everyone around them being excited about the  a new baby, but that it drags on and on for the mom. I feel totally opposite.

This week brought a scary incident with it. We've had really crazy weather in Strasburg lately and snow has been a common addition to our sidewalks and roads. I went to get my car registered yesterday and on the way home decided to stop at the mailbox to get our mail. We had gotten snow a few days before and apparently the left overs from that storm had turned to ice. The morning before my adventure to the mailbox had given us a new coating of snow and I didn't notice the awful layer of ice underneath it. To my great surprise I slipped and fell really hard. (This was around 9:30am) I thought everything was okay but around 2:00 I started having some cramping. When I spoke with our midwife she informed me that I needed to stay really hydrated and take a warm bath to relax. The thought that everything would be just fine (apparently there is a lot of padding around this baby) and if I had any spotting or unusual symptoms to come in right away. Today I am still cramping but there is no spotting or any other crazy symptoms. Here's to crossing our fingers that all is wonderful.

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Today I am exactly 16 weeks along

Cravings: Yesterday and today I have wanted Pringles a lot.

Feeling: I am feeling like I'm not even pregnant aside from the bigger pants and the cramps from yesterday.

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Being told that I look great for being 16 weeks along (Thanks Marcie) and knowing that Monday will be my first appointment to be measured.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Not being able to sleep so great.

Sleep: I am waking up a lot in the middle of the night for bathroom trips, water, to rearrange or because of random noises in the house. It's really annoying. I'm used to being a really sound sleeper.

Ready for part two!

We've been doing some searching for great deals on baby essentials these past few weeks and came across a trade in sale through Babies R Us. We figured, sure why not, we will need these things anyway, why not get them at a lower price. (No we didn't get things that we could expect at our shower) Our families have two other babies to plan for so we felt prepared in getting the larger items while we can spread out the expense. We have gotten our stroller (B.O.B.) our pack and play, and our car seat with an extra car base.

Today Jeff felt compelled to assemble the new furniture. It took us about thirty minutes to get the pack and play accessories assembled and installed, the B.O.B. took all of about two minutes and the car seat simply pulled out of a piece of plastic already assembled. It was fun to build and enjoy today with Jeff. It makes me excited for the other preparations we will eventually do for our baby.

 This past Friday, my mom took me out for a girls day. We set out to find a couple of maternity items. I'm not showing much but just enough to make it painful and uncomfortable to wear my normal pants. For a couple of weeks I have been unbuttoning them and fastening the button with a hair tie (it honestly works great). We went to ARC first, my favorite thrift store, then to Gordmans, Kohls, and finally Target. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed in the selection at most of the stores. I did end up getting four shirts and a pair of pants though.

A few friends have offered great advice on what to get, what not to get, and how much to get when it comes to bigger clothes. I'm hoping I stay within a healthy weight gain and not getting too huge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Today I am thirteen weeks 4 days along

Cravings: Still no cravings and still eating pretty normally. Super Bowl Sunday I did REALLY want nachos with jalapenos

Feeling: I still feel great. I've been sick with a head cold but in terms of baby...couldn't be better.

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Being able to see how excited my friends and family are.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Finding maternity clothes that are cute. I'm not showing a ton but I'm swollen enough to not fit into my pants without it hurting.

Our BIG news!

So as most of you know, Jeff and I were married in June 2011 and have waited to have children until we had spent some time together. Through that "time" (a year and a half) we had moved four times, had gone on multiple trips and taken on many jobs. In October 2012 we bought our first home (which we love) in Strasburg, CO. The move was great and the small town atmosphere is amazing.

Somewhere along our journey we decided it was a good time to start thinking about kids. We had many nights praying about the decision and on December 11th I got my blood tests back confirming that we are pregnant.
A second test came days later to make sure my HGC and Progesterone levels were increasing and sure enough...we're pregnant. We went to our first ultrasound appointment on December 27th and heard our baby's heartbeat. It was a great experience. Both Jeff and I were baffled at how such a small sound could make such a huge impact.
We were able to tell our families on Christmas Eve. My mom was given a pregnancy test as a gift and the Hill side was given chocolate filled eclairs with small plastic babies inside. (needless to say they didn't automatically get the point of the babies but it was a good laugh afterward). Both of our families are really excited and we couldn't be happier.
At this point we are eight weeks along. We are due on August 14th. (my cousin's birthday) and are excited to see when this baby will actually be born. (We have seven other birthdays happening in August).

I have gotten many questions about how I am feeling, sleeping, etc so I thought I was partake of the pregnancy questionnaire to keep you all informed (thanks to another pregnant friend for the idea).

Baby Update:

How Far Along: Today I am exactly 8 weeks along

Cravings: I haven't had any specific cravings but have had moments where things like spinach artichoke dip and chili rellanos sound really good.

Feeling: I am feeling really good. I spend the first weeks not really noticing that I was pregnant. The past week I have had moments of feeling crummy but usually only at night. I also feel especially sick when there is meat around, specifically beef.

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Knowing that we will get to have our own baby soon and that our family is starting.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: The adverse reaction to smells. My nose is super sensitive. Walking down the grocery aisles is a much harder experience now. 

Sleep: I could sleep for days. I usually sleep about 10-12 hours a night. There have been nights with more hours and some with far fewer. I get tired in the afternoon and find that napping has helped a lot.

Now that we are a bit further along and have announced it officially (thanks Facebook), our pregnancy is so much more exciting. Not that it wasn't before, but now we can talk about it with everyone! We have had a lot of fun in the past few weeks deciding if we are going to find out gender, starting our registry, finding the essential items, and starting to decorate the room. Thank you all for your exciting and kind words. We are thrilled to finally be able to share this with everyone!

Baby Update:

How Far Along: We will be 12 weeks on Wednesday (two days from today)

Cravings: Still no cravings, however I am eating much healthier than normal.

Feeling: I feel great. I got through the first trimester without morning sickness. The worst part as been the headaches which have subsided. 

Best Part of being pregnant right now: Being able to share it with all of our friends and family. We have so much support.

Worst Part of being pregnant right now: Having to wake up at night to go to the bathroom.

Sleep: I could still sleep for hours on end but feel much better than a few weeks ago. I don't have the urges to nap during the day if I get a good night's rest.