Category: Pregnancy

I didn’t mean to get this far behind, but I am glad William helped me out by posting last week’s baby bump photo.

In pregnancy news…..

Things are still going great!  Baby Girl Cody is starting to move a lot more lately and not just when I eat.  I have noticed that her kicks are getting stronger.  William has felt her twice now and that was a great experience.  His facial expression was priceless!  The first time (and even the second), his mouth flew open in utter amazement and he had this huge smile on his face.  I will probably never forget that moment.  It was very special.

As you have probably noticed from the photos, my belly is really starting to grow now.  Most people at work can clearly tell I am pregnant now and aren’t afraid to ask me about the baby and how I am feeling.  It is interesting watching my belly grow.  I am getting to the point where bending over is not as comfortable and easy as it used to be, but I can still reach my toes and don’t have any significant issues yet.  I am still able to take three flights of stairs up to my office everyday and multiple times a day when I am walking throughout the building.  I am usually a bit winded when I get to the top, but that is not much different than prior to being pregnant 🙂

I told William that I felt confident that our baby can hear, which is a good sign.  When the fire alarms went off at work last week, it was very loud, and she definitely started moving around a bit.  According to BabyCenter.com, this is the stage where hearing picks up.  She was also moving a bit during the really bad thunderstorm on Monday morning (it was the type of storm with explosion like thunder), but it seems like she has been awake and moving every morning this week when my alarm goes off, so it may just be her routine for the moment.

Well… that about sums it up.  Below is my 23 week baby bump photo.  My mother suggested I wear a different outfit 🙂   I have only been trying to wear the same thing to make the comparison easier, but perhaps I will throw in a photo of me in something different this weekend.  I should have taken a picture today!  I wore a  cute Isabella Oliver wrap dress.  It was one of my splurge maternity purchases, but I love it.

 

With the new job, last week I had a spring break for the first time since high school. (I went to undergrad in New Orleans. We didn’t have spring break. We had 3 days for Mardi Gras and two days for Easter.) A funny thing happened. All that time off and I did not see one movie. Not in theaters and not at home. I didn’t play video games. I didn’t get around to putting together a photo book of last year’s trip to Hawaii or editing the 3 year old video from the Mediterranean. What did I do? (Yes, I know. Kyllan already told you.) I started putting together a nursery. I was out the door by 9am everyday, back by 5 every evening and putting things together all night. Even stranger than that? That’s exactly what I wanted to do with my spring break. Like Kyllan said, she hasn’t seen it yet. She is banned until it is completed. It’s interesting to hear what she thinks is going on in there. I think she starting to play mind games on herself at this point with all of her guessing.

On another note, we are going to try and reduce the visibility of the blog on search engines like Google. It will probably take a while before searching for the blog doesn’t lead lead you directly here, but  you should go ahead and bookmark the site or subscribe to the RSS feed if you haven’t already.

Wow.  This weekend was so full of baby that we literally wore ourselves out!!  🙂

Some of you may have heard that William is surprising me (and probably most of you) by completely designing and decorating the nursery.  I really can’t even remember how this came about, but I do remember him telling me that if I were responsible for the nursery, I would get too stressed and drive myself crazy.  He is probably right and I have to admit that with my work schedule remaining pretty busy, I haven’t really had a lot of time to research designs and nursery decor, so I enjoy not having that on my to-do list.  I was allowed to make a list of 10 things I wanted to see included in the nursery and after that… I am locked out of the room until the room is done.  I was a bit nervous about this arrangement, so the compromise was to ask my sister to ensure cinder blocks were not part of the room 🙂 .  William was on Spring Break , so every day this past week I came home to him being behind closed doors for several hours working on the nursery.  One night, I heard him hammering away at midnight… but… I was still able to fall asleep with no problem 🙂  The only details about the nursery I know are the crib, dresser/changing table, and rocker/recliner.  We picked those out together and I am very happy with our decision.  He has been so excited about this project, so I am anxiously awaiting the big reveal, which will probably be around my birthday, which happens to fall just before Mother’s Day.  How exciting!!  I can’t wait!

On Saturday, we had the first part of our childbirth class.  Yep… childbirth class already.  It was mainly because the dates for this weekend and next fit in with our schedule better than other dates over the next couple months.  The class was from 9am-4pm, so it was a full day devoted to preparing for the big event.  After class, we decided we were going to go set up our baby registries.  We had already planned to do it this past weekend prior to registering for the childbirth class, so we decided to just stick to it and make it a day full of baby.  After spending about 2 hours at each store, we were done and it was 9pm.  We had been up since about 7:15am and we were exhausted.  After enjoying a late dinner, we came home and collapsed on the couch.  Needless to say, we didn’t make it to church today.  It was about 10am before either of us attempted to get out of bed and the rest felt great.  In fact, we didn’t even make it out of the house until about 6 or 7pm when we decided to go for a walk to get some exercise in for the day.  Fortunately I also made is to the grocery store also to stock up on some breakfast foods and healthy snacks for the week.

So… a busy week and a very busy Saturday, but we accomplished a lot, so I think we are both happy even though we are a bit tired.

So… how has the pregnancy been this week?…. Still smooth!  I can see why people consider the 2nd trimester the best of them all.  You’re not dealing with the symptoms you may have had in the 1st trimester, the fatigue is not as bad, and your stomach is growing, but not too big to cause any problems or major distractions.  I have not felt as much movement this week from the baby, but I know I am only a few weeks from feeling the major kicks and movements, so I should probably enjoy it while it lasts.  One change I have noticed this week is my belly button has begun its journey forward and seems like it is going to start popping out in the next few weeks.  It’s an odd thing to notice it pushing forward day by day.

Below, is my 21 week belly shot as well as some of the items we couldn’t resist buying for the baby while we were registering.  Isn’t the purple Share Bear cute?!  As you can see, we added some additional colors to her wardrobe, I like pink , but I want to make sure she can enjoy all colors. A couple of the items are actually for when she starts wearing 12 month clothes, so you probably won’t see her in a picture with those until next year.

 

 

 

So we have finally reached the halfway point!  20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go.

Now that we know we are having a girl, the excitement has picked up because we can begin decorating and buying things for her.  In fact, the Cody grandparents were in town this weekend and kicked off the shopping with us.  We found some great outfits for her as well as a few gadgets, and a diaper dude bag and baby carrier for William.  We also found some books to add to her library.  It was a fun weekend and I am glad William’s parents were able to come into town and celebrate with us.  Check out the results of our shopping below.  Yes, there is probably more pink than I would like, but the store we were in had mostly pink clothing.  More colors to come in the future.  I love my purple and reds!

So… how have I been feeling?  Well… overall I am still feeling pretty good.  This past week was a bit rough because I was fighting a sore throat and cold.  I lost my voice for pretty much an entire week, which has never happened before (I have lost my voice, but not usually longer than 2-3 days).  I will admit that I was hesitant to take any medication.  I know there are certain medications that are approved to take during pregnancy, but I didn’t want to take anything unless I felt I really needed to do that.   I did go through a few days of terrible coughing that was driving both William and I crazy.  I finally ended up taking Tylenol one day and Robitussin another and for the most part, things seems to be better.  I am still coughing a little bit, but not nearly as much as I was last week (or even Sunday morning for that matter).

Other than fighting a cold, things are still smooth.  Baby Cody has been moving a bit more.  She loves to move when I am eating.  She definitely reacts to the blood sugar rush :-).  Almost without fail, she will move when I am eating.  There are other times she moves, but I feel the most movement while I am eating.  It’s kinda funny.  Right now, it’s still more flutters than distinct kicks, but I am finally to the point where I can tell that it’s the baby.  The movements do feel like they are getting more distinct as the weeks go on, so I look forward to more movement.

 

 

 

So today is the day William and I were hoping to find out Baby Cody’s gender.

Drum Roll please………………

Ok.  Nevermind.  We still don’t know.  What we do know is that our baby is pretty intelligent for realizing that he/she could hide their anatomy of interest behind the umbilical cord and play a fun hide and seek game for us.  We have another opportunity next week, so we will see if Baby Cody will cooperate this time.  My plan is to drink some fruit juice or something with a bit of sugar to getting the baby moving.  🙂

The good news was that the baby appeared to be healthy and things seem to be progressing very well.  The heartbeat was strong at 153 bpm.  The baby was actually measuring 3 days ahead of schedule, but I don’t think that really means much and they typically do not change the due date.  The baby was moving around a bit, but usually appears pretty cozy and comfortable and also appears to be a thumb sucker (his/her hands are usually by the face).  Despite not knowing the gender, William and I both left with huge smiles on or faces.

Sorry I am a day late with my post.  We had a busy day yesterday.  William and I went to a Family Expo where we got to check out the latest baby products.  That afternoon I attended a baby shower for a dear friend I have known since middle school.  We ended the evening with a movie, and yes… me falling asleep on the couch with the computer on my lap.  🙂

Yesterday marked 18 weeks for me and things are still going very well.  This week’s exciting news…. maternity clothes!!  I ordered several items online from Gap and they arrived on Wednesday and the timing could not have been better.  The day before, I was unbuttoning my pants by the end of the day because they were so uncomfortable.  Maternity pants are awesome!!  It was so nice feeling comfortable going to work the next day.  They were a tad too big, but that didn’t matter to much to me.  The length was perfect… one of the reasons I bought them.  Gap offered longer length pants, which can be hard to find in regular sizes let alone maternity sizes.  I now need to purchase some tops and maternity jeans.  Since my jeans have a lower rise than my work pants, I have been able to still wear those and keep them buttoned, but this weekend, I found myself wearing them with my BellaBand.  I have tried a couple pair on, but they were either too short or not really worth the dollar amount.  Maternity clothes can be expensive!!  Especially for something you can only wear a few months (until the next pregnancy).

In other news, I think I am beginning to feel Baby Cody moving a bit.  It started out as the flutters people describe, kinda like bubbles or popcorn popping in your stomach, but recently I think I have felt some distinct thumps or kicks.  Every time I think I feel something, I stop and try to stay still to see if I can feel it again, but I usually don’t.  I am sure I will begin feeling more movement in the weeks to come, so I look forward to it, especially when William can begin feeling movements.

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  We find out the gender!  So… will it be a girl?  or a boy?  Any predictions?  Most of my friends are predicting a boy, so we’ll see if those guesses are correct.  William is convinced it’s a girl, but will of course be happy either way.  Stores beware… William won’t make it through the day without making at least one purchase for the baby.  If it’s a boy, it will likely be something Star Wars related.  If it’s a girl, it actually may still be Star Wars related 🙂

So, we have finally uploaded pictures of my belly growth.  Sorry we don’t have one for each week, but we plan to take one each week from now until 40 weeks.

Wow… I guess we have a lot of catching up to do!

Today, Tuesday, I am 17 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

We found out I was pregnant about a week before Thanksgiving.  I was tired all week and was pretty moody also 🙂  (Sorry William… I love you!).  I had a suspicion I may be pregnant.  I took a pregnancy test earlier in the week and it was negative, but a few days later, those life changing words appeared on the screen of that little stick…. “pregnant”.  That one word causes about 10 different emotions to overtake you from fear to joy (joy being predominant).  I debated on how to tell William and since it was close to bedtime, I left the test on his nightstand so he would see it before he turned his lamp off….or so I thought.  When William came in the room to go to bed, he somehow missed it, turned his light off and got in the bed.  🙂  So, I had to tell him I left something on his nightstand for him to see.  After turning the light back on and squinting to see what was on the screen, he was excited and had s big smile on his face.  Then he realized he was mad that I didn’t tell him that I was going to take a test, but he got over it.  I took a few more tests just to “confirm” I was really pregnant 🙂

When we went for our first OB appointment at 6 weeks, we were able to get an ultrasound and see and hear the heartbeat!  It was amazing and made everything feel real.

A few weeks later, on Christmas, we shared the good news with our parents.  They are of course, very excited.  This will be the second grandchild for my parents and the first for William’s.

Since then, the weeks seem to be passing slow and fast at the same time.  One the one hand, I feel like… wow… I am only 17 weeks pregnant.. why is this going so slow.  On the other hand, I think… OH MY GOODNESS… in less than 23 weeks, we will have a baby!!

Anyway… I have been extremely blessed with a drama-free pregnancy.  I remember thinking after getting the positive pregnancy test that my morning sickness would kick in any day.  Week 5 rolled by… nothing.  Week 6, I heard this is where it may start to kick in… nothing.  Week 7, 8, 9… still nothing.  By then, I am thinking I only have a few weeks left in the first trimester, so perhaps I just won’t be sick, and that is exactly what happened.  I may have had a few minutes of nausea here or there, but that usually occurred when my stomach was empty and a granola bar did the trick.

I have experienced a few symptoms, but nothing to really complain about.  One symptom I had is extreme exhaustion.  The first few weeks were ROUGH.  I was tired all the time.  It is AMAZING how much energy such a tiny being can suck out of you, but after all, my body was literally working hard to form an entire human being.  They equate it to your body running a marathon.  Your body is forming organs, pumping more blood and causing your heart rate to increase.  I fell asleep on the couch almost every night (seriously) until about 2 weeks ago.  It seems to have calmed a bit, I assume symbolizing that the major development (organs, skin, limbs, etc.) is complete.  It’s almost 10pm and I am still awake!!  This time a few weeks ago, I would have been long gone with drool coming out the corner of my mouth and William tapping me on the shoulder and telling me to go to bed.  Oh… that reminds me of another pregnancy symptom William claims I have.  Snoring.  Apparently hormones are to blame for just about every pregnancy symptom you have, including the bloating and gas I had during the first 10 weeks or so that caused me to look pregnant already in the picture William posted on New Years! 🙂  William thought it was the craziest thing ever that in the morning, I looked “normal”, but at night, I looked “very pregnant” because I was so bloated.  I still get a bit bloated after meals, but not nearly as bad as before.  I am actually developing a baby bump at this point that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, so now I get to hear “you are sooo pregnant”, every day from William 🙂  I can’t imagine what he is going to say at 40 weeks.  He seems to notice the changes more than I do, but I haven’t been able to get him stop looking at me since August of 2002, so I guess it makes sense.

My plan is to make new post each week on Saturday when I begin a new week along with my “bump” photos and any exciting new developments for the week.  We have taken a few already (not as consistent as we should have… I didn’t want to take pictures of my bloat… lol).   I think we have pictures from Week 13, 14, and 17.  I am hoping to stay faithful with the weekly photos for the rest of the pregnancy.

The next big announcement will of course be the baby’s gender.  We are hoping we will find out next Monday when we have another ultrasound.  William is convinced we are having a girl (even though he would love to have a boy and would probably feel more comfortable with a boy).  I think we are having a boy (mainly because I think I secretly want a girl).  I seem to automatically think of a girl when I think about our future baby.  Both of us will be excited no matter what.  As clichéd as it may sound, all we truly want is a healthy baby.

I think that covers the highlights for now.

According to BabyCenter.com, here is what’s going on this week for baby and me:

How your baby’s growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He’s busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you’ll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they’re still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he’s born. If you’re having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you’re having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

How your life’s changing:

Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don’t spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

From now on, when you do lie down, it’s best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

If you haven’t already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you’ll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby’s growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you’re working with is accurate, and see how many babies you’re carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby’s first photo album!