21 weeks...

Just pass he half way mark! WoOooOo!

This week I have definitely noticed that I am getting a lot bigger - even day by day!

Her kicks have been much stronger lately too. I am loving them! Even when she kicks my colon - weirdest feeling EVER! haha.

Heartburn has gotten worse and worse. It's an all day thing now. My fix is milk, since Tums don't usually work that long and milk works right away. BUT drinking more milk means I need to be eating more fiber so I don't get super constipated. Awesome.

This week we also "registered" at some places - but just a 'fake' registry, because we had some offers for those places that if we signed up for a registry we would get a gift card. So why not!? ha. BUT after doing that, and really looking at things and prices - it freaked me out. Luckily we have a lot of the big stuff already (crib, stroller, pack n play, clothes, changing table, & car seat), but we are in need of SO much more. I have a huge list going, of course, and searching on Craig's List for the things I want that I don't mind used - swing, bouncer, glider/rocking chair, etc. Although, some things I would not buy used - crib mattress, breast pump, changing table pad, crib sheets, bath/first aid necessities, etc. So I'll have to look for deals for those at the stores. I know we'll get it all together - it's just so over whelming!

Our baby girl has been dong lots of work too:

She now weighs about .8pounds and is about 10.5 inches long. Her kicking will continue to get stronger as she gets stronger and bigger. Her eyebrows and eye lids are present now, and since we are having a girl - her genitals are now beginning to form on the outside as well.

-Babycenter.com

Fourth Doctor's Visit (20 weeks)

This week I went to the doctor's office twice. Once to my regular OBGYN for my regular monthly check up, and once to a specialist for my 20 week anatomy ultrasound.

Doctor's visit #1: Again, had to wait over an HOUR to see the doctor for about 5 minutes. What a bummer! We listened to the heartbeat and she told me I will be doing some blood work and tests during my 28 week appointment (yay?). I am up to 126 pounds. Which means I am up about 10 pounds total now. 5 pounds from my last visit four weeks ago. Which is good, a pound a week is what I should be putting on. BUT she also said my urine came back with white cells in it - which may indicate an infection. She said she would call me with more information later. I'm still on my antibiotics, and I take them every day! So I am not sure how I could b getting another infection?! Ugh!

Doctor's visit #2: My regular OBGYN sent me to a specialist for this ultrasound. Maybe they have better equipment or something? Not sure. Luckily, I didn't have to wait at all! That is awesome! haha. The ultrasound tech did the scan for me, she explained some things as she went along - but I knew I would disappointed compared to how Whitnie scans me. Oh well, we're just spoiled now! I loved seeing the baby - she changes so much each time. It's just amazing! She is so much bigger now and shows up really well during the scan! My dad got to come along with me and Jesse, so that was really cool for him! yay!

Our little girl measures just fine and it looks like everything is where it should be and working properly, expect for one thing. She has a small "bright spot" in her stomach (which they think is a calcium build up). The doctor came in after the scan and scanned me for another minute to look at it and explain. She said she's not sure what it is or how it will affect the baby, they mainly see these bright spots in the brain and liver and there are multiple spots, not just one. Those cases are bad and result in mental retardation and loss of function in the liver and things. However, she said that is not the case in my situation - she said it's probably nothing to worry about (yeah right, I was already in tears by then! ugh!). She scheduled a ton of blood work for next week to rule out some possibilities (hopefully) and I go back to see her in four weeks to see if maybe it has even gone away (she says these things don't get bigger or multiply, but may go away). Jesse looked it up and only found good news - everyone we read about who has seen this said their child was fine. He also looked up some studies and they also said it was fine. So I am going off of that and will only worry a little. (maybe). Luckily everything else looks great and she seems to be a healthy and VERY active little girl! Yay for us!

Here are the pictures we got from the scan...

Thumbs up! How rad is this girl? :)

Always a favorite - the profile!

Her leg. She was even tapping her foot!!

20 weeks...

Again, nothing too much has changed this week. However, I have another project going on. Hair bows!! I have been having a lot of fun making these (except the burned fingers, I'm not too safe with the hot glue gun apparently)!!

I turned these:

Into these:

Each flower has a small "alligator clip" glued to the back of it. These can either be attached directly to the hair (the smaller flowers) OR, especially for the larger flowers, clipped on to these head bands:

I bought 20 plain headbands from ebay for NINE dollars! I chose a ton of cool colors. I'm so excited! I am making a lot of them - some for me, but a lot as gifts. How fun! I can't wait to see our little girl in these! She's going to be so stylish! haha :)

Now I just need to make something like this:

Photo from here.

This week (Saturday) we went to Lake Havasu. Here's our baby soaking up the sun! :) [Don't worry, I wore a ton of sun screen and drank a lot of water!]

Sorry this image isn't the best quality - forgot my camera and only had my phone!

Here's my belly in my swimsuit. So far I haven't gotten a maternity one...

This week has been a busy week for her too ...

She weighs 13 ounces now (0.8 pounds)! She's also about 6.5 inches from head to bottom, although now she's being measure from head to toe and is about 10 inches long! She is swallowing fluid a lot now, which is good practice for her digestive system. She is also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and we'll find it in her first soiled diaper (yay! hah).

-babycenter.com

19 Weeks...

The baby has been kicking like a maniac all week! I am absolutely loving it!!! Jesse has actually gotten to feel her too. How amazing! I have tried to get video of her kicking, since you can kind of see the twitching from the outside, but I am not sure how clear the video is without me telling you "there it was, did you see it?" - So I guess I will try again in a few weeks and see if I can get some better shots when she gets a little stronger!

Here is the video - I cut it down...so the kick is easier to find. It's in the first few seconds (6 or 7 seconds in), don't blink and you might see it. It is on the left side of my belly. Ignore all of my belly imperfections - stretching belly button, scars from moles being removed, and my belly button ring hole! haha. Thanks!

Other than that, nothing new has been happening. Still getting dizzy, hungry ALL of the time, heartburn like I am seriously pouring acid down my throat, and still super tired. Yup, nothing new!

Jesse took this picture. This is what I do a lot.

Thanks Jesse for always waking me up and taking me to bed! :)

We have done some stocking up in the past few weeks. This is what our pile started out looking like...

Right now, it looks like THIS: You can not even tell how much stuff is there - under and behind everything! haha. The best thing? All of this has cost us less than 150 dollars!

Even though we are going cloth - we decided to do disposables when she is born. Cloth diapers (one-sized ones) start at 8 pounds. Since we're not sure how big she'll be, we bought these new born diapers that go up to 10 pounds. Also, I think it will be a little easier for the first month or so and I won't have to do so much laundry! If she is born bigger, or we don't use all of these we can trade them in for larger sizes for when we travel and don't have a washer for the cloth. Great idea, right?

We got ALL of these diapers (12 packs of 36) and wipes (about 10 tubs) for 50 dollars. Total. I love couponing!

Our little girl has been doing some stuff as well - new things are happening each day! ...

Her sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. She may even be able to hear us now! Jesse's making sure she hears lots of The Ramones. haha. She weighs about 8.5 ounces (a little over half a pound) and measures about 6 inches. He arms and legs have grown to the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now. Her kidneys are fully functioning and making urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting (red hair? hmm). a waxy protective coating is forming on her skin to keep it safe from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Thanks Babycenter.com

18 weeks...

This week I am finally getting a little more of my energy back. Little by little! BUT I have been getting shaky and light headed very easily. It doesn't take much, sometimes just some walking...and then BAM I feel like I am having an anxiety attack or something. My heart beats really fast, my hands and legs get shaky, and my head starts spinning and ringing. It's not a good thing. Luckily, even though this lasts all day, it winds down after about 11am (since I'm at work at 7am). But the first few hours of work, are totally hell. The rest of the day, as long as I am not over doing it (such as bending down or walking up steps. haha), the dizzyness kind of goes away.

ALSO - this weekend we flew to Reno for my sister-in-law's graduation from UNR. It was a very short trip, up Friday night & back Saturday night. We had a lot of fun though! Throughout the ceremony I looked through the graduation program and searched every single middle name - since we're still trying to decide?! None of them stood out, dang it!

On the way home Saturday night I definitely kept feeling the baby kick. Before it was just little movements I felt, nothing like "kicking." This has to be kicking though. I kept feeling it Sunday too. It was awesome. Unfortunately, every time I felt it & tried to get Jesse to feel it - but whenever he put his hand there she stopped! Dang it! I can't wait for him to feel it, it is pretty amazing!

What our baby girl has been up to this week:

She is now about 5.5 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces (almost half a pound)! She can now flex her arms and legs (she sure can, I can feel them!!). Her ears are in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective cover is forming around her nerves - and will continue to form throughout her first year of life too. Her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place.

Thanks Babycenter.com

Ultrasound Number 3!!

Whitnie, who did my last ultrasound for me (the gender one), invited me to come back for another scan!! She is the best, isn't she?? So I went in Saturday (at almost 18 weeks)! fun fun!

Here are some awesome pictures of our beautiful little lady! She has changed so much in just the past three weeks!

She loves to have her little hands near her face!

Her beautiful profile. I absolutely LOVE this picture!

She is always upside down like this and curled up. How funny. How can that be comfortable? haha.

Look at that chunky face! She is getting so much fatter. Compare this picture to three weeks ago when she looked like a little skeleton. Now you can see her little nose and lips!

I can't wait to meet her!! Your parents love you so much already!

17 weeks...

Back to work this week. Bummer. After having 5 weeks off from work, it's pretty tough to get back into the "swing of things."

Other than that, nothing new has really happened this week. Which can be considered a good thing, right? :) I am starting to feel better and better. Still super hungry, ALWAYS. If I don't eat right away and constantly eat it's bad - so I just have to keep eating! The only problem is making sure I am eating healthy type snacks - since I have to eat so much! So I am working on getting lots of fresh fruit and veggies in my fridge and take them to work too. Yum!

Jesse had a dream this week that the baby looked like me. Awww. I hope she has red hair, but I think it would be super cute if she looked like Jesse! :)

This week also included Mother's Day! Happy mother's day to all moms - but especially my mom! My sister even gave me a gift for mother's day this year. How cute? Thanks Roxanne! I can't wait to "really" be a mom next year. Hurry up baby girl! I want to hold you!

What our baby girl has been up to this week:

Her skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to actual bone. Her umbilical cord is also growing stronger and thicker. She weighs about 5 ounces now (growing so much in just the past few weeks)! She is also about 5 inches long from head to bottom. Her sweat glands are also starting to develop (strange to think about)!

Via babycenter.com