22 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 19ish (More on this in a second...)

Sleep: I got some sleep this week - but I'm still struggling: (

Best moment(s) this week: We went to the doctor on Wednesday, and everything looks good! She measured me for the first time and said all is well. We heard his little heartbeat, and it was over 150 bpm!

Movement: Yes! Little thumps - usually after I eat; )

Symptoms: WEIGHT GAIN!! I asked the doctor about my weight gain, and she said her records show I've gained 24 pounds! 24!?! I was too shocked to ask her what she has as my initial weight, so I'm hoping she just did the math a little too quickly. I'm trying to rely on my scale at home because I weigh myself at the same time every morning during the week. I'll be a little nervous when my scale jumps over 20 pounds! I know I need to gain weight - I just would like to do so a little bit slower; )

Maternity clothes?: Lovin' my skinny jeans - and wearing jeans in general now that it is cooler. I also received my maternity leggings in the mail - and they are awesome! I've decided that I'm going to start wearing some of my maternity tops soon! 

Stretch marks?: I thought I saw one, but it was a false alarm!

Food cravings: Cottage cheese - duh! I'm also loving pumpkin, but that may be because it is feeling more and more like fall; )

Food aversions: Uh...no. See symptoms above!

Healthy eating?: Yes! I tracked my food a little bit better this week, and I tried to avoid a snack after dinner or to eat a smaller dinner and then have a snack. We'll see how the weight gain goes...

Exercise: Still feeling great!

Gender: BOY!!

Labor Signs: Not yet; )

Belly Button in or out?: In...but becoming more level with my tummy - if that makes sense!

What I miss: Hmmm. Not much right now!!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing my college friends this weekend!!

Weekly Wisdom: Ask others for help!!

Milestones: I finally cleaned out the "stuff" from under our bed! We've made the house a D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R. as we prepare for our garage sale, but I'm hoping we'll feel lighter once the reorganization and purging is done!

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 11

- Mom and I went to a Kids Closet Connection event in Lawrence. There was SO much stuff! I really just wanted to go to see what it was like, but we did pick up a few things; )

Mom bought us this Eddie Bauer Infant Travel Bed for $5!

I've seen it online for between $25 and $40. 

It folds and zips into a little carrying case. 

It will be perfect for our first trip to NC after the baby is born! 

I bought these sweet little shoes for $1; )

I think they'll work for spring, summer, or fall!

SO cute!

I also bought a maternity dress for $8, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet! It might be perfect for one of my showers. I'm sure it will show up on here eventually: )

- Mom helped me organize my scrapbook stuff! It was fun to see how much the paper has changed over the last 10 or 15 years. Some of it was actually pretty funny! Mom also brought me some organizational cubes, and once they are all set up I'll take a photo for you! 

- Dad brought over some shelves from Claire's old room. I think they'll be perfect in the closet eventually. I plan to stack these red and blue crates on them. I have four big ones and six little ones. I'm sure it will all look MUCH better once we get rid of the ugly closet doors!!

- Lisa's soon-to-be mother-in-law sent us a sweet gift from Australia! SO unexpected, SO appreciated, and SO cute!

Even the packaging was adorable!

- I went to lunch with Claire on Thursday. Even though we live in the same city, we do not see each other as often as I'd like. It was nice to catch up, and I hope we do it again soon!

- I went on a walk with Tiffany on Thursday. It was great to get some exercise and to catch up with a close friend! The weather was beautiful, too: )


- After visiting Grandma, I went to Freddy's with Grandpa and Mom. I'd been there for ice cream before, but this was my first time to go there for dinner. Delicious!!

21 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 21 weeks! 

Total weight gain/loss: + 17ish (I'm creeping up on some numbers I haven't seen on the scale since college!)

Sleep: Not so great! Getting poor sleep is definitely my pregnancy complaint! The vivid dreams/crazy nightmares continue and/or I have to use the restroom throughout the night. I usually wake up around 11, 1:30, 3, 5...and four out of five work days a week I get up before 5 a.m., so this isn't pleasant! I have been falling asleep between 9 and 10, so I do have that going for me: ) Nick has been AWESOME about relocating to our bedroom around 9 so that he can at least be near me while he watches TV and I try to sleep. 

(One nightmare this week included a giant salamander/crocodile-type water monster that was chasing Nick! When it came out of the water, it split into 5 mini-monsters. Luckily, the mini-monster didn't have any legs, so we were able to run away!)

Best moment(s) this week: More baby movements! I think I'm going to try to let Nick feel them soon: ) I read somewhere that some husbands try to feel the baby too early, and then the husband is disappointed if he can't feel the baby. I think we're getting to the point where he'll definitely be able to feel him!

Movement: Yes! 

Symptoms: See the sleep section above!

Maternity clothes?: I wore my skinny maternity jeans (the tag says "jeggings!" - ha ha!) from Old Navy for the first time this week! I love them! I've never even worn regular skinny jeans with flats, but these are actually long enough that I can. I wore them once to work with flats, and then I wore them out on Saturday night (in my 21-week picture!).

Stretch marks?: Nope.

Food cravings: Cottage cheese, salt, cereal...I think I could eat nonstop and never feel full!

Food aversions: Uh...not a problem; ) More like food attraction!!

Healthy eating?: This week was better! We made a lot of food at home, and I tried to drink more water instead of snacking. I didn't do very well tracking my food past Wednesday, but I felt better about what I was eating overall. I've been eating a lot of oatmeal and fruit at work...

Exercise: I'm still able to run with Natalie, so we hit the road for a long run Saturday morning. We're still averaging about 11-minute miles, so we're slower than our race-time pace (I think we ran about 9:32/mile for the half in April), but that is to be expected since we walk the hills. Who wants to run up a hill anyway!?!

Gender: baby boy

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button in or out?: Still in...

What I miss: Quality, uninterrupted, refreshing sleep!

What I'm looking forward to: Hearing baby's heartbeat at our appointment on Wednesday!

Weekly Wisdom: I don't have any: (

Milestones: More movement!

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 10

- Nick's been on a cleaning kick! Before I even came home from work on Friday, he had cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed! SO helpful!

- I had a decent work week. I'm still WAY overwhelmed with all that I need to get done before the baby comes - but I was in the office a little more this week, so I was able to get some things done.

- We were busy over the weekend! Jenny and Ryan were here, so we had dinner at Butch and Judy's on Friday night. Then, on Saturday we went back over for dinner (Nick made pulled pork in the crock pot - YUM!), and some family friends came, too. We left Butch and Judy's around 8 to head over to Natalie and Colin's for Colin's 30th birthday party - SO fun!

(Sorry this post is so late! 

I wrote it several days ago, but I guess I never "published" it!

22 Weeks coming soon...)

Some days are "bigger" than others!

I took this picture at home on Tuesday around 3:30 p.m. You may be asking, "Shouldn't Lauren be at work at 3:30 p.m. on a Tuesday?" Yes, yes I should! I left work early to work from home (SO glad/lucky I can to that!) for a few hours - because I was feeling HUGE and uncomfortable at my desk! 

I am definitely NOT complaining because I've been really lucky and have felt pretty good throughout my pregnancy so far. I just think it is funny how some days I think I look and feel almost normal - but then there are other days where I feel like I look like I ate a small watermelon and definitely feel pregnant! 


On those latter days, sweats and a tank top are the way to go. I obviously changed into that very outfit within seconds of taking this pic; )

20 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 20 weeks! I hit the halfway mark on Saturday: )

(Note to self: This shirt is NOT flattering!)

Total weight gain/loss: + 15ish (Yikes!?!)

Sleep: Not enough: (

Best moment(s) this week: Feeling baby move - for sure!

Movement: Yes! I'm positive now: )

Symptoms: Not really...

Maternity clothes?: I wore my jeans again, but I still stuck with dresses for the most part. It is cooling off, so I'm hoping to wear skinny jeans/leggings and boots soon: )

Stretch marks?: Nope.

Food cravings: Cottage cheese - which I'm now buying two containers of each week instead of one - and salt and vinegar or sea salt chips. I don't even usually eat chips, but I seem to be gravitating toward these lately. I haven't purchased any at the store, but I've had them multiple times at restaurants recently and been thinking about them - ha; )

Food aversions: Not that I know of! Just about anything sounds goods!

Healthy eating?: Ug. I didn't have the greatest week since I was traveling. I did make some good choices (e.g., chicken nuggets with apple slices and a parfait at McDonald's when I REALLY wanted chicken fingers, fries, and a milkshake!), but I still felt kind of gross. Hopefully Week 21 will be better!

Exercise: Still at it! I didn't get as much intense exercise this week, but I was still close to my usual length of time. On Wednesday, I even lifted weights in the morning before work and then walked on the treadmill in the evening when I reached my hotel. 

Gender: BOY - still crazy to say that; )

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button in or out?: In - but I'm starting to wonder how long before it will pop out. Weird.

What I miss: Hmm. I can't think of much that I missed this week. I'd probably say coffee and diet coke again because I was worn out this week!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Jenny (Nick's sister) and Ryan (our nephew) this weekend! I haven't seen Ryan since he found out that he'll have a cousin!

Weekly Wisdom: I'm finding that I feel better about everything we need to do if we do a little bit every night (or almost every night). It makes the progress more obvious and the to-do list less daunting!

Milestones: Reaching 20 weeks! Yippee!!!

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 9

- Nick and his dad finished some more of our garage project! It looks awesome, and there is SO much more room! Thanks, Nick and Butch!

The bikes are hanging...

The tools are hanging...

 

The step stool is hanging...
 

- I rarely travel for work, but I had to this week. I drove all the way to Dodge City - 5 hours away - and stayed one night. The next day I had my work event, and then I drove to Wichita (between Dodge and Lawrence). I stayed the night with Aunt Diane, Uncle Paul, and Hayley. We had a great time! We had ice cream and visited when I arrived, and then they showed me their dance skills with Hayley's Kinect gaming system. I didn't see Paul on Friday morning, but I saw Hayley for a few minutes before school. After I showered, Diane and I had breakfast at The Good Egg. I had some delicious scrambled egg whites with veggies, some low-cal bread, and some fruit. Then, we went to a baby store - Hugs and HIssyfits.

Aunt Diane bought this cute outfit and matching blanket for baby: ) 

Thank you! SO soft and SO cute!

I also got to meet Charlie, their new kitten!

- Natalie and I decided to go to the Arboretum and the lake to run. SO nice outside and SO pretty!

View from the hill: )

A self-timed shot - ha: ) 

Don't you love my fanny pack? 

It is for my water, but it was cool enough to run without water...

so I put my camera in it instead!

- I have been cooking up a storm! Last Sunday I made three different meals to freeze - burgers, goulash, and marinated chicken breast - and prepped the pot roast (which we also froze part of). Then, on Saturday night, I made lasagna (I made some of the healthier changes!), 

spaghetti sauce (my own concoction!), and pita pizzas to freeze. I also made...

A GIANT MESS!!!

 

It took me almost an hour to clean the kitchen, but it was organized when I was done: )

Organization!

(Two goulash meals, 1 pot roast meal, 2 bags of chicken, 
2 pita pizzas, 1 lasagna, 4 hamburgers, and 2 bags of spaghetti sauce!)

 
(We've had some of the pot roast (YUM!), chicken (YUM!), burgers (YUM!), pita pizzas (YUM!), and lasagna (so-so: There wasn't enough sauce!) so far - 
but we still have some of everything frozen!)

- Mom came over on Saturday night for a bit. We had pita pizzas, visited, and I organized some paperwork. She is going to come over again soon to go through my scrapbook paper and craft supplies!

- I saw Grandma and Granpda on Sunday for a little while. Grandpa is feeling much better than he was last week!


- Callie has been hanging out upstairs with us a lot more lately. We've caught her up there several times, and sometimes we even find her sleeping on the floor in (or outside of) the baby's room!

19 Weeks

Weekly Survey


How far along?: 19 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 14ish pounds

Sleep: I slept pretty well this week! I still fell asleep before 10 on Friday night, but I used to do that when I was teaching, too! I feel like I’m not having as many nightmares, but my dreams are vivid!

Best moment(s) this week: talking about baby names with Nick; making progress in the nursery; people I don’t know commenting on my pregnancy

Movement: About the same – I’m more confident that I’m feeling the baby now. It is usually at night after I eat when I’m relaxing. I still don’t think I feel him every day.

Symptoms: Not really! My tummy is more obvious this week, I think!

Maternity clothes?: I busted out my Gap maternity jeans! I fit in two sizes, and I bought the larger of the two. They are kinda loose, but I’m hoping they’ll shrink up a little when I wash them or that I’ll grow into them; )

Stretch marks?: Not yet!

Food cravings: I don’t even have to tell you! At least cottage cheese is full of protein, right!?!

Food aversions: I don’t think so.

Healthy eating?: Thursday and Friday were ROUGH because I had a work function all day! I did make some good choices on Saturday, and I bought some good food for this week.

Exercise: Another good week – and the weather is only supposed to get better which will make exercising even easier! I particularly enjoyed my long run with Natalie on Saturday – it is always great to get some exercise, girl time, and therapy all at once; )

Gender: boy: )

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button in or out?: In

What I miss: Coffee!! I had some iced decaf this week. It tasted great – but the results were not quite the same!

What I am looking forward to: Some DIY projects around the house – garage, nursery, etc. We seem to have some extra motivation knowing that life will be very different in a few months!

Weekly Wisdom: I decided to buy a pregnancy book. I’ve been getting them from the library, but then someone else wanted my favorite one. I have several others, but I ended up ordering my favorite one from Amazon. I think it worked well to flip through several from the library before actually buying one, but I wish I had ordered the one I liked before I had to return it to the library!

Milestones: People I don’t know commenting on my pregnancy! Having people I don’t know ask me about my pregnancy makes it even more real.

What I’m Smiling about This Week V. 8

- Our kickball team won the championship! I must admit that I’m smiling because we won – and because we are done for a while! I played the whole season, but I don’t know how much longer I would have been comfortable playing. I was also ready to stop talking kickball nonstop at our house; )

- Baby received his first gift from my parents! SO cute: )

- Some of my family on my mom’s side was in town on Saturday, so I had a busy – but fun and happy – day. I ran with Natalie, showered, went to lunch and Grandpa’s with family, worked on the nursery, and blogged!

Nursery: Before Photos and Inspiration!

Before we found out that Baby A is a boy, people asked me if I had any feeling about whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. I really didn't have a feeling either way! Looking back, I now see that most of the names I could think of were boy names and most of the nursery ideas I liked were more fitting for a boy. I'm not sure if these things were signs, but I guess it worked out: )


I promised myself that I will work on the house for at least a few hours every time Nick has a KU football game to attend. The first game was yesterday, so I jumped right into my work! I decided to start in the room we think will be the nursery.


This room is currently "Man Town" - but we mainly use it as a place to dry our clothes! I took some scary before shots!

From the door -

drying racks (X3), mirrored closet, small corner to the left of the window!

I think the rocking chair may fit in the corner...

Small corner to the left of the closet -

I'm thinking a bookcase should go here...

From the door -

right corner to the right of the window, desk, computer, misc. crapola!

I imagine the dress/changing table and crib here somewhere...

From the window -

printer, AMAZING chair, lamp!

I'm not sure what will go here...

Obviously, I didn't get enough done to take "after" pictures, but I did make progress! I put away our clothes, moved the drying racks out, took some odds and ends back to there actual "homes," and went through...

5!!!

...boxes in the closet. Thankfully, the closet is organized - it is just filled with a lot of stuff we don't really need (e.g., old cords, old computers, old software, old phones - I think I counted six!, misc. crumpled wrapping paper). Three of the five boxes were large boxes filled with misc. memorabilia from my parents' house. I consolidated down to one box, and I feel okay with what I'm tossing and what I'm keeping. I may need to go through it again before the closet transition is complete. We're hoping to make two closets into one, so I'm going to have to make some tough decisions along the way: (

I found this little guy - a bank - that was in my room for years!

There is a sticker from 1983 - the year I was born - on the bottom.

I think he'll make an appearance in the baby's room; )

Before bed, I put together my own little nursery inspiration board! Most of the pictures/ideas come from my Baby A board on pinterest. Nick and I talked about the nursery on Friday night, and I think we might be on the same page. We don't want it to be too theme-y (Is that a word!?!), but we want to have it be happy, loving, comfortable, and organized - with a touch of a sports theme mixed in: )

We even picked up some paint chips at Home Depot!

We are thinking about gray walls with dark red, dark blue, white, and black accents.

The decorating fun begins...

1. Cookie sheet turned magnetic board: I think this would be a fun, useful, and inexpensive touch. I like the idea of spray painting it to match the room.

2. Giant letter and small prints: This little collage would be cute just about anywhere in the room - over the bed? over the changing table? We'll find a place: )

3. Jaydreamin: Nick has had this print FOREVER, and it always reminds me of him when I see it around town. This will be perfect over the crib - but I'm a little afraid of hanging it there because it is kind of heavy. It will definitely be in the room somewhere!

4. Vintage jayhawk print: This one is from Etsy, but I think I'd prefer a more traditional print. I will need to look downtown. I think this could go on a shelf or on the wall - depending on how big it is.

5. White bookcase with painted background: My parents have a white bookcase that we can have - score! I want to take the back off and paint it red! I love the way the color jumps out!

6. Callie silhouette: I used one of my favorite pictures of Callie to make this myself! It is just the rough draft, but I think the finished product will be a part of the room for sure. I think it will look perfect in a red frame - maybe on a shelf or on the bookcase, maybe on the wall next to a GIANT letter...

Isn't she cute!?!

7. The red crib: This is the photo that started it all! I LOVE the red crib, and I love the the red and gray. Ever since I saw this photo, I do not really seem to be able to picture anything else. I read about how awful it can be to paint a crib, so I'm a little nervous...but I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea. Nick isn't so sure, but I think it will grow on him; )

8. Interchangeable art frames and baby's first piece of art: This frame is such a simple and fun idea! I love the idea of being able to hang handmade artwork. I think I will have Nick do his print before the baby is here, so it will already be hanging. Then, we can add the baby's print once he arrives.

9. Curtain closet: The closets in the spare bedrooms are NOT easy to open. I'm thinking that my awesome mom can help me make some curtains that will be much more attractive and functional than the gold-edged, mirrored closet doors we have now!

10. White dresser: I think I'd like to turn a dresser into a changing table because most changing tables don't seem like they'd be much use once the baby doesn't need it anymore. Claire has the dresser below at her house (not the one in the inspiration board!), and she's thinking about getting a new one. With some paint, some new drawer liners, and some new knobs...this may be perfect (and inexpensive!)!

11. Ted Williams quote: Nick and I talked about adding a sports-related quote to the room. I don't know if it will be this one, but we liked this one because it seems to be about baseball and about life. Once we pick one and know what size we want it, I will probably make it myself in Photoshop.

12. Hanging box shelves: There are a million tutorials for this type of shelf! I think these would be perfect under the window or above the rocking chair. They'd probably look great in red, too!

A couple more loves...

My mom used to sing this to us when we were little, and I remember my dad singing it, too. The Etsy shop shows it in several colors, so I have some options. I could probably also make something similar myself.

Scrabble reminds me of my mom's parents, and I love the idea of a little frame with a simple saying made of Scrabble tiles.

This whole post makes me smile: ) It is a little overwhelming to think of how much I want to do, but I'm excited about it and know that we are ready for some DIY challenges! I'm curious to see what the finished room will look like. Many of our wedding details ended up coming from the early ideas I had, so I'm wondering if this will be the same! Only time will tell...