27 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 24 pounds (I'm hoping to end up + 35, but I have a feeling I may go over that a little bit!)

Sleep: I did have a few nightmares this week, but I slept okay overall! I'm waking up a lot for potty breaks, but I'm still falling back to sleep without too much trouble.

Best moment(s) this week: Feeling baby thump during meetings at work; )

Movement: I'm still feeling the same kinds of movement as I was last week. I feel like at this point I can usually feel him if I stop what I'm doing and pay attention for a while. He always seems to be awake when I'm up in the middle of the night! 

Symptoms: Ever since a marathon meeting a couple of weeks ago, my tailbone has been hurting off and on. It is more of an annoyance than crazy pain, so that is good. I guess you could say that I have a hard time finding a comfortable position - even when I'm at home!

Maternity clothes?: Um...yes. My regular dress pants are SOOOOO far from buttoning! It is a little scary.

Stretch marks?: Nope.

Food cravings: I think I'm craving carbs - or really anything that makes me feel full.

Food aversions: Nope.

Healthy eating?: I had a bad week: ( I didn't track my food well at all...and I gained more weekly weight than I have been. I also ate a lot of chocolate - SO hard to stay away from chocolate when Halloween is so close! My main problem with chocolate is that I can't just have one piece! Nick and I also had a week of college meals - pizza, mac & cheese/hotdogs, tacos, ramen & ham... - you get the picture! I did incorporate some fruits and veggies, but I'm hoping next week will be better!

Exercise: Yes!! I did have a great week of workouts!! I did all of my usual workouts - and ran a 5K with Natalie!! We were a little bit slower that usual (duh!), but we averaged about 9:30 minutes/mile. We jogged the whole thing - which is kind of amazing because this is a HILLY course, and we've been walking hills for a couple of months now! (Thanks for "jogging" with me, Natalie!) 

The first pic makes it hard to tell that I'm pregnant - but it is pretty obvious in the second one! Ha!

Gender: Boy: )

Labor Signs: Nope.

Belly Button in or out?: It is still half out...

What I miss: I miss a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning...but I bought some hot chocolate to keep at work, so I'm not missing it too much: )

What I'm looking forward to: A date with Nick next weekend! We've been SO SO SO busy working on the house, preparing for/having the garage sale, registering, finding a daycare, trying to budget, figuring out health insurance, etc. that we haven't just hung out in quite some time! Can't wait!

Weekly Wisdom: Asking other people for advice about "must-have" items seems to be making me feel a little better about not having any idea what we MUST have.

Milestones: The second trimester is OVER!

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 14


- I had an AWESOME Sunday!! I talked with Lisa on Skype for over an hour - finally - and it was SO good to catch up! Then, I had lunch with Malinda, Jane, Erin, and Brooks at Free State Brewery. It had been WAY TOO LONG since I'd seen/spoken with Malinda, so it was especially good to see her! Brooks, Erin's 6-month-old little guy, was so good, and it was fun to have him around! Can't wait to see them all again at Thanksgiving!

- I also spent some time on Sunday working on my maternity plans. They aren't finished, but I'm so much closer! I feel a little bit more relaxed about having things ready...at least for now: )


- Callie continued to be cute this week, and she continued to love her pillow. She even took it with her to sunbathe...

- The mornings - with my hot chocolate in hand - have been beautiful! I went to work at 7 a.m. on Friday so that I could leave early, and I remembered why I love being a morning person. It was dark when I arrived, but soon I could see the fog through the trees from my office window. A few minutes later, the sun crept over campus. SO pretty!!

- Nick and Butch made progress on painting the house!! The downstairs is almost done, and I love the color! This picture isn't very good, but you can now see that the ceiling and the wall are different colors. It makes the white doors and trim pop, and the walls seem fresh for the first time! I'm pretty sure nothing had been painted since it was built ten years ago! (Thanks, Nick and Butch!! You guys are awesome!!)

- They are hoping to paint the baby's room today! After trying three different colors, we were able to decide on a gray we like!

Too light and too dark!

Perfect!

- While the wreck Mom and I got in yesterday did NOT make me smile, the fact that we're okay does make me smile. We were rear-ended in Topeka on our way to register at Babies R Us. I'm trying not to worry too much about the car just yet, but I know figuring out  what to do about it over the next few weeks isn't going to be very fun: ( Poor Nancy the Nissan...

26 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 26 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 22 pounds (almost!)

Sleep: I'm having a tough time rolling over without major sound effects: ( Nick hasn't complained, but it must be annoying to sleep next to me!

Best moment(s) this week: We went to the doctor on Wednesday, and everything seems to be moving along on schedule. We only have one more appointment before we start going more often! We also found out that my other ultrasound will be around 34 weeks - It will be here before we know it!

Movement: Yes! While I still feel some thumping, I feel like I'm feeling more rolling and twisting than I was before. Every little movement is so reassuring!

Symptoms: I'm starting to realize when I've been on my feet too long. My feet were throbbing some during the week!

Maternity clothes?: A must!!

Stretch marks?: No, but I feel like I should have them!

Food cravings: All food, all the time... 

Food aversions: Nope!

Healthy eating?: Hmmm. I didn't do as well this week. I'm SUPER busy at work, and I MAJORLY fell off the food log this week: / I constantly feel like I need/want to eat something - even though I end up feeling pretty full.

Exercise: Still workin' it! Natalie and I weren't able to do a long run, but I did some shorter runs on the treadmill to make sure I'm getting in some challenging cardio. I went to both of my usual BodyPump classes, and I did take a nice LONG walk with Natalie on Saturday: )

Gender: BOY: )

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button in or out?: Hmmm. Top half is kinda out...haha...gross.

What I miss: I think I'm reaching a point where I kind of miss what I used to look like. While I've never been thrilled by my own body, it is strange to rapidly gain weight, not fit into clothes, not be able to squeeze past the stupid support bar in the garage (true story!), etc. I definitely should have taken a "before pregnancy" photo because I honestly feel like I can't remember what my tummy looked like before baby! I'm hoping that all the growing means that baby is going to be plump and healthy: )

What I'm looking forward to: Nick is going to finish painting this weekend!!! We finally found a color for the downstairs walls, and I think we've agreed on a color for the baby's room. Nick's hard work will look awesome - I can't wait to start setting everything up!

Weekly Wisdom: Hmmm. I don't feel like I have any this week: ( I've been kinda stressed, so I guess I'd suggest finding good ways to deal with stress...but I need to take my own advice!

Milestones: Starting our registry! We've barely put anything on it - ha! - because we're totally overwhelmed...but it is started; )

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 13

- I had a very productive Saturday: I cleaned the kitchen, walked 5.5 miles with Natalie, cleaned our bedroom and bathroom, showered, cleared out the baby's room, had a nice visit with Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma, had dinner with Mom and Dad, went to the store, and started researching and registering for baby stuff! 

- I got this note from someone at work: "Hey Lauren! I saw you this morning getting out of your car and coming in to our building, and you were sure looking cute. Pregnancy ain’t near as stodgy as it used to be! Since I’m just too old and slow to catch up to you to say hi, I thought to send you the email." I don't know her very well at all, and I thought this was such a nice gesture. SUCH a good way to start the day!

- I know I'm forgetting all kinds of things...I guess I'll blame it on baby brain!

25 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 21 pounds

Sleep: I'm still sleeping okay. I'm waking up a lot, but I fall right back to sleep (usually). I read that a lot of women have trouble staying asleep around this time. I'm hoping to skip that phase, but I'm not counting on it!

Best moment(s) this week: More movement! I was worrying some about how much the baby was moving because there were some days where he didn't seem to be moving as much. Those few days were followed by some days with strong kicks. I think maybe he just changed his schedule up a little bit; )

Movement: Yes: ) I like waking up in the middle of the night and feeling him kick!

Symptoms: Hungry!!!

Maternity clothes?: Absolutely!

Stretch marks?: I feel like they'll appear any day now...

Food cravings: All food!

Food aversions: Uh...food attraction is more like it.

Healthy eating?: Although I am eating a lot, I do feel like most of it is healthy. I pretty much just eat healthy snacks all day long. A typical day is something like: 

• pre-workout breakfast: smoothie
• post-workout breakfast/snack: oatmeal or fruit
• lunch: cottage cheese, rye crackers, yogurt
• afternoon snack 1: pretzels and nuts
• afternoon snack 2: fruit
• afternoon snack 3: cheese stick
• dinner: something reasonable
• after-dinner snack: applesauce

Hmmmmm. I guess I could cut back on one of my snacks if I start to gain weight too quickly! Ha!

Exercise: Feeling good overall! I did skip BodyPump on Friday morning. I was packed and ready to go, but when my alarm went off at 4:58 I knew there was NO WAY I was getting out of bed. I didn't take a day off on the weekend to make up for it.

Gender: Little man!

Labor Signs: N.O.

Belly Button in or out?: I'm still calling it "flat."

What I miss: Regular date nights! Nick is busy with football season, so our Friday nights together look something like this: eat Mexican food, do something to prepare for the baby (e.g., go to Home Depot, prep for garage sale, etc.) watch a TV show, I sleep/Nick does homework...

What I'm looking forward to: painting the baby's room in a couple of weeks!!

Weekly Wisdom: Create a baby budget BEFORE becoming pregnant! I've been working on our budget, and it is making me miserable. Making a budget is NO FUN on its own, but making a budget while thinking about a million other things - many of them things I need to buy - is overwhelming!

Milestones: We had three big ones this week: fabric for the baby's room, computer recycling event, and our garage sale!

Mom helped me pick out fabric for the baby's room, and it perfectly matches the crib sheets!

With the fabric, we're planning to make a cornice, a bed skirt, and closet curtains (by sewing a strip of the fabric on curtains that are kind of like these)...

What I'm Smiling About This Week (and Last Week!) V. 12

- I went on a long walk with Tiffany and Elsie: ) So fun!

- We had our garage sale! I made about $80 - which isn't much per hour - but it definitely helps out. More than anything, I'm just glad we got rid of so much stuff! Everything that went out of the house (except for two small picture frames) was either sold or taken to Goodwill! I think we donated 8+ boxes! Even though a garage sale may not make a ton of money, I think it helps to have a date in mind. If we hadn't had our sale, I'm sure all the crapola would still be sitting in the house!

- I knew I would be tired after the garage sale, so I brought Callie with me when I dropped Nick off for the KU football game. Callie and I went straight to the lake for long walk. 

Here she is on top of the hill...

- Callie has a new love: an old, nasty pillow! I was going to throw it away, but I decided to throw it into her kennel. 

She has been taking it everywhere with her around the house...

...and sleeping on it like she is a human; )

 

23 and 24 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 24 weeks - but this post will talk about weeks 23 and 24 because I'm so far behind!

24 Weeks - Saturday 10/8

Callie helped with pictures this week; )

 

 

23 Weeks - Saturday 10/1

Total weight gain/loss: + 20 pounds (almost 21!)

Sleep: The nightmares have subsided - yay! I think I've been sleeping a little bit better overall, but I find myself in the restroom 3-5 times each night!

Best moment(s) this week (and last week): Spending time with my friends in Omaha! They called the baby "Ozzy" all weekend, and it makes me giggle every time! We may have spent quite a few hours watching The Osbournes on MTV when we were in college. It was fun to spend time with them and to hear them talk about the baby! It was CrAzY to say goodbye, though - Krista pointed out that most likely I will have a baby the next time we see each other!!!

Movement: Yes! Sometimes I don't feel him as much, and that makes me nervous: ( I feel reassured every time I feel a little kick: )

Symptoms: I seem to be having some mood swings lately...poor Nick! I also had a meltdown after paying the bills...without moving money into the account. Nick called the bank, and they removed the overdraft fees...but it wasn't pretty when I figured out my mistake!

Maternity clothes?: Absolutely! I've even worn a few of my shirts. I think the ones from Gap may be my favorite - they're SO soft! The shirts still seem kind of loose, so I may try to keep wearing some of my regular shirts a little longer. I'm kinda sick of my regular shirts that do fit, but I'm hoping that I can wear some others now that the weather is starting to shift.

I have this shirt from Gap in white and black - 

and mine were MUCH cheaper in the store!

Stretch marks?: Nope.

Food cravings: Hmmm. I don't think I'm craving anything like I once was. I'm really just hungry ALL.THE.TIME.

Food aversions: Nope.

Healthy eating?: Yes! I've been doing much better and really making some conscious decisions over the last few weeks.

Exercise: Yes, yes, yes! I have to say that I am SUPER proud of myself for working out in the hotel on Friday and Saturday in Omaha in order to make sure I fit in all of my weekly exercise! On Friday, I rode the bike for 20 minutes, walked for 20 minutes, and jogged for 20 minutes as soon as I woke up, and in the afternoon we walked around the zoo for 3 or so hours! Saturday I rode the bike for 30 minutes and lifted for 15 minutes as soon as I woke up. My friends were not quite as eager to get up after the late nights, so I didn't even really miss out on hanging out and felt great about getting my body moving!

Gender: Little baby boy!

Labor Signs: Nope.

Belly Button in or out?: Hmmm. It is kinda flat!

What I miss: My belly button - ha!

What I'm looking forward to: GARAGE SALE!!! I have very little expectations for making any money, but I'm excited that everything that goes into the garage will NOT come back in the house. I think the baby's room can really start to take shape after all this crapola is G.O.N.E!!

I'm also looking forward to going to the doctor next week! In the last five years, I've probably been to the doctor 7 times. I'm rarely sick or having health issues, so I guess I don't find myself thinking about the doctor much...until now. Now I'm constantly counting down until our next prenatal visit so that I can hear the baby's heartbeat and know that he's still in there. At the next appointment, we'll also ask about our next (and probably final) ultrasound. I'd love to see the little guy again!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't help with the painting! I was becoming a little nutty trying to help with the painting details (e.g., how much paint do we need, how much time will it take, how many brushes do we need, how will you keep the dog fur from sticking to the paint...), so I am trying to let it go and let Nick figure out the details. I keep telling myself that I'm not supposed to be around the paint anyway!

Milestones: Nick *thinks* he felt the baby kick. I didn't want Nick to try to feel the baby and then not be able to, so he's only tried once to feel him. The baby was kicking pretty hard, so we went for it. Nick said he felt a twitch - which is a good way to describe the feeling from the outside - so I think he probably did! So fun: )

We also visited three childcare centers! I still have some more calling and researching to do, but I think at least one of these may be a good fit!

What I'm Smiling About This Week (and Last Week!) V. 11

- My trip to Omaha for Molly and Ben's reception!! Congrats to Molly and Ben!! We all had so much fun, and they looked so happy: )

Thursday: drove to Omaha after work, airport runs, those of us that were in had dinner and checked into the hotel

Friday: workout, final airport runs, lunch, zoo, dinner, night out, lounging in the hotel room

Saturday: workout, window shopping, lunch, relaxing, Molly and Ben's reception, pizza/lounging in the hotel room

Sunday: airport runs: (, lunch with my college roomie, drive home: (

- Baby's wardrobe multiplied while I was in Omaha, and Sarah also brought some hooks I wanted for the nursery!

Sarah made this SUPER-soft baby blanket! 

I affectionately named him Cuddles; )

Julia brought this ADORABLE newborn sweater set... 

...and this sweater and hat for when he's a little bigger: )

Krista brought him these gems...

 ...and a little something for next summer; )

I guess Callie didn't like the way I arranged the Ikea dog hooks!

- Nick and Butch painted our downstairs ceilings! Our house is on its way to looking refrehsed! Now, if only we could agree on a wall color...