Better late than never

I don't have my 24 week post ready for you yet, so I decided to post some videos that should've been posted awhile ago. These are both from our anatomy ultrasound on January 13. Pretty vulnerable stuff here, bloggies - baby girl's most intimate parts and me, blubbering like an idiot. Enjoy!

My baby is really cute

SERIOUSLY? Seriously? Have you ever seen anything cuter?

 

 

Gosh I love this kid so much.

23 Week Update

1. How far along?: 23 weeks 2 days
2. How big is baby?: According to What to Expect, she is the size of an ear of corn - now, that doesn't make any sense to me! She went from spaghetti squash, to papaya, to corn? Doesn't corn seem smaller? Anyway, L is approximately 8.5 inches long and weighs 1.5 lbs.
   
3. Weight gain?: I haven't weight myself this week, why bring that negativity upon myself?!
4. Stretch marks?: None, as far as I can see! 
5. Maternity clothes?: Ordered a few more items (two shirts and a pair of RED pants!) from Old Navy this week - really hoping they come in today or tomorrow. Otherwise, I might be wearing yoga pants to my shower.
6. Sleep?: Never enough! I've been getting to work early this week because we're so busy, and neither one of us likes getting up early.
7. Best moment last week?: SHE IS MOVING! She is bouncing around like the little cheerleader she's destined to be. I have finally started feeling her move forreal, consistently, and Ben got to feel her, too. So freaking cool. It's a little uncomfortable at first, I thought maybe it was gas bubbles, but nope! It's definitely her. We went to a show last night and she was going nuts from the vibration of the music.
8. Food cravings?: Just eating a lot, still. Nothing really in particular. I had McDonald's over the weekend and it was just so-so, so that's disappointing but good be a positive thing ;)
9. Symptoms?: Pepcid AC is definitely helping the heartburn - Praise the Lord! 
10. Exercise?: I had to skip yoga this week because of the show we went to last night - boo. 
11. Gender?: Hyper little girl
12. Movement?: ALL OVER THE PLACE. And I'm so excited, because hopefully my girlfriends will get to feel her at my shower this weekend.
13. Belly button?: Much much shallower. I supposed it's only a matter of time now ... so long, sweet innie.
14. What I miss?: Hot tubbing without any care! I got in for a few minutes this weekend (BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH, MY DOCTOR SAID IT WAS FINE!) - just 10 minutes at a time, allowing myself to completely cool down before getting back in, and only from the butt / hips down. It was so nice, but it was hard to completely relax thanks to all the unsolicited "advice" from everyone beforehand.
15. Labor signs?: Gosh no. BUT, I read that, if she were to be born next week, she'd have a 50% chance of survival. That is so amazing!
16. What I'm looking forward to?: MY BABY SHOWER! It's Saturday, and I am so so so excited to see my friends & family and all the hard work my girlfriends have put into planning it. L & I are so blessed with such wonderful friends and family to love on us.

These pictures always seems to make me look much smaller than I feel!
Not complaining, just saying...
Also, mama looks tired because it was 7am - boo!

22 week update

1. How far along?: 22 weeks 3 days
2. How big is baby?: According to What to Expect, she is the size of a papaya - yum! L is approximately 8 inches long and weighs 1.2lbs. My countdown screen also reminded me that there are only 17 weeks 4 days to go - that seems like nothing. I totally freaked out when I read that!
3. Weight gain?: Oh boy, 4 lbs as of Monday. I'm officially joining the ranks of "a pound a week" but the doctor seemed fine with that. Made the mistake of getting on the scale last night, after dinner and with all my clothes & shoes on. Won't do that again, scary stuff! I warned Ben that VERY soon, I'm going to weigh more than he does.
4. Stretch marks?: None, as far as I can see! 
5. Maternity clothes?: I went shopping last weekend and bought a pair of black maternity pants (I think that means I now have three pairs total), a few tops and a dress, so I'm feeling much better about my wardrobe this week. Still have "nothing to wear" for my shower!
6. Sleep?: Not enough, that's for sure.
7. Best moment last week?: Honestly, this might sound weird, but I really love going to the doctor. There is no better sound than hearing that quick little heartbeat. She's still hovering in the 150s. I also met with a new doctor (new to me) for the first time and I LOVED him. He was so nice, and took so much time to answer all my questions.
8. Food cravings?: I made chili last weekend and went to Bull McCabe's for lunch Wednesday so I took care of both of those cravings (although I could always go for more fries). Currently craving warm brownies and milk mmmmmmm.
9. Symptoms?: The butt / hip pain is still giving me issues. Dr. Segal told me I could take Pepcid AC for my terrible heartburn so hopefully that starts to help!
10. Exercise?: Yoga makes me so happy, even though I had to limit a few of my stretches because of the hip / butt pain. We did 90 second squats on Wednesday and I felt like a badass.
11. Gender?: Hoping there has been no change.
12. Movement?: Still really faint.
13. Belly button?: Definitely getting noticeably (to me) shallower, but still in. The hole where I had my belly button pierced (7+ years ago) is getting a little ... weird.
14. What I miss?: A more comprehensive wardrobe.
15. Labor signs?: Nope.
16. What I'm looking forward to?: We have a fetal echocardiogram a week from today, and I'm looking forward to that piece of mind, and hopefully (selfishly) getting a glimpse of her sweet little face. Also looking forward to spending the weekend in the mountains and getting a prenatal massage on Sunday.

HOLY HUGE BELLY BATMAN!
Big change from last week, huh?

Pregnancy Confessions: Volume Six

Another one from the vault. This one slightly less whiny / bitchy.

I don't remember ever seeing my parents kiss. They were together for the first 9 years of my life, and at least 4-5 of those years I have pretty vivid memories of, and I don't remember any affection between them. I remember the first time I heard one of them say a cuss word, and the first time I realized one of them was drunk, and even the first time one of them lied to me. But I don't remember a kiss or a hug or even holding hands. Granted, they later separated and eventually divorced, but that is a noticeable absence in my memories.

I pray that my daughter never has that absence.

I pray that she always knows her parents love her more than anything, except for how much they love the Lord and love each other. I pray that she sees the wonderful man her father is and never settles for anything less than that in a significant other. I pray that she sees her mama as a strong woman who has her own identity that is still magically and romantically intertwined with her one true love. I pray she's the daddy's girl I never was.

But I think one of my strongest desires is for her to always ALWAYS know that her parents are deeply in love, more that day than the day before, and more that year than we were the year we met. And I need to use this desire as motivation to speak a little more kindly, and say "I love you" a little bit more, and kiss a few more times, and just do a better job of taking care of him. Because pretty soon, she's going to see how we treat each other everyday, and I want that to be a good example for the many relationships she's going to have.

Ugh. Some day, someone's going to want to date my daughter.

Pregnancy Confessions: Volume Five

I need to preface this by saying I started it a week ago, and am now coming back in a calmer, clearer, less hormonal state of mind. So it might be slightly watered down from its original form, but the sentiment is the same. And I think the sentiment, in general, could best be described with this:

I need to get this off my chest. And dammit, it's my blog, so I'm going to. And if you're offended, tough luck, don't read it. And if you make a comment on this post  that I don't like, I might just delete it. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT KIND OF MOOD I'M IN!

By the way, I do not need you to remind me that I'm only feeling this way because of the unGodly amount of hormones coursing through my body. I'm well-aware the effects that pregnancy is having on every. single. aspect. of my life.

Maybe this isn't so much a confession as it is a rant. But if I start a blog series of pregnancy rants, I might come across bitchy and unreasonable, which is not the sweet, life-supporting vision that people like to have in their mind of pregnant women. So I'm going to keep calling it a confession, because I'm confessing that I'm just about fed up.

What am I fed up with, you may ask? Oh, you must not have seen my Facebook or Twitter posts recently. That's ok, here's the abridged version:

Ben & I are going to the mountains of MD with my cousins and some of their friends next weekend, a trip we planned before we knew I was pregnant. The weekend will include skiing and/or snowboarding, drinking, eating, hot tubbing, spa visits, and who knows what else ... or any combination thereof, for any given attendee. We have a few unexpected openings in the house and my cousin asked me to see if any of our friends were interested, so I posted it on facebook.

big. freakin. mistake.

Within an hour, there were ten comments nay-saying questioning my ability to do any of the aforementioned activities. I know these comments are made by friends and family members who love me and are concerned for my well-being and that of the baby - I get it, I do. But here's how it comes across, at first glance, to a hormonal mom-to-be: you're insinuating that I don't know what I can and cannot do, just because I'm a first-time mom, and you're questioning my judgement or ability to research the exact same articles you've found, and you're basically telling me that I have no clue what I'm doing. That's how it comes across, that's all I'm saying.

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Now then (and this is from the clearer, calmer, less hormonal part of me, a later addition to the earlier-written original post), I really do know that people are just trying to help. I know there is nothing malicious in their intent and that similar advice (whatever was the medical / social standard at the time) was given to them during their pregnancy. I appreciate most of the advice and try to graciously listen to all of it and decide later what I will and will not put to use. I'm not trying to berate anyone or make them feel bad about the things they've said / continue to say to me. All I'm saying is that sometimes, it gets to be a little bit much. I guess this whole post is a confession after all, because here's the thing:

I don't know what I'm doing. 

I research, I ask questions, I call my doctor's office, I read blogs and forums. But I have to figure it out on my own, just like every other first time mom did. I have to figure out what works for me during my pregnancy, and what works for us as a family once she's here. So I'm really trying not to get upset about it, and I'm trying to learn how to appropriately respond. But as much as I have to bear with all the people who feel the need to force feed me unsolicited advice about every topic under the sun, you'll have to bear with me while I find my balance. And for those of you who can do that, I genuinely appreciate you.

And in case you're wondering, you can give me whatever advice you want if you start with telling me how great I look :) Pregnant women eat that shit up.

Craft Corner: Easily Changeable Photo Frame

I made this almost two months ago but just saw it on Pinterest again and was reminded I never posted it. So here you have it, a photo frame with an easily changeable picture. I made these for my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas with a picture of baby L's sonogram (at 12 weeks, tiny peanut!), knowing they'd want to update with actual pictures once she's born.

What You'll Need

• Picture frame (I got mine for $5 at Michael's)
• Clothespins or Magnetic Clips
• Paint (depending on what you use as your clip, you'll either want paint that's suitable for wood or metal, like Rust-Oleum)
• Exacto Knife (Scissors will work if you don't have an exacto knife)
• Scrapbook Paper and Glue OR Adhesive-backed Fabric Paper*

This might be the coolest thing ever.
I found it by chance at A.C. Moore,
and I'm really hoping it wasn't a one-time thing

What You'll Do

1. Remove the glass from the frame
2. If you want to paint the frame, go ahead and do that and paint the clip to match. I used a white frame so I just painted the clothespin white, making sure to squeeze it open before it dried completely shut
   
3. Trace the glass onto the scrapbook paper and cut with an exacto knife
   
4. If using regular scrapbook paper, use acid-free glue (either spray adhesive or a glue stick would work); If using adhesive-backed paper, peel back off and press to glass
   
5. Replace glass in frame once all parts are dry
   
6. Measuring the center with a tape measure or ruler, use a hot glue gun (or super glue) to affix the clip to the paper-covered glass. Depending on what size picture you want to use, you can either do this vertically or horizontally, but I recommend doing it close to the top of the frame
7. Once EVERYTHING is dry and stable, clip in your picture and change it as many times as you want!