Week 18: My Pregnancy Journey

Sorry I missed posting last week. It was a bit of a hectic week and it flew by.

How Big is the Baby? 
Today baby L is the size of a sweet potato. I love me some taters and I sure love this little tater growing inside of me. Baby L is weighing in at 6.7 oz and about of 5.6" in length from head to rump. Baby L has gone through a growth spurt that is for sure. 

Photo courtesy of thebump.com

Over the course of this week baby L is busy flexing his or her arms and legs. I haven't felt any movement since Week 16 so it may have just been bubbles, who knows. No matter what I look forward to feeling the baby more and more in the coming weeks. That extra reassurance that baby L is doing well will be much appreciated.

How I'm changing?

Well, the pounds are starting to creep on now. I've gained ~5 lbs and the results are that I've retired my regular pants. I had a lovely shopping spree at Destination Maternity on Saturday and picked up some pants and a skirt for the warmer days to come.   Here's a comparison pic:

7 weeks                                                                        18 weeks

I've had a lot more energy these last two weeks. Some nights I'm not getting to bed till 10:30!! The only weird pregnancy symptom occurred on Sunday at Easter mass. We were standing before communion for what seemed like a good 20 minutes. I started to feel dizzy and clammy. So I sat down. Of course Dr. Google and all 5-6 of my pregnancy books answered my question. The dizziness is a result of my increased blood flow to the baby. All the weird feelings that come with pregnancy constantly have me questioning: "is this normal?" 99% of the time the answer is yes. I'm very thankful that so far pregnancy has treated me well.

What else is going on? 
Sunday we celebrated Easter with my family. We attended the church where we were married almost 5 years ago. I really like going to holiday mass where we were married. It always puts me in a lovie mood. After that we went to my parents for brunch and the kids participated in an indoor Easter egg hunt. The weather has not been the best around here. We've had nasty storms and tornadoes touched down a little too close to home last week. A tornado touched down about 15 minutes from our house at the Airport and we were super lucky that it didn't hit us. Of course, Mike says its because I'm pregnant. That logic makes sense right.

His logic is similar to mine right now as I contemplate if our baby is a boy or a girl. For the last two months I had myself convinced we are having a boy and then someone comes into my office and tells me there is a pink balloon floating around the parking lot. Then, I switch gears and think it's a sign that I must be having a girl. All that aside we have exactly 2 weeks until our 20 week ultrasound and I couldn't be more excited. The planner in me can't wait to finish making decisions on the nursery and our registry.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'll leave you with a few pics from Sunday.

K & M Easter 2011

M & our godson Liam Easter 2011

Baby Shower

Last weekend my sisters and I threw a wonderful baby shower for my beautiful sister-in-law. While it was a hot, April day we all gathered together to shower my sister-in-law with gifts for her new bundle of joy, Joseph. Here's a photo recap of the days events:

Most of the items at the shower were made by either me or my sisters. Here is quick reference if you are interested in how anything was made or where it came from:

Topiary: see my previous post on how these were made

Onesies: http://www.moonbeams-kirkwood.com/

Cake: http://claytonsbakeryanddeli.com/

Diaper cake: Here is a video that I watched that showed me how to make a diaper cake. I had made one for a previous shower, but this method was super fast and so much easier.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/876435/how_to_make_a_diaper_cake/

Cookie Favors: My sister and I made these cookies. One blog that I really like to use when decorating cookies is Bake at 350. http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/ She gives very detailed explanations and helps to explain how to perfect the art of icing cookies.  

That's pretty much it. I'm kind of bummed the shower is over and I don't have anything major to prepare for. I guess it's time to turn my sights towards prepping for Baby L. That's not too major ;) Right? 

Week 16: My Pregnancy Journey

How Big is the baby?

image courtesy of thebump.com

 

Happy four months of pregnancy! As of today baby L is weighing in at 3.5 oz and is 4.6 in. in long. Growing big and strong as the days go by. This week the baby can listen and hear what's going on around him or her. Glad he or she is starting to listen early so they can get used to Grace's bark over the next few months. In other news the baby is practicing its sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for eating. 

How I'm changing?

Not a whole lot to report this week. Total weight gain is between 2-3 lbs. I'm still able to wear my regular pants. Well, let me clarify I'm able to wear three pairs of button up pants, two pairs of black dress pants and one pair of jeans. I'm thinking in the next week or two this may not be the case. Here's an updated pic, as I robbed you all of one last week:

I've been feeling good and I have a lot more energy. I still fall asleep on the couch around 8:30-9ish, but I'm getting more accomplished before I pass out. 

The most exciting news is that I think I felt the baby yesterday. I can't be for sure as I have no real clue what it is suppose to feel like. My stomach kind of did flips and flutters yesterday afternoon so I'm thinking that might have been the baby. As the weeks go on I'm sure the feeling will be much stronger.

What else is going on?

Tomorrow I go in for a doctor appointment. Looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat again. 

Baby Joseph is doing really well. Can't wait till he gets to come home from the hospital and I can't wait to hold him. He is such a cutie with a full head of hair and the best hand movements and facial expressions I've ever seen.

Sunday we had a baby shower for my sister in law. I'll be sharing that later this week. That's pretty much it for now.  

Week 15: My Pregnancy Journey

How Big is the Baby?

Baby is getting bigger and starting to look more and more like a human being and less alien like. This week our baby's legs are growing longer than his/her arms becoming more proportionate as the days move on. He/she can also begin to sense light, even though his/her eyelids are still fused shut.

How I'm changing?
While I am beginning to feel much bigger my weight hasn't changed much. On Sunday I thought I had gained like 5 lbs from last week.  I was up a little less than 1/2 a lb from last weeks weigh in. Putting me at a little under 2 lbs gained. Tuesday morning I weighed in and only measured at l lb gain overall. Water weight probably. So anyway I'm really happy with my progress. Hopefully the doctor will be too next week when I go to see him. I haven't had a chance to take a 15 week picture this week. Sorry. Nothing major.

Other weird changes were the lovely hot flash/dizzy episodes I experienced twice last week. Both happening in the kitchen. This of course leads me to believe that my kitchen is exuding some toxic fumes that are causing this problem. In reality its my crazy fluctuating hormones. Gotta love how my paranoid brain works.

What else is going on?
With me not much else. I am still shocked by the sudden arrival of my  new nephew. This of course leads me into planning/preparing overdrive just in case our baby decides to arrive super early. Looking forward to Joseph arriving home safely in the next few weeks and being able to hold him.  

Whirlwind Weekend

I am shocked from the swiftness of this weekend and the happy surprise that came along with it. Saturday we took my nephew Jack to his soccer game and while we were there we received the exciting and scary news that my new nephew had arrived 6.5 weeks early. All is well. Mom and baby are doing good. Here's a photo of the sweet little guy.

 

Joseph Clark Jr. 5.12 lbs 18 1/4" long

We didn't get to see him until Sunday as we had a work event that night. That night we attended the Central Institute for Deaf Auction held at the Four Seasons Downtown. It was a beautiful event. My favorite part, other than teasing Mike about making bids on expensive items, was when the students paraded into the ballroom and got on stage to sing "By the Sea". I love listening to them and seeing their overly animated gestures. Such cuties! Here's a photo from the event (overlooking downtown St. Louis and the river)

Photo courtesy of  Ladue News

Also, Mike was very excited that Butler University beat VCU in the Final Four. On to the National Championship!

Go Bulldogs!