18 Weeks!

I still can't believe I'm 18 weeks along today. In 2 more weeks I'll be halfway! Holy Cow!

Today has been super busy and productive. J got up early to work out (he took a test to get in the Police Dept last week and missed it by 6 stinking seconds. they're letting him retake it on the 27th of March, so he's gonna make sure he doesn't miss it this time!) and when he got back from his run, I was ready to wake up. Every Friday is payday for us, and we had bills to pay, and extra money to spend! J has been wanting a new tv and sound bar for the last few months, so I let him buy his sound bar today. The boy was so happy! :) His tv will come when our taxes do, which will hopefully be soon. We also bought our crib! This is the stock photo, obviously it won't have all that girly stuff on it:

It's our first big baby purchase! Then J had to go to work, and I had my monthly checkup. Baby is still doing great! I love hearing his heartbeat :) My doctor was busy, so I met one of the other doctor's. Any one of them could be delivering my baby, so I didn't mind, and he was nice. I just didn't feel like asking him all my questions because he's not a lady and doesn't have personal experience with things.. BUT I got to schedule my anatomy ultrasound! SO excited about that. They measure baby, make sure everything is functioning correctly, and confirm his gender :) I still worry that he's gonna become a girl all of a sudden (there are so many horror stories about people preparing for one gender, and having another!). But we shall see! 

I also got to get a manicure and my eyebrows done. Woot woot! :) They sure hurt more than they used to! I have concluded that I am a wuss, on all accounts of pain. I don't even wanna think about labor.

How big is baby?: The size of a sweet potato. Or a small electric shaver. Haha. around 6 inches, so about the size of my hand!
Stretch marks?: still stretching and marking away :-/
Maternity clothes?: Wear 'em every day. Especially pants. I can still wear some of my non-maternity tops, if they're long enough.
Sleep: About the same. I have been waking up less in the middle of the night this past week, which I appreciate! Still waking up around 6:30-7:30, though.
Best moment this week: J had three days off in a row! Of course I had office days for two of them, but I loved spending the evenings with him :) And all day yesterday! We went and saw "The Vow" on Wednesday (sweet movie, but would have liked it to be longer!), and "This Means War" on Thursday. It was SO funny! I highly recommend that one :)
Movement: Still nothing. I feel like it's coming soon though!!
Food cravings: nothing at all this week. except sugar :P
Gender: hopefully he's still a boy!
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: nothing this week! i've been pretty happy all week :)
What I am looking forward to: My a/s in 2.5 weeks! And feeling baby move. And getting our taxes back :P Hopefully I can get my Coach diaper bag!! And hopefully J will find out something about his pending new job soon...I am impatient!

Bump Progress!

Made this fun "Bump Progress Collage" today because it's

Hump Day Bump Day!

So neat to see the changes :) not only in size, but in shape!

17 Weeks!!

I can't believe I'm at 17 weeks already! Just 3 more weeks until I'm halfway!! :)

This week was my first official week of being on Salary. And man, it was an amazing one! Monday, my boss took us out for lunch. Then, two hours later, took us out for dinner! Of course I wasn't hungry, but since we were at a Mexican place, I couldn't help but indulge in some freshly made guacamole :) Makes me hungry just thinking about it! Tuesday was, of course, Valentine's Day. As long as I can remember, I've had to work on this holiday, so it's never been a huge deal to me. Luckily, J had to work, too, so it didn't phase either of us. Our V-day cruise is one of the most important of the whole year, and doing the paperwork and the seating chart for that was NOT an easy feat. It took me almost three hours (a usual cruise I can get done in an hour or less), but I got it all completed, and perfectly! I was SO proud of myself by the end of the night that I hadn't overlooked a single detail, and every guest I talked to seemed to really enjoy themselves. It helped that the boat wasn't sold out completely, like in years past, but considering it was my first time doing a cruise of that magnitude and significance, I did actually pat myself on the back for being so good at my job (I get that from my mother....no lie).

Then Wednesday was THE DAY. My boss scheduled me for an office day, and said I could leave at 3 to make it to my appointment on time. Around 11am, he told us we could leave at noon. SCORE! J took me to work because he had to take his written test for the Sheriff's Dept downtown, and was still in the area, so he took me home and we spent the rest of the day together. I considered this our "Valentine's Day Date". We went to Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet (soooo romantic, I know :P), then went to Babies R Us (BRU) to start our registry. There wasn't much we could put on there without knowing the sex of the baby yet, but we wanted to get all the paperwork filled out, so when we went back after our appointment it wouldn't take very long. I drank half a can of Mt. Dew before our appointment, and it did just the trick!

We went to Prenatal Miracles in VB, and it was such an awesome experience! The u/s tech was incredibly nice, and just had a wonderful vibe about her. No sooner than I laid on that bed and she put the "wand" on my abdomen did she proclaim "It's a Boy!" J and I were both in shock that it happened so quickly! I have heard horror stories about babies not cooperating and having a hard time telling what "parts" the baby had. But our little one was not shy at all! The tech kept switching from 2D to 3D, and it was SO neat to be able to see his adorable little face :) He was wiggling the entire time, and loves to play with his hands. We even got to see him opening his mouth, and smiling!!! It's like he knew we were watching him, and was happy :) 

This is one of my favorites; look at that face!! The tech said he doesn't have much fat on him right now, but that it'll be coming soon!

This is a pic from our 8 week u/s:

And now look how big he is (16w5d)!!!

I kept asking the tech if he had enough room in there...it doesn't look like there's much room to grow! But the uterus grows with the baby, and I've been feeling a lot of stretching lately, so I'm sure it's just Elijah making himself a bigger home for the next 5 months :)

After our u/s appt, we went to the hospital I'll be delivering in and took a tour of the Center for Birth, as they call it. I thought I would be the least pregnant one there, but there was one girl whose belly was smaller than mine. Yay! haha. It was super informative, and really neat to see where everything would be happening :) The tour guide told us one of the most important things we need to remember to bring is pillows! Apparently they only give you one pillow, and it's super thin. How am I gonna remember that?! She also told us the only things they'll feed us while in labor are ice chips and popsicles. Oh, joy. Let's hope labor starts right after I finish a big meal, and Elijah comes out before I need to eat again! If you know me, you know I love me some food. After our "tour", we went back to BRU and finished scanning things. J wouldn't let me even TOUCH the scanner (it was the same with our bridal registry), because he was scared I would get "scan happy". Doesn't he know I always go online after and add anything I want??? haha. J picked a theme for the baby's room, and I can't wait for us to move (not til May :( boo) so I can start putting the nursery together! We are going with a Sports theme. To us, Elijah Eagle just SOUNDS like a sports superstar's name. And then to top off our fun, "romantic" V-day day, I got Boston Market, and we picked up J some McD's, and we ate while watching The Voice :) Aren't we the most fun couple EVER?

How big is baby?: The size of an onion. Or a "small stud finder", as one website put it.
Stretch marks?: still stretching and marking away :-/
Maternity clothes?: Can't wear any pants BUT maternity pants. I plan on going shopping today for some more work clothes; let's hope I can find some cute ones! I am still wearing a lot of non-maternity tops, and very much enjoying that.
Sleep: Sucks lately. I had this problem Pre-pregnancy where my toes won't stop cracking/feeling like they need to crack, and it makes it very difficult to fall asleep! I have laid off on the Tylenol PM this week, and I'm very proud of myself for that! But lately I've been waking up around 6am, and falling back asleep after 30 mins for another 30-60 mins. No fun! This morning I woke up at 2am, then 6am, then 8am. YUCK. I <3 sleeping. and am not a fan of this. I know I "gotta get used to it", but I'll get used to it when Elijah comes out!!
Best moment this week: Of course, seeing Elijah and finding out it was a "him"! The only irritating thing about KNOWING the gender, is all the "I told you so"s that come with it. There's a 50/50 chance of baby being a boy or a girl, SOMEONE is gonna be right! I could do without those.
Movement: Still nothing. The u/s tech said it usually starts around 17-18 weeks, and I keep trying to lie still and see if I'm feeling anything. I know it'll come, though. He is definitely a mover! ..did have one person say something annoying this week along the lines of "No, you SHOULD be feeling something by now. You definitely should!!!" almost shouting at me. Seriously??? Are you trying to say something's wrong with my baby?! everyone is different. now back off. end rant.
Food cravings: still nothing weird. did eat almost a whole jar of pickles before dinner yesterday. Then we went out to Ruby Tuesday and after the appetizer I was vomiting it all back up. Not sure if it was related to the pickles, or the appetizer, but luckily I was still able to finish my dinner!
Gender: Allllll boy! No doubt about it :) Elijah Lee
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: I don't miss Jimmy John's anymore after hearing about a listeria outbreak in their alfafa sprouts! Scary stuff. I miss sleeping normally. And cold lunchmeat sandwiches. And having a bigger wardrobe.
What I am looking forward to: Hmmm....I feel like once you know what the baby is, there isn't much more to look forward to! I have gotten SO anxious about Elijah getting here already, especially since I can picture him now :) I know he needs to keep baking for 20 more weeks, I'm just not a patient person! I am definitely looking forward to my belly rounding out, though. And people being able to notice that I'm pregnant. I don't have a problem with people touching my belly (yet...haha) because I'm just so happy he's in there and growing strong! And, of course, being able to feel him moving. And I can't WAIT for J to be able to feel him move! Ahhh I love our little family. :) :)

15 Weeks!!!

This feels like such a milestone to me. 15 weeks. 15?! How did I get here?? I found out when I was a little over 4 weeks pregnant. So I've known I was pregnant for almost 11 weeks, almost 3 months! I LOVE waking up on Fridays (well some of it might be because it's always payday, for one of us!) so I can read my updates from my pregnancy apps about what's happening to baby this week :) One of my apps told me today is 175 days until my due date! I told J that, and he couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem so far away now! From the looks of me, I am definitely pregnant. It still looks like fat when I sit down, but I'm sure my time will come. I can't stop staring at my stomach (which is not a huge change...usually I just stare at myself in general! I can't help it, being this beautiful :P) and every day I try to see if there's a huge change... In next few weeks, I should be able to start feeling baby on the inside, and I cannot WAIT! It's a little ridiculous how much of my mind is consumed with all-things-baby. I get pretty obsessive over things, and this has been no exception! I'm always asking J the silliest questions, too. We have the same parenting basics, but someone will mention something on a blog or board and it'll get my mind thinking. Last night it was, "Will we spank our kids?" Sometimes it's "Will our kids be smart?" This craziness in my head is ridiculous! I hope none of my friends/ coworkers are mind-readers, because they do NOT want to know all that's going on in there.

I am feeling much better since last weekend. Still a little congested, but I'll make it :) This is my last weekend of not having to work...probably until baby comes! It's a strange thing to think about. I plan on making the most of it, though :) We have a guest room that is currently filled with random crap we don't use. Mostly stuff that needs to be donated. So I plan on taking all of that stuff to the donation center tomorrow. J said once the room is clean and neat, I can start buying baby stuff to store in there! :) I am a member of an online "community" for women who are also due in July. And pretty much 9/10 ladies are more prepared for their babies than I am for mine! Since we only have 175 days left, I wanna start doing SOMEthing. Not tooooooo much, like finishing the nursery or anything, but just a little here and there. So we aren't hit with a huge list of things we still need closer to July. We'll see, though.

J and I have also started looking at houses to move to, still renting. We wanted to stay with our realtor, but most of the houses they have just aren't very nice looking, or are in bad parts of town. They were also going to let us move a month before our current lease is over, which would be nice considering how big I'm getting. We went on another realtor's website last night and found at least four that we loved, so we think it'd be worth it to wait the extra month and move at the end of May to a house we REALLY like, and could stay in for a couple more years until we have enough saved up to buy a house. We just have to go talk to this potential new realtor, and see if they'd let us look at the houses!

How big is baby?: The size of an orange, apple, or baseball!
Stretch marks?: still stretching and marking away :-/
Maternity clothes?: Found more shirts I already own that I can wear! Pre-pregnancy they were too tight on me and hugged the wrong "curves", if ya know what I mean. But they're perfect for now! Still going to have to get some more work outfits soon, though.
Sleep: Same semi-normalcy. My boobs still hurt, which makes it hard to sleep on my side. But that's the only way I'm comfortable... I have a feeling as I get bigger I might have to kick the husband out of the bed, though. :P I like being able to stretch out!
Best moment this week: Definitely Tuesday. I got the promotion I've been wanting for FOREVER! I can't shoot it from the rooftops, like I want to, but since no one really reads my blog...haha. VERY excited that all my hard work over the last few months has paid off. J and I are excited that one of us will have a steady paycheck for once. It's not officially official until the 13th, but I will be doing basically the exact same thing I've been doing since November, except working more consistent hours. I am very blessed to have the job I do, and my bosses are wonderful people. Unfortunately, I won't qualify for any paid maternity leave, because I won't have had been full time for a year when I give birth. But we'll make something work! Maybe it's time Marisa learned how to save...
Movement: none yet! I can still feel where baby is, which is cool. but can't feel baby moving. I'm starting to wonder if I've been feeling the right thing all this time, though. I feel like baby is supposed to be creeping closer and closer to my belly button, and I think she's been in basically the same spot for the last 7 weeks or so...hmm.
Food cravings: starting to crave pickles more and more! And Capri Suns are soooooooooo good.
Gender: Still feel strongly that it's a girl in there. But we'll know for sure on the 15th! J and I have scheduled (okay, I did the scheduling...he just said "yes, dear") a full day of stuff :) After our u/s we're taking a tour of our hospital's birth center, and then we're going to start our BRU (Babies R Us) Registry. I got a flyer in the mail for a $10 gift card, just for registering! So I'm happy :) We might plan something else for that day (u/s isn't until 3:30!), but I don't wanna overwhelm the husband...
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: Jimmy John's mostly. I did have a BLT from there earlier this week, but it just wasn't the same as my turkey sandwich...I am definitely asking someone to bring me one as soon as baby is out!
What I am looking forward to: Obviously, the gender ultrasound. And I found out today that J's grandparents that live in WV are coming to visit next week!!!!! VERY excited about that one :) His grandpa reminds me a LOT of my dad's dad, who passed away a few years ago. They were both Baptist preachers, and both very handsome :) His grandpa married us last September, and they are just very special people :)
I am always touching my belly and talking to baby. I can't wait til this all gets even more real...