24 Weeks

Hope everyone's Easter was very hoppy!  We had a great weekend- Joey crossed a zillion things off the honey-do list (he's really awesome).  The Easter Bunny brought me a new mailbox! (at 730am... with a chainsaw...) The Min Pins opened their Easter Baskets and we enjoyed some sunshine and good eats.

I have my monthly prenatal massage this week and our 24 week appointment on Friday.  I get to do the Glucose screening again, so fingers crossed that I pass (again).  My Mom is also coming into town for work and she'll be staying with us! 

Busy week ahead, so quick(er than normal) update below:


Date: April 21, 2014

How far along? 24w1d (Baby is as long as an ear of corn) According to baby center, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and baby has gained 4 oz since last week.  I can tell when she's growing because I'm more hungry/more tired and I can usually feel my ligaments stretching.  This week there was a ton of that!

 How is Mama doing? Doing great! Got my hair cut over the weekend and I feel like a new person. I didn't think to take any pictures of it of course. 

Movement:  Every morning around 5-6am, after I eat meals, and in the early-mid afternoon, and then a TON of movement after I take my prenatal vitamin around 830pm.  I like that there is a bit of a schedule, but I also know that things can happen to cause her to get off schedule, so I'm trying not to freak out too much.  Doesn't mean I didn't whip out the doppler this week when I didn't feel her move after dinner. Now that she's much bigger, her heartbeat is really loud! Don't need to have the volume way up like I used to.  I will need to start counting kicks in another 4 weeks or so (did you know that's a thing?) but for now I'm just paying attention and making sure I feel her moving regularly.

Also felt some weird sensation in my lungs earlier this week... either she was kicking them or pushing some random organ into them. I didn't like it.  She's sitting pretty low in my pelvis so I haven't had too much of that, but I know it's only going to get worse.

Maternity Clothes?  Perusing some sites looking for shower dresses.  Also my sister works at Lilly Pulitzer and she swears up and down her boss wore Lilly throughout her pregnancy. I might need to take advantage of her enormous discount. OH and they make Mommy and Me outfits for little girls.....!!!!!

Pregnancy Fitness:  We had some COLD weather this week.  Even though I'm perfectly capable of working out indoors, I feel that the outside temperature has a direct effect on whether or not I exercise.

Yep. I actually spent time making this.

So, since we had 3 freeze warnings this week at the expense of some of my daffodils (but YAY my tulips lived!), I worked out once with Denise Austin.  Hoping for a reprieve this week with some nicer weather.

Symptoms: Lots of ligament pain/stretching. Nothing too bad. The only symptoms I have really had through the whole 24 weeks so far have been exhaustion and anxiety. And really, the anxiety isn't anything new. So... I've just been tired a lot. Doesn't garner me a lot of sympathy from Joey when I try to pull the preggo card. But I have been extremely blessed and hope I continue to be.

Belly Button:  Still there. Still innie.

Stretchmarks?  I'm sure they are around the corner.

Nutrition/Cravings? The latter part of last week I was so bad about what I ate. I wasn't very healthy. I have re-stocked the fridge and we're off to a good start for this week.  No cravings to report.

Sleep: Noticing some hip pain even with the extra pillow. I was pretty much expecting that though.

Looking Forward To:  Hanging out with my Mom this week :)

What I miss: Nothing really at the moment.

Doc/Chloe:  Are excited to have Grandma here and are really enjoying the glider in the baby's room since the blinds/curtains aren't up yet and it provides the perfect perch to see outside.

24 Week Pic:  Sorry, this week's pic is not very cute. I'll try harder next week.

From the front... where's the bump?

I never really knew what "child bearing hips" meant until now. It appears that I have them.  Baby girl seems to enjoy her roomy pelvic palace. 

23 Week iPhone Photo Shoot

As I mentioned, Saturday we visited a day care for their open house.  This particular school is well known and really awesome.  And therefore really expensive.  I thought that we should probably look nice when we visited so that they'd know we were serious buyers. I just don't see them taking me seriously in crocs and a baseball cap.

So I did my hair and make up for the first time in months. I haven't seen that blowdryer since....December? I also hadn't realized how the prenatal vitamins are helping my hair until I saw the pictures of it in the sunlight. Awesome!

Before we left the house, I had Joey snap a couple shots of me in front of our gorgeous flowering cherry in the front yard. And I hated every single picture.  When we got back, I made him take more and the more pictures we took and the more picturs I hated, I realized I didn't really hate the pictures I just don't really like the way I look.

And that's not fishing for compliments- that's just a cold hard fact that I think any pregnant woman can identify with.  You don't feel pretty. You don't feel like you.

Looking at these pictures I've realized two things- 1. My boobs are gigantic. 2. My belly is still relatively small, especially from the front.  Both of those things will undoubtedly get bigger over the next four months. Great.

But, regardless about how I feel, I think we got some nice shots that if I stand back and squint one eye, I'm okay with.

So here are some of my favorites, all taken on the iPhone (we're working on getting a nicer camera before baby gets here) and edited with Snapseed App.

23 Weeks!

Whew! It's Monday again! I was just thinking how convenient it is that my weeks start on Mondays.  For those that don't know how that works, pregnancy is calculated based on the first day of your last period.  So everyone's "weeks" start on random days.  I just got lucky that mine start on Mondays because it's the beginning of the week and I can do a recap of my weekend in one fell swoop.

Something else that is interesting to note is that pregnancy is 10 months long, not 9 months. I don't even know where that came from, since 40 weeks is clearly 10 months.  So, when I tell you I'm headed into my 6th month already, don't freak out!

Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL weekend.  It started out with temps in the 80s on Friday. We left work early and sat outside with music on and I drank sparkling apple-peach juice out of a wine glass and it was awesome. Then we had dinner with some friends and they gave us some baby things!  Saturday we went to Lowe's in the morning before we headed to the day care open house. It went well and was a definite contender. It was also super nice outside and since I actually did my hair and makeup to go to the open house I made Joey do a mini photo shoot with the cherry blossoms in our front yard.... pics to come later this week! Saturday afternoon, Joey went to play golf with his buddies and A Love and I painted the baby's room! More to come on that as well, but it looks soooo good!  Sunday morning, Joey had a 10 mile race so we spent the morning outside by the Potomac River and then walked around Old Town Alexandria for a while.

Date: April 14, 2014

How far along? 23w (Baby weighs as much as a large mango)

 How is Mama doing? Doing great. This weather really raises my spirits. I think if we lived in Florida I would be a much happier person. Someday.....

Weight Gain: I'm about ready to just delete this entire section. I'm tired of answering this question every week and I'm tired of getting on the scale and seeing no weight gain. Or weight loss, as is the situation this week. I know that the baby is healthy and I'm probably losing weight because I'm not drinking booze all the time and I'm eating a healthy dose of veggies and fruits.  I think this question is just making me crazy and I'm going to take it out at least for a little while. <end rant>

Movement: Pretty sure she's practicing for her future tour with Cirque du Soliel. 

Maternity Clothes? I think I prefer to wear tighter shirts/stuff because it accents the belly instead of hides it.  Flowy clothes make me feel like a whale.  Just some thoughts from the peanut gallery.

Pregnancy Fitness:  Beautiful weather this past week as well!! I got in a workout with Gabrielle Reece, who is pretty much the complete opposite of Denise Austin, as well as a walk with Chloe and also the nice long walk around Alexandria on Sunday. 

Symptoms: Nothing new to report this week.  An old one I keep forgetting to write about- body temperature. Everything I've read says I'm going to be hotter than usual. Except I've always been freezing cold.  We had to buy a space heater this winter to put by my bed! I think a big part of it is that pregnant women end up with more blood volume, which lowers their blood pressure. If you inherited ridiculously low blood pressure from your Mom like I did, that means you are cold all the time!

Belly Button: Innie, although looking larger these days, prob because it's getting pulled a little bit on the sides!

Stretchmarks?  Still oiling up and praying for a miracle!

Nutrition/Cravings? Did well eating-wise this past week, although I enjoyed a lot of bad things this weekend.  Made a pan of brownies on Saturday and it looks like two people have been eating on it instead of just one... 

Sunday it was just plain hot out and after our 2nd trip to Lowes for the weekend I decided that Rita's water ice would taste delicious  (italian ice for your weirdos).  I haven't eaten that since like 12th grade. It was just as amazing as I remembered and my mouth was bright red for the rest of the day.

Sleep: Same old same old. Since I'm not using it, Doc commandeered the body pillow and made a fort out of it and the curtains.

Looking Forward To:  I'm getting my hair did this weekend!!! I think it will help me feel better about how I look and I'm definitely excited about that!

What I miss:  I realized I'm going to miss out on crabs and old bay this summer.  They are just coming into season and I'm realizing I won't be able to partake. That sucks :(

Doc/Chloe: Nothing new. They were confused about the painting and new furniture. Chloe has also adorably started asking for walks.  Well, running over and nosing the leash and standing expectantly by the door, anyway. But I think it's cute.

23 Week Pic:
If you catch me from the front, I still look like I could have eaten a large breakfast. Side pics are the only way you can really see the bump!

Also I don't know if they still make static guard but I need some today :(

Baby Girl's Nursery

As I mentioned, I had everything planned out if the baby was a boy.  A girl, though, had me totally lost.  I knew I didn't want much pink- never was much of a pink person.  Didn't want to do any gimmicky Disney Princess stuff.  Blech. My style is very traditional and....boring.  So I really had no ideas as to what we would do for her room until we went to Disney World...

I KNOW you think you know where this is going but just hang in there ok?!!?

We found out the day before we left that we were having a girl, so reality was still setting in while we were on our trip.  Doesn't mean I didn't buy a few pink and purple onesies that cost an arm and a leg, but I was still rather bewildered and excited.  We were in Disney with friends and our friend Amanda asked me what we were doing for the nursery and I told her I had no idea.  Really, I just wanted it to be pretty, somewhat girly, but something that wouldn't make Joey barf.

We were walking along through Fantasyland and stopped here to use the bathroom (probably for the 25th time that day):

If you don't recognize it, it's the village from Tangled and Disney has made an entire bathroom area out of it.  We went in and I was admiring Disney's usual level of detail- the paintings on the ceilings just like in Rapunzel's tower, the suns on the flags, the colors, etc.

We came out and A Love said "why don't you do Tangled for your theme?"
DUH! It hit me like a mickey bar to the face! I suggested it to Joey and he liked it and was cool with it.  And, in typical Gish fashion, the decision was made.

Now, the most important thing to me was that it NOT be full of pictures like this:

I wanted to use the IDEA of Rapunzel/Tangled, specifically the pretty lanterns, and the color scheme, but not really the themey-ness of it all.  Make sense?

After some considerable time spent pinning ideas to a secret board with some friends, it was decided that the room would have a focal point (a painting) that we'd draw colors out of and then we'd take it from there.

Now... where to go when you need a painting?......... Hmmm... how bout a ridiculously talented friend who offers to paint it for you?! Enter Amanda......

(Doc modeling for size)

Now that we have this gorgeous piece of art, we are able to draw out colors.  First big thing was what color to paint the walls.  Unfortunately, Joey is a big fan of unpainted walls.  So it took a little convincing/begging/offering to paint it back if we move, but he finally agreed to this color:

Hosta Flower

 Next thing is the furniture.  If you remember, we got the crib fo free from our friend Danielle.  I searched the crap out of it and turns out it's one of the highest rated cribs that Graco makes and it's still under warranty.  Awesome.  It's a pretty cherry color, so we ordered a dresser/changer combo, side table, and glider to match (the glider is covered with yellow gingham).  None of this has been put together yet so just use your imagination...

Once we picked the paint color, I was free to choose the bedding set for the crib.  I drooled and drooled over Pottery Barn Kids, but ain't nobody got time (or money) fo that!  Then I happened upon a bedding set sold at most baby stores that really reminds me of Rapunzel's paintings on the walls and ceilings of her tower...

Sweet Jojo Designs: Suzanna Collection

Up close picture of the design

 I also found these curtains a long time ago and loved them...

I'll probably do a matching crib skirt as well

Joey also suggested a lantern mobile to go with the lantern thing, maybe something like this-

And finally, if I have any money left after all this, maybe a throw rug to tie it all together-

ok, this one IS from PBK...

I also have to get a pretty frame for the picture, shelving, other things to hang on the walls, etc. etc. etc.

These are just our preliminary ideas.  All are subject to change once things actually come together and I see whether I like it or not ;)

In the end though, I just want Baby Girl to have a place that's her own, that she can play in and grow up in, and someday we'll explain to her the secret Disney references in her room's design ;)

Hope you liked it! (And if you don't, it's not your room anyway!)

~SG

PS: It's not the Hogwarts castle. Just...watch Tangled and then you'll get it!!

22 Weeks

22 weeks down! Finally showing some major progress as my belly has pretty much officially "popped" out and the scale is showing some weight gain.  I'm viewing all of this as a major positive considering I'm entering my 6th month of pregnancy soon.  It's also kind of a reality check that I need to get my rear in gear when it comes to exercising. 

This weekend I completed my 5th out of 6 classes toward my Certificate.  Only one more to go! This means that because half my weekend was spent in class, I spent the rest of it catching up on laundry and cleaning up the house.  Didn't have much time for any additional baby stuff this weekend.  Joey has been hard at work on our labyrinth of a backyard and there is some major progress going on back there that I should really devote an entire post to.  Also speaking of the yard, I don't know if you remember this post about Grandmother Willow, but it seems as though she has pulled through:

She's ALIIIIIVE (can't say the same for the grass)

Date: April 7, 2014

How far along? 22w (Baby is the size of a papaya)

Papaya. Just in case.

 How is Mama doing? Same old same old! Starting to do some more research on things like child care (woof) and signed up for a tour of Labor and Delivery at the hospital for next month. Also starting to read articles about labor for the first time. Of course it's scary but it's just part of the ride so I'm just going along with it. Not much I can do about that now anyway ;)

Weight Gain: As mentioned above, my first-thing-in-the-morning-no-clothes weigh in has shown an increase in +1.5.  Makes sense as baby should be nearing the 1 pound mark by now!

Sex of the baby: Girly girl. I think I might also take this part out of the survey considering we know what we're having and it's (hopefully) not going to change!

Movement: Lots of movement in the early mornings and evenings/nighttime.  I swore I could see my belly moving the other day but I still can't really feel things on the outside yet.  Book says it should be a week or two before that happens.  Baby sleeps 12-14 hours a day and most of it is while I'm at work (I don't blame you, little one).

Maternity Clothes? After laundry mania (and unpacking our suitcase from Disney... from February...) I found a lot of the maternity clothes that were missing and my wardrobe is back in full function.  I'm struggling now with what to do with my regular clothes since I'm not wearing them at the moment and they are just taking up closet space. I will deal with that next weekend I think.

Pregnancy Fitness: Was able to take advantage of the spring-like weather this week and get outside for several walks with both dogs (Dogs need to be walked separately when I'm by myself. Let's just say Doc is a handful.) I enjoy walking in my neighborhood because it's hilly and Min Pins walk fast, which leads to a pretty solid cardio workout- better than I get with Denise (sorry BFF).  Unfortunately we don't go for a very long distance because Chloe is a little... out of shape...

Passed out after a 20 minute walk...

Symptoms: A little bit of heartburn again this week.  I'm not surprised as my uterus has definitely moved up (1 inch above my bellybutton says the book) and I can hear my stomach gurgling in a place it never was before. Things are already getting cramped in there and we have a lot more growing to do! The heartburn is mild and goes away with a couple of tums. Hoping it stays that way. 

Tons of back pain this week too :( Mostly upper back, but this morning I woke up with lower back pain as well.  Glad we have the massage roller from running.

Also dealing with some gas pain.  Not pleasant or ladylike.  I've felt like a giant balloon over the past couple of days and I'm not deflating :(

Belly Button: Innie

Stretchmarks?  No new but starting to worry as my belly starts to grow. I know stretch marks are a natural part of pregnancy and are also hereditary, so I'm expecting some new zebra stripes.  Doesn't make it any easier though :(

Nutrition/Cravings? Still not loving meat but forced down a few bites of steak last night so I can get my iron.  Didn't have any cravings although one night last week I did suggest Thai food for dinner. Maybe these ARE cravings although for me, I don't feel as if the world will end if I don't eat such and such food RIGHT NOW. So. Either cravings are all overrated or I'm just not there yet.

I also had a random freakout last week (as I do about once every 2-3 weeks) where I started worrying about something and googling and finally ended up emailing my doctor.  I have been eating PB & J almost every day when I'm at work for lunch.  I read some articles about women who eat a lot of peanut butter might increase their child's chance for an allergy.  Then I read some articles that said the exact opposite.  Now I'm just confused.  Haven't heard back from the Dr. yet on that one.

Sleep: Got me a new body pillow this weekend (it's not a pregnancy pillow but it's a start).  It's honestly really annoying to have in the bed. Maybe I just need to get used to it (or get a bigger bed).

Looking Forward To:  Maybe this is lame but we're going to an open house this weekend to kick off the "Great Day Care Search of 2014". I'm looking forward to it because I have no idea what to expect and even though it's going to drain my bank account, it'll be fun to check out the places where Little Miss could be spending her time when she's not with me or her Dad.

What I miss: Can I write about cold lunch meat again? I miss it. 

Doc/Chloe: They sure do love to snuggle up to my belly.  I've started pushing them off a little bit. I don't know why I'm afraid they are going to squish her... she's surrounded by tons of cushioning.  OH this reminds me that I'm keeping a list of irrational things I have worried about and I plan to share it sometime after the baby is born. Should be entertaining.

Other: When I talk about the "book", I'm referring to "What to Expect When You're Expecting" which while I'm not using it as my pregnancy bible, has come in quite handy with following along week-by-week and learning about what's going on in there.  I realize that everything in this book is not the law, though, which is why I go to my doctors for advice on my major concerns and questions.

22 Week Pic: Ok, it's not quite 22 weeks as I took it on Friday, but I like this outfit better than what I'm wearing today ;)  I wasn't kidding about the belly was I?!

That awkward moment when...

on the drive to work you realize your pants are WAY too tight (they are maternity pants but they are not the right size) and you start worrying about the baby and she's kicking you as if to say "I need more room Mom!" and so you get there for your 7:30 meeting, attend, and then go to Target to get a better pair of pants....

...except the local Target has a TERRIBLE Maternity section and all they have is jeans and dresses, so you show back up to work in a COMPLETELY different outfit than you did when you arrived.

Sigh.

Baby Boy Nursery Ideas

First off- I'm not too sure about the word "nursery".  I am getting more used to it because I see it EVERYWHERE, but I think I like "baby's room" better. 

I thought it would be fun to talk about what we would have done for the baby's room if it had been a boy.  A boy would have been a lot easier because I knew what theme I'd do for a boy from the very beginning.  I didn't even have to think about it.  For a girl, I was clueless.

I know this will come as a shock to many, but I was planning a Pirate/Nautical theme for a baby boy room.

Unfortunately, I didn't get too far into the planning process (read: didn't start), so I don't really have any solid plans to share.  But I did want to share things that I like and who knows, maybe someday I'll get my pirate nursery!  (This is not to say that baby girl is not going to be a pirate- she absolutely will be.) Yarrrrgh!

It would have been really cool to create a pirate ship on the ceiling of the room like the below... but obviously that's for bigger kids and a much bigger house....

Realistically, it would have been rather traditional (as that's the style we always come back to), and have looked something like this:

 

Maybe a little more piratey, though, perhaps like this?

 

Or maybe I would have had A Love paint us a mural, like this one?

And I do like this set from Sweet Jojo designs:

 

 

Orrrr we could just totally plagiarize Disney's Caribbean Beach's pirate rooms:

I WILL stay here someday.

 

Doing a pirate nursery would have been so much fun, but I love the idea we've come up with for our princess.

 

Stay tuned for more on that!

 

~SG

Week 21

Another week down! We had our 20 week appointment on Friday and everything is still going good.  We really liked the Dr. we saw this time- my practice has several doctors, so we are meeting all of them because we don't know who will be on call when we deliver.  I think Joey liked him because he went in search of a "parting gift" (read: freebie from pharm reps) for us and came back with a formula/bottle cooler, and mentioned that it could also hold a couple beers. ;)

Saturday night Joey was at the property so A Love came over to help me visualize the baby's room (nursery?). She brought with her the awesome painting she created that will be the centerpiece of the room, and then helped me by taping up dimensions on the floor/walls, picking out the paint color (which Joey approved! YAY) and talking about decorative ideas. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have someone else who is very interested in this and who is good at interior decorating... because it all seems way overwhelming to me. (PS: I'll do a dedicated post on the room theme sometime soon.)

Major progress was made this weekend in terms of baby registries.  I basically finished them and now I'm just going to tweak based on advice and additional research. I have 3 registries because of where people are located and because of pricing differences in the stores.  The thing with a baby registry is that for the most part, even if you don't recieve it as a gift, you still need it!  Joey and I also went out yesterday in the pouring rain to test out strollers.  He was really into the joggers so we're going in that direction- he was "testing" them out in the aisles. We also looked at carseats and checked out some of the stuff I registered for "in real life".

Date: March 31, 2014

How far along? 21w (Baby is the size of a carrot)

How is Mama doing? Doing well, no complaints. Starting to get excited about having a baby in the house. Not that I wasn't before, but I'm feeling a little more prepared now that I've learned a bit about what babies need. Although with the learning came a bunch of reading about scary things like SIDS and worries that I hadn't yet thought of. So that's fun.

Weight Gain: VINDICATION! At my 20 week appointment Friday, the nurse who weighed me said "Oh! you lost 5 pounds since last appointment." Which was the perfect opportunity for me to say "No, the nurse that weighed me last time didn't even wait for the scale to balance before she declared my weight and I knew it was wrong."  Not that anyone cares about this but me.... but it sure was nice to be weighed correctly for once!  Now if I could get them to go back and correct the other entry that is wrong. Sigh. 

Sex of the baby: Our Dr. mentioned that the fact that the radiologist wrote "female" in the summary means that they are really sure it's a girl :)

Movement: Tons of movement and definitely getting stronger.  I notice it usually after I eat something, and a lot of movement in the evenings/when I'm going to bed.  I don't feel it all the time, though, and I know that's normal for this stage. I also found out that I have an anterior placenta (it's in the front of my uterus) which provides some extra cushioning and could make the kicks harder to feel. (Nothing bad about an anterior placenta, btw.) I haven't been able to feel much on the outside yet.

Maternity Clothes?  I really need to buy some nursing bras.  (I'm writing it here because it's clothing related.) But I don't want to! They are so expensive! I had one in my hand at Buy Buy Baby the other day and I put it back because I didn't want to spend the money. I know I will have to eventually but I just wasn't ready yet.

Pregnancy Fitness:  I hung out with my bff Denise Austin twice this week! She's so pretty to look at but I have to keep it on mute because her voice annoys the crap out of me...

BFF

Symptoms: Not too much going on in symptom land.  I can usually tell when baby is growing because I'm hungrier than normal and usually have some light cramping.  So, I'm pretty sure she was growing this weekend.  I don't have too much of a breakout, but my face is kind of splotchy in places (I get random hives that I think are hormone related? I'd get them before pregnancy too) and it would probably benefit everyone if I wore some makeup to work....

Belly Button: Innie

Stretchmarks? None. Got some new oil- I guess BBB discontinued their relationship with Belli so I got a new brand. We'll see how it goes!

Nutrition/Cravings? Did great this past week but now all the fresh food has been eaten so I need to get back to the grocery store STAT. The only craving I really had was yesterday when I woke up and had a hot dog for second breakfast (no so great).  (First breakfast was at 6am when I woke up STARVING and had a bowl of Special K Redberries.) Joey was craving Five Guys yesterday so I generously allowed him to go and get me some too :)

Sleep: Haven't sprung for the pregnancy pillow yet.  Sleeping with a pillow between my legs has definitely helped with my hip pain. Still waking up in the middle of the night but for the most part, going well and definitely getting more used to sleeping on my side.  

Looking Forward To:  Putting the nursery all together!

What I miss: Spring. I know that's not pregnancy related but whatever. It freaking SNOWED yesterday. It's the last day of March. COME ON.

Doc/Chloe: I've mentioned it before but I just love how when Joey goes out of town these two take turns on "watch" at night.  Normally we all sleep under the covers but when he's not home they take turns sitting on the edge of the bed looking towards the door. 

21 Week Pics:

From the front

aaand from the side

Not the most flattering thanks to the work mirror and lighting but I think you'd rather see me in work clothes than my PJs...

Creating the Registry: Part I

I'm entitling this "Part I" because I feel like there may be other parts to follow.  If not, then it just sounds cool.

Last night I decided it was time to buckle down and start thinking about our registry.  Joey is sort of letting me take the reigns with some rules about not buying everything in pink and letting him have a say in the really important items like the stroller, carseat, and baby monitor (I say video, he says no)...

My friend and coworker just had her 3rd baby after a 10 year break, so she had gotten rid of all her baby stuff and needed new.  I am using her registry as sort of a guide, since as an experienced Mom I feel like she knows what she needs and doesn't.

I've also done some reading here and there about stuff that we'll need, but for the most part, I am totally clueless.

I logged on to the store we picked out, created a registry, and then..... stared blankly at the screen.  WTF am I supposed to do next? 

Apparently registering for your baby is a lot different than registering for your wedding.  It's not about picking out pretty china or little gifts that would be so super cute on the mantle.  It's about picking products that are convenient to use, that are safe for our baby, that will not break the bank.  That means I'm basically researching every item I come across to check for customer reviews, marketplace reviews, safety recalls, etc. and omg...

It. Is. EXHAUSTING.

I messed around with that registry for like 3 hours last night and I had a grand total of 3 items when I was finished.  This is really hard.

Mostly I just wanted to complain about how hard it is real quick before I go back to my research.  I also realize I'm kind of psycho and some people don't get this freaked out about it.

Also, we just came back from our 20 week appointment and everything is going great.  Of course when I got home Chloe stepped on my stomach so I'm going to worry about that for a little while until I feel her move again... but... such is my life.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  See you next week for our 21 week update!

~SG

PS: If you are a Mom and you want to help a sista out with some registry advice, please feel free to reach out via comments, e-mail, facebook, etc.  I'd love to hear from you.

OH and for your efforts, I threw in a picture:

20 weeks, 4 days

Week 20

Lot's of fun developments this week!

First of all, my belly definitely popped out!  Wednesday morning I woke up and went into the bathroom to check (I guess to make sure it's still there?) and it was much rounder than ever before!  This is exciting because when you are 19 weeks pregnant and you wake up with a flat belly, it's freaky. 

I also spent the weekend cleaning out the last of Baby Gish's room.  It is completely empty now save for some ugly fail-curtains and some pictures on the walls.  Next step is to vaccuum, clean the baseboards, and magic-eraser the walls.

Secondly, we picked up the crib on Sunday.  It looks great and I think it will go great with our ideas for the room decor. 

Finally, we had our 20 week ultrasound. We don't have our appointment until Friday, though, so we won't really know anything else until then.  In my expert opinion, everything looked good :)

Something that was fun about this ultrasound is that it calculated the size of the baby and then gave us a new due date based on that: Aug 13th.  So... 2 days different from our original one of Aug 11th.  So basically, we're right on track!

Other fun notables: I'm starting to get asked about good dates for a baby shower.  Which means it's time to register! 

Date: March 24, 2014 (I filled this out on Monday)

How far along? 20w (According to our u/s the baby weighs 11oz (almost a pound!) and is as long as a banana)

How is Mama doing? Still doing great. Still no major complaints.  I was thinking the other day that it's funny how I'm nit-picking about things that are bothering me.  I bet if I look back at this pregnancy in a few years I'm going to roll my eyes at myself.  I know I'm getting off easy and I'm very thankful for that.

Weight Gain:   Still chillin in the same range. Although I'm sure at my appointment on Friday they'll tell me I've gained 20 pounds or something.

Sex of the baby: It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYY now I can tell everyone!

Movement:   Lots more movement this week.  It's slowly getting stronger and more frequent.  The baby is definitely awake in the evening/night time.  And any time I drink something sugary or eat a lot.  It feels weird... not like I expected it to.  When she does summersaults I can feel her floating up in my belly.  A few jabs here and there, but no major kicks or punches which I guess is what I was expecting to feel?

Maternity Clothes?  I placed another order with Motherhood last week.  I know some people say not to buy maternity underwear but I like how it fits. Also, I need new underwear anyway because Chloe likes to snack on it...

Also, a small rant about maternity clothes: I KNOW they make the tops bigger because your girls are going to get bigger, but I lit-er-al-ly don't have a single maternity shirt that doesn't show my bra straps.  Highly annoying when you are just trying to find something to wear out to dinner or go to work without looking like a hooker.

Pregnancy Fitness:  Another week, another fail. I feel like I should get points for all the housework I did this weekend though. 

Symptoms: I found myself at a Mary Kay event last week so I ended up with some real facewash which should help with my breakouts.  This week's major development is that my hips are killing me when I wake up in the mornings. Sleeping on my side SUCKS.  I've gone back to putting a pillow between my legs but it's a huge pain.  I'm still working through figuring out the best way to deal with this.

Belly Button:  Innie

Stretchmarks?  None

Nutrition/Cravings? I changed this to "Nutrition/Cravings" so I could also talk about what I'm eating or not eating considering that has been a much bigger factor than I had anticipated.  I thought pregnant=hungry all the time.  I didn't realize it meant hungry, but not for anything in particular, and not interested in 99% of what you are offered.  Eating is a struggle and I'm lucky that Joey likes to cook because I am definitely not interested in cooking, let alone eating.  Breakfast and Lunch are pretty easy- cereal or a bagel and some fruit, some decaf coffee or OJ, Lunch is usually a PB&J sandwich with some chips and carrots and pudding or something, snacks are easy and range from greek yogurt to a bowl of ice cream (whatev).  But dinner is stressful.  I usually just tell Joey to decide because I don't want anything.  Last night we had an awesome dinner that he concocted- crockpot ribs with baked beans and green beans. 

In terms of cravings, I'm so annoyed with myself and I don't even want to admit but all I wanted last week was a fresh salad.  With an emphasis on fresh tomatoes.  I told Joey this one night and when I got home from work he was hard at work in the kitchen cutting piles of random vegetables- it was so awesome.  It probably means that my body needed the nutrients from the salad, so that's probably bad. But it also just makes me hate myself because really... WHO CRAVES SALAD?! Why don't I go take my bunny food and eat a carrot. Jeez.  Embarassing.

Sleep:   Aside from the killer pain in my hips, sleep is going OK.  It's almost time to order a body pillow I think.  I've gotten better at dealing with the middle of the night wakeups.  Also, my body is slowly adjusting to daylight savings time.  Apparently when you are pregnant this wreaks more havoc on your body than you realize! 

Looking Forward To:  Getting baby girl's room set up and creating our baby registry!

What I miss: I miss my book club! There. I said it.  I haven't been in months because of various reasons and I have to miss March's meeting too :(  I am really hoping I can make it to April's meeting.

Doc/Chloe:  They are adjusting well to having another thing in the bed- the pillow between my legs.  Which is annoying, because when I go to flip over, I realize Doc is actually sleeping on the pillow, between my legs, under the covers.  I don't need a lecture to realize that the dogs need to not be in the bed... but it's definitely time to start working on that.

Weekly wisdom: I'm taking this out from now on until I have something good to say.

Other: I hadn't really had a chance before now to say what a great job Joey is doing.  He has been really amazing through this whole first 20 weeks.  He deals with my irrational emotions and reassures me when I'm worrying and cleans the kitchen and does the laundry without mentioning the fact that I hadn't touched either in DAYS.  He has really stepped it up and it means a lot to me.  (It doesn't mean you are getting a motorcycle or a boat though, honey.)  But I wanted to make sure he got some ups on the blog because I don't want him to think it's all going unnoticed.

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