25 weeks

Pumpkin this week...

~ Baby now knows which way is up and which way is down.
~ He keep on growing more fat and more hair!  Keep growing little man!

Size of the Baby?

13.6-14.8 inches long and 1.5-2.5 pounds.
The size of a Cauliflower!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

I think our scale is broken this week... maybe we'll check next week...

Maternity Clothes?

Loved my new black lace Jessica Simpson Dress this week!  1. I love JS!  2. I saw her wearing this dress when she was on Jay Leno and I loved it!  3. I got lots of compliments on it!  Be prepared to see this dress at other weddings this summer!

Can we please take a moment to say how gorgeous Trisha was on her wedding day?!!  And Ellie could not be a cuter mama too!  Love these ladies!

Stretch Marks?

Thank you Mama's Belly Butter- I'm still stretch mark free!

Best Moments?

Not going to lie one bit on this one... it was really nice to receive some really nice compliments at the wedding this last weekend.  People said they could hardly tell I looked preggers from the front or the back- only my side profile.  And what pregnant lady doesn't love to hear that?!  I'm not fishing for compliments here- I'm just being honest that those were encouraging words :)

Movement?

Yes!!  I could just watch my tummy move for hours!  And he moves a lot when I eat ice cream (or something cold)!

Nausea/Vomitting?

This was bad!  This may have been my worst incident yet!  I won't go into details but hands down it was the lowest of the low pregnancy moments thus far.

Labor Signs?

Hopefully a while longer until that!

Gender?

BOY!

Belly Button In or Out?
In but getting shallow!

Wedding Rings On or Off?

On!  I still have to bring my push band in to get sized- I have fingers the size of 3rd graders but I don't want to give up my wedding ring.  I would prefer not to be rocking the baby bump without my rings.

Sleep?

Ryan referred to me as a Mack Truck this week... isn't that adorable?!  I slept hard this week- snoring included!

Wisdom?

Simplify your closet to a maternity-friendly closet.  I did this last week and seriously it makes picking out clothes so much easier in the morning.  I eliminated everything that doesn't fit the bump and just have bump-friendly clothes now.  Ryan figures I will feel like I went on a huge shopping spree when I can get back in my normal clothes!

The before simplifying pictures are on top... bump friendly on the bottom!

What am I most excited about?
A weekend at home- no traveling.  And spending time with my cousin's wife and their kids.  My cousin lives in Alaska so we don't see him very often.  The last time I saw him was 2008.  But his wife and kids will be in town on Saturday so I'm looking forward to seeing them and having Ryan meet my one and only cousin... well his wife.  My cousin is in the forest fire business so he is in a remote town in Alaska doing training.  I wish he could be here too!

Cheers,

Friday Letters

Dear Gavin & Trisha-

We are really excited to celebrate your wedding day tomorrow!  Yay!  And a few weeks ago we were talking about how warm it might be for your big day!  It looks like it will be a gorgeous HOT day!  We are really excited for you and very excited to be there!

Dear Friend-

It may not be Paris but it will do!  A weekend at a cabin with friends and family seems like a perfect way to celebrate your 30th birthday!  When I think about how our friendship began- a horrible interview 5 years ago- to now, you have been a wonderful friend through so much... coaching, weddings, houses, baby, and lots of coffee, shopping, and manicures!  Love you lots Friend!  Cheers to YOU!

 

Dear Kathryn-

Yesterday was your birthday and I so wish we could have celebrated together!  Happy Birthday to one of my oldest friends!  Cheers to the days of celebrating your birthday at diving camp!  Can't wait to see you this summer!  I won't have a drink in your honor - I will have a treat though for sure!  Maybe with Robyn too!

Dear Nursery-

You are coming along so well!  Ryan has put so much work into house project this week and you are almost complete!  Only a few more details and you will be ready for baby!

Dear Dupree-

You are ever so cute all the time.  I'm so glad you are our fur baby!  And I love when you lay on my belly lately- you are so gentle and I think you know you have a brother coming in a few months!

Dear Gym-

We haven't seen each other too much lately.  It's not you, it's me.  I've been seeing someone else- the Dakota trail.  I've been loving long walks on the trail with Dupree and Husband.  It's been so nice to get outside, get fresh air and walk.  I will see you again when the snow comes- which better not be for a very, very long time.

Dear Decaf Coffee-

Although you are nice and all, I really miss my Mudslide coffee.  We have about 4.5 months left of this relationship.  I'm already over you.

Dear Husband-

I am looking forward to dancing with you at the wedding and then relaxing by the lake this weekend.  You are simply the best and I love you.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend-

24 Weeks

Pumpkin this week...

~ His skin is becoming more opaque and less see-through.
~ The skin is becoming more pink in color, small capillaries have recently formed.
~His adorable face is just about complete with eyebrows, eye lashes, and hair.
~ He is gaining fat all over :)  Grow baby grow!

Size of the Baby?

10.5-11.8 inches long and 12.7-20.8 ounces.  Realistically our baby is over one pound.  He has been a bit ahead of schedule for his growth.
The size of a Cantaloupe!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

+2 lbs... I guess that makes a wash from the no weight gain last week.

Maternity Clothes?

I do love maxi dresses these days and I ordered a few dresses for our maternity photoshoot and summer weddings.  I can't wait to try them on!

Stretch Marks?

I'm still stretch mark free.

Best Moments?

Toss up... Father's Day was pretty great!  I thought about how next year Ryan will be holding our baby boy and celebrating Father's Day as a dad!  He is going to make an amazing dad!  My other best moment was coaching this last weekend.  I was in  Iowa for a USA diving meet- Regions- with our club team.  The kids did great and we had 7 kids qualify for the zone meet.  On Saturday morning I called Ryan from the pool and got all teary eyed when I was telling him how much I just love coaching and how much I am going to miss it this fall/winter while on maternity leave.  I can't believe how much I love these kids and this team.

Movement?

Everyday!  But at the Superman movie he was going nuts!

Nausea/Vomitting?

Yep I lost it again this week.  Only once but I did.

Labor Signs?

Nope.

Gender?

Little Man.

Belly Button In or Out?
Still in but it may pop in the next few months!

Wedding Rings On or Off?

Still on!

Sleep?

This last week of sleep hasn't been great.  More bathroom breaks and I can't find a comfortable position when I wake up.  I fall asleep fast on the body pillow but when I wake up in the middle of the night, it is hard to get back to sleep.

Wisdom?

Be smart about what you eat.... this is sort of a funny story.  At the diving meet this last weekend, we went out for a team dinner and salmon sounded so good to me so I ordered it.  I should have thought twice about this as I was surrounded my moms who likely had opinions about pregnancy and eating fish.  Let me say for the record- this is only the second time I decided to eat fish while pregnant.  Low and behold, one mom just had to say something.  She wasn't rude- just opinionated.  I should have thought better of ordering fish in this crowd but I couldn't help it.  Anyways, I will definitely avoid such controversial issues in the future.

What am I most excited about?
We have a wedding this weekend for one of Ryan's high school friends- Gavin and his soon to be wife, Trisha!  I can't wait to celebrate them.  They have become good friends and it's so nice to have more friends living close to us!  Then we are off to celebrate my friend Annie's 9th anniversary of her 21st birthday!  Very much looking forward to some time with husband and friends!

Can't believe there are only 16 week until Baby Boy's due date!

Wordless Wednesday: Too Cute.

Baby Boy received these on Father's Day... too cute.

Cannot wait to cheer on our favorite teams with the little man!

Baby Talk: Father's Day

I'm a day late on this but I'm linking up with Kristin for Baby Talk so I thought I would mix it in here.  Father's Day on Sunday was really nice for our families.  

It was the first of many Father's Day that I get to celebrate Ryan!  We made breakfast together in the morning and then got ready for the day ahead with our families.  If anyone knows Ryan and I, they know we cannot hold onto gifts for any occasion- we always give them early.  So a few weeks ago Ryan got his Father's Day gift: a personalized pair of Oakley sunglasses.  Somewhere between Rome and Chicago, Ryan lost his favorite sunglasses last year so he's been in need of a new pair for a while.  I love these new glasses!  In the corner of one of the lenses it says "Baby Name's Dad"... I'm still not sharing our baby name on the blog yet but you get the point.  They look great and Ryan loves them!  

We went to my parents to celebrate all the other dads in our lives.  We ate lunch, opened gifts, and then enjoyed some Custard cake- yum!  I feel really blessed to have spent the day with my dad, my grandpa, my father-in-law and brother.  All of these men mean so much to me and I can't explain how honored I am to have them in my life.

After we left my parents we joined up with Ryan's mom and step-dad and celebrated Ross.  I am a lucky lady to have two father-in-laws... both are great men!  We didn't get to stay too long because Ryan really wanted to see the new Superman movie- so we headed to the theater for the night.  It definitely wasn't at the top of my list of favorite movies but it was bearable.  The best part of the movie was that baby boy was moving and kicking the whole time!  I'm sure the loud movie and likely vibrations from the theater, all made him squirm a ton!  I LOVED it.  I focused more on baby than the movie... don't ask me the story line... I won't be able to give you accurate details!

All in all, it was a great day- celebrating my husband, my dad, my grandpa, my brother, and my two father-in-laws!  I'm a very lucky girl to be surrounded by all these guys.  Baby boy is going to lucky to have these men teach him, play with him, and love him when he finally makes his arrival.  

Cheers,

23 Weeks

A little more sneak peak of the nursery...

Pumpkin this week...

~ He is forming nipples this week... TMI?!  No way!   A naked baby is the cutest thing ever!
~ His face is fully formed now.  He just needs a little fat to fill it out a bit.  Good thing he has 17 weeks to do that!
~ He is listening to my heartbeat and my voice... and might hear Dupree barking!  That's your fur brother, little man!

Size of the Baby?

10.5-11.8 inches long and 12.7-20.8 ounces
The size of a Grapefruit!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

No weight gain this week and I have to say I'm happy about it!  It's nice to stay constant for one week!  YAY!

Maternity Clothes?

No new purchases but I did wear a maxi dress this week and I'm pretty confident that this is going to become a staple in my wardrobe!

Stretch Marks?

Burt's Bee Mama's Butter is doing a great job of keeping those at bay!  None yet!

Best Moments?

Getting more and more of the nursery complete!  Curtains are up, pictures are hung on the wall, the mobile is over the crib and more... I don't want to say too much because I can't wait to show off the nursery when it is all complete.  It's so fun to picture spending hours in the little guy's room when he gets here!

Movement?

His movements are getting more frequent and stronger.  He is definitely always active in the evening after 5pm and will kick pretty consistently until I go to bed.  And I LOVE it!

Nausea/Vomitting?

I spoke too soon... I lost my breakfast twice this week :(

Labor Signs?

Hopefully at least 17 more weeks until labor happens.

Gender?

Team boy!

Belly Button In or Out?
In but it keeps getting more shallow... even Ryan said he doesn't suction his finger anymore when he pokes me.  Haha!  Gross!  I can't believe I just admitted that!

Wedding Rings On or Off?

On and not even tight yet!  Thankful for that!

Sleep?

Love my new body pillow!  I've been sleeping thru the night more often and I love getting 7-8 hours of continuous sleep.

Wisdom?

A king size bed would have be really helpful when I keep getting bigger and now that I love my body pillow. Husband + pregnant wife + body pillow + Dupree = a VERY crowded bed!  This queen size bed just isn't cutting it!

What am I most excited about?
Father's Day on Sunday!  I'm excited to celebrate my dad and grandpa!  I love these two guys to the moon and back.  But I'm REALLY, REALLY excited to celebrate Ryan!  It's his first Father's Day and I can't wait to celebrate the daddy he is going to be.  Baby and I are really lucky to have Ryan!

PS- Can we discuss the fact that I am 5 months pregnant!  Oh my word!  It is going so fast!
Can't wait to hold this little man in 4 months,

Wordless Wednesday: Our Flower Girl

This little girl was our flower girl and I can't believe how fast she is growing up..

What a cutie right?!  I love this picture of her...

Baby Talk: Ryan's Top 5 Surprises About Pregnancy

So I thought it would be fun to ask Ryan what has been the most surprising to him about pregnancy.  His top 5 biggest surprises are...

1. His frustration with not being able to help me with my morning sickness

When morning sickness kicked in, immediately Ryan googled how to 'cure' morning sickness.  New flash!  There is no cure but Ryan sure tried!  He bought me ginger gum, psi bracelets, a lifetime supply of saltine crackers, ginger for cooking, and carbonated water.  He would always jump out of bed to get something for me in the morning- waffles, water, anything that sounded good and made me think I wouldn't puke.  Ryan always wants to solve any problems I have so it was hard for him to see me puke for 12-13 weeks straight.

2. After 23 weeks it still barely looks like I'm pregnant

Can I tell you how much I love that he said this!??  I'm starting to feel big and it's really nice to hear this.  And if he is just being nice, well I'm fine with that!  I feel 23 weeks pregnant so it really makes me feel good that Ryan still thinks I look good.

  

3. How comfortable he feels with the situation

Ryan said that before we got pregnant he thought he would be more nervous and anxious about this.  But he said he feels totally relaxed and prepared for this next chapter.  He is really comfortable with baby coming in October- actually excited!  And what wife doesn't love that her husband is not having a melt down or cold feet but is excited that our family is growing?!  

4. How even he felt about having a boy or a girl

As soon as we got pregnant Ryan started calling the baby 'he' and I always said 'she'- both sort of joking but both sort of serious.  But as the pregnancy progessed I really just wanted a healthy baby and I truly didn't care if baby was a boy or a girl.  But a week or so before our ultrasound to find out the gender, Ryan started to think a girl wouldn't be so bad.  He could picture himself with a daughter.  He was thrilled to hear we're having a boy but if baby #2 someday is a girl, I think he will be equally excited.

5. How pleasant I have been throughout the whole process

This makes me laugh!  I'm glad to hear I haven't been crazy, psycho pregnant lady!  I definitely cry a lot more often- at anything- but I haven't been bat sh** crazy like all the books said I would be!  And I like that Ryan used the word pleasant to describe me- sounds like he still likes hanging out with me!

I am crazy lucky and blessed to be married to Ryan!  I already knew that but this list just solidifies what an awesome husband I have!  I can't wait to see him as a daddy!  He will be amazing!

Thankful,

Today I linked up with Kristin for Baby Talk!

  

Weekend Shenanigans: This and That

The weekend flew by as I knew it would.  A quick recap...

Friday evening included a trip to Target and dinner at Lola's in Waconia.  I can't say they have the best food but I do love the place and it was nice to enjoy dinner with Ryan.  We finished the night with Gavin and Trisha at the local pub- can't wait for their wedding in a few weeks!

Saturday was breakfast with Grandpa and Grandma at Scotty B's- yummy!  I got my hair cut and Ryan did some work.  We went to Gretchen & Jake's baby shower!  Super fun to celebrate their baby due in July!  Then we went to dinner with Ryan's dad at Maynard's in Rogers and we finished the night with another Target run and a Home Depot Trip.  When we got home, we were ambitious and did a little work to the nursery.

Sunday was more work to the nursery- it's getting so close to complete!  Ryan had a work meeting  so I went on a walk in the rain with my mom and our puppies.  And the day completed with both Ryan and I doing online classes.  He is finished up his continuing education for real estate and I did a First Aid course for coaching.  

A quick weekend and I know this week is going to fly by too!

Cheers,

22 Weeks

Baby Bump on our Mini Baby-Moon

Pumpkin this week...

~ Baby's eyes and lips are further developing... he looks more like the adorable newborn I keep picturing
~ He is sleeping in cycles... about 12-14 hours a day... which helps explains the times I don't feel him move too much

Size of the Baby?

10.5-11.8 inches long and 12.7-20.8 ounces
The size of a Papaya!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

Up 1 pound.  Happy after last weeks weight gain.  I'm hoping to stabilize this weight gain... it sort of freaks me out!  Total right now +16 lbs.

Maternity Clothes?

No new clothes lately and I think Ryan is happy I haven't spent any money on my wardrobe.

Stretch Marks?

Thankfully none!

Best Moments?

Our mini baby-moon!  Read more about it here!  Crazy to think it was likely our last trip just the two of us before little Man Hannay arrives!  It will be a busy summer with cabin trips and weddings but this was probably our last one just 'You & Me'

Movement?

Yes!  I love the little kicks and jabs!  And I really, really love when Ryan gets to feel them!

Nausea/Vomitting?

I think this season in my pregnancy has passed and I am thankful!

Labor Signs?

No way Jose!

Gender?

A little Man!

Belly Button In or Out?
It's still in.  I think it is getting more shallow but Ryan thinks I'm making that up.  But I think I know my bellybutton better than he does ;)

Wedding Rings On or Off?

Definitely on!  And loving my 'push gift' band!

Sleep?

Good but I like sleeping on my back and I always seem to end up on my back.

Wisdom?

Don't feel bad about asking questions.  When I had my appointment this week I had a few questions to ask and she reminded me that I can always call and ask her on the phone too.  I just hate bothering people and I always figure I can wait until I see her next.  None of my questions were pressing or really important but I could have been sleeping on my back without worry for the last few weeks!  That would have been nice!

What am I most excited about?
Gretchen and Jake's baby shower!  One of my very good friends from college, Gretchen is due in July and we get to shower her this weekend and celebrate their new baby!  They don't know if their baby is a boy or a girl -- I think it's really awesome that they are waiting for the surprise!
Dinner last weekend with Gretchen (and our husbands)!  Might have been our last dinner of 4!

22 down, 18 to go!