Goodbye 2011 {32 weeks!}

This has been a really good year for us, mainly because we are finally expecting our little baby. :) But we think that 2012 is going to be the best year since we got married. There are so many changes coming our way in 2012 and a lot of unknowns but just like we have for the past 5 years, we will get through it together because that is what we do. We are the best team. {I love you bubba.}

The nursery is coming along rather quickly now. We have all of the big furniture in the house... but we have to put together the dresser still. We picked it up yesterday and it was heavy, so we had to open the box from the Audi and carry the pieces into the house and upstairs bit by bit. There are SO many pieces to this dresser and the instructions have 34 steps to put this together. For all those people who warned us about the crib... the crib has nothing on this dresser. I am going to have to buy Brad lots of beer this weekend so we can get it together. Haha.

A million freaking pieces:

Once we get this bad boy put together then we just have the finishing touches to the nursery and it should done. Hooray. It feels like yesterday I was having a breakdown because I couldn't decide where to even start with the nursery. But now it's almost done and that makes me so happy. And relieved.

Today my belly feels bigger than usual. Which I am sure is right because I guess it still has some growing to do. ;)

From BabyCenter.com:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Outside of the usual, getting up and sitting down is now getting a little more difficult. I try to avoid going up the stairs in the house more than I need to because I get winded realllllly easily. And our next appointment isn't for another 3 weeks....

So until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

The holiday season... {30 & 31 weeks}

Looks like I am doing another double week post this week, sorry about that. Unfortunately, both Brad and I got sick last week and although we are still battling the end of the cold, we are both feeling MUCH better.
So let's recap last week...

I started getting sick around two Fridays ago. I stuck it out through the weekend because I knew that there really wasn't anything that I could take for it, but on Monday I went to the OB just to be safe. And naturally they said that they couldn't give me anything but they did give me the rest of the day off from work! So I spent the day in bed, but sleeping without taking any medicine just didn't help me. I went to work the following day and got sent home again. Finally by Wednesday I didn't feel like dying and now I just have some sniffles. Hooray. Last week we also received a handmade blanket from Brad's grandma. We actually have two handmade blankets now, one from Brad's Nana and one from Brad's grandma. They are so cute.

 

And the belly:

From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

And now on to this week...
Two Fridays ago I caught a cold. Last Friday, I thought I was going into pre-term labor. Yeah, it's been a pretty exciting two weeks for us. Haha. I woke up on Friday night with really bad cramps, so I went into the bathroom and the cramps got worse. I am already blessed with Braxton Hicks, so I know what mild contractions feel like, but these felt like full blown contractions. After about 10 minutes they went away though and I was able to go back to sleep. The rest of the weekend I just tried to lay low and not move around too much.
Monday we had our OB appointment. I brought up what happened on Friday and the doctor said that I handled the situation perfectly. Only if my contractions continue on a regular basis for an hour then I would go to labor & delivery. Bean is doing well. Her heartbeat was strong and she was moving like crazy at the appointment. The doctor had the hardest time finding and holding her heartbeat and Brad got to see her jabs to my stomach while the doctor was trying. Our next appointment is 4 weeks away, sigh. That will put us at 35 weeks. After that I think we will be seen at 37 weeks, which is technically full term, and then every week after that until she comes. That leaves us with about 5 more appointments to go! Holy moly! And yes, she is staying in there until 40 weeks at least. As long as she is on time or late then I will be happy.
We finally have all of her big furniture ordered and on the way here. We should have her nursery done by the end on January. It looks cute so far and with the rest of the stuff we got it will easily be the cutest room in our house. :) We also got a box from Brad's parents full of stuff for her. Lots of cute clothes and our first package of diapers. Haha.

My belly is growing and growing and oh yeah, growing. It now takes me a few tries to get out of bed in the morning. I imagine that I look like Randy from A Christmas Story when he falls in the snow. "I can't get up!!!" Yup, that's me. Haha. I have some stretch marks but I do my best to keep them lotioned. I know that they are inevitable, but I am hoping to keep them at a minimum. ;)

 

From BabyCenter.com:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

And since we have been sick and busy trying to get ready for the holidays and the baby, we are behind on getting our Christmas cards out. They will be more like Happy New Year cards at this rate. Haha.

Gah, someone reminded me that I wanted to do a progression picture, so here it is!:

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

I feel nakey... {29 weeks!}

Well, we have good news: I got my wedding ring off! Yay!
We also have bad news: We had to have a jeweler cut it off. :(

Now I feel naked. I miss my ring. I wish it didn't have to come to this. And although they can and will be fixing my ring for me once I am done being pregnant and swollen, it's still really really sad. Also, I told Brad that the second we find out we are pregnant again my ring is coming off and going on a necklace. Haha. We are NOT going through this again!

The weeks are flying by and we still have so much to do in preparation for Bean's arrival. Her nursery has a crib aaaaaand that's about it. We have no clothes, no diapers, no changing table. We are pretty behind on all this. Haha. I hoping to have it all done by the end of January. Let's just go with that for now...

I was asked not to reveal Bean's initials... so we will keep them on lock down for now. :) But earlier this week the top 100 boys and girls names of 2011 came out. I am happy to say that her name is not on this list. So if you would like to know what she isn't going to be named, please take a look here: http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2011.

Bean is still really really active. It's fun. And I am pretty sure that she is going to be really long because I feel kicks at the very top of my belly to the very bottom at the same time. Haha. It's so crazy. This is one of the best feelings ever. I often tell Brad that I wish he could have her in his belly for a while so he can feel her inside kicks. It's just so weird. It will probably be one of the things I miss most about being pregnant.

We finally moved on to a new fruit. From 29-32 weeks Bean is the size of a squash. Only 2 more fruits (months) left. Eeeeep!
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Our next OB appointment is scheduled for December 19th, where I hope that we will get an ultrasound but I won't hold my breath. I would hope that at 31 weeks they would want to make sure that she was positioned head down... I guess we will see. :)

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Swollen, but Thankful {27 & 28 weeks!}

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did. We went to a friend's house for Thanksgiving and got to see lots of people who we were stationed with in Belgium that we haven't seen in forever. It was a really nice reunion with great food and awesome company. {Thank you Stacey for inviting us to your house!}
I do just want to mention also that we are so thankful to finally have this blessing in our life. It's been a long time coming, but we are still over the moon excited. <3
Since it was a holiday last week, I kind of skipped last weeks blog (please forgive me). But I will make it up today! So let's start with last week....

We had an OB appointment last Tuesday. It was another quick in and out kind of appointment. My belly is at the correct size and Bean's heartbeat is super strong and fast. After we saw the nurse, she reminded me that I had to get labs done. Greeeaaatttt. This wasn't just normal pee in a cup and take some blood kind of lab. This was a lab to test me for gestational diabetes. So I went to the lab (completely unprepared, I should have brought a book) and they handed me this bottle of sugary something or another that I was told to drink in 5 minutes. Luckily, it actually didn't taste that bad, just like flat Sprite. Then after I drank it, I had to wait for an hour until they could draw my blood. I had no cell phone reception and nothing to read. It was a really boring hour. But it's done now and I haven't heard anything back so I am hoping that no news is good news.
Besides our appointment and Thanksgiving, we just enjoyed our long weekend that we both had and did some things around the house. We bought some things on Black Friday and we got our Christmas Tree. I can't believe that tomorrow is December! Whoa.

My belly is getting large and in charge. And by "in charge" I mean, I keep running into things with it. Like if I take a corner too sharp or turn while standing around people. Hahaha. Yeah I have hit it on people and things. Go me!
Info from BabyCenter.com:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

And now on to this week...
We are officially in the THIRD trimester now, which is proof that time is flyyyying by.
Over the weekend we figured out that my wedding ring is officially stuck on my finger. :( We spent most of the weekend trying to figure out how to get it off. We tried soaking it in ice water (brrrr), using butter, olive oil, vasaline, dish soap, hand soap, tugging, pulling, twisting, praying, wrapping dental floss around the swollen part. But yeah, it's not going ANYWHERE. So we are going to go to Zale's and see if they can cut it and repair it for us. If not, we have a friend here who volunteers at the Fire Station that will cut it off for us. I just don't want my hands to get anymore swollen and cause any big problems. Siiiigh. I love my ring.
Bean has been moving around LIKE CRAZY nowadays. I love it. I love every kick and movement. I think it's because she hasn't found my bladder or my ribs yet. Thank you Jesus. Haha. Sometimes I like to play with her and I will push in on my tummy and she will kick back. It's super cute. Brad will sit on the couch with me and put his hand on my belly trying to feel her kicks. But she gets shy around him. I can now even see her move my belly which is realllllly weird. I am cherishing these moments because soon (12 weeks!!!) they will be gone. I really do love being pregnant.

Here is Brad trying to feel her kicks. And Kahlua because she loves sitting on my lap. And my belly button which is still an "innie" because I have the world's deepest belly button. Haha.

Info from BabyCenter.com:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I have also read that she can now smell the things I smell, which I thought was really weird.


Our next OB appointment won't be until closer to Christmas. But I think we get an ultrasound at the next appointment. I hope, I hope, I hope! :) And maybe we will even reveal her initals. But we aren't telling her name until she arrives.


<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Double Digits! {26 weeks!}

On Monday we hit the double digit mark on the countdown to our due date. Double. Digits. Can you believe it?! With the holidays quickly approaching, time is just going to continue to fly, too.
On top of the holidays, we still have lots to do with the nursery and really the house in general. We started looking into the classes that are offered at the hospital here, but we probably won't sign up for any until January. We need this info to be fresh in our heads, haha.
We have our monthly OB appointment next week, but I don't think we get another ultrasound for another month. We are thinking about getting another one out in town again in December just so we can see her and make sure she is really still a girl. We have heard too many stories of these things being wrong. Lol. Plus, I would like to know how she is sitting in the uterus because she feels realllllly low. It's weird.
She has been really active this past week. She likes to move the most when I am eating and when I am singing in the car. Haha.Probably because she wants me to stop singing. ;)

She just keeps getting bigger. :)

From BabyCenter.com:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

Until next week...
<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Time is flying... {25 weeks!}

25 weeks. Can you believe it? I cannot even. But just as much as this pregnancy is flying by, I still feel like it's at a standstill. Like, oh my goodness we still have three and a half months. And then it turns into, oh my goodness we only have three and a half months left! Haha.

This has been a very quiet week for us. Today is my last Veteran's Day as an Active Duty Service Member. That is weird to think about. But I am enjoying my day off with Brad as he works from home today. I have had some annoying pregnancy symptoms this week. Yesterday morning I was awoken by some killer heartburn at 4am. So I got out of bed and had some chocolate milk which helped the heartburn go away. Then yesterday afternoon I had a really bad upset stomach, which is why I didn't get around to blogging. It's always something, right? ;)

This week I went to a "Budget for Baby" class that was offered on base for free by the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society. They did a basic run down of how to make your life ready for a baby. It was all common sense stuff, but the best part was that we each of a bag of free stuff, which included a hand made crocheted blanket and a bunch of baby stuff. I grabbed the yellow blanket and it was full of gender nuteral items, which we prefer, you know juuuust in case. Haha. Plus we aren't a huge fan of putting Bean in only pink.

From weeks 25-28, Bean is the size of an eggplant! She is really getting big!
Info for BabyCenter.com:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

I think the bump is the same for now, luckily. 

But I have found a few stretch marks. *cry*

 After payday we should be buying more of the nursrey items and hopefully I can get to working on the crib bumpers and bed skirt (yes, I am attempting to sew my own). And then maybe by December we can finally show it off! I am still on the search for a good rocker/glider for her room. If anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome.

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Kick, kick, kick... {24 weeks!}

For the past few weeks I have been feeling Bean kick, but I didn't want to say anything about it until Brad could feel her too. Luckily this weekend Brad got to feel his first few baby kicks. It pretty much made my weekend. :) Kicks are seriously the weirdest feeling ever. I can't even begin to describe it. But I love it.

 

There really isn't a lot going on right now. I scheduled our next appointment, but that isn't until November 22nd. And we haven't gotten anything else got the nursery. Ooo, I did win a play pen on Twitter! And that came in this week! Other than that, just the same old stuff going on. I notice my belly getting bigger and my fatigue is coming back. I'm still really enjoying the second trimester and I cannot believe that we are almost to the third! Time is flying.

I do have lots of pictures to share this week though...

Bean's first Vans :)

I saw these on Etsy and fell in love with them.

 

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Skeletor {23 weeks!}

We had an appointment with our OB on Monday and we got the times mixed up so Brad missed the appointment by 10 minutes. :( But it was a really fast appointment. They checked my uterus size and it was only measuring a week ahead now and they listened to the heartbeat. Then they sent me on my way. Our next appointment is in a month and I have to do a glucose test. Ugh.

Halloween is right around the corner and this year we are just going to hang out at home and hand out candy. But my friend Wendy posted a link to this adorable shirt to our Facebook and I knew I had to buy it!

 Isn't it the cutest ever?! :)

 

Last weekend we did get the crib put together. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. It only took me and Brad 30 minutes, maybe. No pictures yet because we are still missing the bed skirt and bumpers. But once the nursery is all put together I will be more than happy to show it off! :)

Here is some info about Bean this week from BabyCenter.com:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

The growing belly:

Not much else going on this week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Keep on swimming... {22 weeks}

Some of you might not know this about me, but I'm a swimmer. Ever since I was little little. Then all throughout my elementary, middle, and high school years I swam on a swim team. I love swimming. So, I decided that I should probably start exercising to take care of little Bean and myself, and naturally I chose to swim. And now that I have this belly I float so much easier. Haha. But it's made me feel so much better in general and also a lot sleepier. I am hoping that I can keep this up throughout the rest of the pregnancy!

We wanted to take a moment to say congrats to Brad's cousin Megan on the arrival of her new twin boys, Anderson and Greyson and also to my Brother's Sister Krista on the arrival of her new baby girl, Khloe. :)
Also, my friend Kristin is about to pop any day now with her new baby girl Sonora, so we am hoping next week we will be able to say congrats to her!
So many babies happening! Haha!

As for us... from weeks 22-24 Bean is the size of a papaya (average size: 10.5-11.8 inches, 12.7-20.8 oz).
This week from BabyCenter.com:
At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

The Bump:

I bought this necklace a few weeks ago for Bean. <3

(Yes, it is a bean necklace, haha.)

Next week we have an OB appointment and I have a cute Halloween shirt that I am SO excited to share! Yay!

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Pain in my... {21 weeks!}

This week my main concern has been the never-ending-constantly-hurting pain in my back. Ouch. Some days is worse than others, and the others make me waddle around my office like a super pregnant woman, I'm not even that big yet, geeeez. I know it comes with the territory of being pregnant, but I was finally feeling great and loving the second trimester and now I waddle. Haha.

Another pain I am having is the nursery. We finally have Bean's room cleared out and ready for some furniture but I seriously cannot commit to anything I see on the internet. I really think I am making a bigger deal about the nursery than I should be, but Brad said that I wasn't acting too crazy, so I guess I am okay. I am hoping to have at least one piece of furniture picked out by this weekend so we can order it along with this adorable quilt that I found. So you may be waiting a while to see any pictures of her room.

We did finally get our registry somewhat put together. There are still a few things that we are researching and stuff (like bottles, why are there so many different types?!) but if you would like to check it out, feel free. :)
We are registered at Babies R Us (Registry #: 47462933) and we have a wish list for baby clothes at Carters (Click here).

My belly has plateaued for now I think. I don't think I have seen much change in it lately. But I suspect that in the next few weeks it is going to grow over night and I will be a big balloon. Haha.

And I *think* that I have felt Bean kick, but to be honest I have no idea what I should be feeling and I don't really want to say that yes, I for sure have felt her kick yet. But if she is, it is very low and usually on the left side. It's like she found the one part that my placenta isn't covering.

This week Bean is the size of a banana. Which could mean anything, I guess. Haha. This is also the last time that Bean will be sized every week. From here until labor she is sized by the month, so only 5 more fruits to go! Whoaaaa.
And here is what BabyCenter.com has to say:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Until next week...

<3 Brad & Jenna & Bean

Oh boy!... Or girl! {20 weeks!}

This morning we had our 20 week anatomy scan, where they measured Bean all over and made sure that everything is good. They didn't tell us anything bad, so I guess no news is good news! Bean was measuring 2 days ahead, but the tech said that this will fluctuate a little throughout the pregnancy. The appointment was by far the longest we have had. They told me to come in with a full bladder, so before the appointment I drank somewhere around 40 ounces of water and juice. And naturally I was late to get called into the exam room. So for most of the morning I was an uncomfortable mess who was afraid to sneeze because I would probably wet myself. When I finally got into the exam room, the tech said that my bladder was SUPER full and that she would try to go as fast as she could to get her calculations. Then after about 15 minutes, she let me pee. It was almost the highlight of my morning. Almost. Haha. She told me to go grab Brad who was still in the waiting room while she talked to the radiologist. When she came back she let us take a look at Bean and I asked her to find out the gender for us. Unfortunately, Bean's legs were locked together. Haha. Which makes me glad that we paid for an early gender scan a few weeks ago. Then she took some pictures for us and sent us on our way.

Profile (my favorite):

 Face and fist pump:

 Arm and body:

And now, for the moment you all have been waiting for... the gender! We decided to have a little party with some friends to celebrate/reveal the gender of Bean. I had a cake made and the inside filling disclosed the goods. My friend Helene did an AWESOME job of decorating her house for the occasion and she even carved a pumpkin for Bean. It was the cutest thing ever!

And here is the video of the cake cutting:

(watch the video before scrolling down!)

The Proof:

So there you have it. Our little Bean is a girl! We were both expecting to see boy parts and when the tech showed us that she was a she, we both got really quite. The tech was like, "Are you guys okay?" Haha. We are totally happy because she is healthy and that is what matters. :)

This week Bean is the size of a small cantaloupe! Which I didn't buy because of that listeria scare, haha.

And some fun facts about Bean:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.) She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). If you're carrying a girl fetus, her uterus is fully formed this week and her vaginal canal is starting its development (which means that in about twenty-five or thirty-some-odd years, she could be just where you're at, Grandma!). She also has primitive eggs in her tiny little ovaries now, seven million of them — though by the time she's born, that number will be down to two million (still more than she could ever hope to use). And interestingly, your baby girl will be born with all the eggs she'll ever have. 

And finally, the bump. Which is getting more and more noticeable by the second. I had two people ask me when my due date was this week alone. I guess am actually looking pregnant now. Ha.

Until next week...

<3 Brad & Jenna

Third OB Appt {19 weeks!}

Monday we had our pseudo-monthly baby appointment. It started off with my most favorite part... vitals! The guy who took me in for my vitals was really nice and funny though. First thing that happens is the weight check. I hop on the scale and to my surprise, I finally gained some weight! 4 pounds since July! And I am not complaining one bit. But when he was about to write down my weight he asked me if I wanted him to subtract any. I laughed and said no and asked if people normally say yes to that question. Apparently they do. Haha. Then we were taken into the exam room and the doctor came in. She told me that they were going to measure me, which they haven't done before. So she took this paper tape measure and placed it across my belly and then was shocked by the results. She said that I was measuring much farther than my due date (around 23 weeks, I think she said) and asked if I was sure of my dates. I said pretty sure, we had an IUI done and she replied, that is pretty accurate then, haha. So then she asked the tech to bring in an ultrasound machine so she could make sure that there wasn't more than one baby in there. I didn't mention that we had an ultrasound last week, because I am not going to turn down another time to see Bean. Everything looked good in the ultrasound, still only one baby and Bean was measuring at around 16 weeks 5 days (give or take 10 days), which baffled me because I am 19 weeks now. But everything is good and next week we have our big anatomy scan where they check everything else with Bean.

This week Bean is the size of a mango! I bought some mangoes, but didn't photograph them because they were smaller than they were supposed to be this week, and I am just going to make them into salsa this weekend. :)
This is what BabyCenter.com has to say:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means that right now Bean is kicking my placenta around and not me, causing me to feel no kicks at all. :(

In other news, I feel like my belly is growing larger every day. 

I feel huge.

Next week is our big anatomy scan and our gender reveal! I know you all are so excited! ;)

<3 Brad & Jenna

Well, we know what we are having... {18 weeks!}

But... we aren't telling yet! :)

We had our gender scan done on Tuesday evening at this adorable place in a nearby town. It was really quick but super comfortable. They took us in this room and the table I laid on was really comfy. They had a big screen TV that projected the ultrasound happenings so we could see everything clearly. I drank some orange juice before the appointment because I heard that it makes the baby move more and boy oh boy did Bean kick up a storm! It was soooo cute to see. My breath was just taken away because the last time I saw Bean, it looked like... a bean. And now it's baby shaped.

We do have some pictures to share with you all though:

We are still debating on when to spill the beans about Bean, but right now I think we are waiting until the 20 week mark. We have an appointment next week with our OB and then the following week we have the "official" anatomy scan at the hospital. And after that we will probably announce it. I hope you all can hold out another two weeks. ;)
I love knowing the gender though. It made it *that* much more real to me. <3

This week Bean is the size of a sweet potato! (A small one, really...)

And here is what BabyCenter.com says about the baby:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

My bump is growing :)

We have started working on the registry though, and we will be posting the info for that next week once it has more stuff in it. ;)


<3 Brad & Jenna

17 weeks...

Last night I had a dream that I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. My dream got me really excited to meet our Bean. :)
Five more days until we find out what we are having for sure. We can't wait!!!

Other than that, it's been a really quiet week for us. We have been trying to find a place to go on a mini babymoon but it's pretty impossible to find anything affordable, sadly. I am sure we will come up with something though. This weekend are going to Virginia Beach to get away and eat some pizza. Mmm, pizza...

This week the baby is the size of an onion! And of course, the time I need an onion I don't have one...
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Next week we should have exciting news and new pictures of the Bean! Yay!

<3 Brad & Jenna

Growing Pains {16 weeks}

Our house is finally looking more like a home. We spent a good part of our long Labor Day weekend getting things in place but we still have some more work to do. Once it is done I will post some pictures. Besides cleaning up the house, we spent our long weekend relaxing and spending some quality time together.

We hit 16 weeks on Tuesday. My belly is looking a little more round but I have yet to feel the Bean. I have been getting some growing pains in my uterus and my back has been killing me. Oh the joys of pregnancy. I am loving the second trimester though. I feel good 90% of the time, which is a huge improvement from a few weeks ago.

We scheduled our "anatomy scan" at the hospital for October 5th, but I really wasn't feeling the vibe that I got from the receptionist. She made it clear that this was not a "gender scan" but an "anatomy scan" so the doctor can take measurements and make sure the baby is growing correctly. She said that if we wanted to know the gender that we had to make sure to tell the tech that because if you don't they won't tell you. What?! It's like people don't understand how much of a big deal having a baby is to some people. It kind of hurt my feelings. So, I did some research and found a place out in town that will do a 2D gender reveal for $65. I just want this moment to be special and I want the person doing the ultrasound to be excited for us and I don't feel like I will get that from the hospital. And if they are and I am completely wrong, there is no harm done really. Plus that means that we will know what we are having 2 weeks sooner! Yay! So that appointment is scheduled for September 20th. :)

What are your guessing on the gender? I have a lot of people telling me that Bean is a boy based on old wives' tales about your symptoms and stuff. I think it's a boy because my belly is getting super hairy, haha, and I read somewhere that excessive hair is caused by the extra testosterone from a boy fetus.

I love having a doppler at home so I can hear Bean's heart pumping away. It really is the sweetest sound. <3

This was from yesterday. :)

This week the baby is the size of an avocado! And since we love guacamole, I actually ran out to the store and picked some up. ;)
Some info about the baby as per BabyCenter.com:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And the belly.

(These are my new maternity pants!)

Hopefully next week I will be back to posting on Wednesdays. ;)

<3 Brad & Jenna

Surviving Natural Disasters {15 weeks}

Since hitting the beloved second trimester, I think that this pregnancy has come to a screeching halt. This could very well be the slowest thing I have ever had happen in my life. It's not that I want this pregnancy to fly by, I just want to get to the good parts. I want to feel the kicks. I am sure I will be eating my words when Bean shoves their foot in my rib cage, but until then, ignorance is bliss. However, the thought that in 5 weeks I will be at my 1/2 way point really does make this pregnancy seem super fast!

If you didn't watch the news last week, you missed the eventful week the DC area and all of the east coast had. It all started with an Earthquake, which was pretty scary to me. I was just sitting at my desk, minding my own business, and then the room literally started swaying. We were all told to evacuate the building since our buildings aren't made for things like natural disasters. But we survived. Then we had the scare of "Hurricane Irene", which was a legit hurricane in some parts but not where we were. We got some wind and some rain, but we have had worse thunderstorms than that "hurricane" in our little town.

We are finally done with our move from our apartment. Now we just have to organize and unpack the house, which we will be spending this long weekend doing. :) I am also going to drag us out to Babies R Us to look at things. I love window shopping and it will give us ideas of what we want on the baby registry. And I am also going to buy my first pair of maternity jeans. (Eeeep, am I really to that point yet?! Yes. Yes, I am.)

So here is the belly. Not much of a size change, but it's a lot firmer now.

I have been really slacking in buying the fruit of the week. But this week Bean is the size of an orange. BabyCenter.com describes the baby this week as:

"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")"

It is funny that it mentions holding a flashlight to my belly because in the midst of the hurricane drama I had a flashlight out and I was doing that, then both Brad and I wondered if we now blinded the Bean. Glad to know that it's safe.

We still have 25 days until our next appointment and then another week on top of that for the gender scan. See, I told you this pregnancy is moving slow!

<3 Brad & Jenna

Hello Second Trimester! {14 weeks!}

Let me start off by saying that I feel so much better most of the time now. Thank you Jesus. I get mild headaches and I am trying to ween myself off after work naps. But most food doesn't upset my stomach, so that's good.

We are in the middle of our move right now. This weekend we had a friend help us move all of our big furniture over, so our house looks more like a {messy} house. We still have some stuff at our old place but we plan on getting that all out this weekend. With all that being said we currently do not have access to the internet at either of our houses. I was able to draft something up though and publish it from my phone. :) Yay technology!

Okay, about the baby... We had an appointment on Monday (which was Brad's birthday). It was a really uneventful appointment and I heard that that is a good thing. We only got to hear the heartbeat, which was really fast and super cute. But I have a doppler at home to do that, I wanted to seeeeee the bean. I also got bit by a bug on the Sunday before my appointment so I had them look at that because it was red and swollen. They gave me some cortisone and it's now pretty much gone.
Our next appointment is on September 26th for a routine check up. I have to call on September 7th to set up our ultrasound to have the gender scan! I am hoping to get in on or around October 3rd! I can't wait to find our what we are having! I flip flop between thinking it's a boy or a girl ALL the time. One of my friends thinks we are having a girl (she keeps dreaming about her) and one of my coworkers thinks it's a boy. In a little over a month we will know for sure! I am still trying to think of something fun to do for the gender reveal. I am thinking that cake will be involved. Mmm, cake...

I did take a quick picture this morning of the baby bump. :) 

 

The bean is about the size of a lemon this week. I didn't have any lemons on hand, but can I say that lemonade sounds delicious right now... 

This is what BabyCenter.com says about the bean this week:

Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

I was hoping that we would have had a new picture of the bean this week but I guess we have to wait until the gender scan. *sigh*

<3 Brad & Jenna

13 weeks!

According to some books I am officially out of the first trimester, according to others it is until next week. All I know is, this week I have thrown up for the first time this whole pregnancy, TWICE. For those people who say that you feel better in the second trimester, I think that only pertains to people who throw up their entire first trimester, because I don't feel good a lot of the time. C'est la vie.

I'm sorry my updates have been a little late the past few weeks, we have been busy at work and moving. I really need to get back on schedule, which means I should be updating on Tuesdays because that is when I hit my new week. But we will see what the doctor says at our appointment on Monday. Maybe the baby is ahead of schedule. ;)

This week the baby is the size of a peach in length, so about 3 inches long. (And yes, I bought all 5 because they smelled so good and I want to make a peach cobbler this weekend!)

This is what Baby Center says about our baby this week:

"Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce."

And the bump:

Next week's update will be much more exciting, I promise, because we get to see our baby on Monday (Brad's birthday!). So hopefully we will have a new picture of him/her to share!

<3 Brad & Jenna

Almost out of the first trimester! {12 weeks!}

We have been really busy lately, so let me fill you all in. We currently reside in a really small 2 bedroom apartment and honestly it only seems small because we have so much furniture from our previous house in Belgium. This was just not an ideal place to bring a baby into, because.. well... there isn't any room for a baby in this apartment. So we were throwing around the idea of buying a house here in Maryland. We figured that it would be more of a hassle than anything to buy, so we started looking for town homes to rent. We found this nice 3 story town home that was in our budget and accepting dogs. We signed the lease last week and we start moving in this Sunday. It will be nice to have room again. And it will also be nice to have a room for the baby. :)

Other than that, we are slowly exiting the first trimester and just when I think I am feeling better, I'm not. There is always something going on in my body to remind me that there is a human growing inside me. I guess there is hope in that, right?

I can actually feel my uterus now. It's growing and moving up, which is making my belly pop out a little more. Ooooh and a few nights ago I had a dream that I felt the baby move! It was so awesome. I still have another month before that is even possible in real life, but I'll take it in my dreams for now. :)

The Bump

Our little plum baby

We still have another week and a half until our next appointment. It seems like forever and ever away....

<3 Brad & Jenna