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

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

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

11 weeks!

I am a day late on posting this and I blame Taylor Swift. Brad took us to see Taylor Swift on Tuesday night which meant that I didn't get a nap on Tuesday, then I was up until midnight. On Wednesday, I was a zombie. Taylor Swift was a good show though. I was really glad that we finally got to see her.

<3

I am almost out of the first trimester, finally. I still get bouts of nausea and I am tired ALL THE TIME. I am just ready to feel okay and pregnant, not awful and fat.

Look at all that fluff...

This week the baby is the size of a lime!

We still have 3 weeks until our next appointment. Time is moving in slow motion right now. But by then I will be in my second trimester and hopefully feeling better. So lots of things to look forward to. :)

<3 Brad & Jenna

First OB Appointment! {10 weeks}

We are home from our vacation in Arizona and I am still trying to catch up on my sleep. I am so exhausted and it worsens every single day. But it's okay, I know that every change my body is going through just reminds me that our bean is growing.

We had our first appointment with an OB today. I would say "our" OB, but it doesn't look like we will be able to have the same OB our whole pregnancy. I am not too bothered by that. As long as someone is there when this baby shows up, I will be fine. Haha. Our appointment went smoothly. I have heard that uneventful appointments are the best because it means that things are going good. We got to see the bean again. It was jumping around all over the place. The heartbeat was measured at 159bpm which is good. And if you believe in old wive's tales, that means we are having a girl. Haha. ;) (Anything under 140 = boy, over 140 = girl.)

While we were in Arizona we took a look at some baby stuff. Boy, walking around that baby section in Target was overwhelming. There is so much stuff you need. Why didn't any of you tell us this?! ;) But I can't wait until we can start really looking at stuff and getting the nursery put together. I think that is going to be so much fun!

Now, on to the important stuff.... The baby is the size of a PRUNE this week. And today while walking around the grocery store the thought of prunes turned my stomach so I didn't get any. You all should know what a prune looks like. Haha. But here is my bump:

Also, we have a video of the heartbeat that we heard on our doppler this weekend. I couldn't get a steady hold on where the bean was so the numbers are a little off but you can hear it!

Our next appointment is on August 22nd. I will be about 14 weeks and at the start of the second trimester. Hopefully by then the nausea that keeps coming and going will be gone for good!

Thanks for stopping by!
<3 Brad & Jenna

Two months down! :)

This morning we had to go to our Prenatal Orientation. It was a lot of information to take in and even more paperwork to fill out. We have our next appointment scheduled for July 27th, which the day after we get back from our mini vacation in Arizona. :)

Our little bean is now the size of a raspberry!

And of course, the belly picture! :)

Next week we will be on our way to Arizona for Brad's graduation ceremony! We are so excited to see our family and just get away for a bit. 

Oh! And I ordered a fetal doppler that came in today! Which means that in a few weeks we should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever we want! And yes, I will be posting a video of it once I try out my doppler.

6 weeks! {Bump Day!}

Today we hit 6 weeks! The nausea has started in mild waves throughout the day. I am also taking a lot of after work naps. Which I am not complaining about! Haha.

Our baby is now the size of a sweet pea:

 My bump does not reflect that at all, haha:

Our first appointment is now ONE WEEK away! Yay! We are so excited! Luckily we have a nice long weekend to keep our mind off of it. I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! :)

<3 Brad & Jenna

5 weeks! {Bump Day!}

Okay, so I am sure it is FAR too early for me to be showing, but now I have an excuse for being so fat (whether it be bloating or the baby or the fact that I love food A LOT). But I wanted to start taking belly pictures early to watch the progress. So every Wednesday will be BUMP DAY! Woo!

Here is 5 weeks along:

Right now the baby is the size of an appleseed. :)

Only two more weeks until our first appointment and ultrasound! I can't wait! Still not many symptoms except my need for a nap everyday (or sometimes twice a day, haha)! Maybe I will be one of the lucky ones who never gets morning sickness. ;)

<3 Brad & Jenna

Poppy Seed

That's how big our baby is right now. The size of a poppy seed. That's tiny. But it's growing fast!

As of right now, we are still waiting on the results from our second blood draw that I did on Friday. Once I get that number they will set us up with our first appointment! :)
I don't really have any horrible symptoms yet. I am expecting the morning sickness to start any freaking minute though, haha.

<3 Brad & Jenna