21 weeks...past halfway!

Pics taken at 21 wks

1. How far along? 21 wks...over the halfway mark...crazy!!
   
2. Maternity clothes? same as last time...still no maternity bottoms, but using the bella band on occasion...also sprinkling in maternity tops, but then you can't see my bump, so I still prefer my regular tops (I like to see her bumping out down there :)
   
3. Stretch marks? Still no :)
   
4. Sleep? sleeping pretty well lately!
   
5. Best moment last week? The Gender Reveal Party, and then that nioght sitting around a campfire and being able to feel her kicking/moving...puts a smile on my face every single time!
   
6. Movement? DEFINITELY moving now! It's awesome, wiggling and punching/kicking every once in a while throughout the day
7. Symptoms? still back problems...ugh...but I may be trying some yoga and other stretches my chiropractor recommended yesterday
   
8. Gender? Baby girl...Kensington!!
   
9. Labor signs? nothing!
   
10. Belly button in/out? waiting on the bottom half of the belly button to match the top half and come out already!
    
11. What I miss? crazy as it sounds (since I know this won't exist when she arrives), but some down time! I think I was SO busy getting the house in order and planning/prepping for the party that I didn't have much time to myself last week...or with the hubby :(
    
12. Looking forward to? Halloween! I love seeing all the cute kiddos come by in costume, and eating all the leftover candy never hurts ;)
    
13. What's going on with Baby A? (from www.thebump.com)

your baby's the size of a banana!

At 10.5 inches and about 12.2 ounces, she's big enough now that you've probably been feeling her movements.

your baby at 21 weeks

• As her digestive system preps for the outside world, she's manufacturing meconium -- the tarry black substance you'll find in her first dirty diaper (ew)!
• If it's a girl, she's already got a lifetime's supply of eggs in her womb -- about six million of them!

Party Day Extras

On top of all the fun we had at our Gender Reveal party,
we also were able to spend some time outdoors with my sister's kiddos

being absolutely silly

We inflated our large cemetery archway for upcoming Halloween,
set it out in the middle of our cul-de-sac,
popped motorcycle helmets on the kiddos heads,
sat them on an oversized skateboard,
and let the fun begin

It was really cute...and my husband was in the middle of it, being the biggest kid of all

I totally love this about him

and...he is going to be the best daddy in the whole world

Gender Reveal Party!

There was much planning, decorating and time that went into planning our Gender Reveal Party yesterday.

But every bit of it was well worth it in my eyes.

I got cupcakes from a local place that were filled either blue or pink (it all depended on the ultrasound picture)...i decorated the tops with cute little baby bottles, carriages and rocking horses of various boy/girl and gender neutral colors

And also got a box from work, wrapped it, and took it to a place to have balloons placed inside (more for the kiddos at the party to be around)

There were also other decorations hanging around

And Channing had to sport his choice, wearing a blue shirt...

I prepped some yummy baked ziti, salad and french garlic bread as well as set out tubs of drinks for all ages (beers, wines, waters, capri suns)

Everone started arriving around 11 ish and we couldn't wait much past 12 when another couple showed up from far away...

It was time for everyone to grab a cupcake and for me to open the box of balloons with the kids

3

2

1

OPEN/BITE....

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!

See the video taken by our good friend Dana for all the happiness...

I am a total softy and began crying (HAPPY tears)...

We are so so very excited and can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl in March

We may have also settled on the name Kensington too...

Tomorrow...

I can't believe it...

tomorrow

i
get
to
finally
find
out
what
gender
this
baby
is
!!!!!

I am a little bit excited and have a feeling that I may not even fall asleep tonight, or if I do, I will most likely wake up at 3 am and not be able to go back to sleep.

We are having our Gender Reveal Party tomorrow with family and friends and hopefully around 11am we will be biting into cupcakes to reveal either pink or blue icing/filling!

Speaking of Baby A, the hubbster had a dream about this kiddo the other night.
He tells me that basically the baby was still an infant, but was holding full on conversation with us about worldly things, like traveling to distant places and also detailed mathematics and music like Mozart and Bach...but still sort of in baby language.

He woke up realizing that Baby A is still in my belly, growing bigger everyday, and that this dream was not real, but definitely really cool...I mean, how neat would it be to have a kid genius pop out and know all the greats of the world?

til tomorrow...I look forward to you anxiously awaiting!

Baby Bump Goes Camping

This past weekend the hubby and I went to George Washington National Forest (GWNF) for some wheelin' and campin' with some friends

We left Friday and came back home Sunday after a wonderfully full day of fun on Saturday.

Luckily enough, baby bump and I made it safely through all the adventures!!

Although there were a few moments that I thought I might freeze...my mummy sleeping bag didn't feel warm enough for the windy nights and 30 degree F temps...

But enough talk, let me show you in pictures how much fun we had!

We chopped down some dead trees, and naturally the boys used Charley's truck to catch the tree


Saw beautiful colors on the trees

I tripped over backwards while video taping (no worries, baby bump is still safe, had a check-up today!)

splashed through muddy water...

a lot...

and again...

and one more time!

took scenic pics with my sister!

and with my hubby and baby bump


i might kinda love him a WHOLE lot

took pics of water

attempted a double piggy-back

did some wrestling

looked at the pretty moon

and sat by the fire, a lot at night!

All in all, we had a great time and I can't wait for the next trip!

Halfway! 20 weeks!!

Pics taken at 20 wks

1. How far along? 20 wks....halfway through!!
   
2. Maternity clothes? still not exactly...maybe I just had baggy clothes before, I will say that I am lucky to work in a lab where I don't have to dress up nicely, or this may be a different story...I am using a bella band every once in a while and still sneaking a few maternity tops...no bottoms yet
   
3. Stretch marks? Still no :)
   
4. Sleep? been sleeping like a log lately, most likely catching up from this weekend's camping adventure and getting minimal sleep
   
5. Best moment last week? starting to feel Baby A move...or more or less wiggle around...and the ultrasound!!
   
6. Movement? Definite wiggling going on in there, can usually feel Baby A throughout the day
   
7. Symptoms? the leg cramps at night have gotten intense at times...and a little more back pain than I would like...can't wait for my chiropractor appointment!
   
8. Gender? we find out THIS COMING SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!
   
9. Labor signs? nothing!
   
10. Belly button in/out? still that weird half in/half out deal
    
11. What I miss? not much this week... :)
    
12. Looking forward to? We have another ultrasound tomorrow morning with our regular doctor! And we are going to visit a day care place!!
    
13. What's going on with Baby A? (from www.thebump.com)

your baby's the size of a cantaloupe!

Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches. She's still got a lot of growing to do though. Can you believe you're halfway done?

Share this with family and friends

your baby at 20 weeks

• She's got working taste buds.
• Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before.

Old Wives Tales, part I

Being pregnant has given me a chance to fall into looking at all the old wives tales about gender

Some of them are quite funny

Body Changes
(taken from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-baby/gender-prediction/old-wives-tales/)

• If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you'll have a boy. Right side? A girl.
• Extreme nausea means you are having a girl.
• If your hands are dry, you are having a boy; soft -- expect a girl.
• If you're craving citrus, you're having a girl.
• If your skin breaks out, expect a girl.
• If you feel graceful during pregnancy, you'll have a girl. Clumsy? It's a boy.
• If you gain weight in your face, it means you're having a girl.
• Craving salt? Expect a boy. A little something sweet? You're having a girl.
• If your right breast is larger than the left, you are having a girl. If the left is larger, a boy.
• Feeling extremely moody? Expect a girl.

Well, in my case, most of these situations point to boy, but there are the occasional ones that say girl!

I also read some in one of the books I have that were really funny...I will post them later (if I remember!)

The thing I find the best is at work...I work with a few Chinese women and they have insisted on once a week performing a test on me ever since I told the news at work that I was expecting.

It's really quite simple and I love to see their expression at the results:
Basically there is a pencil that has a sewing needle pushed into the eraser part where a thread is put through to allow the pencil to dangle. They hold/dangle the pencil over my wrist where my pulse is evident. They start the pencil from a stand still just above my skin and wait for either a circle (girl) or a line (boy).

This morning one woman tried both wrists and got circles (girl), whereas the other woman tested both wrists and got lines (boy).

So, again, who knows! We will be finding out at our party on Oct. 22nd

and I am anxiously counting down the days!!

Highs and Lows

So, today was an amazing day and crappy all in one

Let me explain what I mean...

My hubby and I slept in a bit this morning and were anxiously excited for our ultrasound this morning (which went wonderfully...this was the "high" part of the day)

We got to see Baby A moving around, waving hands and wiggling feet...we were shown the face and could see the eyes, nose, lips, chin...we were even able to see the chambers of the heart fluttering and working hard to pump blood through the body (which was pretty cool when the tech added in the red and blue colors to symbolize oxygenated/deoxygenated blood and where it was in the body)

Prolly the coolest part was having the tech take a picture of Baby A's "parts" area and place it in an envelope so we can be surprised along with all our family and close friends on Oct 22nd at our Gender Reveal Party!!

So now Baby A is an actual boy or girl...no more of this in the middle/hasn't developed those parts yet kinda thing....time flies doesn't it?

We left with a picture of Baby A's cute lil foot and another of Baby A's face staring at us (which is actually a little creepy looking to me since the baby looks like a skeleton type thing and hasn't gotten all that cute baby fat yet).

We also left knowing that Baby A was very healthy with a heartbeat of 153 beats/min and weighing in around 11 oz with a head full of brains (kiddo is smart already!)...we are right on target and where we should be for our due date of March 6, 2012.

Now, for the low of the day

(If you are content with the first "happy" part, please don't bother making this post be a "debbie downer" and just stop reading...)

So, we are walking back to our cars getting ready to part for the day and head in to work, talking about how badly we wanted to peek in the envelopes that contain what Baby A is SO badly...

We get to my car which was parked closer in the parking deck and we are saying our goodbyes and hugs/kisses and all that good stuff.

I open my car door and am about to get in when I notice that there is a bunch of stuff on my passenger seat...

And I am kinda a neat freak, so my car is pretty tidy on most occasions, so I think to myself, did I pull this stuff out and leave it here

Simple answer: No

More in depth answer: Stupid me, I forgot to lock my car and someone has broken in and thrown stuff everywhere and goodness knows what they have taken...elicit freak out moment and yell for hubby-NOW

So, hubby comes back over and I explain that I think my car was broken into and my silly "baby brain" forgot to lock my car at a HOSPITAL in the PARKING DECK (where technically you would *think* your car is safe, but-no, no my friends...)

I am a lot freaked out and get weirded out knowing someone I don't know has been in my car, touching my stuff and doing things in here and I could tell hubby was angry...

We attempted to go get the security people and let them know since a camera was really close to my car and may have caught the guilty person in action...

no one on duty there...perfect...typical...just my luck

We even tried to head in somewhere and tell someone, but the office buildings are suites containing way too many places...

so we turned back and realized that really the only thing taken was the $0.15 I maybe had in my car and the emergency road side car kit from my trunk.

Really, all in all, no harm done...just the fact that some creepy mc-creeperson has been in my car

Naturally, after work I came straight home and cleaned my car.

Lesson learned, do not leave car unlocked AND be happy that I leave nothing important in my car ever!

(oh, and I did end up calling the place I went to for my appointment to let them know...they told/passed it on to security...I didn't want this jerk getting any else's things and getting away with it!)

19 weeks

Pics taken at 19 wks

1. How far along? 19 wks
   
2. Maternity clothes? still not quite to full on wearing them...let's just say I dabble in them for now, maybe something one day and not the next...
   
3. Stretch marks? Still no :)
   
4. Sleep? I have found that after I hit 6-7 hours of sleep, I am up (especially after having to get up to use the bathroom)...like this morning, up at 5 am...so I watched DVR'd tv, it made things glorious
   
5. Best moment last week? Getting the hubby back in town and spending such a wonderfully relaxing weekend at his parents' house with amazingly warm weather
   
6. Movement?Think I may have felt a jab or kick in there, but nothing prominent or recurring...yet!
   
7. Symptoms? still have some leg cramps, had a pain in my leg that tends to come and go, still getting dizzy since my baby brain forgets about the last time I got up too quickly
   
8. Gender? we have an ultrasound tomorrow with our screening Dr and next Wed with our regular Dr, but we have both decided that we are having a Gender Reveal party on Oct 22 where we will find out along with our close friends and family what we are having! (really pumped about this since I actually found a cupcake place that will make cupcakes with either blue or pink filling depending on the info I give them from the ultrasound tech...toooo cool!)
   
9. Labor signs? nothing!
   
10. Belly button in/out? the top part of my belly button I think looks like and "outie" whereas the bottom part shows no signs of wanting to see daylight...horribly awkward looking!
    
11. What I miss? being able to sleep on my belly, every once in a while I attempt to sorta do this and it's a no go...I am a born belly sleeper, so this is killing me...that's how I always used to re-fall asleep
    
12. Looking forward to? The ultrasound tomorrow to check in on Baby A, hoping that all is well!!
    
13. What's going on with Baby A? (from www.thebump.com)

your baby's the size of a mango! At about 6.0 inches long and weighing in at about 8.5 ounces, she's getting there!

your baby at 19 weeks

• Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth.
• Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.

Book Lovin'

I have recently really gotten back into reading books for fun

I just finished a book that was recommended to me by a fellow dog lover
It's called
The Art of Racing in the Rain


It's a short, easy read book through the eyes of a dog...and it really got me thinking about my own dog and what he is thinking and if some of these things I was reading go on in his head or if he wishes I could understand him when he makes a gesture...

It also has sad parts and happy parts and all that in between...but nothing too hard to comprehend.
When I borrowed it from the library I was told it was on the 12th Grade reading list
LOL
but, the ending really got me and I almost shed some tears (good ones)...being pregnant will do that to ya

I am now onto another book
called
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks


It's nonfiction which is usually not my thing, but it's about the woman HeLa cells came from and all the back story, which I think is pretty darn interesting (nerd alert).

I mean, I do work in cancer research and have heard of these cells before, so it's kinda neat to get a more well rounded picture of how HeLa cells came to be

I have 2 other books on hold at the library, for whenever they actually become available
1) Sarah's Key which is actually a movie as well

2) Bossypants...all my friends have raved about this one, but I am WAY down the line in the hold list, so it may be a month...or 5 before I can read it


Any other suggestions?

What have you been reading lately?