Week 15: Navel Orange

I feel like this bump is getting real! 

How big is baby: Baby is the size of a navel orange this week (4 in and 2.5 oz).      

Weight gain/loss:  Haven't checked since last week.  

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still no complaints!

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still loving food :)   

Exercise:  Walking, DVDs, and YMCA.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: Nothing more.

The belly:  I think it's definitely getting bigger.  My pants agree :)   

What I'm spazzing about:  Nothing this week...furiously pounding on wood.  

What I'm loving:  Starting to make to-do lists.  Planning everything more.  Getting to see my belly growing.

Symptoms:  Round ligament pain.  Still gagging.  Feel some pressure when I get up from sitting for a while.  No idea if that's normal.

What I'm looking forward to:  Shopping with my mom this weekend!  I need some more work pants.      

Best moment of the week:  I don't think I look fat by any means.  And thankfully everything noticeable is around my belly so far..no weight gain anywhere else.  But there have been moments when I get a little worried that I look pretty big for only 15 weeks.  I haven't said anything about it to Aaron.  But he looked at me the other day and gave me a big hug when we were getting ready for work and told me how perfect I looked and how I look so amazing pregnant.  It just melted my heart and it came at the perfect time.  I have such an amazing husband :)

The Name Game

One of Aaron's many reasons of why we should find out the sex is so that we have one less name to have to figure out.  While valid, it's not going to work :)  He's decided that we need to keep a board with sticky notes on hand so that we can plaster it with our top picks.  Granted, we haven't even BEGUN this task.

My dad has taken it upon himself to come up with the best boy name he could possibly think of.  Aaron Roy Taylor.  While there is nothing wrong whatsoever with any of these names individually (they are my husband's and father in law's names), my dad finds it quite humorous that we could then call our child ART for short.  Now, no offense to any Art's out there, it's just not our style.  Which my dad knows.  And he thinks it's hilarious :)

My old boss thinks that if the baby is a girl, we should name her Tiffany Nancy Taylor.  TNT for short.  I just know that every time I see him (he only works two days a week), he'll have a new one for me.

I think we'll stick with our own ideas for now :)

Coming out of the woodwork...

This whole pregnancy thing just continues to amaze me.  My most recent discovery: Once you tell anyone you are pregnant, they instantly feel they can share the most personal stories about their pregnancy experience :)   

My friends know that no conversation is off limits with me.  Nothing is tmi.  I will talk about bodily functions, laugh about how Spargo's makes me have to GO to the bathroom every single time I eat there, vent about my spotting issues, I just don't care.  But, that's with friends.  Even people I rarely talk to are now telling me about their new cup size since being pregnant (and how their husbands love it), how long it took them to get pregnant with baby #1 vs. baby #2, their bathroom schedules, etc.  I don't mind, because then it gives me free reign to complain about all of MY problems. 

It's just all so interesting, and humorous.  And comforting to know there's this whole support group out there that I never knew I had.  We'll see what I else I learn!

Week 14: Lemon

Blurry, but I was sweating so I was in a hurry.

How big is baby: Baby is the size of a lemon this week (3.4 in and 1.5 oz).  Almost double in size from last week!  Crazy fast growing.    

Weight gain/loss:  +3 lb based on my OB visit yesterday.  

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still no complaints!

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  New craving, peanut butter and jelly toasted english muffin.  Seriously, I can't get enough.  If only I had mom's homemade jelly to go with it....   

Exercise:  Walking and DVDs.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: I'm sure it's totally in my head.  But the other night I was laying and reading in bed and felt the weirdest bubble sensation.  I know what you're thinking...it felt different from gas.  But I'm not sure if it was really the baby or just something else.  I know it's still really early.

The belly:  Starting to be the same size all the time.  My neighbor thinks it's a little obvious.  I still think I just look a little chunky :)   

What I'm spazzing about:  A little spotting again.  I e-mailed a fellow blogger today and she mentioned that she spotted/bled her first two trimesters with her first daughter.  She's now 2 years old and healthy as can be.  So I guess it just happens to some people.  It was nice to hear from her and hear that it can turn out ok.  

What I'm loving:  Happy 2nd trimester!  And being able to share with everyone now.  The excitement and love from friends and family has just been amazing :)

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Round ligament pain.  Serious gagging now.  I almost threw up putting dishes in the dishwasher, smelling the trash, and taking my prenatals (they smell really weird).

What I'm looking forward to:  Completely not baby related, but I just booked my flight to go visit my BFF Memorial Day weekend!  I am so so so excited.  I haven't seen her since Christmas which is just way too long for us :)    

Best moment of the week:  My 14 week appointment and hearing the precious heartbeat.  My uterus is measuring right on track according to the doctor and she loves that I have a little belly on me.  Our anatomy scan is scheduled for June 6 and can't wait to see the baby and as big as she'll be!

Recap and a Graduation

We bought the dresser!  And the picture on Craigslist does not even do it justice.  We love it.  The couple was so nice.  Aaron offered them an amount and she was like, "We'll even take $x!"  Which was less than what Aaron offered :)  It's so exciting to have our first piece of furniture.  I think we'll take it easy for a while unless we find another great deal.

We have lots of college graduations this year (well, just 2), but I had my own little graduation on Friday.  Welcome to the 2nd trimester!!!  I am so happy to have made it :) :)  And that means holy cow, I'm 1/3 of the way through this pregnancy already.  Let's break this down in a picture...Yes, I've made it through one piece of that pie!

At times, everything seems to be moving so slowly and it feels like it took forever to get here.  But then I think about it already being a third of the way over and it's just crazy.

In other great news, I shared our special news with my older "sister" tonight.  Kate is my BFF's older sister and since Stephanie and I have been best friends since kindergarten, her family really is my second family which means Kate is like the older sister I never had.  It was so nice getting to finally share with her and hear her excitement.  Kate is pregnant with her third and I know will be a wealth of knowledge for me as I go down this road of motherhood.  She is an amazing mom, and I know I'll be calling her for many tips and tricks :)  She was already a huge help tonight with where to find good maternity pants, sizing, and types.

One more day until my 14 week appointment! :)

Nursery Ideas

Since I'm getting so close to the 2nd trimester (tomorrow!), I've really started looking at nursery items and thinking about how we should decorate.  We are currently "debating" which room to make the nursery.  Our current office is bigger and I originally wanted that as the nursery.  But after we talked about it, the guest room now has to function as guest room and office.  Maybe Aaron is right that we need to flip the rooms.  Although that means that he then needs to paint two rooms...notice I said "he"? :)

We have a bookshelf from IKEA that we've had forever that has really cute orange shelves.  That became my inspiration for orange accents.  Originally, I was thinking about painting a wall orange as well, but now I'm leaning against that.  Here is the latest color scheme I'm liking.  (Btw, this website is awesome...http://design-seeds.com/).  I think I'd want to do the walls either the second or third color.  We'll keep the trim white.  And I found a few gliders that are in the slate color (fourth color down).

The gliders and ottomans are by far the MOST expensive items we'll need to get.  From what I've read from other bloggers, getting a comfy one is completely worth it.  I'm leaning towards the one in the top right and then getting the cheap IKEA rocker for our bedroom.  I'm guessing that we'll keep the baby upstairs with us for at least a little while and thought this chair might be helpful.  We'll see though.  I might decide it's unnecessary.

And next, I've been checking out cribs.  We've both decided we want something a little more modern and boxy looking.  Also, I found a low dresser on Craig's list that we are checking out tomorrow.  This would double as a dresser/changing table.  The room is small and we don't want to overcrowd it.  Plus, I haven't really seen a changing table that would fit the rest of the style of the room.  I'm leaning towards the top two cribs only because I don't know that I like adding another wood color to the room with the bottom of the crib on the bottom right.

I've also found some cute Etsy prints that I want to either purchase or have Aaron make in Photoshop (they're inexpensive so not too expensive to buy...we'll just see how ambitious Aaron gets).  I'd like to make a few pillows to tie all of the colors together.  I think we'll just do a fitted sheet rather than a whole bedding set.  They are so expensive and considering I wouldn't use the bumper, I just don't think it's worth it for me.  And I'd like to either find a rug or piece a small one together from Flor.  Now that I type it all out, it seems like a lot!  I think all of the accessories will come together fine...Aaron won't really have too much of an opinion there.  The furniture is another story :)  But he likes what I've been debating between so far, so hopefully we'll be able to agree (the joys of a husband who actually cares about design! ;) ).

Week 13: Peach

Black, just for you mom :)

Week 13!  Only 3 days until the end of the first trimester.  Can we all then breathe a sigh of relief?  I am ready!

Baby is the size of a peach this week (2.9 in and 0.81 oz).  Can you believe she's forming vocal cords and teeth?  And even though she's still teeny, she already has fingerprints.  Her 
intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in her tummy.


How big is baby: The size of a peach.  About 2.9 inches long.  She now weighs in at about 0.81 ounces.    

Weight gain/loss:  +4 lb this morning.  

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still no complaints!

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still starving all afternoon.  Unfortunately, I ran out of Trix on Sunday  :(  Aaron couldn't believe I polished off a large size box in one week :)  Ooops!  Still loving pizza.  McD's always sounds good too.  I'm being good though and not indulging.   

Exercise:  Walking and DVDs.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  Still big at night.  Maybe I should start taking morning pictures too as a comparison.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Everything ok since last week.  

What I'm loving:  Just being pregnant.  Hitting the 2nd trimester soon!  Although, omg, that means I am 1/3 of the way through!!!  CRAZY.  Starting to think about trading in my car, the nursery, registry, etc.  Basically, everything I've been putting off until we are out of that scary 1st trimester.

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal cramping if I don't drink enough water again.  This is supposedly from my uterus growing.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  2nd trimester in THREE DAYS!  

Best moment of the week:  My mom and I plan to go clothes shopping on Mother's Day and I'm so excited!  Only a few weeks away!

Weekend Recap

What a whirlwind!  Friday I got up bright and early at 4:30am to travel to Chicago for work.  Come to find out after I had already made it halfway to the airport, our plane was delayed an hour.  Lovely.  The meetings went well and wrapped up around 4pm Chicago time.  We headed back to the airport and I pulled into our driveway at about 10pm.  I was exhausted to say the least.  I put on my PJs, washed my face, gave Aaron and kiss, and went to bed.

Saturday was day 1 of spring cleaning.  I hate spring cleaning.  But I know I need to do it so I decided Saturday was as good of a day as any other.  I tackled the kitchen and the dining room.  The only thing left is the inside of the oven, but Aaron has agreed to help with that since the cleaning fumes probably aren't the best thing for me to be breathing in.  At night, we went to a space downtown Aaron's firm had been working on.  After the lecture, we went to our friends' Amy and Jamie's to celebrate the kickoff of Amy's b-day week.  We had so much fun catching up, eating, and drinking (water for me).

Yes, I have OCD...and have a list.

Sunday we were able to enjoy brunch with a few of Aaron's old and current coworkers.  The food was amazing!  I will definitely be making Matt's breakfast pizza at some point.  It was nice catching up and hearing all of the baby updates from friends. 

We got home late afternoon and it as time to tackle the bathroom.  Aaron did yard work and grocery shopped for me.  And we decided to treat ourselves to Mitchell's for dinner.

As always, it went by way too fast.  Next weekend, we have my youngest SIL's graduation from UofM on Saturday followed by a family dinner celebration.  I also hope to get to the living room for spring cleaning...one room at a time right?

Raging Hormones

Can I blame these on pregnancy???  I definitely had quite an evening last night. Thankfully, Aaron just took it in and let me rant and realized I was having a "moment" as he called it.  Yes, at the time it made me even more angry, but thankfully he isn't one to argue back when I'm being irrational :)


Don't worry.  Tonight is going much better!

Week 12: Plum

Not in love with this picture, oh well! :)

I'll probably say this every week from now on.  But seriously, a plum.   

Most of her critical systems are fully formed!  She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.  She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.  She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.  Her brain is developing fast!

How big is baby: The size of a plum.  About 2.1 inches long.  She now weighs in at about 0.49 ounces.      

Weight gain/loss:  +2 lb the other day.  It varies depending on what I ate the night before.

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still sleeping great (minus getting up to go to the bathroom).  I feel like an end is in site with the extreme exhaustion.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  STARVING ALL AFTERNOON.  I can't eat enough.  I've stocked my lunch bag with fruits and veggies to snack on every hour.  Also, Trix aren't just for kids.  I could eat them every.single.meal.  Unfortunately, they don't fill me up for long, so I can't eat them for breakfast before work.  I do indulge in a small bowl after work sometimes though :)   

Exercise:  Walking.  And I tried one of my new pregnancy DVDs finally.  And wow, am I sore!  It's quite a humorous workout though :)  It feels like it's working at least.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  No difference here from last week.  It's definitely bigger at night.  Food baby still around.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Everything ok since last week.  

What I'm loving:  Just being pregnant.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal cramping if I don't drink enough water again.  This is supposedly from my uterus growing.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  Second trimester coming soon!!  I think most people go by 13 weeksish?

Best moment of the week:  So so so thankful for friends and family...

For an amazing, thoughtful BFF.  I swear sometimes she has ESP.  I was just thinking of clothes shopping this week and when I'd start going and voila!  This was waiting for me in the mail today.  She's the best!

For friends and family, for the thoughtful cards.

For an awesome friend (who I wish I still shared an office with) who provided me tons of great resources for baby books.

I feel so blessed!

Week 11: Lime

Aaron had to work late so I was on my own taking this one.

Ok, folks.  I feel like a lime is a pretty substantial size.  Crazy! 

• You can't see it, but she's moving fluidly and gracefully in there.  Everytime we get an u/s, she's ALWAYS kicking her little legs.  And I went to the doctor yesterday (more on that later), and she said baby was moving all over based on where the hear beet was moving.
• Her skin is see-through, but she's on her way to looking more like a baby.
• Her fingers and toes aren't webbed anymore.
• Tooth buds, hair follicles and nail beds are forming.

How big is baby: The size of a lime.  About 1.6 inches long and about a 1:1 head to body ratio.  She now weighs in at about 0.25 ounces.      

Weight gain/loss:  0 lb (back to pre-pregnancy weight)

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still sleeping great (minus getting up to go to the bathroom).  I'm able to stay up later, but I definitely have no desire to get out of bed in the morning before 8am :)  Although, I do drag myself out for work.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not feeling fabulous late afternoon/at night.  We had steak fajitas last night and I was gagging them down.  Tonight I'm craving grilled cheese and tomato soup...which I know Aaron will just love ;)   

Exercise:  I've gone to the gym a few times and been on walks.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  No difference here from last week.  It's definitely bigger at night.  I have certain work pants I can't even attempt to wear normally (i need to bust out the bella band more often).  Last night, it was completely out of control after dinner.  Definite food baby.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Spotting again.  Ugh.  Does it ever end?  Pink spotting in the morning after I "use" the bathroom and then a little brown the rest of the day until late afternoon.  I went to the doctor yesterday and she heard the heart beet right away.  She promised that I shouldn't feel annoying for calling/coming in.  That's what they're there for.  So hopefully everything goes away soon so I can relax until my next real appointment on May 2.  

What I'm loving:  Knowing that my parents, our siblings, and my BFF all know! :)  Now I can finally talk about it with other people.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal spotting again.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  Then I'll finally start telling everyone and give our parents the ok to tell extended family.  

Best moment of the week:  Obviously, telling those we've told so far.  It's so amazing to see/hear their reactions.  All of the love and prayers are just awesome.  Also, hearing the heart beet on the doppler to ease my fears a little (for the time being).

She finally knows!

Most (or all) of you reading this blog know who I mean when I mention my BFF.  We met our first day of kindergarten and became fast friends.  It's so crazy to think that we are both under 30 and have been best friends for about 25 years.  Our friendship definitely reaches beyond the norm.  Her family has become mine over the years.  Her sister Kate is the older sister I never had.  And her parents are amazing and have done so much for me (in fact, they were our master and mistress of ceremonies at our wedding).

Stephanie and I were fortunate to go to the same grade school and middle school (we had a short blip of a few weeks in sixth grade when she transferred to Rockford, but thankfully she quickly came back).  We went to the same high school and even decided on CMU together.  It came time for her to graduate and she went to the Detroit area while I was still at CMU for another semester.  Thankfully, my job would land me right back in her area :)  Luckily, there was a room for rent in her house and before we knew it, we were back together again.

Since then, things have changed with living situations.  We both got married and jobs have taken Stephanie and Jon to different cities (Chicago and now Cali).  But the most amazing part is that there is nothing different with our friendship.  True, I don't get to see her as often, but that just makes our visits even more special.  She's still one of the very first people I call with good news or bad.  We still talk and e-mail all of the time. 

I was finally able to break the exciting news to her last night and I could just hear her excitement :)  It was so nice to finally be able to tell her EVERYTHING.  And I apologized for lying to her for the past month and half about my fake doctor's visits and fake tests I was having run.  Thankfully, she forgave me ;)  I just can't wait to share this new chapter with her.  She's going to be the best BFF auntie ever.

Love you BFF!

BFFs

Reveal: Part 1 of ?

We finally told our parents this weekend!  I am so happy :)  We broke the news to my in-laws Friday night when we got into town and then headed over to my parents to tell them as well.  Aaron's parents were very excited.  My mom could not believe that I told Aaron before her :)  She was obviously kidding...I hope.  She got all teary eyed when she saw the u/s picture and asked for a copy of her own.  She kept saying all night how excited she was.  I'm so glad she finally knows.  She's good at snapping me out of a funk, and as I go through this pregnancy journey, I know I'm going to need that from time to time.


We also told my brother Saturday morning.  He has told me several times since just how excited he his, how much he plans to spoil this baby, etc.  We told my sister via iChat Saturday night and she was thrilled as well.  I really wished she lived closer.  


All of Aaron's siblings are in the loop now too.  We asked everyone to wait to tell anyone else for a few weeks.  


Tomorrow I'm going to call my BFF and pray that I hope I talk to her (I do realize that I'll live if it waits a day or two).  This secret is killing me!! :)  She's such a part of my "family" that it's so hard having the rest of the family know and not her.


For now, here is the link to our "reveal" video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24xrHb6JKWw

Week10: Prune

I feel like I'm looking more and more bloated in these photos :)  Aaron kept asking if I was pushing out (I told him when we started I didn't want to exaggerate).  I kept telling him I wasn't.  

How big is baby: The size of a prune.  I'm ready to move on from this week.  In first grade, I had a little issue with going to the bathroom and got quite backed up.  One of my mom's attempted remedies was making me eat prunes :(  To this day, I hate them and don't even want to look at them.    

Weight gain/loss:  1 lb

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Sleeping very well and actually starting to feel like a human again.  I can actually make it past 9pm.  Granted, we're talking maybe only 9:30 or 10 but hey, baby steps right?

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not feeling fabulous late afternoon/at night.  I'm ok though as long as I snack.   

Exercise:  Doing much better here too.  Going to the gym, walking, etc.  I just feel so much better after I do it.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  It's definitely bigger at night.  I have certain work pants I can't even attempt to wear normally (i need to bust out the bella band more often).   

What I'm spazzing about:  The fact that we don't go back to the doctor until week 14, May 2.  That seems so far away :(  I know I need to get used to it though.  The appointments will only be monthly for the first 7 months.  I just have serious anxiety issues and always think the worst is going to happen.  I have to have faith that everything is going to be fine and there has been nothing so far that has pointed to there being a problem.  

What I'm loving:  No more spotting!  Knock on wood, but it's finally completely gone for now.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.   

What I'm looking forward to:  Starting to finally tell people.  Our parents are first up tomorrow night :)  I told Aaron the whole rest of the lineup after that.  

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby again!  The OB's u/s machine wasn't as high tech as the RE's so everything looked a little smaller.  But we were able to have an abdominal u/s which means baby is getting bigger!  She was kicking her little legs away like crazy again :)

We LOVE our new OB office.  There are 4 doctors and 1 PA that you rotate between.  The doctor we saw yesterday was so nice.  She was very thorough, made sure to answer all of our questions, and did not rush us at all.  I know we are going to be really happy there.