18 weeks and butterfly kisses

Having a great time with my folks and grandma. I felt the baby for the first time "flutters" on Sunday night while watching TV with the family. I have to sit/lay still in order to feel s/he. It feels so incredible. I wish Brian could feel it too.

Week 17: Before & After

Another great week! And so much to look forward to in the coming days! My folks and grandma arrive on Friday and are staying for 10 days! I haven't seen them since June and I am so excited. In addition, I am taking the entire week off from work!! Not sure what I am more excited for, seeing my folks or not working! ;)

All-in-all, I am feeling fantastic. No headaches at all this week. Still some back pain, but no biggie. What I really noticed this week was how much bigger my stomach is in the evening vs. morning. Here's proof:

7:30 AM: Including my head in the shot still hasn't convinced me to shower, brush my hair, or put on make-up. Judge if you must.

8:30 PM: Post eating Manicotti and a whole heck of a lot of other food throughout the day. I am starving every hour on the hour. I think I'll be pushing 200 lbs by the end of this pregnancy! Take notice of this special occasion - I am not in sweat pants!

17 Week Baby Update: BabyCenter

Week 16

Wow. Here we are, four months! From what I hear, this is point when you start to get really big. And I can't wait! I am even more excited to feel the baby, which I don't feel yet, but from what I hear it can happen any time between now and Week 20. Please let it be sooner rather than later!
Here's a quick update on how I've been feeling:

• Headaches: I am still getting them on a daily basis…usually they start in the middle of the night and I wake up with them. Then they go away mid-morning. On occasion I get them in the evening and when I do, they ruin my night. I spoke to my doctor about this she didn't seemed concerned, but if they keep up she'll refere me to a specialist. My doctor recommended taking Tylenol (which I still am not comfortable with and don't want to be popping pills ever day!) and drinking a 1/2 cup of coffee or some form of caffeine. I did try this and it does help! I will try not to make this a habit.
  


• Energy: I feel like a new person! The last two nights I was up until 11! And during the day, I have so much more energy. This weekend, instead of laying on the couch, napping and catching up on DVR, I actually was out and about. On Saturday I was out for almost 5 hours! And still had energy to with Brian to look at furniture and out to dinner.



• My back, oh my aching back: Lower back pain has kicked in full force. It's usually after I've been sitting for a long time or when I'm sleeping and getting out of bed. I can barley walk, but once I warm up, I'm good to go. I went for a prenatal massage on Saturday morning - that was heaven. It's officially a must on a monthly (at a minimum) basis! Hopefully this will get better before it gets worse.
  


• Weight: Still a little freaked out about this, but enjoying it all the same. I've gained about 13 pounds so far. From what I hear that is pretty average. (Is it?! - Dad, you don't need to comment here. Thanks.) A huge thanks to Debbie/Dixie and Christina for some additional maternity clothes to add to my wardrobe of sweat pants!

My exciting news for the week is I found my nursery bedding! It is exactly what I have been looking (and I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for, but when I saw it, I knew I had to have it (actually, I found TWO different ones that I LOVE so I got them both) and it was ON super-SALE! (Plus, my "sister-in-law*" works at Pottery Barn, so she got an additional 40% off the sale price! It was practically free!) I've included pictures below. You'll also notice that we've (I've - Brian had nothing to do with this) selected a very neutral pattern/color. I think we have officially decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Every time I think about it, I get more and more excited - it is definitely the right decision for us and gives us so much to look forward to. But thanks for voting!

The downfall of getting the bedding on sale is it didn't come with all the accessories. For one set, I only got the bummper and for the other I got the bummer and the bed skirt. BUT, I found more stuff on Ebay. I've never really used Ebay before, but now I'm obsessed. I've found a lot of additional items and ordered them all (well, almost all). My folks are coming up for Thanksgiving, so we'll paint the nursery to match (not me actually, grandma and I will probably go the movies while mom and dad stay back and work!) Another reason to love pregnancy!

Cottontail friends: I think this one will go in the nursery at home. It has fuzzy little animals (bunnies, sheep, chicks) all around the bummer. I got the bed skirt, blanket, and sham on Ebay. Ribbon Mattelasse: Tiny green and yellow embroidered bees. With strips of yellow, green, and brown fabric. This one is my favorite, but I can't find as much on Ebay, so I think this will be great for the shore nursery (which is also in our bedroom - which luckily, I painted green last summer!)

16 Week Belly Shot Update: I've received complaints that these belly shots aren't really me because I always chop my head off. So Aeron, this is for you! Please be kind, I just rolled out of bed. Now, I guess I'll have to start showering and brushing my hair before I take my belly shots! ;)

Week 16 Baby Update

*I call her my sister-in-law, she's been dating my husband's brother for 12 years. It's official in my book. :)

Week 15 Check-up

We just got back from our 15 week check-up. Aside from the hour wait to see the doctor (and babysitting Brian who squirmed in his seat for the entire hour), all is well. I got an A+ and she didn't say anything about my weight gain. We also got to hear our little guy/gals heart beat. Music to my ears! We are scheduled to go back on December 3 to get an ultrasound! Woo hoo!

Week 15

This past week was big week in Philly, all around. The Phillies finally won the World Series and none of my clothes fit anymore, except my sweat pants. I had to go into the office every day last week - that's 12+ hours of wearing work clothes - which don't button! (Thank goodness for Belly Bands!) From that start of the day all I could think about was getting home to put on my sweat pants. I'm so happy I get to work from home most of the time!

Brian ended our long week with a delicious dinner, which he insisted on making by himself: roasted chicken, stuffing with sausage, cranberries, homemade gravy, and biscuits. It was heaven. And all I had to do was sit on the couch and wait. He's definitely a keeper! And little does he know, he is now in charge of making Thanksgiving dinner this year, which we are hosting!

Here's a shot of Brian getting ready to carve the chicken with Spinner anxiously waiting for something to fall off the counter!Tomorrow I have my 15 week check up. I can't wait. I don't think we'll get an ultrasound, but I really hope we get to hear the heartbeat. While I am certain everything is OK (because I'm getting bigger by the day) I'd like the reassurance. Otherwise, I've been feeling pretty good. I get tired earlier in the evening and seem to have a constant headache, with an intensity that varies at different times during the day.

Here's the 15 week belly shot, courtesy of Brian, who insists I am arching my back and pushing out so I look bigger. But I swear, this is how I stand (and I just ate an egg, cheese, and pork roll sandwich before hitting the polls).

By the way, why does it look like I am having our baby in my stomach instead of my uterus?!
Conversation with my dad regarding the picture: I spoke to my dad today and he said, "That belly isn't from the baby!" ha! Oh, dad, what would I do without you? Guess I should lay off the Halloween candy!

I'll write more after my appointment tomorrow. Don't forget to vote!

Click here to read more about week 15: BabyCenter.com