Little Peep Bumpdate {Week 22}

Date: 1/22/14

How far along: 22 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: A papaya (another fruit I’ve never tried before lol)
Developmental milestones: Little Peep is starting to have his own sleep cycles, and I’m starting to be able to tell when he is awake and when he is asleep.

Maternity clothes: I am in all maternity clothes for the most part.  With many of my hand-me-downs, I’m doing pretty well here.  But, I think I will have to break down and get pants for work soon.  I know I keep saying that, but now I actually need to do it (which means physically going to a store and I hate doing that).  Something that I did get (thank you Ashley for the suggestion) was a Bella Wrap Around Maternity Shirt (great deal: free shipping, great quality, & will work well for nursing).  This is so comfortable and I love it!!!

Weight gain: 9lbs still…though I feel like my face is starting to fill out more.

Stretch Marks: Nothing yet, even though I can tell that my skin is beginning to stretch more and more
Sleep:  Sleep is so good these days :-)

Best moment of the week: This past week was awesome: though the spring semester just started, we’ve already missed 3 days (I’m getting way too used to this!)  1- Anyways, I finally finished my registries over the weekend!!!!! Yay!!! That was really tough for me, extremely overwhelming, but definitely educational.  Thank you everyone for your suggestions and especially to Grace who went with me on Saturday (you’re so patient with me).  We’re registered for Little Peep at Target and Babies ‘R’ Us.  2- I purchased some nursing bras that are heavenly; they fit so much better and help my back out; again, thank you for the suggestions.  3-  Lately in the mornings, after the Mr. gets up for work, Roo hops up in bed with me and he snuggles so close to me and uses my belly for a pillow.  It’s always so cute!!!! Morning snuggles with my Rooney are the best, and I think Little Peep and Rooney will be the best of friends.

Movement: I absolutely love to feel Little Peep move around.  He is getting more and more active.  It makes working extra fun to know that he is wiggling.  It’s like “bring your kid to work day” everyday.  I have not felt him while I’ve been teaching yet.  I like to think that is because he is already a great student and listening attentively….or maybe taking notes? ;-)  But more likely, my voice has put him to sleep, and judging from some of my students, Little Peep isn’t alone hahahaha
Cravings:   Nothing really here

Gender: A little man is on the way :-)

Belly button in or out:  Still an innie but getting flatter
Wedding ring:  On
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing that I can think of
What I miss: Nothing.  You know on Sunday while the Mr. and I were getting ready for church I had a thought that I shared with him: I don’t feel like anything has changed.  I wish I could demonstrate for you the look on his face when I said that, but it was something like “Are you serious?! Have you seen your stomach lately?!” I know my belly is getting bigger, and I know that I have heartburn now, and I know that I can feel him moving, and I know that I am truly filled with joy…..but I still feel exactly like myself.  I don’t feel like my body has been taken over, though I know he is there and dictating certain changes in my lifestyle, but mentally I still feel like the same old me.
What I’m looking forward to:  I still have a while to go, but I’m looking forward to our next appointment and hearing about how things are going with Little Peep.  Also…I’m totally looking forward to the Super Bowl this weekend hehe
Labor signs:    Nope and I am totally okay with that
Symptoms: 1- I’ve still got heartburn, occasional shortness of breath, and some upper back aches, but nothing unbearable.  2- I’ve got a nice case of “pregnancy brain”.  A lot of people wonder if this is real, but as a neuroscientist I will tell you, that it really is a real thing.  The brain changes in so many ways to prepare for the lifestyle change (e.g. increased need for brain areas dedicated to multi-tasking), and increased hormones necessary for the gestational phase as well as birth.  With all of these changes, the brains of pregnant women actually shrinks.  Sooo, I blame all of the dumb (but hilarious) things I’ve been doing on my shrinking brain.  Two funny things stand out to me, the first being my morning tea.  I always put a mug of water in the microwave to heat up in the morning for my tea.  The other day I put the mug in the microwave for 2 minutes without any water in it; I completely forgot that step.  Secondly, the other day when I had to provide a urine sample for the doctor, I pulled out the cup and label to get ready like I always do.  Then as I was urinating (I know, I know, TMI), I realized that I was watching the cup that I was supposed to be filling, on the table across the bathroom.  Now I had no urine to provide….and what was I doing? Did I think the cup would fill itself?!?!  I ended up having to stay late after my appointment until I had to go again…..preggo brain! 3-I’m still on pelvic rest, but I’m behaving (I promise!).  It’s a challenge for me to accept help from others, but I know that I need to do this for Little Peep, because he has a lot of baking left to do!  The Admin at work has been helping me carry things around and I’m now leaving time to take the elevator to all of my meetings and classes.

Nursery: Over the weekend the Mr. started on the first project for the baby’s room.  With a trip to Lowe’s and busting the saw out, I think it’s safe to say that DIY season is back in business in the Hawley house and I couldn’t be more excited.  I keep walking into his room and staring at everything.

Emotions: I’m just generally excited, and looking forward to this semester (and remainder of this pregnancy).  I feel like I just have so much to look forward to so I’m embracing and enjoying everyday.

A Wednesday In the Life

I have always wanted to tell you, or show you rather, what  my days look like, one hour at a time.  My days are always different because of my class schedule.  Sometimes I am lecturing in the morning and sometimes I’m lecturing at 9 pm, so things shift from day to day, and no 2 days are the same within a week.  But I think if I just highlight one particular day you will get the idea of what I’m doing on a daily basis.  So this is what a typical Wednesday looks like for me:

6:00 AM

I’ve already been up for about an hour, but I’ve been in bed snuggling with the puppies and checking my email.  Really I’m just praying for another snow day.

7:00 AM

I don’t normally have pancakes for breakfast but these were left over from the snowday yesterday.  So pancakes it is, with my morning tea and devotion time.

8:00 AM

I’m wrapped up pretty warm this morning and about to walk out the door for my morning commute; Wednesdays only take me about 20 minutes to get to work.  Notice, I’m rockin’ a topsy-tail this morning ;-)

9:00 AM

I’m at work chugging the homemade fruit smoothie I brought from home while I check emails.  Today I’m having bananas, strawberry, and soy milk.

10:00 AM

I only have one lecture on Wednesdays, Experimental Psychology.  I’m here before the students so that I can set up the projector for class.  Time to mold some minds!

11:00 AM

The students are working on an activity while I take attendance.  I don’t normally sit to lecture, but because of my pelvic rest, I do sit to lecture now and this is my trusty chair.

12:00 PM

Class is over and I’m starving.  This is what I have for lunch everyday: tomato and basil hummus with cucumbers and tomatoes, tomatoes and cottage cheese, and an apple with string cheese.  I also usually have peanut butter and crackers but I ate those before I took the picture (oops!).

1:00 PM

Time to check more emails, do some paperwork around the office, and prep for classes tomorrow.

2:00 PM

To miss traffic, I left work a little bit earlier than I normally would so that I could drop the Mr.'s shoes off at the hospital.  This is their 3rd visit, so hopefully the third time is a charm.  This is one of the awesome things about my job: having a flexible schedule where I can run these types of quick errands during the week.

3:00 PM

We've got smallgroup tonight, and it's our week to lead discussion, so I've got to read our chapter! Tonight we're talking about Chapter 7: The Sacred History of Our Marriage.  This is an awesome book to read with your spouse; I highly recommend it!

4:00 PM

Taking notes and formulating discussion questions for this evening.

5:00 PM

I have a few minutes before I need to start dinner so I'm doing a little bit of blog writing and reading; I gotta squeeze it in when I can :-)

6:00 PM

Pulling left-over spaghetti out of the fridge for dinner tonight before smallgroup.  The Mr. isn’t home yet, so we need something that we can have fast before running out the door.  I always cook a big meal on Tuesdays so that we can have those leftovers on Wednesdays before church.

7:00 PM

At church and we need some coffee if we’re going to make it through the evening.

8:00 PM

We had smallgroup and prayer time (no pictures during this time obviously), but here is my prayer journal that I use for smallgroup.

9:00 PM

We just got home and the high heels finally came off.  My tootsies are being swaddled in my house shoes.

10:00 PM

I have a feeling I’m about to pass out on the couch, so I better get this last picture for you before the day is officially completed :-)

Well that is a typical Wednesday for me.  Though I think I should probably do this everyday of the week so that you could see how each day is so vastly different  lol

Happy Hump Day all!!!

This morning I’m linking up with Meg and Stephanie, so come join the hourly fun :-)

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Girl Time {Hearsay}

Our blogging group hasn’t gotten together in while, so when I got the invite, I cleared my schedule!  I mean I was in need of some time with my gal pals. So Saturday we hit up Hearsay in Houston.  Not only was this place gorgeous (I’m talking exposed brick with crystal chandeliers, live string music, and spectacular food), but I totally enjoyed gabbing all morning with my girls.

For brunch I had crème brulee french toast…..I ate every single thing on this plate and still wanted more!

These nice pictures are from the Hearsay website. 
If you’re in Houston you’ve got to check this place out. 
Delicious!

Thank you Meg and Whitney for organizing this month’s meet-up!!  Y’all are so awesome to take care of all the details, and with such grace!

Saturday afternoon, after lunch, I met up with my bestie Grace and her brand new little boy.  She took me through every single aisle to help me register for Little Peep (thank goodness the registry process is completed, for now!).  Not only did she tell me what things I actually needed and what brands are the best, but also answered my interrogation of L&D and baby questions.  I felt so much better, a sense of relief, after chatting and spending the afternoon and evening with her.  Thank you so much Grace for your time, patience, and mostly for your unconditional friendship and prayers.  You're such a godly wife and mama and I'm so grateful to have you as my friend!

I hardly got any pictures this weekend because I was just running my mouth and laughing so much.  And really that is how it should be, ya know?  Sometimes it just isn’t about the pictures, it’s about that quality time with friends and catching up.  If you haven't had a brunch or a chit-chat with your gal pals in a while, go and do it!  
That’s my assignment for you: go and chat it up with your girls!

You see, girl time is the best, we all need it sometimes.  Go and have some good girl talk.
It will definitely make you smile :-)

I'm Really Glad You're Here {Kid President}

Y'all know how much I love me some Kid President, and well, quite honestly, he has done it again.

He's always got it right, and I can't help but think about Little Peep and what his first days on earth will be like, when he still smells like heaven.  I hope I remember to tell him all of these wonderful things about earth:

"laughing IS great"

"some days will be awesome"

"some days you'll get ice cream, and some days you wont"

"There's plenty of reasons to dance, you just have to look for them"

"You're not going to be doing this alone"

"We all mess up sometimes"

"Take brain pictures, because amazing things will happen everyday"

"It's not about what you do, it's about who you are.  You, you're awesome.You're made that way.  You were made from love, to be loved, to spread love. And love is always louder...let your life be loud!"

Thanks Kellyn for sending this link to me! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some dancing to do. Happy Monday Friends! Here are some of my other favorite videos from Kid President:  Not Cool Robert Frost Be More Awesome

Little Peep Bumpdate {Week 21}

Well look at me! It only took me HALF the pregnancy to get each week going as it’s own post. (cue the dance party music)

Date: 1/15/14

How far along: 21 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: Little Peep is the size of a pomegranate (Fun fact: I’ve never had a pomegranate before, not even the seeds)
Developmental milestones: His digestive system has started working & he is now producing meconium for the first time we get to change his diaper (and yes, I’m absolutely looking forward to this and every other “first”)

Maternity clothes: Oh yes!  I was worried about work clothes when a packaged arrived on my door step with some wonderful hand-me-down dresses that are perfect for work!  Thank you so much Christine for this blessing!
Weight gain: 9lbs, and I'm pretty happy about this.  My doctor was pleased as well.
Stretch Marks: Still nothing here
Sleep:  I sleep like a rock and I'm counting my blessings here.  I have multiple potty breaks and if Little Peep is having acrobatic practice during this time, sometimes I wait to fall back to sleep just so that we get some special time together; I don't want to miss a moment with him.
Best moment of the week: 1- I moved to my new doctor this week and I have so much peace with this transition.  We had a lot of issues with my previous OB and fertility specialist (seriously too many to list), so I was really looking forward to this switch.  On Monday, which was a holiday and the office was closed but I just happened to run into my new care giver as I was checking out my new hospital, and he just gave me an impromptu 45 minute “let’s check out the baby” session for FREE!!!  It was so nice of him to just take the time to get to know me and Little Peep and what we wanted.  I wept because I was just so grateful for the Lord placing him in our lives to take care of us.  Since I had the impromptu ultrasound, I got to see him wiggling all around & hear his sweet heartbeat.  Everything is measuring exactly on schedule, with the exception of Little Peep’s legs….they are measuring a week in advance in length (go figure that one out with a 6’7 dad hehe).  It looks like the majority of my belly is reserved for his legs lol During the ultrasound we also saw him practice breathing, which apparently isn’t supposed to start until 24-28 weeks.  My baby is a genius…..think he could be a neuroscientist like his mama???  We also saw him holding his hands like he was praying again.  What a cute little boy and I just can’t wait to meet him.  2- My best friend (sorority sister, roommate from college, and bridesmaid from my wedding) came to visit this past weekend.  It was SO nice to see her again.  I sure have missed her, so the weekend was fabulous and filled with chatting and catching up. A dream weekend!  Katie, I can’t wait for you to come back to TX!!!

Movement: More and more everyday, and I just love it.  He isn’t very aggressive (yet) with his movements but I can definitely tell he is there.
Cravings: Still pizza, salads, & subs
Gender: A little man is on the way :-) 
Belly button in or out:  Innie
Wedding ring:   On
Anything making you queasy/sick: Still mouthwash, but only in the evenings
What I miss: Nothing really
What I’m looking forward to: Working on our registry this weekend…..what are some must-haves that I need????
Labor signs:   No, and hopefully still not for a while
Symptoms: My upper back in the evenings is sore sometimes so I’m still working those exercises.  We did find out at the beginning of January that Little Peep and I have some placenta issues.  For now I’m just on pelvic rest, no exercise, lifting, or anything strenuous.  We’re hoping to keep me off bed rest for now (and preterm labor of course), because not only do we not want the placenta to rupture but because of my blood type, we don’t want our bloods mixing. Please say a prayer for us if you get a chance! Let’s see what else? My center of gravity is off now.  I’ve fallen out of the shower twice (like through the curtain) and I’m constantly running into chairs.  It’s almost as if my depth perception is off.  Crazy and funny.

Nursery: Last weekend when Katie was here we got a basket to start organizing Little Peep's toys and putting his clothes in his dresser.  Now the Mr. has a few tasks to tackle in there before I can really get my décor on :-)

Emotions: I am simply filled with joy all.the.time. (I’m borderline annoying with my optimism right now I think).  I have way more peace than I’ve ever had during this pregnancy, for which I praise the Lord for!

Make Someone Happy

"It's so important to make someone happy, make just one someone happy" I don't think we get enough of this. Have this open on your desk today & keep it on repeat. I hope it brightens your day ...because you make me very happy :-)

What Infertility Looks Like

With the new year, one of my goals is to be more open about our struggle with infertility.  (Our story is here).  Since opening up about our struggle it has become easier for me to share my feelings, the positive and the negative.  If nothing else, besides my own therapy, it is my hope that when I share my story that it can bring encouragement, hope, or comfort to someone else who may be struggling.

I know that every woman who desires to conceive, whether there are complications or not, whether she is deemed infertile (or as I like to call it “fertility challenged”), has a story that is all her own.  With each unique journey to conception or a family (conventional or not) there can be a struggle if the process does not go according to our plan, the way we expect it to go, or how society teaches us it “should” go.  Not only is infertility different from woman to woman, but it's also different from month to month (or hour to hour) within the same woman, and I can only explain my own experiences.  So today I just want to give you a peak into what our house looked like while we were trying to conceive for the past few years; what things brought comfort or knowledge for us.  I also want to acknowledge that this is our story, and no two stories are alike.Prenatal vitamins- Even though research does not suggest that prenatal vitamins improve the chances of conception, on the off chance (or my deepened last bits of hope), I always wanted to be ready just in case a miracle occurred.  I have taken these for quite a long time, and if nothing else my hair and nails enjoyed it.

Charting- Yep, it totally sucks.  Anyone who tells you differently is a liar.  Counting days for hormones and injections, getting up at the same time everyday for your basal temperature, timing blood work down to the minute, checking for ovulation, timing intercourse……yeah it totally burns the romance right out of family planning.  On the plus side, it does help to track my body’s patterns (or lack there of), so that I have everything documented with times and temperatures for my doctors.


Ovulation sticks- This also kind of goes along with the charting from above, but this was my life for almost 3 years… peeing on sticks.  It started as just once a day but with all of our issues it moved to multiple times a day at specific times that changed some months, and trying to do this around work and classes was very interesting sometimes.  This was also something that I should buy stock in.  I feel like I’ve tried every single kind on the market!  I wish I didn’t have ovulation pee stick favorites, but I do.

Hormones- Oh yes these “little” emotional rollercoasters in pill form.  I have a love-hate relationship with these little boogers.  Yes, they helped my body to regulate my hormones (sometimes, arggggg), but boy did they sure convince me to buy stock in Kleenex.  I remember watching the movie Best in Show for the first time (which if you haven't seen it, is supposed to be a comedy), and crying my eyes out the entire movie.  I also cried at the half-time show at a soccer game in Houston.  These did make me praise the Lord for my husband’s unending patience with the nut-job that moved into my body.  Seriously though, I praise the Lord for using these teeny little pieces of science to fulfill His plan.  These hormones were nothing more than fulfilling the will of God.

Bills- Oh yes, if I didn’t mention these I wouldn’t be very authentic with you about our journey through infertility.  There are a lot of appointments with various doctors some of which are covered by insurance and some that are not.  The piles of these bills that came through our house made me continually question if this was really what God wanted us to do.  We continually had to ask for His financial provisions and for peace that if this was the way He wanted it that He would make it happen.  Promotions and raises always came at just the last minute and in the most perfect ways that only He could have provided.  These little signs built our faith in this path He chose for us.

Books- While we were trying to conceive, the books I read changed through the years.  I started with What to Expect Before You’re Expecting, naively thinking that conception would go exactly as the book described.  However, I will say that this was a great book for an introduction into how to prepare yourself physically, psychologically, & financially for increasing your family.  After our loss and the beginnings of my battles with depression, I started reading Disappointment with God by Yancy, and Empty Womb, Aching Heart by Schalesky.  Yancy’s book Disappointment with God is a great book for anyone in any circumstances dealing with disappointment; this is not strictly an infertility book, but is helpful with loss, grief, bitterness, anger, lost hope, and crushed expectations.  I always recommend Empty Womb, Aching Heart to those I know struggling with fertility; I think I’ve even referred to it around here as “Chicken Soup for the Infertile Soul”, because it’s such a great book that offers so many different kinds of stories on infertility.  What I really liked about this book and why it provided me comfort was that these stories were real, nothing was sugar coated, raw emotions were shared, and not everyone ended up with a baby.  To me this book was comforting because it was more realistic, and not just stories with fairy tale endings.  I also started reading many books on foster care and adoption, just because I wanted to be open to any avenue that God might lead us down: Handbook on Thriving as an Adoptive Family, and Wait No More.

Counseling & Journaling- I should also mention, that during this season of our lives, my husband gently recommended that I start going to counseling to help me sort out my emotions and deal with my bitterness, grief, and depression.  I love that my husband knew that this was something that I needed and brought it up at a time when it would be well received and supported me in this process by not only asking me about it, but even helping me find a counselor that would tend to me while respecting my background in science and relationship with Christ (which in the science world is VERY hard to find).   The quote above is on the back of my counselor’s card and I still have this as a reminder that God has a purpose for everything. She encouraged me to start journaling and even as a neuroscientist with training in psychology and counseling, I knew intellectually that this could be helpful, and I don’t know why I didn’t start this sooner.  This was so helpful for me because for the longest time I would just push my feelings down and not acknowledge them.  Journaling made me admit that I had feelings, and I had to do this before any improvement could occur.  I still use this journal and write down 3 feelings I have everyday; I keep the journal on my desk so I wont “forget” to acknowledge my feelings.

Letters to Little Peep- To be totally honest, I started writing letters to our baby over 4 years ago, before I ever knew that infertility was about to smack us in the face.  I have to say that writing letters to the baby about what was happening, our prayers for him or her, and our journey to grow our family was the best part of infertility.  It always helped me to focus on what the goal was, and that was growing our family, either with a baby, foster care, or adoption.  I have prayed over this baby and wrote it all down (and still do), and I hope that one day I can give this book to him/her and that they know just how precious, desired, and loved they really are to us.

Little Peep Bumpdate {Weeks 19 & 20}

Date: 1/1/14

How far along: 19 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: Little Peep is the size of a mango (or heirloom tomato depending on which website I refer to hehe)
Developmental milestones: The vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells, coats Little Peep’s skin.  I know that sounds gross, but think about what you would look like if you took a 9 month bath…..See you’d probably want some vernix caseosa then too.
Maternity clothes: Oh yes and I love ‘em
Weight gain: I think I’m up about 5lbs.
Stretch Marks: So far so good
Sleep:  I sleep like a baby ;-)
Best moment of the week: This week we had our anatomy scan appointment (1/2/13); this was definitely my favorite appointment.  It took about 3 hours at the hospital to get everything assessed (to make sure we are still out of the “high risk” zone).  It may have taken a while (and I had to take 3 potty breaks during the scan) but it was so awesome to watching our SON wiggle all around.    He very quickly gave us a show to let us know, without a doubt, what gender our Little Peep is.  His heart rate was 145 and he weighs about 11 oz.  The tech kept calling him an “acrobat” because he would just move all over the place, and when she would press on my belly with the monitor he would wiggle away.  At one point we saw him holding his hands, like he was praying, and another time we saw him doing the “happy baby” yoga pose (which the Mr. was just doing the night before!).  He has really lonnnnnnnnggggg legs and lean feet; they look like a carbon copy of the Mr.’s!  I think the majority of my belly is reserved for legs (which my hubby is 6’7 so this makes complete sense lol).  At the end of the scan the tech switched to 3d and 4d and let us play to get some fun pictures.  She was so nice to spend so much time with us making sure we could soak up as much time with him during the appointment as possible.
Movement:   On the first day of week 19 (1/1), I felt Little Peep move for the first time! Maybe I felt it earlier because during the ultrasound I felt it when I saw it….I think I just thought it was digestion or something, but I will say 19 weeks officially because that was the first time I was certain because the punching woke me up from a nap.
Cravings: Pizza!!! And the totally terrible kind: Tostitos pizza that the Mr. and I lived off of when we were in college
Gender:  BOY!!!! Here is our gender reveal!
Belly button in or out:  Still an innie
Wedding ring:   On, and I love looking at my new ring still :-)
Anything making you queasy/sick: You might not believe this, heck I hardly believe it myself, but coffee isn’t sitting well with me.  I love the smell of it and the taste of fru-fru coffee, but just plain coffee (even with milk and sugar) just doesn’t taste good to me lately.  It’s way too bitter for me.
What I miss: Nothing really
What I’m looking forward to:  Next week when I hit 20 weeks and I’m halfway there to meeting Little Peep
Labor signs:   No, and hopefully still not for a while
Symptoms: Some back pain still and my growing belly :-)

Nursery:  The ball has started rolling here, and I’ve got some great ideas (great to me of course) that I can’t wait to start on.
Emotions: I’m just so excited to know the Little Peep is doing well and that he is a he!!! I cannot wait to watch this little one grow.  I can’t stop thinking about all the fun we are going to have.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: 1/8/14

How far along: 20 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: Little Peep is the size of a banana! 
Developmental milestones: Now that Little Peep has working taste buds, that will impact what foods he prefers once he arrives, I have been eating LOTS of fruits and veggies.  I want him to prefer the healthy stuff, so anything processed, fried, sweet, etc. is pretty limited in my diet. 
Maternity clothes: Oh yes!  The Mr. and I went on a hike on Saturday morning and I tried squeezing into pre-preggo pants, and it was pretty painful.  I think I might have to purchase some pants since I only have 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of leggings.  Later that day, I was cleaning up the house in a regular t-shirt and my belly was hanging out of the bottom…..it was NOT attractive lol  I think I may be due for some nursing bras too (I’m going to skip maternity bras, just because I’d rather purchase only one new set of bras instead of two, just from a financial perspective).  Tips on great nursing bra brands????
Weight gain: I think about 6 lbs since my pre-preggo weight
Stretch Marks: Still good here, I think, since I can’t see the underside of my belly anymore without contorting myself in weird positions in front of the mirror.
Sleep:  I am sleeping like a baby with 2-3 potty breaks a night
Best moment of the week: 1- One of the highlights of this week was probably realizing that I was halfway done with this pregnancy.  To be honest it has been really bittersweet.  I love being pregnant and am embracing every single day and aspect of this pregnancy; however, of course I can’t wait to meet my little boy.  I’m definitely not to the point where I’m wishing this pregnancy goodbye, but I am looking forward to seeing his face, and learning his personality.  2- A dear friend from my Sunday school class invited me to her house to help clean her out of baby gear.  I am not above hand-me-downs, and am completely grateful.  Hearing those rattles jingle in the backseat of my car as I drove away brought a couple tears to my eyes.  Thank you Michelle!

Movement: Is increasing more and more!  I absolutely love feeling him have acrobatic practice in my tummy.  He loves to dance while I’m listening to praise music in the car.  It feels like I have a bag of popcorn in my belly just popping away.  I think I may have felt hiccups on Sunday night at church, but I’m not completely sure about that.
Cravings: Still pizza :-)
Gender:  BOY!!!!
Belly button in or out:  Innie
Wedding ring:   On
Anything making you queasy/sick: Mouthwash at night is still churning my stomach.
What I miss: Nothing
What I’m looking forward to:  My bestie from college, who was in my wedding & a pledge sister in my sorority, is coming to visit next weekend and I can’t wait to spend the weekend with her :-) Also I will have my next appointment next week with my new care giver; I’m really looking forward to this appointment.
Labor signs:   Nope and I’m totally cool with that!
Symptoms: My belly is starting to get a little bit bigger so bending over, and trying to get up out of the recliner is getting tougher.  I am grunting more and more when I have to bend over to pick up stuff.  My back pain is back but I have been doing some exercised to help with this and it seems to be helping. Heart burn is much better and I’m not even popping the Tums anymore, I have upped my calcium intake with fruit smoothies everyday and that has seemed to work pretty well.  I still have shortness of breath, but I imagine this will only get worse as Little Peep and I grow.
Nursery:  I’ve got lists and ideas rolling around and things are starting to be crossed of the list!  I can’t wait to see it finished!
Emotions: I’m feeling pretty good.  My anxieties about his growth and health have decreased, but I am feeling a little push to prepare everything (nursery, home, work) so that we are ready way in advance for his arrival.  I don’t want anything to be last minute where I might feel rushed or unprepared.  I want to be ahead of the game as much as I can be.