20 weeks! - 4 days late!

so i totally failed on the picture this week. normally i try to take it before we leave for church, but this week we were running late. i'll just take it when i get home, i thought. well after church i went shopping with bri (didn't get anything besides shaving cream for josh - just went for support), and then we ended up hanging out at their house until late, so no pic. and then monday i just looked like crap - no need to get dressed up and fix your hair when you got laid off (more about that later) so the picture just never happened. but i did get great pics at our reveal party tuesday night thanks to our friend wayne! thanks wayne! you can check out more of wayne's work here. 

what’s new with baby: well baby p is a GIRL for one thing! so exciting! 

see!

baby girl weighed 10 ounces at our ultrasound on tuesday! and the tech said that she would be doubling her weight within the next couple weeks! (no wonder i'm so hungry!) baby girl is also about the length of a banana now. everything looked great development wise - everything was measuring good and we got to see her little heart beating 155 beats per minute! even though the anticipation to find out what she was was killing me, it was SO WONDERFUL to see our healthy little baby there on the screen, squirming around and doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. 

i'm already in love with her little profile!

what’s new with mom: well besides hungry, i've been feeling good. i did get laid off from my job the day after we had our ultrasound and found out baby girl is a girl, so week 20 was definitely an emotional roller coaster! total elation to total shock and disappointment in a matter of 18 hours! but i've been trying to stay positive and just focus on the fact that i have a healthy baby girl to love and plan for. speaking of planning, i went into nursery planning mode almost immediately and i'm so excited about some of the ideas i have floating around in my head! right now they are still just ideas as the only thing we have in the nursery is still the chair and a futon, but still. we were going to order a crib a couple weeks ago, but at this point i think i'll just wait until black friday and see if i can get a deal! (losing your job also dampens the whole spending-lots-of-money-on-the-nursery thing!) 

wardrobe: nothing new to report here, still wearing my maternity pants and regular tops. of course my tops are getting snug and i love the couple maternity ones i have, but i'm holding off to buy more until they're more necessary (or marked down on black friday, please target). and briana is about to POP so she'll gradually be passing her maternity clothes to me as she's done with them because she's awesome like that! :) 

cravings: food in general, i'd say. still no meat or burgers, baby girl's not into that. :) although that would probably be better than wanting than the carbs and sweets i do want (besides the whole pescatarian thing!). 

anything hard? besides staying full, nothing baby related. i'm so excited to be expecting a healthy baby girl! the whole job thing really stinks, and i may have thrown a little tantrum the other day about having to job hunt when i just went through the whole process back in june. just finding jobs that sound appealing and that i'm qualified for... then those applications are so tedious and annoying... and then not hearing back from most people... ugh. but fortunately i do have an interview tomorrow! i'm nervous about the whole interviewing while pregnant thing. i think my plan is to try to not look pregnant. i definitely am pregnant and proud of it, but the average stranger isn't saying anything to me and they're not allowed to ask in an interview. we'll see how it goes! 

best moment(s) of the week: well this is easy! getting to see our healthy baby and finding out that we weren't having a hermaphrodite was awesome! (i seriously had a long and involved dream the night before the appointment that we were having a hermaphrodite! and for whatever reason we still decided to do the balloon reveal, i guess because it was already planned, so we opened the box in front of all our friends and the balloons were yellow and we just stood there crying. everyone was in shock and we had to explain that our baby was a hermaphrodite but we were going to love it anyway. ugh.) anyway, the ultrasound and news of a healthy boy OR girl was awesome! and then of course the reveal party was GREAT! it was so exciting to find out and celebrate with all of our friends here locally. (my parents got to watch on skype!) and the pictures wayne took were so great i don't think people who weren't there in person really felt like they missed much! here are a few of my favorites...

so excited!!!

the initial reaction! 

yay! 

realizing it's PINK!

showing off the ultrasound pics! 

19 weeks

that belly is starting to stick out! 

what’s new with baby: baby p weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and is about 6 inches long head to bottom! baby p can now hear my voice and his/her sensory development is exploding! 

what’s new with mom: mom is amazed that the half way point of pregnancy is tomorrow! i'm starting to feel more movements so that's exciting. my back's been hurting a lot this weekend but nothing too crazy. and i'm getting more of those "round ligament" or stretching pains again. i gotta make room for the little guy! or girl! 

wardrobe: definitely maternity pants! unfortunately my loungy pants are even starting to feel snug! my shirts are still fine but i'm planning on incorporating more maternity shirts into my wardrobe soon. 

cravings: nothing crazy, but i feel like if i hear about something then i want it! (not steak or anything gross like that!) like my sister mentioned chocolate covered raisins on facebook the other day and i've been wanting them ever since! and josh mentioned penn station and i craved their artichoke sub until i had it! 

anything hard? can i just whine for a second and say that the weather for my reveal party on tuesday is going to be cold and rainy!? that's not really hard but i'm still bummed. on a completely unrelated note it's weird to be around clients and parents and feel very pregnant but not say anything, and they're not saying anything so it's just awkward. soon enough i'm sure it will all be out in the open. 

best moment(s) of the week: well i got my first "when are you due!?" from someone i hadn't talked about being pregnant with this week! that was weird and exciting! josh and i were also linus (him) and the great pumpkin (me) for our friends' halloween party last night. that was pretty fun! being a pumpkin was a perfect halloween costume for a pregnant lady - just wore my maternity leggings and a black shirt with a pumpkin thing over it all - super comfortable! 

20 weeks tomorrow and off to the doctor the day after that! eek!

18 weeks!

i feel like mom was looking rough this morning! 

what’s new with baby: head to rump, baby p is now about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs in at a whopping 7 ounces! he or she is busy flexing his or her arms and legs! 

what’s new with mom: mom is doing good and feeling more pregnant every day! i feel like my belly is pooching out more but looking back through the pictures it looks like change is happening quite slowly! i've yet to have anyone i don't know ask if i was pregnant, which most people don't do anyway but i'm thinking some of my clients are suspicious! anyway, as i sit here my lower back is killing me but i'm feeling pretty good overall. still hungry and tired. what's new? 

wardrobe: i'm in maternity pants and i'm not looking back! (of course my pajama and loungy pants still fit fine.) we'll see how long my tops last! 

cravings: nothing too crazy. one night i really wanted mexican food so we went out for that. baby p HATED mexican for quite a while but now it seems that they've made up so that makes me happy! and i discovered a new mexican restaurant a couple weeks ago which is quite delicious so we went there. i've been wanting pie since the last episode of The Office but that has not happened yet. 

anything hard? well work was super hard this week but that has nothing to do with being pregnant. although i might be more emotional about work because of baby p. i cried when i left on monday and josh brought me home flowers that night. :) and that was just monday! i'm getting more and more excited to find out what we're having on the 30th! i can now check the whether for our gender reveal party on the 10 day forecast! eek! i'm also getting anxious to feel baby p move more. i feel some strange little flutters and popping, but i want a real KICK! but i know it's still early and i'm trusting that everything is a-okay! 

best moment(s) of the week: hmm... yesterday we went to a corn maze with our friend sarah and i love any fall time fun! here's a pic of us on the hayride. stay tuned for Halloween costume pics next week! 

17 weeks!

i looked a lot cuter earlier in the day but i forgot to get a pic so i just threw this on tonight! 

what’s new with baby: baby p is about 5 inches long head to bottom and weighs in at about 5 ounces, approximately the size of a turnip! baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and he or she can move his or her joints! 

what’s new with mom: mom is pooped from a long day of throwing briana's baby shower! in all seriousness i'm feeling pretty good other than some reflux here and there, especially when i lay down. yuck. still very hungry but good. i think this week i'm really starting to look pregnant! 

wardrobe: well kids, i bought some maternity clothes, and they are getting lots of use already! me and my mom went shopping at several places and i think i ended up with 3 pairs of jeans (one nice pair for work), black dress pants, a skirt, and leggings. definitely a lot of things for the lower half of my body since my shirts still fit. hopefully i can hold off until briana passes along some of her maternity clothes to me. :) 

cravings: nothing in particular, just food! today i got a burrito from chipotle for the first time in years (i usually get a burrito bowl), and i ate every bite of it! 

anything hard? fortunately, i can't think of anything! i'm definitely tired but that's quite normal at this point! 

best moment(s) of the week: getting to spend time with my parents was certainly nice! i'm super thankful for all of their help around the house and all of my mom's help prepping for the shower! and of course getting to throw briana her baby shower was pretty great! here's a few pics from the afternoon: 

baby p also finally has something in his or her room now! on a whim we stopped in at a furniture store that was closing for good last night. they had about 20 pieces of furniture they were still trying to get rid of half an hour before they closed and this chair was one of them! after a short debate i decided i really liked the chair and especially the price! milo likes it too! i can't wait to start decorating more!!! 

16 weeks

what’s new with baby: baby p is about the size of an avocado now: 4 1/2 inches long crown to rump and 3 1/2 ounces! so big! baby p is staying busy in there pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day! and baby p is even growing toenails! 

what’s new with mom: mom is tired! this week at work has been crazy and i'm not excited about it being monday already in just a couple hours. i'm also still super hungry but feeling pretty good overall. 

wardrobe: man am i ready to go shopping! i can still wear my regular pants but it's getting to the point of just not being fun anymore! my parents are coming into town later this week and i'm hoping my mom will be up for a little shopping trip - at least for some jeans, bras, and underwear! 

cravings: nothing in particular, but nothing too healthy either unfortunately. cookies, ice cream, and brownies all come to mind. and i just ate a bag of popcorn and i'm still hungry. :( 

anything hard? well being super exhausted is no fun. and feeling like a busted can of biscuits in my pants gets old. but other than that nothing too bad. i'm getting more and more excited to find out if baby p is a he or a she! october 30th can't come quickly enough! i have no idea what i think he/she is. earlier on i thought boy and i'm still leaning that way, but now i'm not so sure! 

best moment(s) of the week: hmm... this week was hard. i did buy the cutest little baby underwear (?) pamper cover thing (?) (what the heck are those called!?) yesterday at this cute little baby store near raleigh. and i got a cute little toy for baby p's cousin paapu. you can read all about paapu (and my awesome sister!) here!

is this not going to be the cutest baby butt newborn pics ever!? 

update 10/8: apparently i am a terrible mother (or i was just really tired when i wrote this last night) because i forgot to mention the doctor appointment we had at the beginning of the week! THAT was the highlight of my week! everything looked great and we got to hear sweet baby p's heartbeat again! it was wonderful! 156 beats per minute! can't wait to SEE (sorta) him/her at the next appointment! 

15 weeks

what’s new with baby: baby p is now about 4 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces, about the size of an apple! baby p can sense light now too! 

what’s new with mom: i've felt pretty good this week. still some reflux occasionally but nothing too major. i do have to pee constantly and i'm hungry all the time - i can seriously eat every 2 hours. it gets exhausting to constantly figure out what i want to eat. 

wardrobe: things are definitely getting snug but i can still rock the belly band and the rubber band trick. i did buy a maternity skirt and dress at old navy last night - 2 pieces that can definitely grow with me. no pants purchased yet. (actually i just remembered i bought a pair of maternity dress pants a couple weeks ago at a consignment store - i couldn't pass up the deal!) 

cravings: nothing major - just food in general! 

anything hard? well peeing all the time gets old but that's not really difficult. 

best moment(s) of the week: this week was not very exciting to be honest. which is fine. i did get my counseling license in the mail, which has nothing to do with being pregnant but it is exciting! today we celebrated our dear friend briana and future baby friend for baby p, fiona! how cute is she!? 

33 weeks & 15 weeks! quite a change! :)


16 weeks and off to the doctor tomorrow! 

14 weeks

a real maternity pic w/ my tripod & timer!

(yes i'm wearing the same outfit i did last saturday. i need to go shopping.) 

what’s new with baby: baby p can now make all sorts of facial expressions, pee, and maybe even suck his or her itty bitty thumb! baby p is about 3 1/2 inches long and weighs 1 1/2 ounces, about the size of a lemon! baby is also developing its lanugo, or baby fuzz. 

what’s new with mom: well, i'm still pretty tired, and i'm not sleeping great! i am sleeping, i just never really feel rested. and i've started to have some acid reflux so i'm trying to sleep on two pillows, which does help but then my neck hurts. i've also had some minor cramping and back aches throughout the week. i feel like all of my complaints are pretty minor though, nothing too bad.  

wardrobe: still working the belly band and the hair tie trick when i wear my jeans. i feel like i'm not nearly big enough for maternity clothes, but i am thinking about them more. they just look so comfortable in comparison to my pants that i can't zip all the way up with the belly band stretched over them. sigh. 

cravings: me and briana (my friend here that's due in november) may have driven to the grocery store last night around 9 for some reese cups. seriously. but i only ate 2. they just sounded so good! i've been eating lots of asian food - thai, chinese, etc. my co-workers were teasing me that my baby is going to come out making karate chop motions. it's just a nice vegetarian option i think! 

anything hard? well, yesterday i had one of those pregnant woman melt downs, which luckily hasn't happened too often at all. i had a dream that i was pumping but instead of the milk going down the tubes and into the bottles it was just splashing up in my face and going everywhere. of course i was crying in my dream. and then i woke up and i felt like my house looked like crap and i was behind on laundry, and milo puked so while i cleaned it up my breakfast got cold, and then by the time i sat down to eat i just started crying. seriously i think my biggest stressor lately has been my house. i want to be able to use my office but i just walk in there, look around, and walk out. it's a mess and i'm totally overwhelmed. i wish my mom could just come over for a day - i know we'd get it all organized in no time. that's not really baby related other than i'm just more exhausted and i don't have the energy to work on it. and i can't move around the heavy boxes too easily. 

best moment(s) of the week: nothing too exciting this week. i got together with some other north carolina art therapists yesterday in raleigh and they were all super excited for me. and i'm starting to show more so that's fun. i also got to catch up with a friend who just had her baby a week ago the other day so that was nice. and briana is always filling me in on what's to come. it's fun having friends who are going through this the same time as you (my sister included!).