20 Weeks = Half Way There

Well, here is to week 20 and still a rather smooth pregnancy!  One new thing I have noticed is that the right side of my rib cage (the top of it) will hurt at times.  It goes away after a while but I almost feel like I've been kicked there.  Anyway, after talking to a few 'moms', I think Baby Jack may have an elbow or leg up there that is bothering me.  This usually happens around lunch and then at night when I'm going to bed.  My pregnancy dreams are still in high gear - sometimes I wonder how I even come up with these dreams! 

Lee and I have Baby Jack's room all cleared out and ready to clean.  I'm going to do that this weekend so that we can put the crib together.  We purchased the rocker/recliner yesterday and I can't wait to get that in December!  It is going to be so nice I think.  I still need to order the changing table/dresser combo and then we will be done with furniture.  Things are really getting exciting for us:)  Lee sees my belly getting bigger and I think that gets him even more excited and makes it a little more 'real' to him.  We still haven't felt Jack kick or punch yet but hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will.  I put a picture below and this is actually from last week but I haven't grown much since then:)  I will have my next ultrasound on Monday, October 3rd and I'm so excited to see Jack again.  It has been a month or longer since we saw him last.  I will update again next week!  Thanks for all of the kind wishes and prayers for our soon to be family of 3!

18.5 Weeks - Getting Behind

I missed my 17 Week update and I'm behind on getting this one out.  I'm going to try and get back on the 'blog train' now.  I took another belly shot - it is a little weird watching your stomach grow and grow and grow:) 

We ordered the crib and it arrived a couple of weeks ago.  The mattress should be in this week.  We have torn our second bedroom apart and we are trying to organize as best we can.  We are getting rid of some stuff and trying to put other things in storage.  We just need more room:)  We went and registered last weekend and what a process that is!  I got some really great advice from friends that helped but it is still really overwhelming!  Lee and I did pretty good though and by the end of it, we were both ready to get out of that store!  I have been sleeping better on my side but last night I had a bad night overall.  Just couldn't get comfortable and finally ended up on the couch around 2:30am.  Hopefully that isn't something I experience often.  I have also had indigestion lately.  I've never had this before and it is such a terrible feeling, I'm so glad it is just a side effect of being pregnant and will go away after!  I had my monthly Dr. appt. on Monday and everything is going great.  Dr. Varadi said I might be a couple of pounds over what I should have gained so far but to try and keep it at 1lb a week from now on.  UGH, is what I say to that!! 

Below is a gift from Mimi and PaPa (Lee's parents).  I just love the clothes and blankets we have gotten, it makes me so excited to dress Jack once he is here!  Lily (our dog) loves all of the new clothes, blankets, etc. because she thinks they are new toys for her...that is just a different story all together:)

The receptionist at Barbara's office made this for Jack....it is just precious!

And guess who wanted in on a picture...you got it, Ms. Lily herself!!

16.5 Weeks - Better Late Than Never

I am late getting this week's update out and it is one of the most important too!  I think most everyone knows but just in case....IT'S A BOY!!  We found out on Friday that Baby G can now be referred to as Baby Jack.  We will name him William Jackson Gwaltney and he will go by Jack.  This has really set our excitement in motion!  To be able to look at boy clothes or anything boy for that matter, is so fun now.  The Dr. said everything looks good so far and I go back for another ultrasound on October 3rd.  I have not been as tired lately but I could use a nap after lunch...I get so sleepy then. 

I took another belly shot this week.  Not too much to see but here you go.  Sorry for how dark the picture turned out.

Gifts from Nana (my Mom).  The bib says 'Daddy's Little Caddy' - adorable!  The blue dog is a hooded towel (with tail) and then there is a small handheld, really soft dog for the baby.  She also found her Childhood Medical Guide that she used with me so now I can use it for Jack.  Thanks Mom!

15 Weeks

My first picture of evidence:) I took this picture on June 5th when I found out I was pregnant!  Seems so long ago.  Lee and I are getting so excited for Friday and to find out the sex of our Baby G!!  I don't have a 'mother's intuition' on this one, I'm just so ready to be able to say 'he or she' and mean it!  I will update on Friday!! 

14 Weeks

Here is a run down of my appointment with Dr. Varadi yesterday:

• I have gained 3lbs since last visit. 
• All of my lab work has come back good and my blood type is B+.
• She listened to Baby G’s heartbeat and it was nice and strong. 
• She said to continue the good work.  My next appt. with her is September 12^th at 8:30am.

Mark your calendars for August 26^th at 9:30am – this is our appt. with Dr. Zaretsky.  Since I will be far enough along at that time, Dr. Varadi is going to have him tell us the sex of the baby!!! 

On another note, I went by BuyBuy Baby to get a body pillow for myself.  I have never been a side sleeper and am having a hard time getting used to it.  I used the body pillow last night and it seemed to help but I'm still going to have to get used to this sleeping on my side thing. 

Just one more thing - Happy 10 Months to my husband....may the good life continue!!

13 Weeks - To Bump or Not to Bump

Hello Week 13!  This week I decided, do I 'acknowledge the bump' or no?  I asked Lee to take some profile pictures this morning, not realizing that my tank top matches our walls:)  But you get the 'protruding' point.  There's a little something there and pants are fitting a little more snug around the waist.  Not too much change in any symptoms in the last couple of weeks.  I have my next appt. with Dr. Varadi on Monday, August 15th so when I post next Monday I will update with the status of that visit.  I do want to acknowledge my husband who has been awesome thru everything so far!  He has stepped up to help in several different ways, as well as looking into massages for me, etc.!  I know it is harder for Dads to Be to feel as if something is changing, until they see a 'bump' or feel the baby move, etc.  I just am so proud of how helpful Lee has been and how involved he has wanted to be! 

12 Weeks - Celebrating an Ending and a New Beginning

So I have officially started my second trimester!  That is fun for me to say.  It has gone by fast but the main reason is, of course, that the chance of miscarriage goes down significantly.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think about that often, but it is in the back of my head at times.  I couldn't be happier that Lee and I got pregnant when we did and I will not spend my last couple of 'pregnancy' months during the summer heat!  This has been brutal so far and I'm only 3 months in!  We just bought a fan for the bedroom because I get so hot at night.  I tend to freeze Lee out but man, I can't help it!  The fan is great though (note that we have a ceiling fan also and utilize it, haha, I use whatever I can to make it cold)!! 

I went to a specialist on Friday to check out my cervix and to my surprise they did an ultrasound (for like 30 minutes)!!  It was so great to see Baby G moving around! I have attached a couple of the pictures below.  They asked me on Friday if I wanted their ‘guesstimation’ on the sex of the baby.  I was taken back because I didn’t expect that at all and then said ‘no’ because Lee was not with me.  Well, Lee has now decided that since they even offered up the ‘guess’ that it MUST be a boy.  So, now it is ‘he’ and ‘William Jackson’ and ‘Jack’……I told him he is going to disappoint himself if it is a girl:) 

When they measured crown to rump of the baby on Friday, it was just over 2 inches.  A peanut….

Symptoms:

• Still tired, but feel as if it is getting better.
• Feeling bloated, especially after I eat.
• Weird dreams....
• Feeling anxious about everything to come....ie. Baby G's health, daycare, money, all the normal stuff I guess.
• This isn't really a symptom but I stopped drinking coffee.  This is an amazing thing for me as I have been drinking coffee for as log as I can remember! 
• Smells, I can tell that certain 'aromas' are starting to make me nauseous.

Here is Baby G's second gift.  A lamb from Scentsy - will make the whole room smell good!  Thank you Christy!!

And below are the pics of Baby G.