17 Weeks!

Better late than never, right? Not too much has changed, which is why I haven't been in too big a hurry to post this... :)

Week and day: 17 weeks and 3 days

Belly Button in or out: Totally still IN. I don't expect it to pop out--ever.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. Starting to get a little bit tight first thing in the morning but then not so bad the rest of the day.

Food cravings: Buffalo chicken tenders! I NEVER ate buffalo-style or spicy anything before this pregnancy. You should have seen hubs' face when I said I was craving buffalo chicken--it's one of his favorites! I think his heart leaped in his chest! Buffalo chicken tenders are totally delish!

Food aversions: Nothing really. I don't have a huge sweet tooth and I've had little to no desire to bake goodies over the past 2+ months. For those of you who know me, this is SO not normal.

Nausea: Pretty much non-existent at this point, and I am VERY grateful for that!

Energy level: Eh. It's not too bad. Could always use MORE energy, though. Maybe one day I'll figure out how to bottle up LO's energy and use it myself!

Weight gain: As of last week, I was up to 6 pounds! Not too shabby!

Mood: Waaaay excited that we're having a BOY! I can't wait to start buying tiny blue clothes! And LO is looking forward to having a baby brother, although she still wants to name him "Sticker." LOL!

Maternity clothes: I'm all about them. Pants are almost a must right now. Tops are negotiable -- I'm wearing some maternity tops and some regular ones.

Size of baby: Right now, he/she is about the size of a Beanie Baby! About 5 inches long and close to 5 ounces!

Baby's changes: His delicate skeleton is continuing to harden from cartilage to bone. This week he starts developing body fat, which keeps him comfy and warm after he's born.

Next appointment: June 15th - the big 20 week ultrasound appointment! Should have some more pics of our little guy to share after this appointment!

Other: We DID purchase the baby's furniture last Saturday. It'll take 10-12 weeks, so I'm glad we ordered it when we did. I absolutely LOVE it! We've also started painting his room (ugly white walls are going to be a nice cream-y shade). Hubs is making SERIOUS progress on the deck he's building, which will be nice to have it done by mid-June. Oh, and although it's not necessarily related to the baby, I am SO PROUD of LO for sleeping in her "big girl bed" since Friday night. She has done awesome and has totally surprised me! She's taking better naps now than she was before in her crib. I am SO blessed!

Okay, I'm totally lame, but I'm not including a 17 week picture. I figure not much has changed and I'm planning to post an 18 week pic on Sunday, so you'll just have to wait on that one!

Big Day!!!

Today has been a very big day in our household. For starters, LO slept in her "big girl bed" for the very first time last night! She was absolutely amazing. She played with a little toy piano for about 5 minutes, then quiet. We checked in on her before we went to bed and she was out cold in her crib, snuggled nicely under her blanket. We were SHOCKED! She did wake up around 3AM crying, and hubs went in to check on her. She was standing by the door (closed, of course) like she wasn't sure what to do next. Hubs helped her back into her bed, handed her teddy and a paci, and she was out in no time.

The pic above was taken as she watched daddy carry the front rail of her bed away. She said, "Oh, cooool!"

This is her "fake sleeping" in her new big girl bed! She was SOOOO excited!!!

Here she is striking a pose for mommy!

We celebrated her major milestone accomplishment with breakfast at Cracker Barrel -- usually one of mommy's favorites but very disappointing this morning. I've been feeling nauseous since we ate and haven't been able to eat anything other than a few crackers this afternoon. ((sigh)) I guess I need to remember that I am pregnant, with a BOY, who happens to be my husband's offspring. If you knew what I know about my husband's childhood, you'd know we've got our work cut out for us once TO arrives.

So speaking of TO... I think we've found "the one." You know, the perfect furniture to outfit our son's bedroom (still SO weird to type that!). We had narrowed it down to two options: Munire Majestic or Bonavita Metro.

This is the Munire Majestic convertible lifetime crib (we'd also get the 5-drawer dresser, not pictured here):


And the Bonavita Metro collection:

While I haven't seen the Metro collection in person yet (we're going this afternoon to check out the floor model), I'm leaning heavily towards that option. It's just such a clean and contemporary design and I really am in love with it! Doesn't it look just gorgeous converted into a full-size bed? I think any teenage boy would be grateful to have such a luxury!


There's a pretty good chance we'll be ordering TO's furniture this afternoon, which is a GOOD THING because they say it takes anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks to arrive!

Woot!

It's Official...

Guess we're gonna need one of these:

Hubs, LO and I are SO incredibly excited to find out we're expecting a baby boy!

We Know! We Know!

So we had our 16-week check-up appointment this morning. It was pretty much just supposed to be blood pressure, weight (hurray for only 6 lbs. so far!) and a quick listen to the baby's heartbeat with the fetal doppler.

However...

The nurse practitioner (NP) had a hard time finding the baby's heartbeat with the fetal doppler. I wasn't too worried about it, since we use a fetal doppler at home and had just listened to the baby the other day. In fact, I thought it was humorous how the NP went about her process of finding the heartbeat with the doppler. I was going to offer a few suggestions (silly me!) when she mentioned that if we can't find the heartbeat with the doppler, she'll want to send me back for a quick ultrasound just to be sure everything is okay. Naturally, I chose to keep quiet.

So, although we weren't scheduled for another ultrasound until 20 weeks, we were able to have one today.

The most awesome news??? Our baby is just fine! Great heartbeat, perfect growth, everything looks fine, etc. There are no problems.

((whew!!!))

The second most awesome news??? We were able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! Woot!

Oh, unfortunately I can't share the news here on the blog until after we've told our family and a few close friends. Guess you'll have to stop back by tomorrow to find out! :)

Our New Deck

As I mentioned yesterday, hubs is in the midst of building a 500 sq. ft. deck in our tiny, measly little backyard. We decided because the yard is so small, has an obnoxious hill and leads right into a retention pond, it just isn't "livable" space where we can spend time with LO outdoors. Right now we're stuck hanging out in our front yard while all the neighbors drive by and see me in my lounge clothes sunning on a blanket in the grass. Something I'd definitely prefer doing in the privacy of our backyard.

So, we decided it made sense to put in a deck in the backyard we could use as our own semi-private getaway spot, PLUS it'll add some serious resale value to the house when we decide to sell. And of course, my super-handy husband has been working on this monstrosity all by his lonesome. Did I mention how amazing he is!?

Anywho, I thought I'd show you guys what it looked like before he got started:

He's made some serious progress, and has just about completed the framing. Laying the actual decking boards is next on his list - he ordered over $1,000 in wood yesterday and it should be here today for him to get started. Do you realize how large 500 sq. ft. is? I didn't, at least not until I went outside and saw the framing work he's completed:

I'm SO very proud of all he's accomplished and I know he's planning to have this whole thing knocked out by the end of June. It's absolutely shocking how capable this man is. I love him to pieces and can't wait for our (growing) family to spend quality time together outside on this beautiful deck.

I'll post more pictures as this project progresses.

A Day of Bullet Points

Today I'm happy because:

• LO woke up in a good mood
• We're having lunch with my mom and sisters at Olive Garden - one of my favs
• LO's Jibbetz should be here Monday - I'm trying to be patient
• My good friend found out yesterday she's having a baby GIRL (already has a 2-1/2 year old boy and is due with her baby girl just 4 weeks before me)
• LO will now watch Sesame Street while I take a shower and typically doesn't get into anything she shouldn't (knock on wood)
• Hubs is making some serious progress on our 500 sq. ft. deck. (Note to self: I should post some progress pictures...)
• I listened to my baby's heartbeat the other day with our rented fetal doppler. Such peace of mind and utter joy to hear!
• We have our 16 week appointment tomorrow.
• Our ultrasound appointment is a mere 27 days away. We should be able to find out if we're expecting a boy or girl!
• If it's warm enough after LO's nap, we're planning to head to the pool for the first time this summer! Woot!
• I've progressed from an unexpected love of BBQ chicken to an even more unexpected craving for Buffalo chicken! NEVER been a fan but am craving it like a crazy person!
• I've finally gotten over my incessant need for comments on my blog posts and am happy and content to just share my thoughts/life with the blogging community with no expectations from my readers. I really just enjoy it now!
• Our beach trip with 2 of my favorite couples and their kids is only about 3 weeks away. Woot!

What makes YOU happy today?

16 Weeks!

Week and day: 16 weeks and 1 day

Belly Button in or out: Totally still IN. I don't expect it to pop out--ever.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. Starting to get a little bit tight first thing in the morning but then not so bad the rest of the day.

Food cravings: BBQ chicken! Any kind of chicken! I should be clucking by now based on how much chicken I've eaten over the past 3-4 weeks. Seriously.

Food aversions: Nothing really. I don't have a huge sweet tooth and I've had little to no desire to bake goodies over the past 2+ months. For those of you who know me, this is SO not normal.

Nausea: Almost gone completely! Very rarely hits me. I think all that chicken is keeping my tummy happy!

Energy level: Energy schmenergy. I didn't have much before this pregnancy, and certainly don't have too much now. ((sigh)) Wish it would pick up a bit and I'm still slightly hopeful it will.

Weight gain: Not sure. I'm guessing about 5 pounds but I'll find out for sure at my next appointment on Wednesday.

Mood: Stoked! We've made progress cleaning out our spare bedroom to turn into the baby's room. I've got a ton of miscellaneous "stuff" I need to go through and/or find a new home for, but it'll happen over time. Oh, and I'm also WAY excited that I was able to successfully install the ceiling fan with lighting kit all by myself in the baby's room! Hubs was quite impressed and surprised! Woot!

Maternity clothes: I'm so wearing some now. I still have jeans that fit okay, but when I sit down, they dig into my tummy and that does not make for a happy pregnant lady. I'm in my maternity pants most of the time, and still have a few maternity tops I'm in to.

Size of baby: Right now, he/she is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.

Baby's changes: His (or her!?) legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as the baby continues to develop.

Next appointment: May 20th - check-up only.

Other: I'm counting down the days until our next appointment on June 15th. We SHOULD be able to find out if we're expecting a boy or girl! Woot!

Okay, as promised... here's a belly shot of my big ol' pregnant self (please pardon how dark it came out -- not enough time to fix it!). I'm SO depressed at how huge I look this early, but I've heard you "pop" sooner with subsequent pregnancies. I know I'll end up looking like a heifer before this child arrives, but I'm okay with that, because nothing is as important as welcoming this healthy baby boy/girl into our world!

4-1/2 Weeks

Have I mentioned that in less than 4-1/2 weeks I will have reached the HALFWAY point of my pregnancy?? I am astonished at the mere thought of it! Seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the results of the HPT. Now we have just over 4 weeks before we'll know if our tiny one is a boy or girl! I cannot wait to find out.

My number one priority is a HEALTHY baby. And I'm happy to say that either way -- boy or girl -- I'll be ecstatic, for different reasons. I think it would be awesome to have a boy. We'd have a perfectly balanced family, and hubs would have a son to do all that fun "father-son" stuff. On the other hand, I know LO would most likely have a lot more fun growing up with a little sister. They could share stuff, play dress-up together, etc. It's a win-win situation.

But before then, I do have a regular ol' non-ultrasound appointment next Wednesday. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat, although that's not an overly unusual occurrence since we've rented a fetal doppler for at-home use throughout this pregnancy (as we did with LO). So we have the convenience and peace of mind of listening to TO any ol' time we want!

Oh, and just for the record, I'm planning to start posting belly pics (totally and completely clothed, of course!) on Sundays when I do my weekly pregnancy update posts. I'm so ashamed of how HUGE I already think I look, and I can't even imagine the fact that I haven't even started to pack on the 2nd and 3rd trimester baby weight yet! ACK!

Party On, Dude!

There is just over 2 months until LO's 2nd birthday. How much planning have I done?

Zero.

For those of you who know me well, this is SO not like me. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "What's wrong with this woman? She has like 11 weeks to plan a 2-year-old's birthday party! What's the big deal??"

Well, let's just say LO's 1st birthday invitations went out 6 weeks before the party. I started working on the party plans in January -- a good 6 months prior to her birthday! Crazy, right?

This time around, I was almost 100% set on an Elmo-themed birthday party. She loves the little red guy, right? Well, I was talking with my friend Joelle about her twin girls' 1st birthday party after seeing some of the pictures she shared on Facebook. It was so adorable and just had a pretty color scheme and used some monograms here and there. No "theme" per se, which I thought was just adorable. She made a GREAT point that she knew the girls were going to want to choose Barbie or Dora or some other character-type parties when they were older, so for now (read: they're too little to demand a specific party theme), she's doing what she wants to do, resulting in cute and classic party themes.

I might take a page from Joelle's playbook and do something more "generic" for LO's 2nd birthday party. Whatever I decide to do, I need to get on it SOON! There's no telling what other stuff will take up my time in the next few months (pool season, preparing for baby #2, etc.) so I've GOT to get on the ball!

Easy and Delicious

I can't help but share this awesome recipe. It is THE EASIEST crock-pot chicken recipe I know of, and it is sooooooooooooooo good! I hope my friend CM doesn't mind me sharing this recipe with you, but I just KNOW you'll love this as much as I do!

Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8-16 oz. sour cream

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry.

2. Place onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream in a lightly greased slow cooker.

3. Mix ingredients well, adding a dash or two of salt and pepper. Add chicken to slow cooker, covering it with the soup mixture.

4. Cook for approximately 4 hours on High or 6 hours on Low.

5. Serve over mashed potatoes (or rice) and enjoy!


[NOTE: Sorry for the horrible cell phone pic AND for the fact that I forgot to take a picture of dinner plated and looking all pretty. Yes, this picture is of the leftovers! I also served with applesauce (not pictured). :)]

Bon appétit!

Mine!!!

I'm a stay at home mom. Life is good. However, my daughter gets very little interaction with other kiddos her age. The only time she gets to socialize is when we take her to church. Every Sunday morning, for approximately 2-1/2 hours, she gets to hang out with anywhere from 1 to 4 other one- and two-year-olds. It's really great!

Or at least I thought it was.

Just recently, our daughter has miraculously learned the word "mine." Mind you, she did NOT learn that at home, or at a daycare or anywhere else. She learned it from another little person in her class. The proof is that when we mention said child's name to LO, she responds by saying, "mine!" Yet when we mention names of other kids in the class, she simply repeats their names with a smile.

This is VERY frustrating. And quite frankly, it's getting out of control! Every single thing in our house has now been deemed, in LO's opinion, to be "mine!" It's driving hubs and I C-R-A-Z-Y!!! This is not something we approve of, and it's killing me to have to keep reprimanding her (including time-outs) for repeatedly saying this horrible, useless word over and over again.

I hate to admit it, but I know this is just the first of what will be MANY poor habits she picks up from other kids at the church nursery or at her preschool once she starts this fall.

((sigh))

Get Active!

Okay, so I know it's probably not in my best interest to sit around on the couch all day, snacking and eating whatever sounds good and not making any effort to move my body whatsoever (besides the occasional trip to the cupboard or refrigerator, of course!). I have NO desire to pack on 30+ pounds with this pregnancy, but I also have NO desire to turn into a gym rat in order to avoid said weight gain.

Enter EA Sports Active.
I happened to see a brief segment on Ellen today where she and Alison Sweeney had a bit of an Active "dual" against each other and the game piqued my interest. Now, I already have a Wii and the Wii Fit, but do I use the Wii Fit? Nooooooooooooooo! Of course not! But when I saw this segment, I thought that this definitely looks like something I can get in to!

I did some preliminary research and wasn't able to find any strict warning that this fitness program is not advised for pregnant women. Plus, it's customizable so I'm guessing I can do more of the "low impact" type workouts and stay away from anything that seems like too much (especialy considering I've been a couch potato for the past 20+ months).

Anywho, I'm 99% sure I'm gonna give this bad boy a try and see if it can't help keep me from gaining a zillion pounds with this pregnancy. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes! Maybe one day I'll even consider a video blog post (vlog?) -- if I decide to get all fancy on ya'll!

15 Weeks!

I'm taking a page from my friend Joelle's blog and am going to (try to remember to) post weekly updates as my pregnancy progresses. I hope you all enjoy this little insight into how TO ("Tiny One") is impacting our lives, how I'm feeling, and what we're up to as we ready our household for baby #2!

Week and day: 15 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Totally IN. My belly button never popped out when I was pregnant with LO, and I don't expect it to this time, either.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. But I know it's only a matter of time before they'll end up around my neck as my fingers continue to expand.

Food cravings: BBQ chicken! Crazy since until about 3 weeks ago I was a total vegetarian. I'm not eating any other kind of meat -- just chicken. And it's yuuuuummmmm.

Food aversions: Peanuts. Sweet stuff like brownies, cookies, cake, etc. -- which is CRAZY coming from me!

Nausea: Finally starting to ease up. Still hits occasionally, but not near as bad as it was during the first trimester. Whew!

Energy level: As if I had any energy before getting pregnant, right? Ha! I'm doing okay I guess. Always wish there was MORE energy for me to do more fun stuff with LO.

Weight gain: Only 3-4 lbs. That will start to increase (dramatically) in no time!

Mood: Excited! Looking forward to getting the house ready for our new arrival!

Maternity clothes: Hate to admit it, but I have been throwing a pair of maternity jeans and capris into the mix as needed. Also washed some maternity shirts over the weekend because I'm NOT a fan of tight tops that accentuate my growing belly -- I prefer loose, comfy clothing!

Size of baby: About 4 inches long (crown to rump) and weighing in at about 2 1/2 ounces. Basically, about the size of an apple.

Baby's changes: He/She is busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract. His/Her legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and he/she can move all of his/her joints and limbs. Although his/her eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light.

Next appointment: May 20th - check-up only.

Other: I am so very grateful and blessed to have this baby in our lives! I'm busy cleaning out our back bedroom/junk room so I can continue with my "To Do" list to get that room ready for this baby. I'm also looking forward to June 15th when we go for our 20 week ultrasound and (hopefully) find out if we're having a boy or girl! Woot!

Freebies!

Okay, I am absolutely miserable! Why, you ask? Because I have been eating out at restaurants for lunch and dinner for an entire week!

I like to go out to eat, and never really thought I'd tire of it. But guess what?! I DID!

The reason for all of this dining out is simple: freebies! I've signed up for a variety of "birthday clubs" at several restaurants and I've been cashing in like a fiend these past few days.

Some examples? Let me tell you...

• One FREE scoop of ice cream from Baskin-Robbins
• $5 off any order at McAlisters Deli
• FREE gourmet burger from Red Robin
• FREE dessert from Logan's Roadhouse
• FREE dessert from LongHorn Steakhouse
• FREE buffet from Ryan's

If any of these restaurants are in your neighborhood, you should consider signing up for their Birthday Clubs or eClubs. You'll get an occasional email from them about specials n' stuff, but you'll also get some awesome freebies for your birthday!

YUM!

Return to Sender

I'm so totally bummed to report that the crocs I ordered the other day were a no-go. I actually bought two pairs (pair?) -- the ones I posted about yesterday and a pair of the regular ol' crocs you see everywhere. Both of them were about a half size too big, and since they don't come in half-sizes, they both had to go back.

I'm totally hating it! Anyone have any suggestions on some super-comfy alternatives to the flip flop that a pregnant woman wouldn't mind wearing? I'm desperate for some new summer shoe wear!

Thanks, all!

Party Time!

Happy Birthday to me! I can no longer say I'm "just 30." Now it's "I'm in my 30s." Sounds SO much older, doesn't it?

Oh, well.

I'm waiting on the UPS man to deliver one of my presents to myself. I know I'll be LIVING in flip-flops this summer (as I do every summer), but I decided I wanted to try something a little different so I wouldn't get too terribly bored. Enter the crocs Malindi Flat Slingback:
Hopefully they're as comfy as they are cute! My other gift to myself is some more McBlooms Extremely Rich Cream. If you haven't tried this stuff, you have NO idea what you're missing. It smells divine (also comes in fragrance-free, but really, you don't want to miss out on it's light and beautiful scent), and it makes your skin SO stinkin' soft you wouldn't believe it!!
Have a great day!

Progress!

So we've been talking to LO about her future little brother or sister (whom she still refers to as "sticker"), but every time we mention the word "baby" she goes and finds her little baby doll:
I decided it was time to clarify things so I named her baby doll "Lucy." I referred to the doll as Lucy several times and now she knows when I ask to find Lucy, that means to go get her baby doll.

The great thing about this is that now when we mention her baby brother or sister, she knows we're not referring to her baby doll.

On to step 2: I explained to her that her baby brother or sister is in mommy's tummy. This concept seemed to elude her for a few days. Finally, last night, I asked her, "Where's your baby brother or sister?" And what did she do?? She pointed to mommy's tummy and even gave my belly a kiss!

SUCCESS!!!

She'll be just 22 months old in a few weeks, but she's already starting to understand that there's another baby in the equation and that she'll be a big sister one day soon. I know she has no concept of time, but I'm sure that it'll all start to make more sense as she sees mommy's tummy continue to grow bigger and bigger ((sigh)). This is such an exciting journey!!!

A Bit Behind On My Posting...

Hi, blogland! Sorry I've been so scarce in my posting lately. I'm working a (legitimate) part-time job from home but have been averaging a bit over my 20 hours. Plus, keeping up with LO while carrying TO ("Tiny One" - in case you forgot!) has kept me occupied more than you would believe!

Hubs, LO and I are QUITE excited about the additional family member we're expecting Nov. 1st (or much sooner if he/she cooperates with mommy!). Although I'm currently at 14 weeks, I neglected to post some pictures from our 12-week ultrasound. I am absolutely FLOORED at the 4D images we received. We were able to watch in real-time in 4D as our tiny one moved around, flailed his/her arms and legs, and fought the hiccups! It was amazing!

I'm happy to report that the nausea is easing up and my energy level is starting to pick up again (whew!). The 2nd trimester with LO was the BEST and I'm hopeful for the same with TO. Guess we'll have to wait n' see!

I'll try to keep my posting a bit more regular and often than it's been in the past few months. I won't lie, though -- your comments are what keep me going!