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19 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Size of Baby: Peanut weighs about a half a pound and is about six inches long - about the size of a large mango (a mango sounds really good right about now).  A little growth spurt this week - which I'm using to explain the fact that I'm constantly starving!

Baby's Developmental Milestones: The baby has developed his/her waxy, white coating called the vernix which protects him/her from being surrounded by amniotic fluid - so as not to be so wrinkly upon arrival:)  Arms and legs are now in proportion, and cartilage in Peanut's body is changing to bone.

Total Weight Gain: I've gained 15 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I 'm pretty much wearing mostly maternity clothes at this point with the exception of a few shirts that still fit and look pretty cute.  Pants are a whole other story!
Gender: I feel like Brad and I are counting down the hours until Friday morning's appointment.
Movement: Peanut is definitely moving around!  I felt the baby kick for the first time on Wednesday, and then again this morning.
Sleep: I still sleep pretty well, but I've lost the ability to sleep on my stomach.  And I'm having to prop my belly up with a pillow to get cozy, but it works just fine for me. 
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: I just can't seem to feel full, but I'm not really craving anything in particular.  Is that worse?
Symptoms: A very hearty appetite:)  

Best Pregnancy Moment this Week: Feeling Peanut moving around.

Definitely Not a Gas Bubble

I am definitely sure that Peanut just kicked me!  Twice:)  I was watching American Idol, trying to calm myself down after tonight's debacle, and there it was.  I called Brad down and we sat with our hands on my tummy for a good 5-10 minutes, but nothing happened again.  Peanut must have worn him/herself out with those two, tiny kicks.  Oh, how excited we are to feel you moving around, sweet Peanut!

Not So Wordless Wednesday

Here are some pictures to tide you over until I can add my thoughts...let's just say that the last 30 minutes of Jack's night were tricky in the behavior department.  Does it get better at three?  Please tell me it gets better at three!

*****

Edited to include detail:

If I told you that this adorable little boy threw one of the top three tantrums we've ever seen this evening after this photo was taken, would you believe me?

Yeah, I wouldn't either.  Except I was there, and I survived it, along with his Daddy.  After bath time, Jack flat out refused to put on his underpants.  I didn't even know that refusal was an option when you're two, but apparently it is.  I tried my usual "count to 3" routine.  Nothing.  I tried to put them on him myself, which led to a small wrestling match of arms and legs, and I was losing.  We tried counting again, this time with the promise that Jack would not get a story before bedtime if he didn't put his underpants on.  And he still didn't do it.  Finally, (and we're talking like 20 minutes later after much jumping, stomping, and crying) he called down enough for me to finish getting him dressed and cut his fingernails.  The whole time, he was hiccuping and sniffling, and asking, "Story?"  My little heart was breaking.  I snuggled him.  I told him I loved him.  I told him I couldn't read him a story because he didn't listen to Mommy, but that we would read a story the next night if he was a good listener.  With tears in both of our eyes, I tucked him in and left the room.  Then I went to the bathroom and cried.  I hate disciplining.  I think it might be my least favorite thing; I feel so mean. 

On another note: check out the adorable groundhog that Jack made at school! 

And the cute love bug!

I love seeing his artwork hang on the fridge!

18 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of Baby: Peanut is about five and a half inches long and still weighs about five ounces.

Baby's Developmental Milestones: Peanut is now large enough for me to feel him/her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching his/her way around:)

Total Weight Gain: I've gained 15 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much.  Enough said.

Gender: The appointment is set for Friday, March 4th.

Movement: I'm thinking so!

Sleep: I've still been sleeping pretty great.  Wish I could sleep more, but at least I'm sleeping good when I do.

What I miss: Mountain Dew...desperately.

Cravings: Water.  Pop-tarts.  Watermelon.

Symptoms: Still have that weird pain in my tush.  And some cramping.  And my skin is still not great.  

Best Pregnancy Moment this Week: Jack's belly kisses.  Oh, how I love that Little Man who's going to make such a great big brother!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today was Daddy's birthday, and Jack and I worked extra hard to make it special.  This morning we made sure to give him his birthday cards, and I called during my work day to sing, but the true surprise was this evening.  Jack and I had decided to surprise Daddy at work right before he got off and then take him to a nice seafood dinner in the city.

On my way home from work, I stopped to get some balloons - Mickey Mouse and Toy Story included:) Then I straightened up the house and hung the birthday banner before Jack and I headed out to Bethesda.  I thought I had left in plenty of time, but as soon as we hit 495, traffic came to a halt and I was starting to stress.  What if Brad decided to leave early and we missed him completely?!  I called for reinforcements - we got in touch with Brad's friend Adam and left a message about our surprise.

Luckily, Adam called us back and was able to help stall Brad while we continued to head into the city, and he was able to let us into the building which I hadn't realized would be locked!  I guess it's a good thing we hit traffic after all.

Jack was so excited to surprise Daddy at work and to carry the balloons:)  We got there just in time - Brad had just started to shut down his computer.  He was so excited to see us and completely surprised!

We dropped off the balloons in the car, and then like city folk we walked a couple of blocks to our dinner reservations at McCormick and Schmick's.  Jack was on his best behavior and Daddy had a lovely birthday dinner of lobster bisque, oysters, and a crab cake sandwich.  

Jack fell asleep in the car on the way home because it was way past his bedtime, but when we got home we got to light some candles and sing happy birthday to Daddy, just as I'd promised.  Jack was too sleepy and Daddy was too full, but Mommy enjoyed some key lime pie before bedtime:)

Daddy said it was one of the best birthdays that he could remember, and we had so much fun together.  I was glad we had decided to surprise him at work and that everything worked out perfectly.

To My Sweet, Sweet Baby Brad - I'm so glad you had such a happy day because you deserve it.  I love being married to you and knowing that we have known each other for half of our lives.  You are so wonderful to me and to Jack.  We love you so much.  Happy Birthday, my love!

17 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of Baby: Peanut is about the size of my palm and weighs about five ounces.

Baby's Developmental Milestones: Peanut is developing some body fat, and I have to say, that makes me pretty happy because I certainly feel like I shouldn't be the only one.  Baby is also practicing his/her sucking and swallowing skills.

Total Weight Gain: Gained 13.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes: It finally had to happen.  After three attempts on Valentine's Day, I finally had to succumb to wearing maternity pants to work.  Lucky me, I got a text from my hubby saying how beautiful I looked that morning - to which I responded, "Thank you...I needed that.  Especially on a day I feel like a stuffed sausage."

Gender: I have the paper to make the appointment - we're just a couple of weeks away from finding out Peanut's gender.

Movement: I don't really know...nothing definite at this point.

Sleep: Oh, how I love sleep!

What I miss: My normal clothes!

Cravings: Watermelon and strawberries.

Symptoms: I seem to have a little pain on the left side of my rear end...not sure what that's about.

Best Pregnancy Moment this Week: Hearing Peanut's healthy heartbeat on Valentine's Day!  150 beats per minute.  Oh, how I love that "woosha woosha" sound.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was a perfect Valentine's Day, aside from the fact that it's Monday and we had to work.  After work Jack and I played, got our Valentines ready for Daddy, and then I made him one of his favorite dinners - buttered noodles:)  Daddy came home with beautiful, red roses from the both of them and a funny joke.  The first card he gave me was completely in Spanish and it came with a warning: "Keep in mind there were kind of slim pickings."  But that was just to get me all worked up, so in fact, I got two beautiful cards from my hubby.  

After we put Jack to bed, I hustled around to prepare my surprise for Brad.  I had ordered a pizza and salad dinner from one of our favorite take-out places.  I tidied up the family room, we changed into our jammies, we lit the fireplace and some candles, and had a lovely candle-lit dinner on the floor of the family room while watching one of our favorite TV shows.  It was perfect - such a nice, quiet, relaxing way to spend Valentine's Day.

And doesn't this card just melt a mama's heart?!  When I picked Jack up at my parents' house yesterday, he announced that he "made a car for you, Mama."  Then he brought it to me, and I realized he made me a card.  The cutest part was when he modeled for me just exactly how his little hands came to be on the paper, placing his little paws over the traced areas and explaining how he "put my hands here and here...just like that.  Really."  He was so pleased with himself.  And so was I.

(Thank you, Grammy for helping my little man make me such a wonderful surprise.  I will cherish those little handprints always!)

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones!

JW Tumbles and Date Night

Yesterday was a fun day.  In the morning, I took Jack to JW Tumbles class and Grandpa joined us to see what it was all about.  Jack seemed to be in a little bit of a funk, but he had fun learning how to slide down the fire pole.  Maybe he'll be a firefighter when he grows up.

He's such an adventurous little boy...I love it!

Thank you Grandpa for joining us at tumbles class...it meant a lot to Jack to have you there!

*****

Then last night, Brad and I had a date night and my parents kept Jack for an overnight sleepover.  It was only the second time that he spent the night away from both of us at the same time, and he did so well:)  Grammy and Grampy bought Jack a little art table that he loved very much, and they colored, made Valentines, did puzzles, played, and watched movies.  Jack got to have a special IHOP pancake with a fruit face for dinner, and he spent the night snuggled up next to Grammy and Grampy and slept until 8:30.  How come when he's with us he won't eat food with toppings and he's up at 6 am?!  What's that secret?

While Jack had tons of fun at his sleepover, Brad and I went out to a great seafood restaurant where Brad could eat all of the oysters on a half-shell and sushi his little heart desired.  He was in heaven, and it was the perfect Valentine's gift for him:)  Then we went to Carter's and had a shopping hunt.  We had to each buy one thing for Jack and one thing for the baby based on what our gut is telling us we're having.  He bought for a boy - I bought for a girl.  We shall see...  We had planned to go to a movie, but when we got there the timings didn't work out quite right, so we headed home, talked about how we don't think we could ever go on vacation without Jack since we missed him so much, and watched a movie at home.  It was a perfect date!

Thank you Grammy and Grampy for keeping Jack so that we could spend some time together to celebrate Valentine's Day!  We're so lucky to have so many family members so close by...

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

And no, not the famous story book, but rather my Thursday.  Today after school I attempted to take Jack to Target to get him some Valentines for his little party tomorrow.  FAIL.  For several reasons...

I had to get a few other things while we were there, and before I could get to the Valentine's section, Jack announced very loudly (in his rather panicked voice) that he had to go to the bathroom (which usually means RIGHT NOW).  We raced our cart to the restroom, and I quickly propped him up on the potty. 

A little bit of background before I go on...at school Jack stands to go potty - I think mostly due to peer pressure and the fact that their toilets are much lower than they are at home, but when we're at home, he usually prefers to sit.  This requires him to get naked from the waist down - no, I'm not kidding.  In public, I pretty much have to assist him so that we don't take off our clothes, but don't pee all over ourselves either.  It works.

However, today it wasn't working.  There was some other woman in one of the stalls down the way, and I'm sure she was just suppressing her laughter so as to keep me from dying of embarrassment, but seriously, he was throwing a small fit because I told him we weren't going to remove his jacket and/or his socks, shoes, pants, and underpants completely.  Jack just kept saying over and over that he couldn't go and he needed to take off his clothes.  At this point, I'm completely sweaty, we still don't have Valentines, and we're meeting Brad's family for dinner in 30 minutes.  Lovely.

Finally, I succumbed to his insistence and there in the public restroom, Baby Jack got naked from the waist down.  Turns out he needed to be a little more comfortable in order to do what he needed to do, if you get my drift.  A good ten minutes later, we finally emerged from the restroom.  Jack was fully clothed, feeling better, and clean, but I looked like I'd been hit by a Mack truck. 

Moving on, we headed to the Valentine's section where I discovered that you cannot wait until the Thursday before Valentine's Day to buy boxed Valentines.  Did you know this?  And if so, why didn't you share?  With the exception of maybe four girly boxes, they were out.  I nearly cried. 

The whole way to dinner (in our very silent car, I tell you) the only thing I could think about was how on earth do people do this when they have two children?  Am I crazy?  How do you keep a half-naked toddler clean in a public restroom while holding a baby carrier?  How is that scene going to look a year from now?  Oh, it's simply too much for me to think about... 

Please tell me it gets better.  Please.

Wordless Wednesday

{never mind the attempted scanning of textured paper...design by http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/}

{Didn't I tell you it was beautiful?  Oh, I can't wait!}

Were You Ready for Some Football?!

We certainly were.  Funny enough, Brad and I hosted a mini-Superbowl party on Sunday.  I say "funny enough" because neither one of us really gets into anything sports, but we never do anything for the Superbowl, and we thought it would be fun to have some family over, eat some party food, and oh yeah, maybe watch the game along with the commercials:)

Jack and I were rooting for the Steelers to support some of my girlfriends at work who are die-hard Steelers fans, but John is a Packers fan so that in itself made for some pretty good entertainment.  Jack sported his jersey, but he would get a little confused when the Packers would score and clap anyway.  It was pretty cute!

Here are some of our photos from the evening:

Wired I tell you...

Sporting #43 for the Steelers

Grammy and the puppy dogs

Grampy and Buddah

Grandpa wasn't loving my flash

Hey there, Mama

John and Rypie sporting Packers' jerseys

Jack's upset face because he couldn't turn on his toothbrush.  Buddah is scared by that kind of noise:)

The puppies came running to celebrate another touchdown (or maybe that was because somebody might've dropped some party food on the floor)!

 

16 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of Baby: Peanut is four to five inches long and weighs about three to five ounces.

Baby's Developmental Milestones: Peanut can hear my voice, and his/her back muscles are strengthening, allowing Baby to stretch out.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 12 lbs

Maternity Clothes: For work, I'm still wearing regular clothes; I'm just not able to button my pants all the way.  On the weekends, I've been wearing maternity jeans because they are just so much more comfortable at this point.

Gender: Four weeks to go as long as Peanut cooperates at our next ultrasound appointment.  Brad and I are dying to find out:)

Movement: A couple of times I've thought yes, but then I start paying more attention, and the feeling goes away!

Sleep: I've been sleeping wonderfully this week.

What I miss: Allowing Jack to jump and wrestle with me as much as he wants to.

Cravings: Cereal and milk.  And Mexican food; I'd really like some Mexican food.

Symptoms: My belly is feeling heavier and heavier.

Best Pregnancy Moment this Week: Belly kisses from Cuddlebug

Silent Sunday

'Bug Found the Belly

It didn't take Cuddlebug very long at all.

When I was pregnant with Baby Jack, Belle loved the belly.  She would snuggle and wrap herself around my baby bump (it's true, she really did love him before he even got here!).  Gracie, on the other hand, never really seemed to notice.  But Belle...somehow fully aware (which is funny if you know Belle because she isn't always the brightest...).

Tonight, when I was rubbing on the puppy dogs, Belle gave the belly a kiss.  She already knows she's going to have a new little one to love:)  It was so cute.  She just gave the bump a little lick and then snuggled her little head right up against me.  Oh, how I love that puppy dog!

Wordless Wednesday

{can you tell me what's so special about Jack's t-shirt?}

Out of the Mouth of Jack

"Mama, you are my best friend I ever saw!" he exclaimed as I was in the bathroom the other morning and Jack was visiting.  Seriously, the little man brought tears to my eyes.  Is that not the sweetest thing?!

*****

"He'll be so impressed!" he confirmed after I told him that Daddy would be so proud he ate all of his bread after church on Sunday.  What a vocabulary!

*****

Let's just say that while little eyes are always watching, little ears are always listening.  On occasion (twice this past weekend!) I've heard Baby Jack utter some words in frustration that I'd rather he not know.  Or say.  Mommy and Daddy have to be so, so careful these days because both instances were very clear, very expressive, and very appropriately used.  If it were at all appropriate for a toddler to swear.  Ouch.  Must work on this one.  Thank goodness that he couldn't see my reaction because surely that would have inadvertently encouraged these utterances.

*****

"Oh, that will be so fun!" he gasps while putting his hands up to his little cheeks and widening his eyes to near-saucer size.  Jack says this to any plans of ours that I share with him.  Precious.

*****

"Really?!  Really, really?"  he asks excitedly if what we're about to do excites him so much I think he might burst. 

*****

I couldn't possibly love this kid anymore than I already do.  My little heart might just explode out of my chest:)