16 Weeks

How far along: 16 Weeks

How big is the baby: The length of an avocado-4.6 inches

Weight gain: 3 pounds

Doctor/Medical Stuff: Had the 16 week appointment today. Everything was great! Also, I've been fighting a cold for the last week. Vitamin C and my neti pot have been my friend and I think have kept it at bay. Also a lot of hand washing on my part (and making my students wash their hands....a lot!). As all my students coughed a terrible cough into my face I Friday I briefly considered calling in sick...just so I wouldn't get sick before Thanksgiving! Got the flu shot today for the first time in my life. After having a fever a couple weeks ago, I didn't want to risk that ever again!

Clothes: Same as last week: Regular clothes if they are low rise. High rise work pants get a belly band. Leggings are the best though! There is a definite baby bump though-even if I still weigh less than I did in April before I started my summer of Jillian Michaels. (Though after a summer of Jillian I only lost 5 pounds.)

Sleep: Not bad most nights. I get up 1 time most nights. 

Movement: None yet. 

Food/Aversions: This week's food has been pretty normal. I've had a few nights of discomfort.

What I miss: Pulling up my pants quickly after going to the bathroom. When I wear the belly band it usually takes some finagling: situating my pants, pulling down the belly band, adjusting my shirts, etc. 

What I am looking forward to: Really needing maternity pants. Those things are super comfy!

Oh! And This: On Thursday I was sitting at a stoplight on my way to the University for the Thursday night class I teach and I got rear-ended. You could barely call it that though. It was really more of a slight bump. A high school girl took her foot off the brake and rolled into me. There wasn't any damage to my car and I think the baby gets more jarred doing Wii Just Dance with my students on days it is too cold to go outside....so it is all good!

Tonight on our way home we were going to go shopping for Thanksgiving food. We are hosting Thanksgiving for around 25 people. Well today our old refrigerator started acting up. It has been for a while, but was really struggling along today. We just knew that our fridge would give out either 1. after we bought all the groceries for Thanksgiving or 2. Wednesday night after I finished cooking and baking. So we stopped at Home Depot on the way home as our first stop to check our refrigerators (after looking online while waiting in the OB office). Nothing could get delivered until after Thanksgiving. 

There was a floor model with a ding in the front that was already on a big sale that Adam haggled down to $350 lower than the sale price. After a lot of hemming and hawing about how much the ding would bother me weighed against the great deal for a fridge that would have normally been out of our price range, we decided on it. Then we realized it might not fit in the house. So Adam left me there to go home to measure our doorways and his brother and his wife came to get me and fridge in their truck. The doorway between our dining room and kitchen is 32 inches and the fridge without the doors was 31 plus the wires and stuff in the back.  

So 2 of Adam's brothers, my dad, 2 sisters-in-law, and a nephew worked together to take off the doors, take out the freezer drawer and remove the brackets....and then get it in! We got it in the kitchen....barely! Now we have to wait 24 hours to plug it in! I will be doing my Thanksgiving shopping right away Wednesday morning. That's a bit stressful! But it will all work out!

I guess I am lucky to have such an awesome new fridge, that is way huger than our current one, for a really great deal! I can't wait to put everything away in it! I'm not going to know what to do with all the space. I'm especially excited about the two huge shelves in the door that will hold gallons and large containers. 

Also, one of my sisters-in-law brought over a super adorable baby gift! You can see it below. I am thrilled!

 

15 Weeks

How far along: 15 Weeks

How big is the baby: The length of a naval orange-4 inches

Weight gain: 2 pounds

Doctor/Medical Stuff: Nothing new here.

Clothes: Regular clothes if they are low rise. High rise work pants get a belly band.

Sleep: I've slept through the night for several nights now! I get up to use the facilities right before I fall asleep and then lasted through the night.

Movement: None yet. 

Food/Aversions: French Fries are the actual Best. Food. Ever. Anytime I see them or think of them, I need them. On Thursday I saw a co-worker with an Arby's bag and I stopped for fries on the way to class. Friday at lunch I saw a co-worker with a fast food bag and begged my co-workers to go get fries until one who was out took pity on me. YUM! McDonald's French Fries are the best. That and Portillo's. Steak and Shake fries were OK, but the cheese was DISGUSTING.

What I miss: Nothing I can think of this week!

What I am looking forward to: Feeling movement. I can't help but think it will be soon!

Oh! And This: We had a crazy storm today. The whole Midwest was under tornado watches and warnings. Because it is getting so dark early, it is better for us to take the photo on Sunday. Adam was out doing a side job, so as soon as he got home, we took the photo between storms. You can see my hair and cardigan blowing in the crazy wind! I stood a little further away from the barn because rain was seriously pouring off the roof!

French Fries thanks to my awesome co-worker.

14 Weeks

How far along: 14 Weeks-Second Trimester!!!! (Depending on what you read and who you talk to, 2nd Trimester is between 12-14 weeks. I'm going with 14 weeks so there's no question!)

How big is the baby: The length of a lemon-3.4 inches

Weight gain: Seemed to be about 2.5 until I had the Stomach Flu of Death (otherwise known as the Independence Plague) this weekend. Now I am back at original weight.

Doctor/Medical Stuff: None to report. Except the Stomach Flu of Death that had me incapacitated from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. When my fever kept going up Saturday night, the OB got a call and the really nice doc on call told me to take Tylenol every 6 hours. I don't like to take anything, but a fever is no bueno during pregnancy so I did. (Also, PSA, if you are pregnant, don't Google "pregnancy and fever". Trust me.) Luckily after 2 pills it went down and didn't come back up!

Clothes: Regular clothes still! 

Sleep: Mostly normal. Last night all the baby things ever were running through my head so it was hard to get to sleep.

Movement: None yet. No matter how much I concentrate!

Food/Aversions: None pregnancy related. Sunday when I was recovering from the SFoD I was STARVING and only ate plain pasta (upgrade from toast and jello Saturday night). Glad to be back on regular food today. 

What I miss: I guess not thinking about everything I eat. I've always eaten pretty healthy. But now I'm always "Hmmm...was that enough protein? Did I get enough calcium?" I just like to give this baby the vitamins and nutrients it needs! 

What I am looking forward to: Telling my students. Is that silly to be excited to tell preschoolers? I have a couple girls that are going to go baby crazy. I will probably wait until around Christmas, maybe even after if I can hide it, because May is VERY far away for a 4 year old. 

Oh! And This: The wife of Adam's friend had a home fetal Doppler she said I could borrow. I had thought about buying one in the early stages of pregnancy, but knew I would make myself crazy with it. But when she offered it, I couldn't say no! We got it last night and I found the heartbeat right away! (I remembered where the nurse found it. Very low still. I know a lot of people try really high). It was so fun! And I could record the sound on my phone to share with family! I may not have waited for Adam to try it with me though. Really?? What do you expect?? That's like leaving me in a room made of cheese. No will power. He enjoyed the iPhone recording though! I made a deal with myself that I would only do it once a week. 

13 Weeks

How far along: 13 Weeks

How big is the baby: The length of a peach-2.9 inches. It is not easy to find a peach in the fall. I luckily had a couple still in my freezer that I never used this summer!

Weight gain: Seems like I am up 1 pound.

Doctor/Medical Stuff: Won't go back to the doctor until November 25. I have had these two weird patches of dry skin on my left wrist. Pregnancy eczema? It doesn't itch though. Hmmmm.

Clothes: Regular clothes as long as they are lower rise pants.

Sleep: Have been sleeping OK, except for waking up 1-2 times for the bathroom.

Movement: Not yet!

Food/Aversions: Getting in the routine of only eating a little at a time. All. Day. Long. I really really wanted french fries last night.  But I got some today. I've also been making myself eat stupid fresh Kale every day. I just tell myself the baby appreciates it! 

What I miss: I definitely don't miss keeping it a secret! It is so fun everyone knows now!

What I am looking forward to: Looking definitely pregnant and not like I just ate a few too many burritos for lunch. 

Oh! And This: Telling people last week was a blast! I told work on Tuesday. I told my friend the secretary by telling her I needed a sub May 12-15. After looking at me weird and writing it on a post-it, I explained it was because I was going to be on maternity leave! She was excited and couldn't believe I actually made her write it down. The other girls are work were super excited too! 

Wednesday we were SO anxious to talk to Mommom and Poppop. We called them a bit early and they opened their package we sent. They were SO excited! They did suspect that this might be the deal since we asked them to wait until we were on Facetime to open the package. It was so fun to tell them! We texted and emailed the rest of the family after that!

Telling Mommom and Poppop

Friday it was finally Facebook Official! We knew with so many people who knew, we couldn't keep it a secret much longer. People are so excited to celebrate with us! Nothing like a pregnancy announcement on Facebook to make a girl feel loved (70 comments and 145 likes!) I just posted our announcement picture and said, "Guess What?"

This past weekend I had Girls' Weekend at my friend Angie's cabin. For the second time ever since 2006 I couldn't drink (when we went in June I was in the waiting phase of trying), but it was still as fun as ever! There were only 4 of us this time and Saturday night included getting locked out, but I laughed so hard I cried several times throughout the weekend!

Girls' Weekend walk in the woods