Butternut Baby

How far along? 29 weeks!! Only 11 weeks to go!?!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Meh...off and on.
Best moment this week: Christmas Eve & Christmas! We had so much fun with family! On Christmas Eve James' mom and sis came over (and brought dinner with them so I didn't have to cook!!) and we all ate together and opened our Christmas gifts. They were, as always, insanely generous and we all got spoiled rotten. When they left James and I cleaned up and then opened our gifts to one another. James is SUPER picky and difficult to shop for so I was excited that my watch case was such a hit and he is keeping it! The watch on the other hand is a different story...but I'll take what I can get. On Christmas Eve I didn't get any sleep because of this darn illness so I was utterly exhausted on Christmas day but we had a great time anyway. The four of us drove up to Riverside to eat dinner with family and had a ton of fun catching up with everyone. Baby got lots of love and belly rubs and even showed off some of his moves for the girls (see pics below!). When James and I got home we passed out for a few hours and then woke up and had a relaxing night in. I was sad to not be with my Colorado family (and am missing them terribly), but hopefully we will see them all when baby is born. Baby got insanely spoiled by both of our families and James' coworkers and he isn't even out of the womb yet! Check out his loot below!

Miss anything? Same--> My super-vegan-immune system that prevented me from getting all these colds in my pre-prego days!

Movement: Oh my, yes! And he feels like he grew overnight and is taking up SO much space in my belly. His movements feel so crazy! My entire belly moves and flutters and I can feel the weight of him so much more now. Sometimes it actually makes me feel a little nauseous because the movements are so overpowering (it's still very cool though)!
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary, still loving my nightly dose of chocolate chips! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Some of these movements....and being sick of course! 

Showing? Yes, my tummy is sticking out so far these days it's hard for me to imagine how I can get any bigger (but I know it's comin'!)

Gender: Lil' guy!

Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Tummy feels very tight, full, and distended and I am more tired than usual. 

Belly button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Somewhat irritable lately, but I think it's mostly due to the sickness and lack of sleep.

Looking forward to: My prenatal appointment on Monday and visiting Maggie, Anthony, and little Anabelle for a rockin' New Years Eve playing board games! :)

Baby’s size: A butternut squash! 

Here are some of our photos from Christmas: 

 

Some of baby's Christmas loot!

28 Weeks!

Well, technically 28.5 weeks..... We didn't take these pictures until Christmas Eve, but I'll try to keep the update about last week! Have you ever tried pic monkey? So much fun-I couldn't PICK which pic I wanted to use!

How far along? 28 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup, along with some regular clothes!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Not great...I am sick again so it's been pretty bad lately.
Best moment this week: I had my last final exam of graduate school this week and turned in my final project....I officially have a masters degree, yahoo! I still can't believe that chapter of my life is over....it's definitely bittersweet. Although at times it felt like it was dragging and I was completely overwhelmed, these past 2.5 years have really flown by and I am going to really miss my program. We have been busily preparing for Christmas and attended a Christmas party on Friday night where I think I picked up this nasty bug. My immune system has really taken a beating during this pregnancy! :( Also, we got another big box in the mail this week-Grandma Bev bought us our dresser! So excited to put it together and organize all of baby's clothes!! James hung a few shelves on our "nursery" wall and we put our mattress in the crib (see pics below!) Seeing his little space come together is making me more and more excited to meet him!!! Can't wait to get some wall decals up over the crib!

Miss anything? My super-vegan-immune system!

Movement:Yes, busy boy!!
Food cravings: The usual
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Baby boy
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Getting harder and harder to get up off the couch and out of bed, I sometimes need an extra boost!

Belly button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty darn emotional lately...but also, happy! 

Looking forward to: Christmas!!

Baby’s size: An eggplant!!  

Hello Third Trimester!!

How far along? 27 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Definitely, I'm so glad I bought those extra shirts & jeans from Old Navy!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Not so great this week. Finding it harder to fall asleep & get/stay comfortable
Best moment this week: This week was pretty hectic! We had our prenatal appt on Wednesday and everything looked good. We got to hear baby's heartbeat but I am still waiting to hear back on my glucose test results. I finished my final project (woo hoo) and attended the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference from Wednesday to Sunday. Baby found this conference very enlightening and showed his approval by kicking and moving around like crazy during most of the presentations. We got to see some of the biggest names in the field including Judy & Aaron Beck, Dan Siegel, The Gottmans, Jack Kornfield, Irvin Yalom, Sue Johnson, Violet Oaklander, and a few others. I hardly got any sleep this week so I am eager to get back on track! Now that I am officially done with my grad program I am feeling a bit sad and out of sorts, but I just need to find a routine to keep my busy until baby arrives! We also received an awesome early Christmas gift from Nana Barbie...baby's crib mattress (see pic below)!

Miss anything? Going off of 4 hours of sleep every night this week definitely had me missing my coffee...I substituted with hot lemon water instead-yummy, but not quite the same effect!

Movement: We started doing our kick counts last week and baby boy is very cooperative! He gives us 10 kicks in about 3-4 minutes and then stops, lol. So cute! His movements are becoming more frequent and are very strong. James and I love watching my stomach poke out at crazy angles when he does his little somersaults!
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Oh yeah!

Gender: Our little man!
Labor signs: A lot of discomfort in my lower abdominals and lots of pressure, but my midwife says this is normal so no "labor signs." Stay in there baby boy!
Symptoms: Getting a bit harder to move around these days!

Belly button in or out? Very much out.

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Same....mostly happy, very emotional! 

Looking forward to: Christmas parties, Christmas light viewing, present wrapping, and finding productive ways to fill my now empty days. 

Baby’s size: A rutabaga?!? Sometimes these weekly comparisons do not make any sense!!

Opening Our Crib Mattress From Nana Barbie!! <3

Lettuce Update You...

How far along? 26 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes! I'm wearing my new jeans & top from Old Navy in this pic!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Same as last week
Best moment this week: Visiting Grandma Lind, Grandpa Sam, & Auntie Lindsey! We went to their house for dinner on Wednesday night and were spoiled with a delcious dinner, dessert, and adorable baby gifts (pic below)! It's always wonderful to spend time with them and I always feel "at home" in their house. This visit was especially cozy with all of the Christmas decor & the crackling fire place! Lind had her hand on my belly for probably an hour and barely got one kick out of stubborn baby boy.... I did my first kick count tonight and he moved 10 times in 5 minutes, lol.

Miss anything? Not too much, still coffee...

Movement: I had two days this week when he was super quiet and hardly moved at all...it had me worried sick, but on Saturday he moved ALL day non-stop! He has been quiet again today except for a few little movements so I guess he just has lazy days like the rest of us! :)
Food cravings: Eating way too many chocolate chips...I need an intervention.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Our little man! AND according to my baby center update his boy parts are "dropping" this week. Oh my!
Labor signs: I think I also experienced my first Braxton Hicks the other night, two random and sharp cramps that went away immediately after??
Symptoms: For the past couple days it feels like my pubic bone is bruised, it's very painful and I have no idea what is causing it.

Belly button in or out? James laughed at me and said he could see it through my shirt today....last week's post was short lived!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy, pretty emotional! 

Looking forward to: Same as last week --> "Our next prenatal visit....sort of. It's the dreaded glucose screening" BUT I was able to get an alternative to the awful glucola drink and will now be drinking 100% orange juice and eating one slice of bread. MUCH better! 

Baby’s size: A head of lettuce!! 

Prezzies from G-ma Lind!

Surprise diaper cake from my girlfriend at school!

Baby Bump & Holiday Fun!

How far along? 25 weeks!! Only 15 weeks to go!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 12.8 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes! Hubby and I took advantage of the holiday sales on Saturday and I picked up 6 shirts and another pair of maternity jeans from Old Navy for $60! So excited to have more choices in my wardrobe!!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: It's been okay this week, but I've been having some difficulty falling asleep lately.
Best moment this week: Lots of great moments this week!! My favorite day by far was Thanksgiving. Bev (my mother-in-law), Cori (sister-in-law), hubby, and I started the day by volunteering for our church's Thanksgiving feast. We were in charge of helping the kiddos play carnival games and it was very adorable. There were way too many volunteers, but we had a good time and it was a nice way to start the holiday. Afterward, we hung out at our house for a little bit and showed off some of the baby gear that we've been acquiring. We had an early Thanksgiving dinner at Native Foods and thoroughly enjoyed the Wellington that we have all been craving and talking about for a year now. SOOOOOO delish! I seriously wanted to eat the entire thing...somehow I restrained myself but I am still daydreaming about it! Then, to top off an already wonderful day, hubby and I put up our Christmas decorations and decorated our first Christmas tree together! We have never really been home for the holidays (we usually go to Colorado to visit my family), and last year we had just moved into our condo and didn't have time to set anything up. We drank cocoa and hot tea, ate cookies, listened to some Christmas tunes, and trimmed the tree. I was in heaven! Check out the pictures below! On Saturday we had our first hypnobabies class, which was a good experience...although I already feel a bit overwhelmed by all the "homeplay" we have to complete! On Saturday night we put together our crib....I was really excited to do this but it turned out to be a huge pain in the butt and was extremely emotionally exhausting! Every nick, scratch, dent, and mistake left me an emotional wreck and I am SHOCKED that I didn't end up in a pile of tears on the floor. But, it is done! Our room is quite cramped cozy now! Every time I walk in I smile and imagine our sweet baby boy in there; so exciting!

Miss anything? Hmm....definitely missing coffee and not feeling absolutely ginormous!

Movement: Yes! Baby boy is making my belly poke out like crazy!
Food cravings: Ummm, I want to the eat the Native Foods' Thanksgiving meal everyday for the rest of my life! ;)
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? HAH...um, yeah! Very much so.

Gender: Sweet baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No, although he is very low and I have been feeling tons of pressure in my lower abdomen...it sort of feels like my uterus is going to fall out sometimes!
Symptoms: Mmm...see above. 

Belly button in or out? Out & proud, but you can't see in through my t-shirts!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy, but easily brought to almost-tears....still holdin' strong.

Looking forward to: Our next prenatal visit....sort of. It's the dreaded glucose screening (and I still have to talk to them about giving me a healthier alternative to that horrible glucola drink), but I always like going in and making sure everything is going smoothly!

Baby’s size: A Cauliflower!

Thanksgiving dinner! Yes, I have 3 plates.

Cookies, Tea, & a Tree!

Finally got to hang all of the cute "J &A"  ornaments we've been gifted!

Hubby got crafty and made us some DIY ornament hooks with paperclips. He was about to throw out a bunch of our ornaments because they didn't have hooks....crazy man! So, I told him that he should just use paperclips, but I didn't explain how....He put one up and said something like "I don't know it doesn't look very good," and when I went over to check it out, it was still in the shape of a paperclip...Teehee! I just about died laughing, but he got the hang of it!

Our finished product! I think it's gorgeous and every time I look at it I feel oh-so-happy and cozy inside! Seriously, it totally brightens my mood. Love it!

I finally made something I pinned on Pinterest; yay me! DIY snowglobe! You can't see it in the photo, but there is snow at the bottom and you can shake it!

Our little decorated mantel with 3 stockings! I am pretty impressed with the turnout for spending so little on our decor....yay for the dollar store!!!

Daddy reading the crib directions....sort of ;)

Hard at work!

Mommy's helping!

Finished product!

 

Our lil' cantaloupe baby!

More like 24.5 weeks....woops! But look at that belly!!

How far along? 24 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈12 lbs

Maternity clothes? If I have to leave the house, otherwise I am living in my yoga pants!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: I think I must have jinxed myself with last week's post....sleep has been intermittent!
Best moment this week: I gave my last presentation of my graduate career this past week, certainly not a "best moment," but it feels great to know I do not have to give anymore class presentations! On Tuesday I woke up sick so I have been pretty miserable since then. Sore throat, headache, congestion, and a cough....and of course worried sick about how baby is doing in there given that I picked up this bug! :(

Miss anything? Right now I just miss being healthy!

Movement: Yes and getting stronger & more frequent!
Food cravings: Hmm...I went to a friend's baby shower on Saturday and couldn't resist a couple few handfuls of lay's potato chips...it's been forever since I have eaten those. So bad... I also made some super yummy vegan, oil-free chocolate fudge brownies on Friday night. We shared with grandma Bev and Vera but kept a few for ourselves....very dangerous! I think this is becoming more of a "confession section"!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Being sick :)

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: No new pregnancy related symptoms this week

Belly button in or out? Pokin' out!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Meh...not moody in the emotional sense but very much in whiny/sick mode!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving & putting up our Christmas tree!!! 

Baby’s size:Cantaloupe or as long as an ear of corn! (But I read that my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball, which looks about right!)

23 Week Bump!

How far along? 23 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈12 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup, and big stretchy versions of my "normal" clothes!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Good...I must wake up about 15 times every night to pee but, thankfully,  I have been able to fall right back to sleep!
Best moment this week: Meeting up with my bestie & her mama! She lives in Redlands so I don't get to see her very often but we met up and walked around the shops and went to Panera for lunch. They also brought me BAGS of hand-me-down baby boy clothes and a super cool play mat! Their family is so generous and we are so grateful! <3 Also, I had a lot of fun shopping with hubby this Friday. We went to Children's Orchard because they were having a 99 cent sale for "new" clothes that had not yet been on the floor for regular sale. Even though we had to fight rush hour traffic to get there, we had so much fun digging through the bins of little clothes and it was cute to see which outfits James picked out. At one point I showed him a cute little elephant onesie that was size 6 months and he said, "when he gets older I want him to wear cool stuff."Since when is 6 months older? LOL. He is trying to age my sweet little baby already! I of course want him in cutesy little baby clothes as long as possible. James and I totally scored and found 25 very cute items. All of them were only a buck each! We are pretty much set as far as baby clothes go now. We will probably end up buying a few more  pieces along the way, but we have a good amount of baby clothes to start us out! Check out my inventory list (and pictures) below.

Miss anything? More clothing options! Getting sick of those darn maxi skirts ;)

Movement: Oh yeah, and still loving every minute of it!
Food cravings: No, although after Friday's shopping adventure we were too hungry to cook something at home so we stopped at a Chinese vegan restaurant and indulged in some takeout-style food. It wasn't really up my alley and I felt guilty and sick after eating fried food. I rarely ever eat anything fried so I had to make up for it by juicing when we got home (and then I promised baby I would eat healthy from now on!) P.S. Chocolate has antioxidants, so technically, it IS healthy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling pretty good.

Showing? YES! Lately I like to sing James slightly remixed versions of "old classics" including...."I like big bumps and I cannot lie" and Fergie's "My bump, my bump, my bump, my bump...my lovely baby bump. Check it out!" all while doing a very silly sexy dance! ;)

Gender: Baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: Nothing new this week.

Belly button in or out? I'd say it's officially a true "button"

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving!

Baby’s size: Grapefruit! Again, isn't a spaghetti squash definitely bigger than a grapefruit?!?

Look at all of these clothes!!! 

James and I decided to take an inventory of the clothes we had so we could make sure we didn't end up with too many in one size. I'm not sure how many clothing options babies need, but I think we are almost set for clothes and will just pick up a few more basic bits and pieces along the way.

Baby Gear Inventory:
Shoes: 4 sneakers, 1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of loafers

Newborn clothes:
Short sleeve onsies: 1
Long sleeve onsies: 2
Sleep gowns: 2
Cozy long pants: 1

0-3 Months:
Short sleeve onsies: 1
Long sleeve onsies:1
Long Sleeve onsie with pants: 1
Cozy long pants: 3

3 Months:
Short Sleeve onsies: 3
Long Sleeve onsies: 3
Long Sleeve onsie with pants: 3
Long Sleeve plaid shirt: 1
Cozy Long pants:6
Long plaid pants: 1
Cotton Zippy Jackets: 4

3-6 Months:
Short Sleeve onsies: 3
Long Sleeve onsies:2
Long Sleeve onsie with pants: 3
Plaid shorts: 1
Cozy Long pants:3
Cotton Zippy Jackets:3
Overalls:1

6 Months:
Short Sleeve onsies: 2
Long Sleeve onsies: 2
Long Sleeve onsie with pants: 3
Long Sleeve plaid shirt: 1
Cozy Long pants: 1
Long Khaki Pants: 1

6-9 Months:
Short Sleeve onsies: 1
Plaid Shorts: 1

9 Months:
Short sleeve onsies: 5
Long Sleeve onsie with pants: 1
Cozy Shorts: 1

12 mos-2T: This is where we decided to stop taking inventory, but we now have a good amount of clothes in these sizes too!!! 

We are also making progress in terms of baby items we already have: crib, bouncer, exersaucer, ergo, and a rocking chair!

Mr. Spaghetti Squash

So our little man has been busy growing in mommy's tummy! Seems like just yesterday he was a grape, and now look at him!!

Quite the growth spurt he's been on. And man oh man has he been squirmy! Supposedly he's sleeping 12-14 hours a day, but if that's true, he's a tosser and a turner. He's getting stronger and stronger every day and it's awesome to feel him moving. Every night after dinner mommy and I sit on the couch and just wait to feel him move.
As it becomes more and more real for us, I'm blown away at how strong, patient, loving and self-sacrificial my mom is and was. I can't even imagine having to experience something so exciting and scary as this "alone"... I've long admired her strength, but being in the midst of this has given me a new lens with which to appreciate her. She'll also be happy to know that I have yet to remove the "It's a boy" / "DaddyO" graffiti she left on my car (good excuse to not wash my ride).

We had quite the exciting week, as Wednesday we headed back in to visit our midwife and check the results of our ultrasound. Everything looks great and baby is right on track.

Took a little longer than usual to find baby's heartbeat, but that's just because he's SO busy in there. Tumbling and tumbling, squirming and squirming! Here's the video:

The lady had a bit of a close call while driving back from the store this week. Some knuckle head not paying attention ran his light and came within inches of hitting Ashley. Slammed brakes and a raised heart rate got baby moving around a bit, but everyone and everything is JUST fine. Told her I would be chauffeuring her or driving for her from now on, but then Friday night on our way to a lovely date night the same thing almost happened AGAIN when some crazy lady thought it was her turn to turn into a drive way, RIGHT in front of us!! Get with the program people, we've got a baby on board!!!!

That reminds me. Friday night was a wonderful impromptu date night. My lady got all dolled up to come to the 3 year anniversary celebration for one of my clients. When she arrived, the event was already winding down. So, we decided after making a round and saying hello to everyone to head out to Fashion Island for a nice dinner. We walked around the mall for a bit... checked out some nostalgic baby books in Barnes & Nobles (Golden Books, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, etc.), and after making our way to True Foods we realized that they really didn't have much for us vegan folk anymore. So off to Benihana in Newport we went. It ended up being a lovely, romantic meal. <3

We also scored again this week when Grandma Bev and Auntie Cori dropped off some cool socks for our little man when he gets a little bigger. Monster socks and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle socks to be exact.

Tis the season... almost. We picked up our first Christmas tree Sunday which will be raised the day after Thanksgiving!!! That's our new tradition from now on (I was informed by Ashley today).

Oh. Confession time. And I broke the middle mirror of our 3 panel mirror bathroom vanity cabinet. Another unexpected daddy project! We headed to Home Depot this weekend to check for a replacement mirror and came close to getting kicked out for dancing in the mirrors in the mirror aisle. That's it for dad!

Here is Ashley's 22 week bump photo & update:

How far along? 22 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 10.6  lbs! Eek!

Maternity clothes? Yup, and big stretchy versions of my "normal" clothes!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Good
Best moment this week: Hearing that everything was good with baby at our pre-natal appointment. Our midwife went over the anatomy scan with us and we got to hear little guy's heartbeat (...eventually, he was moving so much that it was hard for her to find it. All we could hear at first were the woosh woosh sounds of him doing gymnastics in there!) After our appointment I headed over to Children's Orchard and used a coupon they had sent me to get 8 pairs of cute little pants for $3!! Hubby and I had a fun date night on Friday! Dressing up while pregnant is very interesting...I had ONE dress that fit over my bump and my tolerance for stilettos has significantly decreased!

Miss anything? Not gaining weight at the speed of lightning! It's fine....just alarming! Gaining 2.6 lbs in a week is pretty bizarre, but I haven't done anything differently so I'm not sure if it's just a growth spurt with baby or what. Also, still missing the ease of non-pregnant movement. I feel so silly when I am winded after climbing the stairs to our condo!

Movement: Yes!! So fun!
Food cravings: No really big (or weird) cravings, pretty much back to my normal eating style. I had been craving Benihana vegetable sushi rolls and we went there for a date night on Friday! So yum!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Showing? Oh yeah! It's crazy how much this bump is growing every day, I feel like I am 30 weeks not 22!

Gender: Baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: Same as last week....abdominal/ligament pain, itchy skin, easily winded, full belly!

Belly button in or out? Kind of in a weird halfway stage....but pretty much out!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Meeting up with Gen for a girl's day this week & Thanksgiving at Native Foods (okay so I have a couple more weeks to wait for that one!)

Baby’s size: Spaghetti squash (or papaya)!

21 Week Bump

 (Daddy's chalk art was a bit faint so I had to add the weeks in post-production!)

How far along? 21 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 8  lbs!

Maternity clothes? Yes! I bought a tank top and a sweater at Old Navy this week because they sent me a 20% off coupon! I was hoping to get one more pair of jeans but they had limited options...looks like one pair of skinnys and my maxi skirts will be my new Fall/Winter/Spring wardrobe!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Pretty good
Best moment this week: Still loving feeling baby move! I actually saw my belly move from the outside today!! I was sitting on our balcony studying for my psychopharm midterm (blah) and I looked down at my belly and could SEE him kicking or punching me (lovingly, of course)! Also,  on Tuesday I had a wonderful girls night with Grandma Lind and she offered to host our baby shower!! I am so excited! She has a GORGEOUS home and is a fabulous host!

Miss anything? The energy & stamina to do my workouts! Everything is so much harder!

Movement: YES!!
Food cravings: Chocolate! Can I really blame this on pregnancy? No...but I am definitely still on my homemade candy kick. I really need an intervention. We are going to juice tonight to  try to off-set my indulgences! I feel extra guilty anytime I eat junk food because I read that baby is now swallowing and tasting amniotic fluid and whatever I eat he will develop a taste for! I hope he remembers the kale more than the peanut butter cups!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, sometimes my stomach feels VERY full and that makes me feel sick. I think it depends on baby's position.

Showing? YES, seriously this bump gets bigger by the day, and judging by my weight I'd say I have had a bit of a growth spurt!

Gender: Baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: Abdominal/ligament pain, ITCHY skin, easily winded, full belly!

Belly button in or out? It's an inny-outty

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy, perhaps a bit sensitive! School is getting a bit more stressful these days with lots of exams, papers, and presentations so I am going to go ahead and blame any moodiness or bad behavior on that! :)

Looking forward to: Our next prenatal visit on November 6th to go over the anatomy scan with our midwife. Also, my bestie Gen said that her brother and sister-in-law have some hand-me-down baby boy clothes for us (score!), so I can't wait to see them!

Baby’s size: Pomegranate!

Halloween was pretty low key. We celebrated with Anthony, Maggie & Anabelle by going to a downtown "kids block party" and checking out all of the cute little costumes and games. Thankfully, now that one of us actually has a child we don't seem so strange at these events. I really wanted to pass out candy, but alas, there was not a trick-or-treater in site around our condo. I've already traded in my Halloween decor for some holiday-neutral Fall decorations and am starting to get super excited for Christmas! I made our Native Foods Thanksgiving reservations just as soon as they would let me and am already drooling just thinking about it. I love this time of year!!!

Baby's crib will just be in our room so we don't have a nursery "theme" per say, but I have picked out my colors. Baby's "corner" will be neutral (tan/cream/mocha) and a vintage-y greenish-blue (like seafoam/sage but these colors never look the same on any website or fabric). I cannot wait to see the blanket my mama is making with these colors!!

I have been scoring most of our baby gear second-hand, but I found a mobile that I am absolutely in love with that I am hoping to convince hubby to let me splurge on (hint, hint hubs!!). It is from restoration hardware and it is SO stinkin' cute (pic below)! Our crib is in our garage waiting to be assembled and it has been VERY hard for me to wait. I want to wash and hang all of baby's clothes and have his little area all set up for him, but my more rational half is insisting we wait! After endless research and hours spent online, I think I have my registry pretty much finished! It's pretty crazy how much stuff one little baby "needs." I am trying not to get sucked into the consumerism trap with the baby gear so I have done a lot of blog-reading to see what other mamas found to "absolutely essential!"Anyway, I guess we will wait until closer to the shower to set up the crib and clear out the front closet, but I definitely want to do it before baby stuff begins taking over our condo! I need to focus on finishing my thesis and remember that I have a couple months to nest AFTER I graduate...hard to get my priorities straight, baby is so much more fun!

Baby Banana Boy

For a banana, our SON sure is fidgety! (Sorry, still enjoying the fun gender-specific nouns!)

The little man has been a-movin' and a-shakin' quite a bit this last week! Really excited to know that he's only going to get busier and stronger. It's such an unreal experience to know that our child is growing in Ashley's belly. We talked earlier this week about how 'normal' it seemed when we found out others were pregnant... it is how babies are made after all. But once you're the one experiencing it, it is so surreal - awesome has begun to be the most accurate descriptor. I still find myself staring at her ever-growing tummy and giggling like a little kid on the playground. I'm so overwhelmed by the miraculous gift God has given us.

We're both making efforts to enjoy each day as it comes; we're both A-types, so our natural inclination is to plan and prepare. In our defense though, it is really difficult to not want him to be here already.

Highlight of the week for me was leaning over to kiss my lovely lady goodbye as I headed for work and laying my hand on our boy to say a little prayer, and wouldn't you know it, I got a big ol' kick! What an awe-inspiring and amazing way to start my day. Was tough to leave...

Had another fun surprise this week - my mom (though she still denies it was her) stopped by my work today and vandalized my car:

The driver's side window was also tagged in big blue letters "DADDY-O". I've had a bit of a leadfoot and a propensity to drive a little aggressive... this has dramatically reduced that urge; consequently, it has also led to a lot of funny looks from passersby.

We capitalized on our free Friday night by taking baby on a date night with us - Native Foods (yum) and Despicable Me 2 (for baby of course). Fun!

Chores on Saturday: recaulking the bathtub, cleaning our neglected patio and porch, sweeping and vacuuming - OH and we picked up the "Exersaucer" Ash had her eye on from someone who was selling it in Rancho Santa Margarita (future home location?).
Sunday: a lovely hike on our local hill and FOOTBALL (for baby of course). We also pulled out our garaged yoga ball so Ashley can start doing some exercises which are supposed to make labor easier. *Fingers crossed*

Here is Ashley's Pregnancy  Photo & Update....

How far along? 20 weeks!! Halfway there!!!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 6.8  lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes I wore my new Jessica Simpson maternity jeans on Friday and they were super comfy! My wardrobe is getting smaller by the day, wearing a lot of maxi skirts!
Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Sleeping well in between potty breaks!
Best moment this week: Feeling baby move! His moves are so distinctive now and I get lots of little kicks! I love that James can feel him too! On Friday I was so worried because he hadn't been moving throughout the day but around 1 am he started dancing and I had one of those moments where your heart is just so full that you can physically feel it in your chest...a feeling of overwhelming happiness that is almost painful because you know that kind of state can't last. Baby boy gives me lots of these moments lately, it's so crazy how much I already love him! We have quite the baby gear collection now! In addition to our thrift store/craigslist finds, baby is already getting spoiled by family members! Midweek I got a surprise pottery barn diaper bag and plush elephant from my sister, and a couple days later Grandma Bev dropped off a sweet-sleep-sheep from our registry (see pic below!) My mama is making baby a blanket and I got to pick out the fabrics this week! I LOVE handmade items and cannot wait to see it!!

Miss anything? Mmm, I guess having more clothing options!

Movement: YES!!
Food cravings: Nothing too crazy this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really....Although yesterday James and I did a deep clean of our house, and even though I just used vinegar and other natural cleaning products, I think the fumes and the movement got to me because I felt really nauseous and dizzy afterward.

Showing? Oh yeah!

Gender: Baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: Same kind of abdominal/ligament pain, easily winded!
Belly button in or out? My inny is hanging on by a thread...it'll be a full on outty any day now! 

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Our next prenatal visit on November 6th to go over the anatomy scan with our midwife.

Baby’s size: Banana!!

Diaper Bag & Plushie!

Sleep Sheep from Grandma Bev & Grandma Lind sent a picture of this adorable firetruck outfit she bought him!

MANgo Baby: 19 Weeks!

Will have to stop posting pics of hubby's skinny belly soon as it is giving me a complex ;)

 How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain:  I forgot to weigh myself this morning but based on a couple days ago I think it's probably ≈ 5  lbs

Maternity clothes? Sometimes! I can still do the hair tie trick with a couple pairs of jeans but I have a feeling those days are numbered!
Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Pretty good, still easily tired & wanting to sneak in naps (so much for that sudden "burst of energy" everyone promises you in the 2nd trimester!)
Best moment this week: This week was AMAZING!!! Seriously, one of the best days of my life. Seeing baby BOY on the ultrasound was incredible and I feel so connected to him now! Love carrying my little guy around with me everywhere I go!

Miss anything? Not really missing anything this week

Movement: YES!! Now baby's movements are pretty obvious and even James got to feel him once! I don't feel him constantly but at least a couple times a day now!! So frickin' cool!
Food cravings: Um....I probably need to lay off the homemade peanut butter cups (as I lick the chocolate of my fingers...)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, comes once in a blue moon but mostly feeling good!

Showing? Yes!!!!!!!! I have officially "popped." James and I were walking in downtown Orange today and as I passed the store windows I had to do a double take to find out who that very pregnant woman was! James was also taken aback as he took my picture today; he started laughing and said "you're so pregnant!!"

Gender: Our little baby boy!!!! We couldn't be more thrilled!
Labor signs:  No
Symptoms: Growing pains!! Lots of round ligament pain and obnoxiously itchy skin.
Belly button in or out? Oh my, barely in! I can't believe how fast I am losing this thing! I had to take out my belly button ring yesterday...goodbye youth! ;)  

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Very happy this week, the ultrasound experience put an extra pep in my step!
Looking forward to: Continuing to feel baby move more and more and our next prenatal appointment where we will review the anatomy ultrasound with our midwife.

Baby’s size: Mango!!

Today we had our 4th annual pumpkin carving extravaganza with Maggie & Anthony....

Hard at work!

I think hubs is excited!

Our Hillbilly pumpkin fest complete with a fort!

Sneaking in some snuggle time!

Finished products! From left to right: Anthony, Ashley, James, & Maggie

My Spooky witch!