32 Weeks with Photos(!) & Thanksgiving re-cap

More pictures are below - but here is a comparison of some points throughout my pregnancy:

Holy Cow! I cannot believe that we have only 8 weeks before meeting Baby!

For Thanksgiving this year, Rich and I flew out to see my dad and Jen. A great trip and no issues on the plane with baby! The doctor had me take a children's aspirin before the flight to thin my blood and Rich let me have the aisle seat so that I could get up and walk during the flight. With his long legs - that was very nice of him to do :) Have I mentioned just how great my husband is! He's everything I could ever want. Dad grilled the turkey again and it was as moist as ever - Jen made her "nasties" (mashed potatoes) which are truly fabulous! We had all the traditional fixings and loved every bite.

The semester is finally winding down for Rich and after next week, he won't be so crazy with school! Perhaps we can start talking baby names and getting the nursery more in order. We're having his graduate student colleges over on Saturday night for a little Christmas get together - so I've been decorating, baking cookies, and now I just need to clean the house so that it feels more presentable.

Ok the 32 week update:

How far along? 32 Weeks

Size of the baby? Baby weighs 3.75lbs and is approx 16.7 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes! There are still a few non-maternity stuff that I can wear, but that's getting pretty limited

Gender? Surprise! Although my Nana is claiming that we know Baby's sex and are not sharing (haha!) I promise - we don't know. I couldn't keep that a secret.

Movement? All the time- I love watching my belly move with the Baby

Sleep? Not great, but it could always be worse

Cravings? Pears! Those have recently become a favorite - though they have to be soft and juicy

Symptoms? Acid reflux.. still. I'm really getting tired of dealing with it

Exercise? At least once a week

Weight Gain? 21-22 lbs (yikes) - I go to the doctor tomorrow and will get a true amount

Best Moment of the Week? I've had many good moments this week - but decorating the Christmas tree with Rich was definitely my favorite!

25 Weeks

26 Weeks

27 Weeks

28 Weeks and Baby's first wedding!

29 Weeks

Thanksgiving - 30 weeks

31 Weeks!

29 Weeks and Birthday!

I'll update later with pics, but I shouldn't use the excuse that I haven't taken the 29 week pic yet to not write this. I want to have this to look back on a remember my pregnancy.

In approximately 11 weeks, we'll meet Baby - I'm so excited and very much at peace about being a mommy. I took a class this week about breast pumps and decided that I want this one: Medela Pump-In Style. This will probably appear on my/Baby's Christmas list. At approx $260, it's not cheap, but since I'll be going back to work full-time it will be worth it. I also learned about nursing bras and tanks and holy cow.. there is a lot of stuff that you need for breastfeeding.

Okay - weekly (aka whenever I remember) update

How far along? 29 Weeks

Size of the baby? Baby weighs 2.5lbs and is approx 15 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? Yep - maternity pants are nice and comfy! I got some awesome shirts for my birthday despite saying I didn't want clothes ... very happy that my mom didn't listen to that :) I really enjoy feeling like I look cute with the bump and new/nice clothes are a way to do that!

Gender? Surprise!

Movement? All the time - Baby kicks and moves like a rockstar. We had a doc's appointment this week and Baby's head is already down and will probably not move from there! I noticed last night that my tummy was starting to feel tight - as though I'm running out of room, so I'm sure I'll be growing lots more in the next 2..5 months. I've noticed that there isn't enough space between my belly and the steering wheel to put items such as the muffin plastic when I grab a muffin for breakfast

Sleep? Not as great recently due to a bad cold and acid reflux

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux.. still.

Exercise? I'm still getting a few times a week in

Weight Gain? 18 lbs - right on track

Best Moment of the Week? A busy couple of weeks - Baby was in their first wedding: Krista got married!! My b-day is tomorrow so we've been enjoying family time and birthday cake! I got some good work done in the nursery, though I still have a long way to go - starting felt good.

Update - Week 26.5

How did I miss week 25 and almost 26! Yikes!! Not that excuses are okay, but we've been going through quarter close at work, so I've been working a bit longer than normal.

How far along? 26 week, 4 days

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and is approx 14 inches long. From my weekly email:

"Baby may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. Baby's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when Baby's born and takes that first gulp of air. And Baby is continuing to put on baby fat."

Maternity Clothes? Yep - though I'm still rocking some non-maternity shirts

Gender? Surprise!

Movement? YES!! Richard felt Baby move for the first time last night. He had really been wanting to feel Baby and hadn't been able to for the last 3 weeks. So we were going to bed and I thought I felt a little kick so I grabbed Richard's hand and put it on my belly and we just relaxed for a few minutes and Baby started kicking!! They were the biggest kicks I've felt yet. So glad that Richard was able to feel our baby.

Sleep? I've always loved to sleep and that hasn't changed.

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :(

Exercise? I'm still getting twice a week in - I need to work on taking walks in the evening when it's nice outside

Weight Gain? ... I think about 15 lbs (according to my scale at home). We go back to the docs in 2 weeks so we'll find out then.

Best Moment of the Week? Richard getting to feel Baby kick!

Pregnancy Update - 23 weeks - ish

Okay, so I missed last weeks posting.. mostly on purpose. I had a doctors appointment so I though I would wait until after then to update. Doctors report looks good. Belly is measuring at 25 weeks (totally okay) and Baby's heart rate is still fast but perfectly normal :) I also feel like my belly has truly popped! I'm kicking myself for forgetting to take a 22 week pic, but the comparison of 21 weeks to 23 weeks shows the pop-age, see:

21 weeks

23 wks

24 weeks

On the sad note - I gained 7 lbs!! Yes, I know I'm supposed to gain weight - I'm pregnant, but 7lbs in 4 weeks = too much! I should be gaining at about 1 pound per week, so it's back to focusing on eating healthy while making sure myself and Baby are getting the nutrition that we need. It also doesn't help that I'm in the middle of quarter close so not able to workout. New goal - try to improve that. Step 1 - I went to the office gym during lunch today .. and it felt great! I can just tell that I haven't worked out in a week - all my muscles wanted to move and be worked. It was just a short workout, but better than nothing!

Okay - on to the weekly stats (which are really more for me to remember points along the way)

How far along? 23 week, 5 days

Size of the baby? Baby weighs just over 1 pound, is over 11 inches long (thanks baby email for being so precise, not). Total weight gain for me = 15lbs (per the doctor), 12 lbs (per my scale at home).

Maternity Clothes? Oh yeah! Maternity pants are actually really comfortable! I can also wee why women get stuck wearing "mom" jeans with the really high waist - all my pregnancy pants are over the belly so I'm getting used to something there.

Gender? Surprise!

Movement? Definitely feeling little movements - feels like bubbles in my belly.

Sleep? I've always loved to sleep and that hasn't changed.

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :(

Exercise? None last week, I failed! But I did do 30 mins on the elliptical today during lunch.

Weight Gain? See above :(

Best Moment of the Week? My Dad was in town and I got to spend some great time with him. He's planning on being here for 3-4 weeks around the time that Baby is due! So excited that he'll be here to meet his grand-baby rather than us having to call to tell him.

Picture now change from a different fruit weekly to monthly.

How far along? 22 week, 2 days

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 1 pound (no more ounces here), is 11 inches long, and is starting to looks like a miniature newborn. I think I've gained about 10 lbs thus far.

Maternity Clothes? Oh yeah! I'm getting what I can out of pre-preg pants but I really can't fit into most of them.

Gender? Surprise!

Movement? Definitely feeling little movements. Baby seems to move the most in early afternoon right after lunch.

Sleep? I've always loved to sleep and that hasn't changed.

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :(

Exercise? I'm doing Zumba twice a week and trying to walk as well.

Weight Gain? Up another pound - 9lbs to date.

Best Moment of the Week? I was so good and didn't peek! Richard and I have started separate baby name lists and we'll compare when we're done. I have no idea where he's keeping his list and I don't go through his stuff, so its safe as long as her doesn't leave it out.. if he does though, that will be a test of my self-discipline. I can't wait until we compare lists to get Baby's possible names picked out.

Picture update - I'm a slacker and forgot to take on this morning. Great American Beer Festival is tonight, so tonight a photo probably won't happen. No worries though - I'm not drinking, I'm just going to hang out with the Sis, K, Richard, and other friends.

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 12.7 oz and is 10.5 inches long. I think it's odd that the sizing comparison people say that a banana is larger than a cantaloupe. Maybe length wise, I'll buy it, but not weight-wise.

Maternity Clothes? Yep...work pants no longer fit so I'm rocking the bella band since the sale at a maternity store doesn't start until Monday. I can still wear some pre-pregnancy shirts.

Gender? Surprise! I had a dream about baby this week and what we named baby.

Movement? Definitely feeling little movements. Baby seems to move the most in early afternoon right after lunch.

Sleep? I've always loved to sleep and that hasn't changed.

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :(

Exercise? I'm doing Zumba twice a week and trying to walk as well.

Weight Gain? Up another pound - 9lbs to date.

Best Moment of the Week? I picked up a baby name book at the library and it was HORRIBLE! Some of the names in the book were terrible - Greek Gods... yea - not a baby name. So I returned that book and grabbed 4 more and am having much better luck.

Half-Time ... 20 weeks

Updated 9/16/2011 to add 19 & 20 week photos below

How far along? 20 weeks (HALF WAY!!)

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 10.5 oz and is 6.5 inches long (crown to rump) or 10 inches long (crown to heel). Apparently how they measure baby changes this week.

Maternity Clothes? Yep... I've had trouble getting into work pants this week, so I'm officially wearing maternity pants today. Shirts are still pre-prego shirts. (What are your thoughts on the term prego? I have days I love it and days I don't)

Gender? Surprise ... We had a bbq this past weekend and lots of people gave their guesses. Overwhelmingly, people think its one sex over the other.

Movement? I was having a mild cramp yesterday and was pushing on my tummy and someone pushed back!

Sleep? I've always loved to sleep and that hasn't changed.

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :(

Exercise? I'm doing Zumba twice a week and trying to walk as well.

Weight Gain? I moved the scale this week and forgot to check, but as of last week I've gained 8 lbs.

Best Moment of the Week? Hospital tour last night. We're trying to figure out which one we want to deliver since we have 2 great choices near-by. Holy cow there are so many things to remember. We were definitely the least pregnant there last night. I kinda felt like I was intruding and didn't below since I was so much further behind the other moms-to-be. We definitely prefer to have lots of research under our belt so we can make a decision.

19 week photo

20 Weeks!

20 weeks again

19 Week & Doctor Update

I'm gonna start off by saying that we love our Doc! So glad I asked a friend for a recommendation. He's great to work with and always in a good mood. He is genuinely happy to see us when we come in.

How far along? 19 Weeks, 2 days

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 7.5 oz and is 16 cm (~6 inches) long. Baby is definitely taking after his/her Daddy ... long and skinny! Baby's femur is measuring a little bigger than 20 weeks while head and belly are measuring at 18 weeks, 6 days... so the average is right where I'm at.

Maternity Clothes? Good shopping trip with my momma & sista last weekend to the outlets and got some good maternity clothing. I'm still wearing non-maternity shirts since the style works well with pregnancy and pants that were big before are TIGHT. I'm still wearing them, but you'll find with them un-buttoned a lot if I don't have a bella-band on.

Gender? We'll let you know in February! Based on the reliable old wives tale our doc told us today, since the heart-rate is 153 it's a girl. According to the wives tale, over 140bpm = girl, under 140bpm = boy. See how scientific is that? HA! I'll wait and see.

Movement? I'm not feeling too much, though based on very mild cramping I guessed the baby was more on my right side. From the ultrasound today, baby is more on my right side and is SUPER active. Richard tells me that in a few weeks I'll be wishing that I wasn't feeling the baby as much.

Sleep? still awesome!

Cravings? Not really.

Symptoms? Acid reflux :( and some forgetfulness.

Exercise? I'm doing Zumba twice a week and trying to walk as well.

Weight Gain? We're a little split on where I started. My scale at home shows 2 lbs lighter than the docs, so total weight gain is 6-8lbs. 4 lbs since my 13 week visit! I didn't gain anything from 9-13 weeks, so I was happy to see 4 lbs today!

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing Baby on the ultrasound and hearing Baby's heartbeat for the first time. I'll admit I was a bit giddy this morning before the appointment to see the baby. I'm truly amazed at how much the baby is growing and I love seeing the growth from appointment to appointment.

I'll have to take one later and add it. I forgot to last night and the cats were having an all out WWE match this morning so I got distracted. It was the funniest thing, I went downstairs to break it up since Richard was sleeping and Nahla was screaming and Khan's fur was literally flying everywhere. It looked like something out of a comic.

19 Weeks Today

Officially, we;re 19 weeks today! However, I'm going to wait until after the doc appointment to update so that we have more official stats.

I hope Baby is modest tomorrow during the ultrasound. We wanna wait until b-day to see if Baby is a boy or girl....

18 Weeks

I'm adding a few more categories than before below.

How far along? 18 Weeks

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 7 oz and is about 5.5 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? Definitely right in between still. I think I'm in the stage where I just look fat as opposed to pregnant. I've noticed that the belly is more defined when I where dresses vs pants though.

Gender? We'll let you know in February!

Movement? No big movements this week. Occassionally at night I feel a little, but not much

Sleep? ..is great. I just want more of it.

Cravings? Nothing new here - sweets and Mexican!

Symptoms? Ok.. I'll admit it.. I'm getting a little forgetful at times.

Exercise? I'm doing Zumba twice a week and trying to walk as well. We went to the pool on Saturday which involved more reading than swimming, but I got some exercise in there too!

Best Moment of the Week? It was a really good week. Mom & G finished painting the baseboards in the nursery, we went stoller/car seat shopping because Babies R Us is having a sweet sale if you bring in an old car seat. We didn't decide on anything, but I feel like we're getting close to deciding. I tried on some maternity clothes with a friend and found a dress for a wedding I'm in come November. We also went to see Les Miserables last night and I loved it! They re-did the whole set/staging from when I saw it probably 10 years ago and it looks great. Wow.. that was a busy week!

18 weeks - Please ignore the mess in the background! It was late and I was too tired to straighten. Confession - I forgot to take a 17 week photo (oops!)

Because I forgot to add them a while ago - here are some of the ultrasound pics:

13 weeks - you can really see babies teeth, spine, and fingers. I think baby may be sucking his/her thumb here, but not sure.

10 weeks - first doctors visit 7/5/11!

Week 17 - With Belly Pics

How far along? 17 Weeks

Size of the baby? Baby weighs about 5 oz and is about 5 inches long. Last week the weekly update said that baby was about to start a growth spurt and man o'man baby did just that. I can't get enough sleep. Every night this week, I've gone home and taken a little nap or just laid down for 20 mins.

Maternity Clothes? No change from last week - I'm still holding out. I've borrowed a few pairs of pants from my mom since we're about the same size but she still has some that will work. I've also borrowed some shirts from her!

Gender? We'll let you know in February!

Movement? I think I felt a little movement the other night while going to bed. I felt something that I've never felt before so that must be baby, right?

Sleep? ..is great. I just want more of it.

Cravings? Sweets and wanting to bake. I haven't done any baking, just have the desire .. maybe some zucchini bread is in my future with all the stuff from the garden.

Symptoms? Ok.. I'll admit it.. I'm getting a little forgetful at times.

Best Moment of the Week? Feeling the baby move!

13 weeks

14 Weeks

(Pretend you see a 15 week photo... it's on a different camera)

16 Weeks

17 Weeks - I haven't taken one yet.. so you'll just have to wait :)

Week 16 Update

It's Thursday, so that means a weekly update:

How far along? 15 Weeks

Size of the baby? About the size of an avocado and about to start a growth spurt

Maternity Clothes? Still holding out. I've borrowed a few pairs of pants from my mom since we're about the same size - so I raided her closet for a few of the slightly bigger pants she has... I forgot how many of the same work pants we have. I guess the same great taste my mom has didn't pass me up.

Gender? We'll let you know in February!

Movement? Nothing yet. Supposedly some women can start to feel their baby at 16 weeks - but not me.

Sleep? ..is great. I just want more of it.

Cravings? Muffins! It drove me nuts yesterday b/c the cafeteria had closed all the breakfast items by the time the craving came around, so I waited patiently and went to Kings after work (and only ate 1 of the 4 muffins I bought). I've also been craving bad Mexican food, not the good stuff, but the bean burrito with cheese type of stuff.

Symptoms? None.. though Richard says I'm starting to get "mush brain." I don't buy that

Best Moment of the Week? Not baby related, but catching up with friends I haven't seen in WAY to long. Loved getting drinks with the ladies (them = beer, me = shirley temple, what? can't I enjoy a pink fruity beverage too). Oh yeah, we got our cameras back from my sis who borrowed them last week. SO... that means I can actually download the pics on there to share.. think weekly baby bump pics that don't really look like I have much of a bump :)

15 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along? 15 Weeks

Size of the baby? My weekly baby update says baby is 4 inches long and weighs 2.5 ounces - about the size of an apple!

Maternity Clothes? Not quite yet. My pants are getting a little snug in the tummy, but I'm holding out as long as possible.

Gender? We'll let you know in February!

Movement? Nothing yet. In our last ultasound at 13 weeks, we could see the baby sucking his/her thumb.

Sleep? ..is great. I just want more of it.

Cravings? My sweet tooth has been kicked into high gear. I'm trying to subdue it with grapes and other natural sugars to be more healthy for baby.

Symptoms? I'm one of the lucky ones and haven't had any true symptoms - Richard is getting all of them for me. He's eating like he's 16 again and has nausea anytime I feel a little nausea.

Best Moment of the Week? My mom and Richard painted the nursery! It was a baby boy blue because the people we bought the house from were having a baby boy, but the room never really fit us. Now the neutral color makes the room feel more like us. I can't wait to really get things set up - though we'll wait for a while, we still have 6 months to go!

A Little Catch-up and Announcement

Hey All!

It's been a while... so let's do a little re-cap of the last year, shall we? Bullet format of course because I like that:

- We met G's new boyfriend (we'll call him K) and loved him. He came to our annual CU vs CSU football BBQ and fit right in. Richard realized just how much he missed having another male in the family when we were all hanging out. He loves my Dad, but we rarely see him.

- Our best man's wedding in northern New York. Right on the lake. Beautiful... a little chilly, and a little early to see the fall leaves of the east coast (bucket list item for both of us).

- We flew to Chicago to celebrate my Dad's marriage to J! We love J and I especially love how happy she makes my dad. They fit well together. Only problem is her job is in the Chicago area - so we don't see them as often as I'd like. They do come out a few times a year and I love that :) While out there I think we became the CRAZY Colorado family (think car bombs, my Dad's first, and other shots)

- Thanksgiving in Mexico!

- Christmas at home with family. We've kept our Christmas Day visiting to 3 locations and think we're finally figuring out how to manage all our family and adopted families. I say adopted b/c Richard has many families from his childhood who are like sudo-parents and we continue to be close with.

- January - May = Busy season. I don't remember too much (haha!) but did decide that I could not do another one. I miss my life/friends/family too much.

- Mid February, K tells me that he has a travel request for Richard and I. I also need to help distract G so K and my mom can go shopping together.. thinking bling yet?? They got engaged!!

- Crazy auntie week! My mom's sisters are amazing women with vibrant personalities. When you get them all together it's craziness that we LOVE, so whenever they come to visit, we dub the week - Crazy Auntie Week. Lots of cards are played, laughter laughed, life lived, and a few bottles of Crown Royal are drank.

- Job changes - both of us and both ultimately good, but we're still waiting to see some of the good.

- And last of all...... We're Pregnant! Baby B is due to arrive 2/2/2012.