23 Weeks

Hello all! Another week gone by:

Week 23 was another good one (thankfully there really haven't been any truly bad ones!). Still some strange things going on though... like the extremely bizarre numb patch on the top my belly on the right side. It's generally not bothersome, just feels SO WEIRD to touch and sometimes when I'm bending or stretching the muscles there feel sore like they might have been pulled (therefore causing the numbness?) who knows! Also, little bug did this fun thing where he pushed himself as hard as he could against my belly button for a day which was uncomfortable and more honestly... painful! The next day he kindly retreated though and was even so far back that you could hardly see my bump. For living in a pretty tight space, this little one certainly knows how to make the most of it. He is most definitely growing though, I've been feeling him much more, and my belly has started getting in the way more than usual. There was even a day last week that I was trying like heck to get my sneakers on and tie my shoes... Keith called from the other room asking what in the world I was doing and if I needed help haha. Apparently my struggles weren't very silent. This is definitely a sign that warmer weather needs to hurry up so I can start wearing sandals again! I think the last interesting thing that happened is that waiting for dinner the other night I was approached by my first stranger asking how far along I was. Usually people just stare at my stomach, but I haven't had anyone ask yet. The kiddos at school have also seemed to notice the baby a little more and have been asking to give him hugs, they really are sweet sometimes :)

Aside from all the weird stuff, everything else around here has been normal... just making sure that I'm eating and sleeping enough. Sometimes eating enough really does feel like a chore (taking ALL the fun out of it) there is lots of planning and prepping involved in making sure I have enough food with me each day to not feel lousy. I'm honestly not going to miss the increased appetite part of pregnancy.

Here is a little sneak peek at how much baby bug has grown since we announced his arrival (aka, I know all these pictures are starting to look the same... but I promise things are changing) :

Non-Beer Tour

There's a new-ish brewery in Franklin called Turtle Anarchy and they put out a groupon last fall for a tour and tasting. We love trying new brews with our friends the Berger's, so Keith purchased the deal for the tour but kind of forgot about it until this past month when we realized that the coupon was about to expire. Obviously... some things have changed since we made those initial plans (like my ability to drink beer...) but in an attempt to get our money's worth, we met with friends Saturday night to go on the tour. The atmosphere at the brewery was pretty ehh... along with the middle of nowhere location, and a lackluster tour guide BUT from what everyone else said, the beer made up for all of that. All I can say is it smelled DELICIOUS, but I drank some dr. pepper instead. It was a great evening adventure with friends... although I think everyone agreed that instead of driving all the way out to Franklin again, we'll just drink their beers at the bar down the street haha

22 Weeks

Hello all! First things first, thank you so much to all our friends and family who have been loyally reading updates about us and baby bug each week. This blog was always started as a place for us to make sure our families had a chance to see glimpses of what we're up to, since we stubbornly chose to live places that happen to be far away. Now more than ever I feel like we have been wanting to keep everyone in the loop, and we appreciate you all coming along for the ride as well! This baby is pretty dang loved already and it's SO cool to see!

We had a baby appointment in week 22, which is the best because we got to hear his little beating heart. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that sound :) I'm already locked into paranoid new mama mode where I worry something is terribly wrong with baby bug (even though I feel great and have no real reason to be scared). Normal, right? Anyway, going to see our midwife always calms my nerves... at least until the next appointment haha. One of my bigger concerns this time around was that I still can't feel him moving very well or very consistently, and I know from friends that this is prime time for little baby kicks to be coming out. Anyway, we walked into the exam room for our appointment, the midwife looked over my last ultrasound and before I could even ask a question she said, "So... you can't feel him yet, can you?" how did she know that... is she reading my minddddddd. She kindly let me know that my placenta is located directly on the front of my tummy where I would be feeling his movements and it's acting like a little cushion between he and I. I guess it's not as common as other placenta placements, but theres nothing wrong with it... just means I won't be feeling him consistently until he gets a bit bigger (and starts kicking HARDER) so I'll continue being patient.

This is also the week that my dad totally jinxed me! I talked to him Sunday night and he asked, "Is your cold coming back?" I told him no no no, I'm done with that! And then of course I walked in from work Monday night scoffing about how right he really was. Damn cold and congestion! Leave me alone! Someone at work told me though that since I work in such a germ filled environment and I'm constantly exposed to things, that this baby has a good chance of having a super strong immune system haha. Let's make some lemonade out of these lemons! This cold was a little tougher though because after a month of feeling sick myself, I finally passed it on to poor Keith. As if being up all night with my congestion snoring wasn't bad enough, now he's got a sore throat and a yucky cough. Oops :/

Along with the ups came a couple of downs for the week. I'm finding, now more than ever I have a tendency to get extremely overwhelmed when there are too many things on my plate and I feel like I can't catch a break. This usually concludes with me getting overly emotional and not being able to do any of the things that were making me overwhelmed in the first place, geeeezzz! Last weekend I had a conference for work to be at in the morning, Keith was helping friends move and I joined them when I was done. We were rushing to find food, and got home with no time for a nap before Keith was planning to head out for the night to a show, I had things to do for work, but the internet wasn't working... all silly things that shouldn't have been a big deal but I was exhausted and frustrated that we didn't get to have a relaxing weekend. Keith has been great at trying to calm me down, and of course, to help get things done. I need to start putting less things on my plate, and not taking it so personally when I physically can't do as much without resting (aka, forgive our messy home).

Besides all that, we were pretty blessed this week with some EXTREMELY generous gifts off of our baby registry. Like I said before... this baby is already SO loved, and its almost overwhelming (not in a bad way!) to see all the ways people are showing that to us. Having "baby stuff" in our house is making me antsy to have him here and to USE it! Plus... these tiny clothes? Oh my gosh, I just want to dress him up all day haha

21 weeks

(In reality, I'm rounding the corner on week 23, but here are some notes from baby bug's 21st week. Let's pretend our internet wasn't out all weekend and that this is being posted in a timely fashion...)

I experienced this when we were engaged and planning our wedding, so I wasn't completely unprepared... but in the midst of life changing events it seems like LOTS of naysayers come out of the woodworks. Lots of "oh just wait until he gets here" and snarky comments about how tired we're going to be, and how our relationship will never be the same. I don't live in the naive land of sunshine and rainbows, I just don't understand raining on someone's parade before the parade has even started! And it's not like what you're telling me is going to make me change my mind about having a baby, he's coming whether we're scared or not. Thankfully though, among all of that loveliness I've had a few amazing people that have shared some exciting, "THIS is what you have to look forward to" stories. Those are the best and are the reason why I daydream all afternoon about what a great dad my husband is going to be, and how ADORABLE this little bug will be :)

Something else that has been really great, is all the support I've gotten from the people I work with and the parents of the children in my class. I definitely won't be needing to spend any money on maternity clothes, because most of the moms have been stocking me up on all of their (nice as heck!) clothes that they don't need anymore. New clothes are always so fun! and especially if you didn't have to pay for them. Even Keith has been excited to see me wearing something different, and I'm just happy to have more options of things that actually fit haha.

As far as how I'm feeling, everything has been going great! No uncomfortable symptoms, no extreme exhaustion, and besides my belly button hurting a bit (weird) it was a great week!

Hockey Success!

After our fail last week to win hockey tickets, I had this feeling that we might not get a chance to see a Predators game this season. BUT! Monday as I was leaving work, Keith called to see if I was up for a change of plans because he had scored some free seats from a friend. We had dinner at home and then hustled downtown to watch the most exciting hockey game we've ever seen in Nashville! Lots of goals, LOTS of fights and free frosties on the way home. Even though Tuesday morning I was pretty tired, it was worth it to see a good (free) game!

20 Weeks

HALF WAY! This is a terrifying thought, but exciting at the same time. I feel like I've hardly been pregnant at all, but July definitely feels like its a loooong way away. I'm so thankful that this has been smooth sailing so far, with only a mild bit of discomfort. Here's hoping that I don't jinx myself by typing that haha. Week 20 was particularly pleasant; I can breathe through my nose again, and I've had more energy than I could expect. I'm trying to soak this all in and enjoy it while it lasts because I can only imagine that being 9months pregnant during a 105degree July summer is going to make me a big ball of happiness and comfort (please know that if I yell or say mean things to you during that time, it's just the pregnancy talking).

Recently Theo has been unreasonably needy. Either he's sensing changes going on in our house or he's just trying to prepare us for all the sleepless mornings we have ahead us.... I wish I knew what to do to make him happy! It was a tough week for him which included lots of crying at our door and attacking our feet (and scratching at my head and ripping up the toilet paper). I think he's been getting confused about wake up time because I get up a lot during the night to go to the bathroom. Hopefully this is just a phase...

Fussy cat aside, one of the greatest things that happened to me this week was acquiring multiple pairs of maternity leggings. I know what you're thinking... sure this may be excessive, regular legging certainly fit fine, but if you have someone to give them to you for free? Take them up on it! These things are a dream! Like getting a hug from your clothes all day long. I think that these leggings have made a serious difference for the better in my happiness this week haha

Also, I've noticed that the most frequent question that I'm asked these days is what I've been craving. I definitely am eating more than my usual load these days, but still no definite CRAVINGS. I can honestly say that I've always been a mood based eater, sometimes I want a burger, or a specific restaurant... if I don't get it I won't cry, but would it make me happy? Sure! Not much has changed with pregnancy. I haven't started eating or wanting anything I wouldn't normally eat, and I haven't had any aversions to things either. I just kind of think its humorous that this is the number one question people ask me haha

Ok last thing! A friend from work gave me this adorable little outfit that her son had outgrown, which officially marks the first piece of baby clothing that has entered our home. I still feel pretty overwhelmed at the thought of buying or even registering for all the things we may need in the coming year, but little clothes? I might just have to go and get some more of these!