Shopping Fun...

So last weekend, I was able to enjoy a girl's weekend in San Antonio/Austin area where we shopped and shopped.  First stop was the outlet mall in San Marcos.  I was warned ahead of time about shopping for your child, but OMG!  There were so many cute clothes.  Baby Girl now has some outfits from newborn to 18 months :) Sleepers, fleece pants, onesies, bloomers...

Baby Girl is going to need some warm clothes for Christmas this year when we drive home to the Midwest and I found a fleece hat/gloves combo for $3.25!

And, living in south Texas, where it is basically summer year round, I found a really cute bathing suit for her for next summer:

We were so tired after walking the outlet mall for nearly 7 hours but so excited by all the deals we found!  I was able to buy myself some maternity shirts so I don't have to worry outgrowing or over-stretching my current wardrobe. 

Saturday, we spent several hours going through the IKEA store north of Austin.  We got so many creative ideas and storage solutions.  Pics to come as the nursery progresses.  Sunday, we spent several hours at the Poteet Strawberry Festival, enjoying fresh Texas strawberries and walking around the arts and crafts booths.  I saw some cute ideas for bows, dresses, and tutus for Baby Girl...now it's just a matter of finding time to sit down and see if I can replicate those designs.

All in all, it was a great weekend.  Baby Girl and I traveled just fine with the driving, without too frequent of bathroom stops and without any lower leg swelling.  I think we decided this is going to become an annual girl's weekend!

26-week appt

We had our 26 week appointment this morning and everything continues to progress smoothly!  More weight gain this past month, up 5 pounds so total weight gain of 13 pounds at this point.  Fetal heartrate of 135 bpm and Baby Girl moved while we were listening to her heartrate so the doctor had to find her again with the doppler which was a plus for us because it meant we had more time listening to her.  Fundal height measures on schedule so she continues to grow and expand my belly!  Doctor said she should be weighing in at about 2 pounds at this point!

Ryan was able to meet the doctor today and I think he was happy with the doctor and how she answered my many questions.  I mentioned to the doctor I was so excited to reach the 24-week mark because we know that a premie born at 24 weeks is viable and after a stay in the NICU, will join us at home someday.  Doc reminded me not to worry about preterm labor, even though I work with a lot of babies who were premies.  Luckily, doc said that she also thought about the gestational milestones during her pregnancies as the weeks passed of how much healthier the baby will be when born.

No new symptoms to report at this point.  Baby Girl and I continue to love eating cereal.  I don't feel I'm craving cereal or fruit but those tend to be my go-to items when hungry.  The past couple of weeks, I've consistently gotten up 3 times per night to pee.  Which usually wouldn't be a problem except lately I have trouble falling back to sleep.  I just end up laying in bed, thinking about all the things that I hope and plan to finish before Baby Girl arrives!  This past week my back has started aching by the end of the day but luckily no sciatic pain yet.  I don't know if it's because I'm a P.T. but I feel my walking pattern is changing.  Even though Baby Girl isn't too big yet, I feel that I've started to walk with a wider base of support and perhaps a shorter step length.  I know this is only going to change more as she continues to grow.

We were given the green light for our roadtrip home the last half of May!  I'll see the doctor the day before we leave, just for the monthly visit and to reassure everyone that there should be no complications.  At this appointment, we'll also be able to pay for the 3D/4D ultrasound so that'll be our next glimpse of how she is developing in there, whose facial features she is portraying, and how big she is measuring.

I have to go back next Friday, April 27 for my gestational diabetes glucose test.  I was kinda hoping to be tested today so I can splurge on the sweets of the Midwest this weekend but oh well... I'm super excited to see family and meet my little niece that everyone is getting the opportunity to spoil ahead of me!

24 weeks!

Happy Easter to everyone!

The baby bump has arrived! :) I'm still wearing all regular shirts as maternity shirts seem to have too much material in the front and the bump just isn't ready to fill them out quite yet. In another few weeks, I'm hoping those shirts will look much better. One advantage to working in healthcare? Wearing scrubs. Scrubs are very forgiving and I'm hoping to get by until July without having to upsize my work wardrobe.

Baby Girl is much more active throughout the day which is so amazing and reassuring to feel her movements. I rested a baby book on my belly the other night and the book visibly moved when she kicked! When I sit this 9-month old patient on my lap, without fail, she starts moving as if to say..."hey, wait a minute...what's he doing so close?"

Symptoms this past week include fatigue in the afternoons and increased appetite. No cravings yet though. She and I are still big fans of Cheerios :) I can feel the stomach muscles stretching now that the uterus is getting higher. Those upper abs aren't too sure about this requirement and have been achy, feeling like they are being pulled apart. Luckily, that discomfort was only for a few days but I'm sure the sensation will return as the pregnancy continues. These changes can only mean one thing, she's growing!

Baby Girl and I have a few busy weekends coming up as next weekend we're driving to San Antonio/Austin area for shopping and the annual strawberry festival. Then the following weekend, we're flying home to Indiana to meet my new niece who is already 4 months old!

I think there was a few other things I was intending to mention during this post but I can't recall what they were so they'll have to be saved for next time.

Baby gear has entered our home!

We had a busy week last week! Neither Ryan nor I are very fond of shopping at the stores, esp. here in the Valley. Too many shoppers and most of them are rude! We try to do most of our shopping online...no lines, no rudeness, free shipping, and usually no tax! Plus, it's so exciting when the stuff we ordered online arrives!

First the jogging stroller arrived, (and yes, I pushed the empty jogging stroller for our nightly walk...just to try it out. Ryan was embarrassed but that's okay.)

then the traditional stroller was delivered,

And then Ryan picked up Baby Girl's crib from the local baby store! The crib is still in the box, to be assembled once I clean my stuff out of the nursery.

And, finally, some pictures of our 4-legged babies...the dogs decided to help while I was taking pictures of the strollers. Here was their fun:

22-week appointment

We had our 22-week appointment on Friday, March 23. Baby Girl's heartrate was 148 bpm, my fundal measurement (uterus to pelvic bone) measured on schedule, and I gained 4 pounds the past month! Making total weight gain 8 pounds in 22 weeks :) My next appointment isn't for 4 more weeks and then we'll do the gestational diabetes test.

We met the nurse midwife that works at the office. The doctor had to leave to go to the hospital, which was disappointing, as it would've been Ryan's first time meeting the doctor. Confused? Yeah...I switched doctors after the 3 month appointment. Neither Ryan or I felt comfortable with the doctor I had seen annually for the last 7 years, we felt like we were just a number being rushed through the door. Taking the advice of friends, I made my next appointment with their doctor and immediately felt very comfortable with her and she took plenty of time with me to answer all my questions.

I had Ryan take pictures again this weekend because I feel in the past 2 weeks, baby Girl is making her presence known by steadily increasing the size of her living area. Picture on the left is 20 weeks, picture on the right is 22 weeks. If I knew how to add captions...I would've labeled the pictures! For the record, Ryan's contribution was the sticky note saying 22 weeks :) It sure feels like she is growing quickly, now weighing about 1 pound and about 11 inches head to toe. Can't wait to see what the 6 month/24-week picture looks like!

21 weeks, 2 days...

Ryan felt the baby kick this morning!

I thought that I felt the baby kick (from the outside) Saturday night after dinner but told myself, it's too early, it's just my reflexes wanting to feel it.

Well, this morning when I rolled from my side to back, she must not have been ready to change positions and I could feel her kicking or rearranging in there so I put my hand on my tummy and felt 4 good beats! I called Ryan over and he could also feel her :) I'm so excited she is getting big enough and strong enough that we can both feel her from the outside. I know her kicks and movements will continue to get stronger with each week.

Little moments like this put everything else in perspective. It reminds me to slow down and take time to enjoy this journey. Pregnancy only lasts 40 weeks...we've got the rest of our lives to worry about other things!

Baby Industry

When planning our wedding, I remember hearing something about if you want to start a business, go into the wedding industry because there is so much demand for that perfect day. Well, this past week, we took advantage of Ryan's spring break and did as much preparing for baby/planning as possible! I think we were both shocked at all the options, stores, websites that cater to baby items!

Big items we completed this week:
1. Ordered the crib and mattress!
2. Ordered an infant carrier carseat.
3. Ordered our BOB jogging stroller :)
4. Picking out her name (well, we narrowed our list significantly)

So with those first 3 things completed, we can bring Baby Girl home in July! If only it was that easy...next on the list(s) include settling on a nursery theme (neutral or do we make it girly?), assembling above items as they are delivered, deciding where to take a birthing class, learning about daycare vs. home sitter options.

After this past week, it's safe to say, we are both more excited about July and it seems much more real that we are having a little girl to love and spoil. Seeing all the new things we'll be experiencing makes it very exciting. I'm sure the remaining 19 weeks will go by just as fast as the first 21 weeks. Yeah for entering the next chapter of our lives!