24 & 25 Weeks

Looks like I'm smuggling a basketball under that t-shirt! Sneak peek at the crib there too.

Today marks my 25th week and according to some resources the start of my 3rd trimester! Some say the 28th week (which is 7 months in normal people land and who knows what in pregnancy land) marks the beginning which is more accurate sounding to me. Either way, time is really moving!!

Had my routine doctor's appointment today. Everything went well. First time getting my belly measured with the tape measure which was kind of fun actually. I'm about 25 cm which is right on track for 25 weeks (they say you should line up about the same as the number of weeks you are). Her heartbeat sounded nice and strong and you can listen for yourself in my previous post! They recorded it onto a little device for us to keep, how cool! She was being a wee difficult for the doctor though haha. He couldn't get a heartbeat right away and I wasn't worried considering I could feel her kicking and moving every part of her little body. The doctor said, "wow, she's a squirmer, did you just eat??" I told him I just had a little coffee and he said that explains it and laughed. She may have a little more energy than we think! My weight gain is right on track - 5lbs this month which was my goal and 17 overall. This will put me in the 30-35lb goal I had set for myself. Even if I were to go a little over, I would be okay with that. I'm just happy she's doing well! Next up we have to do a glucose sugar tolerance test to make sure I don't have any pregnancy related diabetes or any of that. After the next appointment at the end of July, I'll be going back to the doctor's every 2 weeks, yikes!!

It really feels like time is chugging along so we are trying to stay on top of our ever growing to-do list! Chris has been a madman putting anything and everything together that comes to the door (since the majority of our stuff is coming from online purchases and/or registry purchases from others). Our adorable bassinet (from Chris's mom, Adelaide's Grandma) and our beautiful crib (from my mom & dad, Adelaide's Pop-Pop & Grammy) are now up and assembled! It is so amazing to look around her room and see all these pieces come to life after daydreaming about them for so long. We will be taking photos of course (since I finally found my camera) and posting a nursery tour in the future. Until then, there is much more work to be done!

Dear Adelaide,
You are growing fast & strong my love! Good work! Your kicks are something else lately. I seem to feel every movement you make, even the slight ones. I absolutely love it. We are having so much fun preparing for you. Your daddy seems to take his role very seriously and has proven to be quite handy at projects! As a wife, it is really satisfying and heartwarming to see him like that. It just reassures me what a great dad & husband he is (as if I needed reassurance). You were cracking us up last night. Your daddy had his head on my belly as he does from time to time and was talking to you and not only did you respond to his voice but you gave him a kick in the head! You are going to be a playful little thing I imagine! I daydream about you all the time. I picture you in your little bassinet and then in your pretty crib and us going for walks in your stroller. I am practicing every bit of patience I can muster to wait for you. Just know you are always in our thoughts.

All My Love,
Mama

The Most Precious Sound

Our baby's heartbeat. There is no better music to our ears!

Nursery Poster

We'll be taking some more photos of different things for her nursery, but this is the poster we ordered to hang above her crib. I ordered a pretty gold frame and nice white mat to go with it. I think it will look very fancy for our little girl!

23 Weeks

I misplaced my camera (and by misplaced I'm hoping I don't mean lost!) so this is a photo from 22 1/2 weeks, I cheated a little. This is with Chris's sister, Sarah, soon to be Aunt Sarah to little Adelaide and half the reason for her middle name, June.

All is well here in baby land! The rash is a pain but I am managing it. I found out from a co-worker up north that she had the same thing when she was pregnant with her daughter. She said she got it about the same time as me and same deal as me, more annoying than anything else. She said hers went away as soon as her daughter was born which seems to be the norm with most cases. How weird!

Overall, I am feeling well. My sleep is a little better. I wouldn't say it's the deepest sleep in the world but I am sleeping! I am starting to really get a nesting instinct. I seem to have non-stop energy when it comes to cleaning and organizing. Thank God because I feel like there is so much more to do yet! I have started getting decorations in for the nursery and starting painting some things but the big stuff has yet to be done. I feel as though my work is never done haha. Of course, what normally happens then is I run myself ragged all day and if it's the same day I'm also working I end up completely exhausted by the end of the day. Maybe that's why I've been sleeping better! I do try to remember to kick my feet up and relax in between, I promise :)

This past weekend was Father's Day. Chris had to work the weekend but had off Friday so I switched days and took off Friday and made it up on the weekend. We spent a relaxing day together going out to lunch and the movies. Yesterday, I cooked his official Father's Day dinner. Stuffed pepper jack turkey burgers, mmmm. I made a spicy mayo (mayo, hot sauce and lime juice) to go with and Lord have mercy I could have dipped everything in sight in there!! Overall, we had a great weekend between him working and he even got to feel his first kick from the baby!!

Dear Adelaide,
This letter is all about your daddy! You gave your daddy such a wonderful father's day present! Last Thursday, while we were watching TV in bed, you were kicking like mad (as you often do when I lie in bed at the end of the night) and I grabbed your daddy's hand and put it on my belly and he felt your kicks! It was the first time he was able to feel them. The look on his face was absolutely priceless. It was an expression of pure amazement. It's difficult to describe what your kicks feel like to him and I often felt bad he couldn't feel you the way I do. He finally got to experience a piece of what I feel. He was so incredibly happy feeling those kicks. I think it was the first of many times he will be amazed by you my dear! You still react to the sound of his voice which brings such a happy feeling. I know he brightens up our day so much. I think we both get a kick out of him (sorry, but your mama loves a good pun). I can't wait until you are born and see you and your daddy interact. I envision so much laughter and playtime together. I even like to imagine a little tea party with all 6'2" of your daddy crammed at a mini table of tea and dolls. It melts my heart already thinking of the two of you together. We are really blessed and lucky to have him. I can't wait until next Father's Day when we will all be together!

All my Love,
Mama

A Photo from the Future??

I used an online morphing service to take a pic of me and and a pic of Chris and generate a photo of what our daughter could look like. Pretty freaky huh? Usually these turn out really odd looking but this one almost looks real! It is an exact mix of our features. Obviously, she could look more like me or more like Chris or maybe even another relative! But, it's still kind of crazy to see such a mix of the two of us. She is pretty cute I have to say!

Nursery Inspiration

The photo above is serving as major inspiration for our nursery! I am absolutely in love with the wall colors and luckily the blogger who did this nursery shared the exact paint brand and shade so we can check it out at Lowes. I plan on continuing the light pink, white and gold throughout along with some of the black & white and grey accents. We have a lot of painting to do! We are taking the furniture from our bedroom and repurposing it. We have a tall, skinny dresser that will be painted a dove grey along with white handles. A white long dresser to be used for the changing table that needs new knobs and a little bookcase that is color undecided! We are excited to add some personal touches - a growth chart that was in my nursery and an animal alphabet embroidered hanging done by Chris's grandma.

Chris has deemed me the "Project Coordinator" for the nursery haha. I think he is just overwhelmed by the 50 things I print out and/or show him on a daily basis! We are still going to incorporate owls into the theme and I have found some cute vintage owl decorations along with some prints we will add. A lot of work but so much fun to plan!

Photo/Nursery Credit: www.laybabylay.com
Some of the most amazing nursery ideas I have ever seen! So creative!

21 & 22 Weeks

(Green Dress Pic is @ 21 Weeks. Yellow Dress with Chris is @ 22 Weeks)

A twofer! I'm a little bit behind on my blog posting aren't I?

I had a doctor's appointment at 21 weeks. Actually met with a midwife who also delivers (whoever is on call the night I go into labor is who will deliver the baby so I'm trying to meet with all of them). She looked over my ultrasound results and everything looked good. All the measurements seemed to look good and be completely normal. Hooray! I checked out healthy as well. I put on a healthy 7lbs too, oops! Guess that's what happens when you eat ice cream every night for a week haha. I was never much for sweet treats at night but I had been letting myself indulge more than usual. I hadn't gained all that much before so I guess I was playing catch up. I was at 12lbs total though which is right on target for my goal of 30-35lbs. I can't imagine lugging around another 20lbs though, holy crap! I already feel enormous with an extra 12 on me. It's gonna be a long, hot summer my friends!

Sleeping has still be an issue. I tried pillows and even a snoogle (a body pillow) which did not go over well at all. The snoogle made me feel like a million degrees in the middle of the night plus Chris kept hitting it with his feet and legs moving it which then woke me up. The pillow between my knees helps a little and I added an extra pillow under my head which seems to help a bit more too. I just can't seem to get comfortable! If I'm in a deep sleep I'm okay but if I wake up for any reason it seems to be game over. My legs - more specifically my hip, upper thigh and butt region - cannot stay comfortable! Either start aching or falling asleep or getting a cramp. Very weird!! I wonder if she is on some type of nerve. Could be. I'm not far enough along yet to be getting the typical sleep problems so it's a bit of a bummer! I can take unisom or tylenol PM though so I've been biting the bullet and taking those here and there. I feel bad doing so but they're both approved as safe so I think it's best I get some sleep while I can!

My only other complaint is a rash I have across my belly and parts of my back. I seemed to have gotten it after walking around in a bathing suit (not even a wet one) all day when Chris and I went on a day trip. It was very hot out so I think sweat combined with a non-breathable material caused it but it does not want to go away! I am allowed to use cortisone cream so I am trying that for now and hoping it heals. It is not very itchy and more annoying than anything else. It could be pregnancy eczema which you are supposed to try to avoid water and heat while having - not an easy task in FL! Almost any rash is not harmful to baby so it's more just an annoyance for me. Hopefully it clears up a bit. My skin is on the sensitive side as it is so I'm not surprised I have this! If you or someone you know had something similar while pregnant, please comment this post! I don't think it's PUPPPS if any of you have heard about that. It occurs later in pregnancy and is supposed to be extremely itchy.

Otherwise, it has been good health and spirits for this mama. These other things bother me but as soon as I feel her kicking it puts me in a better mood! Even the other night when I was up from 3am-5am watching Roseanne reruns, I could feel her kicking like mad and I almost (and I stress almost) was happy I was awake to feel that much movement. Must be built into mamas! Guess that's why after they're born when you're really getting no sleep you can still love that little crying bundle of joy!!

UPDATE (6/10/11): Went to the doctor's today because the rash wasn't getting better. It is indeed PUPPPS. Bit of a bummer. Luckily, it seems like a mild case and since I've had it for 2 weeks now the doctor doesn't think it should probably get much worse. There isn't a "cure" for it but there are treatments. The doctor only suggested Eucerin lotion to calm it (luckily it has not been severely itchy which most cases are so steroid tablets and cortisone were not recommended). I did some research online and there is a soap (pine tar soap, random!) that people swear clears the rash up and a good all natural lotion that I ordered so we'll see if those two things work! There are some homeopathic herb treatments but I'm hesitant to try those without talking to the doctor first. Fingers crossed the soap and lotion helps! For anybody that has heard of this or googles it, I am NOWHERE near as severe as the cases you will see online. THANK GOD. I was terrified seeing those photos. I have a mild case and God willing it stays that way!!

Dear Adelaide,
Mama is trying to get some sleep I swear!! I did so enjoy feeling your acrobatics though. You seem to be more active in the evening and nighttime when I'm finally settling down. I do feel you from time to time throughout the day though. I think I am feeling mostly kicks as they are low in my belly. They make me laugh sometimes. I wonder if you're just having fun or if you're trying to tell me something. Like when I roll onto my belly when I'm sleeping and I feel you, I think you may be telling me to roll over haha! I enjoy this little bonding time we have. I really can't wait though for it to be felt on the outside. I feel bad your daddy can't feel what I feel. It makes me feel so connected to you. I have lightly felt movement with my hand on my belly but I think that's just because I can feel you on the inside too. He likes to give us both a bedtime kiss at night - one on the lips for mama and one on the belly for you! You still move a little to the sound of his voice and I read that you can now start hearing outside sounds and voices. We still like to picture what you will look like and what your little personality will be like. I wonder if you will be artsy or creative. You seem to have brought out my creative side! I can't stop thinking of new ideas for your nursery and new projects! You must be my little muse! The weekly email I get said that you are now almost like a miniature newborn. Everything is in place. Just time for you to grow, grow, grow! Keep on kicking away my love!

All my Love,
Mama