20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks

Weight gain? 15 lbs as of last week, but I haven't stepped on the scales this week

Baby is the size of - a banana

Maternity clothes? two words = LOVE THEM

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it comes to stretch marks…now if only the noticeable cellulite would pump the breaks.  Not very appealing at all!

Sleep?  I've still been sleeping pretty well this week.  Even though, Okie has decided his spot in bed in under the covers is wedged between me and my pregnancy pillow!

Miss anything? Being able to move around a lot without getting light headed or winded!

Cravings? No new cravings this week

Anything make you queasy or sick? Negative

Symptoms?  Headaches, I'm accepting the fact that this will be a nonstop part of pregnancy.

Belly button - in or out? In and wonky

Wedding rings - on or off? ON!

Any movement? Yes!! I feel him quite often and for the first time, John got to feel him kick this week! So exciting and fun to be able to feel out little mister!

Happy or moody? Happy with a side of moodiness…. Hey everyone is entitled to those moments, pregnant or not!

Looking forward to -  Getting started on the nursery, we are going with an all sports theme!  Also, I'm looking forward to the next doctor's appointment so I can stop worrying.  At the last ultrasound, I was told that my placenta hadn't moved up like it was supposed to.  Although, I was told that it is somewhat common, it's still a worry in the back of my mind.

Interesting week 20 fact -  Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now.  Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already.  Taste buds have also formed.

We've been working on the baby registry a lot the past few days.  I've really enjoyed picking out things that we'd love to have for Jaxon!  As first time parents it's hard not to get all wrapped up in the "newborn" aspect of it all but I've tried to be smart about our registry and pick some things through the stages beyond newborn.  We are registered at Amazon (click to see our registry) and also Babies-R-Us (click to see registry) if anyone would like to check it out!  If you have any suggestions for things we should add, please let us know!  We are hoping that people actually buy from our registry as we've put a lot of time into creating it!

It's been another week of unpacking and organizing at the house.  We finally have more empty boxes in the garage than we have full boxes.  Getting things settled in and organized feels so good!  I still find it hard to believe that we have a house and a yard and real back porch!  For those that know what we just moved from, you understand why we are so thrilled about a porch and yard!  Heck, we are excited about the fact we have a driveway as well!  The past two weekends we've had an electrician out and we've made some big changes to the house.  We now have lighting in all the bedrooms as well as lighting on both sides of the garage, working motion lights and an above range microwave.  We updated the outdoor fixtures and we updated the two ceiling fans that were in the house when we bought it.  We have some other big changes we plan on soon, such as getting rid of the carpet on the stairs and in the hallway, but we are happy that the major electrical work is behind us now!  Also this week we were able to get satellite and internet setup!

19 Weeks

IT'S A BOY!!!!

We had an appointment on Wednesday, January 8th and found out that we are having a little mister!  We are absolutely thrilled.  John must've prayed harder than anyone else in the family (most were praying for pink), he was over the moon to know that he has a son on the way.  As for me, I wasn't leaning towards either gender as long as our baby was growing and healthy.  Everything looked great on the ultrasound for the baby and the heartbeat was steady at 153bpm.  The only time I ever dreamed about our baby, it was a boy so I should've took that as a sign! 

Weeks ago, we had names already picked out for a boy or a girl.  We chose Jaxon because John has always wanted a son named Jaxon, but he never thought of the spelling other than Jackson.  I'm not a huge fan of "Jack" so we compromised and he will be called Jaxon, "Jax" for short.  Many outside of the family has asked if Miles is a family name and the answer to that is no.  We chose Miles because the word itself has so much meaning for John and I.  We had always known of each other growing up, he moved to NC and right down the road from me when he was in the eighth grade.  If there were anymore opposite of people, it was the two of us! A few years after high school, he found me online and we would occasionally catch up with each other's lives.  He made several attempts to take me out, but I declined them all.  I had a change of heart though, to make a very long story somewhat short, he was on the other side of the earth literally when I had my change of heart.  There were several miles that separated us for years while he was in Afghanistan, but it drew us to one another.  We learned who each other was in ways that most spouses never get to.  We are thankful in that sense for the miles.  They drew us so close to each other and we proved that distance means nothing when someone means so much.  One day, we hope that our Jaxon Miles will keep in mind just what the Miles means and know that there was a lot of love behind the meaning of his name, it wasn't just a name we saw and liked.

How far along? 19 weeks

Weight gain? 15 lbs

Baby is the size of - a mango

Maternity clothes? I'm beginning to wonder why so many women are opposed to maternity clothes, they are so comfy. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy wearing them!

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!

Sleep?  This week I was able to get a lot more sleep.  My stress level is starting to decrease now that we've closed on the house and have most everything organized.  I'm definitely not keeping myself up at night anymore making "Things to Do" lists in my mind like I was before.

Miss anything? Only the previous mentioned misses

Cravings? No new cravings this week

Anything make you queasy or sick? Negative

Symptoms?  My belly has surpassed my chest now...hehe.  During our last visit at the doctor I mentioned the headaches once again.  This time, she said it sounded like migraines that I've been having.  I left the office with a prescription for phenergran and a referral to a headache specialist.  From what I've read, Tylenol and phenergran are the only things I can take so I'm not so sure how I feel about paying extra money to tell me that yes, the headaches I'm having are really bad.

Belly button - in or out? In and wonky

Wedding rings - on or off? ON!

Any movement? Yes!!!  Finally I can feel Jaxon kicking!  Some days he's VERY active!

Happy or moody? Happy :)   How could I not be though?!  I have a healthy growing baby boy in me, I have a wonderful and supportive husband and we have a new house that we are looking forward to starting our family in.

Looking forward to -  Decorating the nursery!!! 

Interesting week 19 fact -  Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells, now coats the baby's skin, shielding him from the amniotic fluid.  Nerve cells for his sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in the brain.

18 Weeks

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

How far along? 18 weeks

Weight gain? 14 lbs

Baby is the size of - a sweet potato

Maternity clothes? I'm beginning to wonder why so many women are opposed to maternity clothes, they are so comfy.  I'm going to throughly enjoy wearing them!

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!

Sleep?  Sleep?  What is that?

Miss anything? Only the previous mentioned misses

Cravings? Last night, I think I could've cleared out all the food in our kitchen!  I wanted everything I looked at!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Negative

Symptoms?  With moving and being on my feet and up and down stairs over the past two weekends with the move I've noticed some swelling in my legs and feet. And headaches, lets not forget those headaches.

Belly button - in or out? In and wonky

Wedding rings - on or off? ON!

Any movement? I've felt a lot more movement this past week!  The baby definitely kicked in the New Year!  :-)

Happy or moody? Happy :) and absolutely exhausted

Looking forward to - Wednesday, Wednesday, WEDNESDAY…  We are so excited to be able to answer the question of "what are you having" with something other than the response of "a baby"

Interesting week 18 fact  - A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the baby's nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth.  If you're having a girl, the uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place.  If you are having a boy, the genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during the ultrasound.

The past two weeks have been so eventful it's nice to finally take a breath and realize that it is finally beginning to slow down a bit.  We closed on the townhouse Thursday and signed for our new house on Friday.  It was a nice few hours to be mortgage free…haha!  We are slowly but surely getting our things settled in.  We have already started a list of changes that will be making to make  it more "our home."  Our first night there was so different than what we were used to.  We turned out the light laid down and SILENCE.  It was so quite we could hear each other breathing.  I know most wouldn't think nothing of that but when you come a place that there is no silence, whether it be the neighbors or the traffic on the road, it was very different for us!  So different that last night we ended up hooking up the tv and digging out a movie to turn on in the bedroom.  

Okie, our fur baby, is adjusting to the house fairly well.  He's still not so sure about venturing far away from us in the house, but I'm sure that will be changing soon.  I'm still not so sure about leaving him alone in the house just yet but come Wednesday we will have no choice, we find out the sex of the baby and obviously, he can't go with us to that appointment! Hopefully he'll settle in at the window and just watch the donkey and cows while we are gone (hey, one can hope)! 

 Tabitha enjoyed meeting our ass of a neighbor…hehe.  He's a very friendly donkey and loves to be petted.  He's so friendly that when you walk away he motions with his head for you to come back.  I have a feeling everyone that visits is going to fall in love with our new neighbor.  We will have to start keeping some apples and carrots handy to feed him!

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks & 6 days

Weight gain? Ending 2013 with a weight gain of 13 pregnancy pounds

Baby is the size of - an onion

Maternity clothes? When your own papaw asks you if the doctor has the due date right because you look like you should be farther along than you really are...yep, it's safe to say, maternity clothes are being worn.  LOL  Gotta love my papaw!

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!

Sleep?  Sleep?  What is that? 

Miss anything? Only the previous mentioned misses

Cravings? Nothing new on the list of cravings.

Anything make you queasy or sick? The smell of deviled eggs.  I completely lost my appetite the other day after opening the fridge and catching a wiff of his deviled eggs.  They were even stored in a container and I could still smell them.  It will forever remain a mystery to me how anyone can eat those things!  YUCK!

Symptoms?  Headaches....shocking I know, but they seemed to have taken a turn for the worse this past week.  I'm blaming it on the stress of moving.

Belly button - in or out? In and wonky

Wedding rings - on or off? ON!

Any movement? Mr Pibb had this kid kicking the other day!

Happy or moody? Happy :) and absolutely exhausted

Looking forward to - Closing day on our new home!  Also next Wednesday... Boy or Girl?!?! 

Interesting week 17 fact - Your baby is about as wide as your palm, about six inches tall, and weighs about four ounces—about as much as a bar of soap.  Your baby is now covered with a downy layer of lanugo, which swirls in fingerprint-like formation over its whole body.

Our 1st Christmas in the same country TOGETHER

Word of advice, NEVER plan to close on a house around Christmas or New Years!  The holiday season is busy enough without all that added stress and I feel that our first Christmas season physically together was dimmed to all of the stress with the bank and knowing we had to move.  We are excited for the move no doubt, but it's been overwhelming to say the least.  Closing day on the townhouse is Thursday and we close on the new house Friday.  What a relief it will be to say, "it's finally done." 

We had several friends & family show up this past Saturday to help us load everything up.  I can't believe how we much stuff we had in such a tiny space!  I'm very grateful for all those that helped us, I don't know how we would've done it without them.  It's bittersweet selling the townhouse, it was the first home I purchased.  We are living with my parents until the house closes.  Most would complain about that fact, even if it is very short term, but not us.  We enjoy each other's company so it's not bad. 

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Weight gain? I haven't checked since the last doctors appoint, which was a 10lb gain.  Not bad for the first trimester I don't think!

Baby is the size of - an avocado

Maternity clothes? This week I went from having over a handful of pre-pregnancy jeans that fit to having only two.  None of the others will button.

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!

Sleep?  Thanks to my pregnancy pillow, I'm finding it more and more easy to sleep at night.  I LOVE IT!!!  Now if only I could get my dog to understand it's mine, not his!  He always manages to wedge himself in between me and the pillow!

Miss anything? Being able to go to my closet and pick out anything I want to wear.

Cravings?  Nothing new on the list of cravings.  Still eating my weight in Cuties daily.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Just those darned headaches. Go away!

Symptoms?  Headaches still; I don't think these are ever going to go away.  I've never been one to be drug down by headaches so I'm not liking this one bit! I've been having some pain in my pelvic area as well, I'm pretty sure that's due to the fact that I have a desk job and I'm sitting most of the day.  My hands are tied when it comes to that, there's not much I can do.

Belly button - in or out? IN! Although, from this point on, were just going to refer to it as looking wonky.

Wedding rings - on or off? ON!

Any movement?  No notable movements to report this week.  I can't wait till I start to feel the baby on a daily basis!

Happy or moody? Happy :) for the most part with a side of stress. This is our last week in the house.  Next weekend we will be packing up all of our things and going to live with my parents for at least a week until our new home closes.

Looking forward to - Christmas!  I can't believe that it's this coming week!  It's been such a stressful time the past few weeks, I think we've been so wrapped up with it all that we've forgot to stop and really enjoy the Christmas season this year.  Kinda makes me sad.

Interesting week 16 fact - The baby is growing hair, lashes and eyebrows.  The baby is also able to hear us now thanks to the tiny forming ear bones.  And taste buds are forming.

Dad-to-be loved the Preggo pillow too

So this past week, I feel like I've got some things rolling as far as the baby goes.  We picked up a baby crib, glider rocker and ottoman last weekend while we were in Winston-Salem visiting with family.  We are so grateful for their kind hearts and that they passed on their girls' baby furniture to us!

We booked a birth photographer.  It wasn't a very hard decision to make.  I want those first pictures of when our baby enters the world and obviously, I won't be able to take them.  And personally, I think a family member would be too emotionally attached to the situation to get all of those pictures that I long for due to them being wrapped up in the moment as well.  I emailed several area photographers and we ended up booking with my first choice.  I have no doubt that the pictures are going to come out amazing and we'll treasure them beyond words.  And if you are wondering, NO, the photographer will not be getting the doctor's view of the birth.  I don't want to see that and I'm sure no one else would either!  I've been working on an idea board on Pinterest to share with the photographer, even though I'm almost certain that we are on the same page as to the pictures that we are wanting.  Here's a link if you are interested in looking at what we have in mind Birth(day) Photography

As far as a gender revel, we are still up in the air about that one.  I know that it would be really exciting for everyone in our family to get together and find out what our little one will be but at the same time, it couldn't come as a worse time for us.  We close on our house the Friday before we find out on Wednesday (Jan. 8) so we know things are going to be super hectic till we get everything organized.  We are still juggling with the idea of it in our minds, but we're not sure that we will do a big reveal or not.  However, if we do have one, we already know the theme and how it will be done.

Here's a peak at our soon to be home and yard! We will have a yard!!!

15 Weeks

How far along? 15 1/2 weeks

Weight gain? 10 lbs at the last visit to the doctor last week

Baby is the size of - an apple

Maternity clothes? I'm finding them increasingly more and more comfortable

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!  I've read reports and most say that if you got them in your early years you are likely to have them during pregnancy. I still have several noticeable stretch marks from puberty, praying I don't add anymore!  

Sleep?  Toss and turn, toss and turn.  Lord only knows how many times I wake up at night.

Miss anything? I must admit that it would be nice to have a glass of wine while kicked back on the couch with all the Christmas lights on and a movie on TV, but I'll survive.

Cravings? This past week there was one day that I HAD TO HAVE a Bojangles cajun chicken biscuit & seasoned fried, but then again, that is a craving prego or not from time to time!   There was another day that during lunch the only thing that sounded appealing to me was an apple covered in peanut butter and Pampered Chef caramel sprinkle mix! Yum!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Just those darned headaches. Go away!

Symptoms?  I mentioned the headaches again to the doctor at our appointment last week and she seems to think that they are tension headaches and there's really not much that can be done for them.  Ugh.  I seriously feel like I've been punched in the right side of the head!

Belly button - in or out? IN! Although, from this point on, were just going to refer to it as looking wonky.

Wedding rings - on or off? ON! They get tight from time to time, but I'm not taking them off (for now)

Any movement?  I felt the baby once this past week, how exciting!  Usually by the time I slow down enough to feel the baby, I fall asleep seconds later!

Happy or moody? Happy :) for the most part with a side of stress. Bank of America knows how to get my blood boiling when it comes to the house loan, but I turned over that stress to John so I can start focusing on baby things and less stressful issues.  Thank God for my husband, I never would've thought he'd be the calm one of the two of us!

Looking forward to - Christmas!  This is the first year that John & I will be spending Christmas together!  We've always had to Skype on Christmas as we opened gifts from one another since he was in Afghanistan.  I'm thankful for the distance that we had when our relationship first started since it forced us to learn how to communicate with each other but I'm so thankful to have him home now! 

Interesting week 15 fact - At 15 weeks, the skin is still thin and transparent, but the baby has developed a thin layer of hair to help protect the body. This layer of hair is called lanugo, and it is present on every part of your baby's body, even finger nails! 

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks

Weight gain?  7lb gain and holding (for now)

Baby is the size of a Lemon

Maternity clothes?   I'm finding them increasingly more and more comfortable

Stretch marks? Still in the clear when it come to stretch marks!  However, a bit of cellulite is showing up…Boo!  I've been using my Mary Kay Extra Emollient Cream at night and Vasoline Aloe Gel the rest of the time.

Sleep?  This past week, I went to bed way early two nights in a row and slept completely through the night!  I felt amazing after those nights!  The other nights, now that's a different story!

Miss anything?  Other than the previous mentioned, nothing new to add.

Cravings?  I'm still stuck on Cuties.  Mozzarella sticks and salsa was also a must have this week.  The other day John came home and I was eating a pickle and drinking a glass of milk.  Minutes afterward I was like, "Did I seriously just drink a glass of milk and eat a pickle at the same time….ewww!"  Hello weird food combos!

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Just those darned headaches.  Go away!

Symptoms?  Headaches, please go away, I'm begging.  Acne, UGH; I've always had a problem with it but this week it's flared up something fierce! Between the headaches, sleepiness, weight gain and acne it's really hard to feel pretty a lot of days.

Belly button - in or out? IN!  Although, it's starting to look a little wonky.

Wedding rings - on or off?  ON!  They get tight from time to time, but I'm not taking them off (for now)

Happy or moody?  Happy :) for the most part with a side of stress.  Bank of America knows how to get my blood boiling when it comes to the house loan!

Looking forward to - January 8th!  We find out if we are having a boy or girl! We also have another appointment on Monday just for a check up and to hear the baby's heartbeat again.  I'm excited since John will be able to come this time!

Advice I think I'll pass on - One of the workers at our OB office told me that if I didn't feel like eating, it was okay.  Test had been done on babies born to women while in concentration camps and they did just fine.  She then followed up with the fact that I may not fair so well if I don't eat because they baby will take everything possible from me but who in the world tells this to a pregnant person?!  Ummmm…I think I had to pick my jaw up off the conference room table I was sitting at before I left that day!  WORST advice hands down I think that I will hear throughout this pregnancy!  EAT, GAIN WEIGHT, BE HEALTHY FOR YOU & BABY!


This week I had a birthday, I celebrated the 3rd anniversary of my 29th birthday. What a difference a couple years can make in how we celebrated.  This year, I worked on my birthday and afterwards met my husband for dinner at Ichiban and a movie.  Ichiban is always a great place to grab hibachi and sushi.  Before you flip out, NO, I did not eat raw sushi!  I did have a "Bonsai" Roll, which is made of avocado, cream cheese and crab wrapped in cucumber.  YUM!  It's my absolute favorite roll and I'm thrilled that I can eat it while pregnant! After dinner, we went to see the animated movie Frozen.  It was a cute movie but I was rather disappointed that most of the funny parts were in the commercials.  It was a great night though, I always enjoy getting out and spending time with my husband! 

  

We did get together at my parents house to celebrate with the family the day after, since it was a Friday and everyone could be there.  Me & the baby enjoyed a cookie cake and an ice cream cake, YUM!