EIGHT Month Bumpdate

How Far Along EIGHT flippin' months

New Experiences She had hiccups twice this past week!

Gender Sassy little gal.

Total Weight Gain 13, as in 1-3 at last week's appointment. I know, I'm amazed too. I'm just waiting to blimp up out of nowhere.

Miss Anything Will burped the other night, and I was like "Mmmm beer" I think I just want to get my drink on now that I can't.

Cravings I've been rubbing it in Will's face that he hasn't had to go make a single ice cream/pickle run. I gravitate towards carbs and sweets, but I limit myself and find healthy-ish alternatives around. Every dessert looks divine, and I even walk through the Publix bakery just to admire, but I RESIST. Other than special occasions.

Maternity Clothes Still using the hair tie trick, but maternity clothes are more comfy than regular clothes these days, and my birthday suit is the comfiest. Having anything on is well, constricting.

Best Moment This Week In a conversation, I referred to "My daughter..." and I got chills. I could never wrap my head around saying that until now.

Looking Forward to Another ultrasound Tuesday. It's probably the last, so I want to soak it in!

Exercise I had to buy a maternity support band, but still going strong.

On My Mind How I pretty much have a month to get done everything I can, because after that it's fair game.

In case you haven't heard, her name is now officially on the regular blog, so check it out ;)

Love At First Sight

Sorry for the Repost overload, but I'm getting ready for a biiiig reveal Monday, and needed to be all caught up. I hope you are ready for it, because I AM ;)

I realized that in the hullabaloo of the beginning of {our knowledge} of this pregnancy, I never actually went in to detail about how things went down. The juiciest part is how I revealed it to Will, but I still haven't gotten the video of that edited, so today is all about our first doctors appointment. The one that seriously blew our minds...

At this point we had only known we were pregnant for a week, so we had no clue how far along we were, what we were having, and we still weren't even close to coming to terms with this situation. There had been much debate as to how far along I was, and although my best friend {the nurse that demanded I get labs done when I had back pain}was positive I was 12-14, the general consensus was that I had to be six weeks or so. Boy were they wrong.

I don't know how these appointments usually go, but we were immediately ushered into the ultrasound room. With a quickness, the nurse gelled me up, started wiggling her magic stick, and Will and I both looked at each other in complete shock when we saw a fully formed baby on the screen. Like we're talking a full profile, limbs, and you could even see the spine! We didn't know what that meant, but we were pretty sure that's not what we should have been seeing. Ignorant of our surprise, the nurse started spouting out facts like 10 oz, a due date that neither of us processed, and that little tidbit about us being 19 weeks along. Exqueeze ME??

Oh that heartbeat...still gives me chills, but then Will makes me laugh with his 'demon spawn' comment and helped me snap out of my state of shock with even more shenanigans in the screening room. I don't know what I'd do without him.

So next came talking with our new doctor, where his first question was whether we were switching doctors. I felt like a kid in the principle's office telling him, "No, we just didn't know we were pregnant." Although, he did take it better than I expected. He said size wise he wasn't surprised and went so far as to ask Will if he had noticed any signs, but Will insisted he hadn't {good answer, dear hubby}. To this, the doctor said and I quote, "Girl, you just blessed." At the time I didn't feel blessed, but it was reassuring that he didn't seem to be phased about it all.

Up until this point, one of us has always been in control and able to support the other. However, when you find out you are halfway through a pregnancy that you didn't plan in the first place, it wasn't surprising that we were both thrown for a loop. I can't even remember all the details of the conversations at that appointment, but there were a lot of Oh shit's, many exchanged looks of shock, and a few Damn's when we found out it was a girl. {Okay, okay, so maybe I'm the only one who said damn, but we had only come up with boys names thus far, and we all know I hate pink.} We may not have had it all together, but we walked out of that office with a folder full of information, pictures of our baby girl, and clinging to each other because no matter what...we were in this together.

I know we aren't the only couple to be taken by surprise when it comes to pregnancy, but that's not as reassuring as one may think. At least we've come a long way in the last 2.5 months, and now...it's going to be our greatest adventure.

Seven Months Bumpdate!

How Far Along 28 Weeks {as of last Monday}

New Experiences Watching my belly dance as she has a party in my tummy. It is the ca-raziest thing I've ever seen or felt. Like just now...she made my laptop bounce while I typed this. I have an 'anterior placenta', so it is on the front of my belly and homegirl kicks right through it.

Total Weight Gain 10 pounds. No complaints here!

Sleep Pretty great as long as I have my body pillow. It's funny, I have always been a back or stomach sleeper, and yet my body just seems to know that I need to sleep on my side. However, one just does not sleep on their side without a body pillow while pregnant if they want a quality night sleep consistently. I cannot imagine pregnancy without it.

Miss Anything NOPE. I was missing deli meats, but was then told that it's okay as long as I heat it up first. Hallelujah, I just want a sammich every now and then.

Cravings Still nada. It's harder to find things I want to eat in general, but at least I found out that my lack of appetite is probably due to my organs being smooshed together. Less room in my stomach coupled with a slower digestion period {to pull more nutrients from food} means I feel full most of the time.

Symptoms I feel great, but I can tell when I overdo it these days. My belly aches from the extra weight and I feel every ounce I've gained draining me when I exert myself too much. They say a pregnant woman burns more calories sitting on the couch cooking a baby than a man lifting weights, so no wonder a long day of being on your feet is killer.

Body Changes Belly button is staying in, but my abs STILL haven't separated. I am wearing some maternity clothes because I want to, but I still have a closet full of clothes that fit. Although, that dress up there? Wouldn't zip the next day.

Mood I have a bit of a short fuse these days, but I manage it pretty well. I have probably gotten a little more upset over small things, but I make an effort to not just spout off at the mouth. I want to voice my feelings without 'being mean'. Many things make me cry, but I've always been that way {behind closed doors}, so there is no telling if there's a difference there.

Best Moment This Week She stuck her tongue out at us on the last ultrasound! Poor thing has her face smooshed up against the placenta, and when they tried to get her to move she stuck her tongue out. We even got to see an instant replay of it, because I couldn't believe my own eyes. Boy do I love the details in the ultrasound at the specialist.

Looking Forward to Getting her crib set finished. First, I just have to start it.

Exercise I'm finding slightly less motivation to work out, so I'm just sticking with my two days on, one day off routine and switching up the exercise routine to accommodate how I feel that day. I have no excuse and need to keep my energy and stamina up for her!

On My Mind Pregnancy is scary. I feel like I have no control, and that scares the ish out of me. I do my best to eat what I'm supposed to, listen to my body, and avoid many situations, but I get overwhelmed thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Like what if I had bought Sabra Classic Hummus and got sick off the Lysteria? I'm not letting the fear stop me from enjoying the pregnancy, but it is something that's on my mind more often than it should be.

Questions
What crib mattress do you recommend? The only one that I can find a consensus of approval is the Naturpedic, but I don't know if I want to spend $350 dollars. I'd love your opinions.
Are there any protein powders good for pregnancy? My doctor told me to avoid them since their isn't enough data about the effects during pregnancy/breastfeeding, but I'm curious if there have been some approved. I need more protein, and I would love to find something to use until she weens.

Now please keep L.D. from Dispositve Motion in your thoughts as she has her baby. I can't wait to see her pictures and here all the details. You go, girl!

Six Months!

I really feel cheated that time is going by so fast. I know a lot of mom's say this, but I'm still getting used to the idea of being knocked up so I can't even wrap my head around the mom part yet. When am I supposed to feel like a mom? When she's in my arms? For now I'll simply enjoy an awesome little alien that has taken over my tummy and enjoy the ride. Nonetheless, I am already looking forward to Mother's Day. *winkwink*

How Far Along: 24 Weeks!

New Experiences: I've had the 'flutters' for a few weeks, but CQB is finally KICKING! The best part was that Will finally got to feel her. We were laying in bed with his hand on my stomach and every time he felt her we would turn to each other in awe. Experiencing that together was a highlight of my life.

Total Weight Gain: 8.o pounds, and it's great. I'm gaining weight on the inside while losing weight on the outside. They say a pregnant woman burns more calories cooking a baby on the couch than a man lifting weights, and the fact that I still work out is icing on the cake. I'm upping my calories like I'm supposed to, but I haven't felt the desire to 'eat for two' and barely have any cravings.

Cravings: Not much except for a sweet tooth the last week. I'm trying to stick to fruit, but it's too easy to reach for candy since I bought some at the Dollar Store like a dummy. whoops

Symptoms: I lose my balance which is actually pretty funny, but mostly it's just a struggle to get up.

Maternity Clothes: Still not wearing them. I've actually gone through my closet and I'm trying to wear everything I can before it won't fit anymore. Don't worry though, I have already packed two big boxes worth of  stuff that doesn't fit. Mainly bras, bathing suits, and 'inappropriate' stuff ;)

Mood: My mood is fine, but I am feeling a bit of anxiety trying to juggle it all. Go figure.

Best Moment This Week: Other than the kicks, we had our 3rd appointment and we got to hear her heartbeat. Pretty crazy...I don't know how they tell the difference between hers and mine.

Exercise: Still going strong, and I actually outran a friend the other day. She usually stays on the treadmill longer than I do, but I guess I am more conditioned to running outside. We had to stop several times AND I ran more than a mile over what she did. We have a 5K this weekend, so I've got to be ready to run! Whodathunk I'd run a 5K while six months pregnant.

On My Mind:  We've torn apart the house to turn the guest bedroom into the nursery and in turn my beloved closet room has become the guest bedroom whompwhomp, so now we have to find some semblance of order AND get my projects done before the first baby shower. My goal is to have the crib bedding finished (yes, I'm making the crib set, because I'm so picky) and finish painting the changing table that my grandpa made me. If only the naked crib wasn't taunting me...

Over all, we feel pretty blessed. Will keeps thinking things are going too smooth with this pregnancy, but all we can do is take what comes at us. We only have 3-4 months left, so technically... it's all downhill from here. I just hope we can soak it all in and enjoy every moment. This could  should be the only pregnancy I get to experience, and as such, I plan on experiencing it to the fullest extent. Happy SIX months to us, and happy {early} St. Patty's to you guys. I'm already going green!