22 Weeks

how far along? 22 weeks, Wednesday 3/28/2012

how are you measuring? 21 weeks 6 days (The ultrasound on 3/19 showed the baby was measuring 1 day behind)

size of baby? Papaya, 8in 1.2 lbs

heartbeat? 153
total weight gain/loss? + 13 lbs

maternity clothes? Maternity pants all the time, but I am still able to fit into some of my regular shirts. The other day Eric and I went to the park for a jog and I realized I even look pregnant in athletic shorts and a t-shirt. YIKES!

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. My belly button is completely flat. Then there is the nub that just sticks out haha. I had somewhat of an outtie belly button before I was pregnant.
sleep? I had charlie horses like crazy this last week. I was at a medical conference last Wed-Sun, so I did a lot more walking around than usual. One night I was woken in the middle of night due to charlie horses in both legs at the same time, and then again right when the alarm went off.
best moment this week? I saw my belly jump on Saturday for the first time 3/24. It was so crazy to think the baby was doing that.
movement? Eric felt the baby move on Tuesday 3/27 and saw the baby move from the outside. It was so exciting!!!
food cravings? Sweets! Oh man have I got a sweet tooth. :/

gender predictions? I think girl. I don't know though. hmmm

what i miss: Being able to run 5-6 miles. I'm really looking forward to lots of running after the little one gets here. I was really enjoying all the running I was doing in the fall.
what i'm looking forward to: To start getting stuff ready for the little one. We have been waiting on putting the crib together until after the 24 week appointment. 24 weeks marks viability, meaning the little one can survive outside of my tummy.
how are you feeling? Feeling great!

Development this week: Today starts week 23 of development. The baby's skin is a bit saggy, hanging loosely from his or her little body. That's because skin grows faster than fat develops, and there's not much fat to fill that skin out yet. Don't worry, the fat is about to start catching up. Beginning this week, the baby begins to pack on the pounds (which means you will too). In fact, by the month's end, your baby will be double the weight he or she is now. Once those fat deposits are made, the baby will be less transparent too. Right now the organs and bones can still be seen through the skin, which has a red hue thanks to the developing blood veins and arteries just underneath. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

What's Cookin in the Kitchen

With being out of town since Wednesday, I am a little behind on my meal plan. OOOPS!

Tuesday: Lasagna (I froze the left overs the last time I made a big pan)

Wednesday: Honey Sesame Chicken with white rice

Thursday: Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

Friday: Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Saturday: Pediatric Conference with dinner (Eric is on his own)

Sunday: Bfst- Waffles & Fruit
Lunch- Left Overs
Dinner-Date Night

21 Weeks

how far along? 21 weeks, Wednesday 3/21/2012

how are you measuring? 20 weeks 6 days (The ultrasound on 3/19 showed the baby was measuring 1 day behind)

size of baby? Spaghetti Squash, 8 in 1 lb

heartbeat? 153
total weight gain/loss? + 12 lbs

maternity clothes? Maternity pants all the time, but I am still able to fit into some of my regular shirts.

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. My belly button is almost completely flat and not deep at all. Then there is the nub that just sticks out haha.
sleep? I experienced a charlie horse for the first time this week. I was woken up in the middle of the night due to the pain. Eric panicked and jumped up asking what's wrong. I wouldn't even let him touch my calf to try and massage it out. It was hurting so bad. What makes it even worse is that the next day my calf was so sore like I had been doing one legged squats all night.
best moment this week? We had a doctor's appointment on Monday 3/19. This appointment included the anatomy scan. We however chose not to find out the gender. We are wanting to be surprised. It was so much fun getting to see our baby moving around. He/She wasn't wanting to show us their parts anyways. They were being shy laying on their tummy the entire time. Everything looked great!
movement? So I haven't felt it from the outside again but I definitely feel him/her all the time even in the mornings. I did flash my camera flash from the iphone on my tummy and immediately following the flash the baby kicked twice. So fun!
food cravings? Sweets! Oh man have I got a sweet tooth. :/

gender predictions? I'm not really sure right now. Maybe girl since"she" was being shy during the ultrasound

what i miss: Being able to run 5-6 miles. I'm really looking forward to lots of running after the little one gets here. I was really enjoying all the running I was doing in the fall.
what i'm looking forward to: For Eric to feel the little one move.
how are you feeling? I'm still feeling really good. Now that the weather has been nice, we have been going out to the park at least twice a week. I've been doing what I like to call walk-jog. I walk some then jog a mile and then walk another two miles. It has been nice!

Development this week: Today starts week 22 of development. This week the baby has reached a whopping weight of 1 pound and a length of nearly 8 inches. The baby has developed senses including touch, sight, hearing and taste. He/she may grab onto the umbilical cord and practice the strong grip that will soon be clutching your fingers. Though it's dark in the uterine cocoon, fetuses this age can perceive light and dark. The baby is hearing my voice and Eric's, my heart beating, the whoosh-whoosh of my blood, gastric gurgles, the dog barking, sirens, a loud TV. The baby is beginning to taste whatever I eat through the amniotic fluid.(According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

Pregnant and Camping

Eric and I really got into camping last year. We have a lot of fun getting away from things, having fun during the day and sitting around the campfire in the evenings. It took some convincing on my part for Eric to agree to go camping. He didn't think camping was something I should do while pregnant. The weather was in the 70s and I'm only 20 weeks pregnant. It's not like I'm miserable and it's in the 100s. It didn't take too much convincing. I left my phone in the car, so I only got a before and after picture.

We met some friends out at Hillsdale Lake just south of us on the Kansas side Saturday afternoon. I had to teach social skills Saturday morning, so we drove out there after the classes. Yeah-Yeah loves to go camping. He was so excited!

We got out to the campground a little after 2. As you can tell in the picture above, we took our fishing polls. We walked down to the water to try our luck out at fishing. It seems we are starting out the new fishing season just the same as last year. Nothing! I had Yeah-Yeah on the leash at the bank with me. I had the handle to the leash squeezed between my knees while I was fishing. When I was reeling in the pole, Yeah-Yeah thought the float and minnow with the brightly colored jig was a toy so he jumped into the lake. Thankfully he did not get the minnow or the hook. I lost the leash and he is in the water splashing around. Then he got stuck on a log. He was straddling the log and he just could not figure out how to get off the log. Eric had to walk into the lake to get him off the log. Haha what a funny guy!

We took the boards for bag toss out there with us and one of the other couples had washers. We had fun playing that for the remainder of the afternoon. Then it was time to get the fire going for dinner. I made some stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon. (You can't go camping without stuffed peppers) Jenny brought some hotdogs and turkey dogs and then some asparagus. Then of course, what's a camping trip without S'MORES. I love S'Mores and couldn't go camping without the fixings.

We didn't sleep that great, but when do you ever sleep well while camping. Yeah-Yeah just gets so excited about every little noise. He would lay down for about 15 minutes, hear something and then get up. Oh Well! As long as he had fun right?

Here's the little stinker on our drive home.

I'm so glad we were able to go camping. Hopefully we can get in another camping trip before it gets too hot or I get too big.

20 Weeks

how far along? 20 weeks, Wednesday 3/14/2012

how are you measuring? 20 weeks 2 days (The ultrasound on 1/18 showed the baby was measuring 2 days ahead)

size of baby? Large banana, 7 in 11 oz

heartbeat? 148 (I took a doppler home from clinic. It was fun finding the little one's heartbeat)
total weight gain/loss? + 11 lbs

maternity clothes? I can wear my regular jeans still but maternity jeans are just so much more comfortable.

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.
sleep? I've been sleeping really good lately. I still catch myself sleeping on my tummy. I guess if I'm still comfortable why not.
best moment this week? Feeling the baby from the outside was pretty intense.
movement? I felt the baby from the outside for the first time tonight. I was laying on the couch on my side. My hand was resting on my lower tummy. It always seems my hand rests there these days. Then out of the blue a huge kick caused my hand to move a bit. I hadn't been feeling any movement prior to that. Just bam there's a kick. It startled me. That was the only time I have felt the little one from the outside. I can't wait for Eric to feel the little one.
food cravings? Mexican! But what's new?

gender predictions? I'm not really sure right now.

what i miss:
what i'm looking forward to: We have our ultrasound and doctor's appointment next Monday!
how are you feeling? Feeling great this week.

Development this week: Today starts week 2of development. This week the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what I've eaten, and now that the baby is swallowing the fluid each day for hydration, nutrition and practice, he or she will be getting a taste of whatever's on my menu. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout is turning to bone. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

Watch Out Kitchen, Here I Come!

I was in a cooking mood yesterday. I had so much fun in the kitchen yesterday afternoon. I roasted a whole chicken for dinner with carrots and onions. I then made some awesome red potatoes in the pressure cooker. I can't get over how fast I was able to make yummy potatoes. I always love roasted potatoes but have a hard time getting them cooked all the way through, so they're still crunchy. I also made homemade Artisan bread. So yummy!!!

With the artisan bread recipe, it makes enough dough for 4-5 loaves. You keep the extra dough in the fridge. I found a recipe on pinterest to turn the artisan dough into monkey bread, so I made a miniature monkey bread for dessert. Oh so yummy!!!

After my stress out moment last Tuesday, all of my cooking last night made me feel awesome! I felt like I was able to provide a nice yummy dinner for my husband. What did you make this week that you want to brag about?

What's Cookin' in the Kitchen?

I have not been doing that great of job cooking meals recently. We have been eating out a lot, and I'm starting to get frustrated with myself. I need to do a better job of stocking up the kitchen, so I have a lot of easy go to meals. This meal plan is kind of thrown off since it's Thursday and I'm making it but oh well.

Thursday: Dinner-Spaghetti, Salad & Garlic Toast

Friday: Breakfast- Breakfast tacos

Lunch-Left over spaghetti

Dinner- Crock Pot Peppered Steak over rice

Saturday: Breakfast-weekly breakfast date

Lunch- on your own

Dinner- Baked whole chicken with veggies

Sunday: Breakfast-Waffle, Turkey Bacon and Fruit

Lunch-Chicken left overs

Dinner-Baked tilapia, rice & salad

Monday: Breakfast- Bagel sandwich with egg whites & turkey bacon

Lunch-Tilapia left overs

Dinner- Pulled pork sandwich & baked fries

Tuesday: Breakfast-Yogurt, Granola & Fruit

Lunch- Pulled pork sandwich left over

Dinner-Chicken Tacos, black beans & salad

Wednesday: Breakfast- Bagel & fruit

Lunch- On your own

Dinner- Tacos left overs (church night)

What are some of your go to recipes? I need some new ideas :)

19 Weeks

how far along? 19 weeks, Wednesday 3/7/2012

how are you measuring? 19 weeks 2 days (The ultrasound on 1/18 showed the baby was measuring 2 days ahead)

size of baby? Small cantaloupe, 6.5 in 10 oz

heartbeat? 148 (I took a doppler home from clinic. It was fun finding the little one's heartbeat)
total weight gain/loss? + 9 lbs

maternity clothes? I bought a pair of maternity jeans last weekend, and let me tell you I love them!!! They are so comfy! I bought a few maternity shirts from target the other night as well. They are so much more flattering than my regular shirts that are tight. I feel like when I wear them, I actually look pregnant instead of just pudgy.

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. I did notice this week that my belly button is starting to stretch. I had an outtie belly button to begin with, so it's going to get totally gross looking. EEK!
sleep? I've been sleeping really good lately. I try to sleep on my left side as much as possible, but I still roll over on to my stomach at times. I am still comfortable on my stomach so that's nice. I haven't been getting up to use the restroom at all which has been nice.
best moment this week? Using a doppler at home to listen to the baby's heart beat!!! It was so nice not having to wait 4 weeks. :)
movement? Oh man the little squirt is moving around a ton now! I am feeling him/her during the day more and more. Yesterday it was super windy with gusts at 40 mph. When I was walking in from the car to the school, he/she was moving around like crazy. It has been so fun. I still can't feel it from the outside yet.
food cravings? Sweets! Oh man have I got a sweet tooth. :/

gender predictions? I'm starting to think it's a boy. Our male dog does not want anything to do with me. He use to curl up next to me on the couch, and now he won't even join me on the couch. At night, if we let him on the bed he will usually lay by my stomach when I'm on my side. Now he won't even go near my stomach. My FIL heard that the male dog doesn't like male babies due to the testosterone. I wonder if this is true, or if it's just his wishful thinking that it's a boy.

what i miss: Having nice hair. I feel like my hair is not holding the cut/style anymore. It's been growing really fast lately, so even getting a hair cut every 6 weeks is not enough. I have an appointment next week, and I think I'm just going to have her trim it so I can grow it out to my shoulders. (I know Eric will enjoy that as he loved my long hair.)
what i'm looking forward to: For Eric to feel the little one move. He is so anxious and excited to feel movement. He is going to make such a great father. Seeing the excitement he shows when talking about this little one just brings such joy to me. I just want him to experience feeling the baby move :)
how are you feeling? I really have been feeling great. The 2nd trimester really is a breeze compared to the 1st. I still go to bed earlier than Eric, but there have been a few 10:30pm nights this week.

Development this week: Today starts week 20 of development. (OMG That's the halfway point, and I have a baby the size of a small cantaloupe in my belly!!!!) The ultrasound this month will be able to detect the gender. (Although we have chosen not to find out. This is our choice so thank you for supporting it.) If it's a girl, her uterus is fully formed, her ovaries are holding about 7 million primitive eggs, and her vaginal canal is starting to develop. If it's a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen. In a few months, they'll drop into the scrotum (which is still under construction). Luckily, he/she still has plenty of room, which means there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, kicking, punching and even an occasional somersault.(According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)