23 Weeks

We were able to go camping for Labor Day Weekend!  Spent a lot of time sitting by the Campfire, sleeping, and visiting with Family.  Last week, baby girl was the size of a Spaghetti Squash.  I can't believe that a baby that large is inside me!  Sometimes I wonder where she's hiding!  Just wanted to share this photo my mom took of us at the Lake =)

 

How far along? 23 Weeks
How big is baby? Baby Girl weighs as much as a Mango

 Total weight gain/loss:  Up about 7lbs.
Maternity clothes? Belly Bands are my best Friend!
Sleep: Sleeping a little better but Baby girl likes to Kick at night.

Best moment this week: Aria responds everytime Daddy talks to my Tummy

We found out that my cervix does not appear to be shortening!  I'm still being monitored every week.
Movement:   Kicking more and more everyday.

 Food cravings:  Fruits and Chocolate here and there.
Food Aversions: Chicken is not my favorite right now...

Gender: BABY GIRL!
Labor Signs:  Nope!

Pregnancy Symptoms:  EXHAUSTION, lower back pain 

(Doctor says Baby is facing my back and kneeing me in the back)

Belly Button in or out?  In

What I miss:  Sleeping on my Tummy

What I am looking forward to: Feeling more Movement =)

Upcoming appointments/events:Weekly Ultrasound next week.

Milestones:  More Frequent Movement

Baby Shower Invites

 Baby Shower Invitations I designed for my Baby Shower <3

 

Sean decided to have a "ManShower" and is going to Play Laser Tag with his Friends and Family to Celebrate - So I also designed this card for him =)

Baby Registries

With it being a week to go until we find out whether Baby G will be a little Mr. or a little Miss, and it being our anniversary week off, we decided to start our baby registry.  We decided to go with (3) different stores in order to give our Baby Shower guests options.  Also, you can never be sure which stores may be closest or convenient for them.  All three of our choices have different pros and cons and offer quite a few perks in different ways.  We decided to go with Target, Babies R Us, and Buy Buy Baby.

With each of them, we had very different experiences, but all of them turned out to be great in their own ways.  So, I wanted to take the time to talk about our experience with each place and the pros and cons!

20 Weeks - It's A....

Here we are at the Halfway mark and a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks.  Last Thursday we had our 20 week ultrasound and on Saturday we had a gender reveal party where we, along with our friends and family found out the sex of Baby Gordon =)

We are super excited to announce that...

 It's A Baby Girl!

I have to say that I was excited to get to this ultrasound and see our baby girl again, which, was amazing of course, but turns out that baby girl is quite stubborn.  We had to go back twice in the same day.  The tech was having a super difficult time getting the photos and measurements that she needed.  The first time we were in the ultrasound for 2 hours.  Talk about hating to hold my urine...I was pretty sure at one point I thought I was going to pee on the poor tech.  After she let me pee, I had a little relief.  The first two hours, baby was spine up and refusing to cooperate.  (Despite the nudges from the tech)  I was up on my sides, on my back, tilted here and there annnnnd...Nothing.  We ended up having to come back a second time that day.  Thankfully less this time, however, even though I ate, walked around, and even picked up a soda on the way, Baby Girl decided to get even more comfortable and curl up in a little ball!  [Insert Frustrated, Not Amused Emoji Here]  Needless to say, with all the pressing and prodding, my abdomen was not feeling great the next couple of days...But we got to see pictures of her beautiful little profile and feet, and the tech was able to seal an envelope with the secret contents of our little one's gender!

 
How far along? 20 Weeks!
How big is baby? Baby Girl is the length of a Banana
Total weight gain/loss:  Up about 5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Some comfy maternity shorts and Target Tanks
Sleep: Sleeping a little bit better now, but I'm guessing it's because I'm so exhausted most of the time.
Best moment this week: Finding out we are having a baby GIRL!
Movement: I felt baby Girl move for the first time about a week and a half ago =)  It's like popcorn!  Daddy felt her move for the first time Saturday night after we found out she was a girl!
 Food cravings:  Fruits and some Sweets
Food Aversions: None in particular; if she's like her daddy, if it's food, she'll take it!
Gender: BABY GIRL!
Labor Signs:  Nope!
Pregnancy Symptoms:  EXHAUSTION, gas, lower back pain (Thanks, Scoliosis..)
Belly Button in or out?  In
What I miss:  Sleeping on my Tummy
What I am looking forward to: Buying some cute outfits for little Miss!
Upcoming appointments/events:We recently found out that I may have a smaller cervix, so we will be having an ultrasound weekly to make sure that it is not shortening.
Milestones:  Finding out we're having a Baby Girl, First Kicks (For Mommy and Daddy)

17 Weeks

Beginnings of the Nursery:

How far along? 17 Weeks
How big is baby? The Size of a Pear!
Total weight gain/loss:  Still only up about 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I haven't bought any more Maternity clothes just yet but picked up some comfy fitted tanks from Target this week.
Sleep: Having  hard time sleeping, a little painful in the sciatic region when I wake up on my back.
Best moment this week: Working on the baby's room and putting together the closet space.
Movement: Not yet, but I'm hoping it's coming soon =)
Food cravings:  Fruits and Gouda cheese at the moment
Food Aversions: Just not a hearty appetite in general...
Gender: Couple of Weeks
Labor Signs:  Nope!
Pregnancy Symptoms:  Beginning of a baby bump, bathroom trips, EXHAUSTION
Belly Button in or out?  In
What I miss:  A good night's sleep, Feta Cheese
What I am looking forward to:  Feeling baby move for the first time =)
Upcoming appointments/events: 20 Week Ultrasound on August 20th, Gender Reveal on August 22nd
Milestones:  Taking Pregnancy Announcement Photos, Starting to put together baby G's room, Starting to show =)

15 Weeks

Last Thursday marked 15 weeks for our little Apple Baby.  I am just getting over some awful awful nausea.  We began working on the baby's bedroom as Daddy is seemingly more anxious and in nesting mode than I am.  I'm not going to lie, it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen and I admire him for wanting to be "ready."  I'm trying to take in and remember as much of this as possible.  Though, I'll admit, I'm not doing anywhere near as much as I'd hoped.  My plan was to blog, take weekly pictures, write down every memory, and maybe even keep a journal.  So far, not so much.  But, I guess that's what happens when you're in the thick of it.  We are so very excited, even though I'll admit that it still is a very surreal situation for me.  I'm hoping when I feel the baby move within the next couple of weeks, this little baby that we've been waiting for will finally feel real to me.

We saw the baby for the first time at about 11 weeks.  My sweet Sean was so excited that he pratically jumped up on the table behind me.  There the baby was, our sweet little one bouncing up and down and all over the place inside me.  What an active little baby!  The doctor told us that the baby was right on track with growth and the heartbeat was great.  Last week, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again.  The nurse practitioner let us know that baby's heartbeat was around 150.

How far along? 15 Weeks
How big is baby? The Size of an Apple!
Total weight gain/loss:  After losing about 4-5lbs during the first trimester due to the nausea, I'm now up 3 lbs from my pre-baby weight.
Maternity clothes? I just bought my first pair of maternity shorts this weekend and two comfy shirts =)
Sleep: Sleep is touch and go again.  I find myself waking up around the same times.  3am is a pretty constant time.  I live for the nights when I sleep super deep (aside from getting up to use the bathroom) 
Best moment this week: Having Sean paint the baby's room and scheduling our 20 week ultrasound!
Movement: Not yet, but Grandma keeps asking me everyday.  I'm waiting!
Food cravings:  Food is still touch and go, but I do love any type of fruit!
Food Aversions: Nothing super specific just yet...
Gender: We'll find out in a couple weeks!
Labor Signs:  Nope!
Pregnancy Symptoms:  Light Nausea, Frequent Trips to the Bathroom, Headaches, and my bump starting to stick out =)
Belly Button in or out?  In
What I miss:  A good night's sleep!
What I am looking forward to:  Feeling baby move for the first time =)
Upcoming appointments/events: 20 Week Ultrasound on August 20th, Gender Reveal on August 22nd if baby is hopefully cooperative!
Milestones:  Taking Pregnancy Announcement Photos, Starting to put together baby G's room, Starting to show =)

...And Then There Were Three

Two weeks ago, while watching my baby niece, I decided it was time to test again.  As I sat there watching the lines appear, I couldn't believe what I saw.  2 lines appeared.  The two lines I've been waiting to see for over 3 years.  With my niece in the doorway,  I was in disbelief.  It seemed surreal;  and still does.  We did it, finally!

I'm not sure what finally clicked for us.  We had decided to take a short break.  I had decided to switch my OBGYN.  My new OBGYN was finally being more proactive.  I ended up having an HSG procedure to make sure my tubes weren't blocked.  The good news?  They weren't.  However I did spend the next month and a half healing and dealing with the after effects of the procedure.  We decided it was time to try again.  After jump starting my cycle with Progestin, I started another round of Clomid.  This time, we had an ultrasound which showed two follicles, a good sized one and one still developing.  I tested positive with an Ovulation Predictor kit!  This time, I went in for an HCG shot.  I experienced some light cramping within the next couple of weeks, but it felt different.  3 weeks later, a positive test =)

I told my Sean first.  I had bought 49er onesies about 6 months ago.  He was very excited when he realized. =)

How far along? 7 Weeks
How big is baby? The Size of a BLUEBERRY!
Total weight gain/loss:  None yet!
Maternity clothes? Not yet!
Sleep: I initially had some trouble with restlessness, but recently I've been sleeping pretty great (aside from getting up to pee multiple times during the night)  
Best moment this week: Getting closer to our first ultrasound date!  It seems like so far away!
Movement: Not yet!
Food cravings:  Not especially yet.  I've had a hard time eating foods.
Food Aversions: Most foods, due to the nausea. 
Gender: Too soon to tell!
Labor Signs:  Nope!
Pregnancy Symptoms:  Nausea, Exhaustion, Gas, Twinges
Belly Button in or out?  In
What I miss:  Deli Meats and Sushi
What I am looking forward to: Our first ultrasound =)
Upcoming appointments/events:  Our first appointment this Wednesday and first ultrasound June 18th!
Milestones:  Telling Immediate Family