99 Days: Week 25

Only 99 days to go!

Has anyone ever told you that 40 weeks is a long time to be pregnant? Well, it is! 25 weeks down, 14 weeks and 1 day to go. 

I really can't complain, as my pregnancy has been easy breezy so far, but man, it's a long time to actually BE pregnant. I have a feeling that the next few months will fly by, as we have so much to do to get ready for the baby... but I just can't wait to meet our little man!

I continue to feel good. Not too much is different from the past few weeks. I read that the baby is the most active for the next 3 weeks out of the ENTIRE pregnancy, so that's good to know, as he's been a little kicking machine.  Hello, in there little love bug! Mommy and daddy are SO excited to meet you and see your sweet little face. 

We had a fun time in Madison last weekend, catching up with my family! I hadn't seen my dad and my sisters and brother since Christmas (I saw my mom when I was back last month) so they were excited to see my growing baby bump. I think it's starting to feel more real for them now, too :) 

Baby is GROWING (and so is his momma!).

25 weeks!

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby's size: CAULIFLOWER (13.6 - 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.5lbs) 

Weight gain: 19 lbs  (I'm shooting for around 35 lbs, so I'm right on track. Let's hope it continues that way :))

Symptoms: I have felt more tired lately, but I think that's because I haven't been sleeping the best. Darn, hips! I'm been peeing A LOT, but I've also been guzzling water like it's my job. And sadly, I did notice a stretch mark or 2 on my outer hips (not wonder they hurt, they're expanding!)... but thankfully no stretch marks on my belly or anywhere else! Knock on wood!

Pregnancy perks: My husband takes the cake this week. He's been very doting throughout the pregnancy, giving me back rubs and foot massages, carrying things for me, etc., and this week he sent me some beautiful roses, just to say I love you. As I expand, I may not feel beautiful, but he thinks I'm beautiful no matter what, and that's always nice to hear :)

Beautiful roses from my sweet hubby!

Things I miss: I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I do miss my wine. I miss not having to check every food label to make sure that it's pasteurized or safe to eat... I miss eating deli meat. Oh, turkey sandwich, I can't wait to eat you in 14 weeks!

Food aversions: Same old, same old. Eggs. Although I did eat quiche this weekend and was OK.

Food cravings: sweets (per usual) and baked goods! I've been thinking about muffins... a lot... so I made some healthy pumpkin yogurt muffins this week (think whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, pumpkin). And sadly, they weren't too good. HA. You try and go the healthy route, and things just aren't as satisfying :)

I've also been really into Raisin Bran cereal. Yumm!

Cantaloupe Baby: Week 24

We're 24 weeks! 6 months. Yahooo! It feels really good to hit this benchmark.

We met a couple from Canada on our vacation, and they said at 24 weeks in Canada, the doctors start considering you as 2 patients (you and the baby) instead of 1, which I thought was a pretty cool statement :)

Baby boy is growing away... he's now the size of a CANTALOUPE. That's huge! I was at the grocery store with Lukas last weekend and held up a cantaloupe against my belly, and said that's how big he is in there. It's wild to think he's getting SO big... and it's no wonder that the size of my belly has dramatically increased.

We had our 24-week appointment last week, and the doctor said all is good. Baby's heartbeat is a strong 145 bmp and he's been moving around like crazy. I've found that he's really active at night (after dinner) when I'm lounging on the couch, in the middle of the night when I wake up to pee, he's turning backflips in my belly at 3am, and when I wake up in the morning, he's rearing and ready to go! During the day I feel him kicking about, but it's not as pronounced as those key times... and probably because I'm busy that I don't notice as much. But, his kicks are definitely getting stronger. I think we've got a little soccer player in there!

Lukas and I finally started registering this past weekend, and I have one word: OVERWHELMING. Walking into Buy Buy Baby was like a foreign land, as you're bombarded with thousands of products, half of which you've never heard of before. I did a lot of research and asked friends for their recommendations, but WOW. It's daunting...

We decided we're going to tackle our registry in stages, as it was a bit too much for us on Day 1. We got our stroller, car seat and carrier, and called it a day. Now, I feel like I have at least a bit better grasp on it and we'll be more prepared for our next trip! As our first experience was information overload and made me feel like I have no idea what I'm doing... I have SO much to learn before our baby boy arrives!

We're heading back to Madison this weekend to see my family, but when we get back, it's focus time! We need to start prepping the nursery, finish our registry, finish reading our baby books and take our pre-natal classes. I signed up for a handful of different classes and our first one is in a few weeks. I'm excited :)

Otherwise, I'm feeling good and my belly is growing! I definitely look pregnant now.

24 weeks!

How far along: 24 weeks

Baby's size: Cantaloupe (10.5 - 11.8 inches and 12.7 - 20.8 ounces) 

Weight gain: 18 lbs 

Symptoms: I started taking Claritin and OTC eye drops last week for my allergies, and that seems to be helping. Otherwise, I'm feeling good overall. My hips continue to be really achy when I sleep, and I need to pee like 500 times a day, but hey, welcome to pregnancy!

Pregnancy perks: One word: COSTCO samples. A pregnant women's dream (but also deadly)! OMG, this made my Sunday... cherry pie samples, muffin samples, BACON samples. Yes, yes, yes!

Things I miss: Sushi! And, wine.

Food aversions: Eggs and shrimp.

Food cravings: I was DYING for a coffee this past week.... and DONUTS! Ha. But, I restrained. I did order some decaf K cups and can now pretend that I'm drinking a cup o' Joe in the morning :) Oh, and I've been craving... Chipotle. This has become a once a week staple. Heaven!

Babymoon Bliss: Week 22 + 23

We are back after a blissfully relaxing vacation in Punta Cana! Our babymoon was just lovely. Everything we hoped it could be.

The resort was beautiful. Our room was really nice (bathroom was awesome!). The food was decent and the weather was PERFECT. All in all, I was extremely satisfied :) Our resort was on the marina, not the beach (it was only a 5-10 minute walk) and it was gorgeous. For some reason, it wasn't busy and the pool was never too crowded and we didn't have to wait in line at dinner, which was awesome!

Here are a few snaps from our trip.

The pool view at sunset.

The view from our room at night.

The small, but perfect beach.

Paradise!

Our sister resort, the Alsol Sanctuary

When we booked our trip, I knew I would be 22 weeks pregnant, so I thought I would have a good size bump by then. I didn't want people to think I was just fat, so I thought this would be a good time to travel before I got too big.

BUT, to my disappointment, people didn't automatically recognize that I was pregnant. I think I obviously looked pregnant, but I understand that you also don't want to ask a woman if she's pregnant in case she's not... as that could be awkward! It was just funny because whenever I ordered a (virgin) drink, I had to say "no alcohol" and point at my belly and say "baby!" to make sure they understood. That seemed to work well :) I did enjoy my virgin Pina Coladas and Miami Vices, but I do have to say it's not quite the same without alcohol. Only 16 more weeks to go! Whew.

It was so nice just to roll out of bed each morning, put on a bathing suit and head out the door. Sometimes I hate the process of getting ready, and it was nice to have a week without doing my makeup or my hair. FREEDOM! It's so tough being a girl...

In more important news, baby boy is doing well and GROWING! I definitely "popped" this past week and I'm feeling BIG. Here's my belly pic from 22 weeks.

22 weeks!

How far along: 22 weeks

Baby's size: Papaya (10.5 - 11.8 inches and 12.7 - 20.8 ounces) I have a feeling baby is on the higher end of the scale :)

Weight gain: 13 lbs

Symptoms: I was a bit congested and stuffy (allergies) when we arrived in Punta Cana, but otherwise I felt good.

Things I miss: It was hard being on vacation and not enjoying alcohol, but I made the best of it. I did give in to my coffee craving and enjoyed a few Cafe Con Leches in the morning (half milk, half coffee) as the cups were really small and it was only a little coffee :)

Food aversions: Shrimp was really the only thing I wanted to avoid.

Food cravings: I was REALLY into Pina Coladas... I forgot how good they tasted! Fruit (apples, watermelon, pineapple), bacon, donuts... they had the best little cinnamon and sugar donuts... YUM!


Pregnancy perks: Eating whatever I wanted and not feeling guilty about being in a swimsuit! I may have taken a bit too much advantage of the buffet (as reflected in my 23 week update) but it was quite enjoyable. Dessert at lunch and dinner, yes please!

And, here's my belly pic from 23 weeks.

23 weeks!

Now, these pictures were really only taken a day or 2 apart, but I feel like the pattern on this dress makes my belly look BIG! Grow baby, grow!

How far along: 23 weeks

Baby's size: GRAPEFRUIT (10.5 - 11.8 inches and 12.7 - 20.8 ounces) 

Weight gain: 17 lbs (I'll chalk a few pounds up to vacation weight!)

Symptoms: My allergies have been terrible since I got back. I stopped taking my regular allergy medicine when I got pregnant and was okay for the winter, but now I'm dying. Stuffy nose, congestions, red itchy eyes... they're back in full force. It looks like I'll have to take something. Otherwise, I'm still feeling good. Tired (probably from the allergies), but otherwise good.

Pregnancy perks: Everyone is really nice to you when you're pregnant!

Things I miss: I'm hanging in there this week... trying to get back on track after vacation mode last week, so I don't miss too much after all the indulgence last week!

Food aversions: I did eat eggs this week, and they didn't go over the best, so I'm going to continue to keep that in my "do not eat" list.

Food cravings: Back to bagels (they're just SO good) and mac n' cheese this week. Carbs and cheese, please! Oh, and ice cream, too.