20 Weeks

We started off week 20 with an evening of celebrating our 2nd anniversary. It's crazy to think that just two years ago we were walking down the aisle and later this year we'll be expanding our family.

This week while running a lot of errands I started to notice people staring at my stomach. Being the mind reader that I am, :) I knew they were thinking, "Is this girl's shirt too tight and her gut sticking out or is she pregnant?" It's helped to hear the other side where people are surprised that I am 20 weeks and still the size that I am. I had someone tell me this week "I just wanted to let you know you look really good." I've tried to replay these things over and over in my mind when I can't button my pants, get a favorite pair of shorts over my hips, or try on jeans that are 3 sizes bigger than normal and still cutting into my skin. Despite the fact that I know this is supposed to happen and know it's what's best for the baby it's never fun gaining weight...well maybe the actual process of eating countless chocolate chip cookies isn't too bad. What I've learned from this is that all of those times I've told my pregnant friends, "Wow, you're HUGE!" or "Oh my gosh, you are SO big!" well that probably wasn't the best thing to say, despite the fact that there was no harm meant. 

On Tuesday we went for our sonogram appointment to find out what the baby was...even though we aren't finding out until Saturday. We got to see so many different angles of the baby some were super sweet others slightly creepy. My favorites were the baby's profile and inch and a half long foot. I'm convinced "it" has Garrett's nose. Among the creepy were the baby's skull and eyeball. The baby is measuring 8 days ahead of what they originally told me so my due date was changed to December 6th, which is totally fine with me considering I got another week of pregnancy under my belt without even knowing it. It's so crazy to me all that can be done with technology.

(baby profile)

(baby foot--I'll spare you the creepy photos)

The doctor also told us that right now my placenta isn't where it needs to be. It needs to move up by my next sonogram (around 28 weeks) or that means I'll have to have a c-section (which I totally don't want) among a few other things. I would appreciate any prayers that it moves to where it needs to be. However, I know that sometimes God needs me to set aside my personal preference in order for His will to be done. In the end, the most important thing that matters to me is that the baby is okay. I've also been experiencing quite a bit of discomfort so I am prayerfully hoping that goes away soon. Until then we'll be anxiously waiting to see if this beautiful blessing is a he or she.

19 Weeks

This has probably been the most exciting week so far in my pregnancy. I have been anxiously waiting to feel the baby kick for the past several weeks. I've felt lots of weird things in my stomach but none that I felt like were the baby. Garrett has also been ready to feel this movement, and wasn't too thrilled when he heard that typically it's a few weeks from between when I feel it from the inside and he can feel it from the outside. So we were at at friend's birthday party on Saturday and Garrett got to feel another one of my pregnant friends' baby kick. (Thanks Megan!) If he can't feel our baby why not someone elses? :) 

Well that following Wednesday I was laying in bed and got to feel the baby move. At first I was just in shock then after it did it a few more times I couldn't help but laugh. I tried to get Garrett to feel it but there wasn't any more movement after that point. I've heard and read lots of things about how it feels. None of them felt like what I felt. Several people have said it feels like you have an actual butterfly in your stomach flapping it's wings (if so, my butterfly is on steroids because I'm pretty sure butterflies don't flap that hard). Others have said it just feels like you have "butterflies," I didn't get this feeling either. To me it felt a little like a balloon or a bubble popping inside of my stomach.

On Thursday after Garrett got home from work he got to feel the baby move also. This makes me think I've probably been feeling it for a while now, I just wasn't sure what I was feeling.  We've also been able to see little movements on my stomach from where the baby is moving. This has all been such an amazing experience for me. I can really only feel the baby right now when I am lying on my back or sitting really still. So the past few days have been very unproductive. I've spent a ton of time laying on my back (ya, ya, I know pregnant women shouldn't lay on the backs) staring at my stomach. It's been such a beautiful blessing to get to feel and see the baby move inside of me! 

18 Weeks

Eighteen weeks came and went pretty uneventfully. This week we did got a crib for baby G. It's still in the box in a closet until we get rid of our current bed. I feel like this week the bump finally "popped." I can definitely tell that I'm pregnant and just didn't eat too many bean burritos. :) My clothes are getting more and more snug. 

Mom and dad came up to help me work in my classroom and move and arrange things that I wasn't able to move by myself.

Just a few more weeks and we find out if baby G is a he or she! 

What a day

Aye aye aye! What a day! 

Warning: This post may very well be TMI, especially if you're a male friend! But then again you're probably searching for information, why else would you be reading this blog. :)

For the past week or so my head has been itching like a crazy person. Last week after having lunch with my friend, Shelbi,  I was convinced I had bed bugs. Thanks Shelbi! :) I have scratched non stop to the point where I was worried I was scratching my scalp raw.  I went to the doctor this morning and found out that I don't have bed bugs. I have lice. :( Apparently I caught these little critters in El Salvador.  Crazy thing is I had FOUR kids in my class this year with lice and I didn't get it until El Salvador.  I'm assuming it's because I came in so much more physical contact with the kids there than at school. They got a lot more hugs and play time than I am used to giving at school. Good news is that after talking to the doctor and doing some research online of legit sources lice isn't quite as bad as it sounds.  

1. Head lice survive less than 1-2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the human scalp. Spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.

The main thing is that it's totally annoying!!!!

Lunch with Shelbi!

Just in case lice wasn't enough...I peed my pants today. Yup you read that right...I straight up peed my pants. Here I am sitting on the computer trying to get some work done and out comes a sneeze...followed my pee. Now I'm not gonna lie and say this is the first time this has happened. I've sneezed a few times the past few months where a little has came out and I thought eh no big deal.  Well today was different. Today so much came out that I had to change my shorts. Upon texting a few of my close girlfriends I found out that I don't have bladder issues and that this is totally normal. From now on I guess I'll have to be like that cute little pre-k kid who carries an extra pair of bottoms and panties in her back pack.  Even better my friends informed me that peeing my pants is the least of my worries and things will only get more disgusting.  However, some of these things sound nasty enough I'm not sure they'll make the blog.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy. 

17 weeks

We started off week 17 with a second hospital tour. The hospital was very nice but the overall tour was very unorganized. It was almost like they weren't expecting any of us for a tour.  Despite that the hospital is very new and had basically everything the other hospital had but just in a smaller setting. After some consideration we decided to go with the first hospital.  The second hospital looked a lot nicer and was more updated, however looks aren't everything. :) I felt more comfortable with the larger one just in case anything went wrong they have more resources to treat both the baby and I.

This weekend my parents came down and helped with several things around the house.  I had quite a bit of clothes in the baby's room so my dad and Garrett hung another shelf in our closet, which freed of so much space! While they were busy with that my mom scrubbed our cabinets and microwave better than they've been cleaned the entire time we've lived here.  We also got two spots on our stairs fixed, a spot in the bathroom, our bikes hung, sawhorses hung, and shelves lined.

     Hanging the shelves.                            Sharing a ladder?

The finished product!

I'm a big dork and love having things organized. I despise cleaning but have no problem organizing.  I've spent the past week organizing literally our entire house. Every drawer, closet, cabinet, nook and cranny has been gone through.  I honestly don't know if there is one thing left in this house that hasn't had my hands on it.  I figure now is the perfect time to get organized since I am off of work and am not yet too big to function. We got rid of so much junk that we weren't using. I was able to fill up my entire car full of donations. One person's trash is another person's treasure...right? The baby's room is ready to now be transformed to an actual baby's room instead of a guest room...minus some furniture. (Anyone in need of a full sized bed?) I know it's corny but it feels SO good knowing that everything is organized and clutter free! 

An entire empty cabinet for baby stuff in the kitchen.

      The card load of donations!

16 weeks

From the time we started telling people that we were pregnant I pretty much cried every time we told someone new, especially in person.  Our family and friends and have been so loving, supportive, and thoughtful throughout everything already.  I know that this will just continue and intensify upon baby G's arrival. 

This week the news became "facebook official." Let's be honest we all have several "friends" on facebook whose phone numbers we don't have and the only things we know about their lives are what is posted on facebook. These people may have been an important part of your life at one point or a friend of a friend of a friend. After posting our baby news there have been so many of these "friends" that have gone out of their way to write sweet messages to us. I am completely overwhelmed by the number of people that have sent us messages saying that they were praying for us and the baby.  To even have one prayer said for us by someone we haven't talked to you in years is completely humbling. After opening a message from a sweet girl that I haven't talked to in at least 6 years and reading her kind words I started thinking about each person who has sent us their sweet thoughts and was moved to tears. (Maybe it's just these pregnancy hormones. :) )  We are so appreciative of all of your kind words and prayers, especially from those we don't speak to often. It means so much that you would take a minute out of your day to think of us! 

This week we took our first hospital tour. It was a little overwhelming. I wasn't sure what to think when we were at the hospital. Everyone was very friendly and seemed really informed about the labor and delivery department. Next week we have one more tour and then hopefully we will be able to make a decision. 

15 Weeks

After returning from El Salvador I had another doctor's appointment. For this visit mom got to go with me and hear the baby's heartbeat. At the next appointment in about four weeks we will get to find out the sex of the baby.  This week Garrett and I are going to visit our 2 hospital choices for delivering the baby.  We've heard good and bad things about both so hopefully visiting each one in person will help us with a decision.

Click play to listen to the baby's heartbeat.