19 Weeks!

Hooray for 19 weeks and being ALMOST halfway there!  We have our big anatomy scan ultrasound this morning.  For some reason I am super nervous!  I just need confirmation that she's healthy and growing and everything is fine.  A second opinion that she is definitely a girl wouldn't hurt either ;)  Here is my 19 week photo:

This week Abigail is the size of a mango!

I'm getting a little bored with the survey, so I'll keep this short and sweet.  Overall, this was a really good week.  I did get sick a couple of times yesterday, so morning sickness doesn't seem to want to leave me entirely, but it's nothing to complain about.  The kids I nanny for think it's absolutely disgusting when I take off for the bathroom like a bat out of hell!  I just always tell them that Abby didn't like whatever I ate for lunch that day (yesterday it was a bagel).  Other than that, my headaches have been much better recently.  It could be because I've added back my morning (small!) cup of coffee.  That seems to do the trick and take care of the headaches that I sometimes wake up with, and it helps ward them off throughout the day.  I was really good about not having caffeine as much as possible in the first trimester, but my doctor said 200mg a day is perfectly safe for the baby, and my one tiny cup of coffee each morning is far less than that, so I feel ok about it.  I'm still consistently experiencing round ligament pain.  Obviously it's something that will continue as Abby grows, so I just have to grimace and bear it.  Sneezing is complete agony, but other than that if I move too quickly I can usually make the pain subside by holding still for a minute and then moving veerrry slowly!  I'm still working on the nursery little by little.  I'm planning to start Abby's baby quilt next week, so hopefully that will come together soon.  I have been collecting artwork for a gallery wall that I'm planning above the changing table, so I'm hoping to be able to post about some progress on that front in the next few weeks.

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Belly Progression So Far...

Just though I'd share a belly pic mosaic to show the progression of my bump!

I'm regretting skipping weeks 13 and 16 now :(  Oh well.  Friday needs to hurry up and get here so we can see our baby girl again!

18 Weeks!

18 weeks today!  We're ALMOST half way there!  I know that I shouldn't wish my pregnancy to go by any faster, but time is really, really dragging by :-/  Thankfully, next week we have our big anatomy scan.  I'm hoping that I'll feel a lot better about things after having the ultrasound and knowing that Abby is growing properly and everything is in the right place!  We'd also love to get a second confirmation that she is most definitely a girl :)  I really don't have any doubts there though.

Yesterday I decided that since fall (and football season!) is upon us, it was finally time to buy some maternity jeans and a few tops so that I have something other than sweatpants to wear when it's cold outside.  I learned right away that maternity clothes make me look REALLY pregnant!!  That's not necessarily a bad thing...it's just been difficult for me to adjust to how much my body is changing.  I've struggled with weight my whole life, and all of a sudden my stomach is just ballooning out in front of me.  It's kind of scary!  I know it's all for a good cause, but I basically feel like a gigantic whale.  When we were trying to conceive, I never really thought much about the pregnancy part of things.  I always envisioned the baby and our lives after having a baby.  I've been wearing dresses all summer, and while I think people can probably at least sort of tell that I'm pregnant at this point, the flowy dresses hide things a little better.  Maternity clothes, on the other hand, are pretty form fitting...something I never really wore even before getting pregnant.  They definitely accentuate the bump!  Here's my 18 week picture taken while I was wearing a new pair of maternity jeans and a top:

Abigail is now the size of a sweet potato!

I'm still just feeling flutters and an occasional small kick...but nothing big at this point.  I really can't wait until I can feel her consistently, just for the reassurance.  Still no weight gain as of yet, which I'm completely fine with!  I know that it will happen at some point, but right now I am very content with seeing the same number on the scale every morning, especially since it's still ten pounds lower than my pre-pregnancy weight.  I think that's about it for new baby news at this point!

DIY Crib Skirt

I knew that as soon as I found the fabric for Abby's nursery, I would want to get started on my sewing projects.  First up was the crib skirt.  I majorly cheated with this project and just made one panel for the front of the crib and one for one short side of the crib, since the other two sides are up against walls and don't show.  I hit a bit of a snag when making the longest panel, because the pattern of the fabric only runs one way.  I ended up winging things a bit and made a faux box pleat with a coordinating fabric to accommodate for the fact that I couldn't make one long panel that was all one piece.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!  At this point the skirt panels are attached to the crib frame and platform with clear duct tape.  I'm really not sure how well that will hold up in the long run (and I'm really hoping that it won't strip the white lacquer finish of the crib in the places where the tape is actually touching the white surface), but it was much easier than dealing with velcro or something similar.  Here's the final product:

I didn't really follow a specific tutorial for this project, I just measured things and then ironed and hemmed as I went.  As with all of my sewing projects, it's far from perfect, but I love the end result!  Next on my list is Abby's baby quilt, but that may take a little while!

Fabric Change-Up

The sample of the fabric that I had originally loved arrived yesterday...and it was quite a disappointment.  The actual print was teeny tiny, plus the color was very dull.  All in all, it wasn't what I wanted for the nursery.  Unfortunately, that put me back at square one, as I had basically been building the color scheme around that fabric!  Oops.  So, off to JoAnn's I went, and today I was able to find a fabric that I actually love even more than the first one!  It's a bit more contemporary, and it's darker with more vibrant colors.  It works perfectly with the green walls, pink rug, and brown glider chair too.  Here's the new fabric!

I love that it still follows the owl theme, and has the pink and green along with teal and orange.  I think it's so cute!  Up next, DIY crib skirt...

17 Weeks!

I'm 17 weeks pregnant today!  I never ended up doing a picture last week with all the excitement of the ultrasound and the busy weekend we had...oops!  Here is my 17 week picture (please excuse the poor lighting and overall quality, I just could not get a decent pic today and didn't feel like messing with it anymore!):

Abigail is the size of a turnip this week!

That seems pretty big to me!  I was starting to feel a bit paranoid because I've been feeling her sporadically for the last three weeks, but then the past two days I haven't felt her move much.  That's supposed to be completely normal at this point, but it's worrisome just the same.  Thankfully she was pretty active this afternoon so I feel much better.  For some strange reason my morning (and afternoon!) sickness was back today.  I've been sick three times today and I'm hoping that will be it because we are going over to another couple's house for dinner and I'd hate to be sick there!  I was sick twice last weekend too, so I don't know if it has to do with Abby going through a growth spurt or what.  A friend of mine told me that happened with her pregnancies and she just thinks of it as the baby's way of reminding you that they're still in there!  That's pretty much what it feels like.  Anyway, other than the morning sickness today, I've been feeling pretty good all week.  Just a few headaches here and there but nothing I couldn't tolerate.  Unfortunately, it was kind of a rough week at work, and I am VERY glad that it's over.  I hate to say it, but these next four months really can't go by fast enough.  There have been times during the last nine years where I have absolutely loved my job, and times where I've been more than ready to leave.  This is definitely one of the latter.  Overall, it's been such a good job and has been a very positive thing in my life...it's just time to move on and start the next chapter.  Thankfully, the kids go back to school soon and they are super busy in the fall with sports, so time should go by pretty quickly.  I'm sure the holidays will be here before I know it, and then Abby will arrive!  Here's my 17 week survey:

How far along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: - 10 pounds
Maternity clothes: Nothing new, but I really do have to buy some stuff soon! Especially jeans and a few tops.
Stretch marks: Nothing new
Sleep: Pretty good this week!
Best moment this week: Finding an adorable rug for the nursery!
Movement: Still just inconsistent little twitches and nudges, mostly after I eat and before bed.
Food cravings: Nothing specific this week.
Gender: GIRL! (Hopefully we'll get a 2nd confirmation in two weeks)
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Booze! Cider, wine, beer...summer isn't quite the same without it.
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Zoe (and Kent and Carrie!) tonight, we haven't seen her in so long!
Milestones: Nothing really this week.

My New "Mom Van"!

I currently drive a Tahoe (as a perk of my job) that I'll have to surrender in October, so Dave and I have been casually car shopping this summer.  Originally, I was dead set on getting either a Ford Escape or a Jeep Liberty, and I researched those to no end and found lots of used ones within our price range.  A conversation with my sister about cars started to change my mind though.  Since I spend my day driving kids around, I know how much stuff they have and room they take up, and when they get older and want to have friends over you run out of room in a vehicle pretty quickly.  The Tahoe only seats five, and when the kids I nanny for were little, it was almost impossible for them to each bring a friend home because none of them could sit in the front seat.  I'm not proud to admit this, but I had four kids in the back seat more often than I should have!  So, Dave and I started talking about just getting a larger vehicle right from the start.  We planned to buy a used car, and it needed to be something that we could drive as our family car for years and years to come.  This past weekend we totally lucked out and found an awesome 2005 Dodge Caravan in really excellent condition.  It only has 44,000 miles on it, which is pretty much unheard of for a used minivan in our price range!  There are a few tiny scratches and dings on the outside, but the interior is immaculate.  We both test drove it and decided immediately that we wanted it.  Thankfully, the salesman that we worked with at Sundance was very willing to negotiate with us, and we were able to buy it on the spot for a very reasonable price!  We picked it up yesterday and have had fun taking turns driving it.  It doesn't make sense for me to drive it to work yet since I still have the Tahoe, so Dave took it to work today and then I took it to run an errand after work.  It's just so fun to have a new (to us!) vehicle.  We really love how well it handles, how spacious it is, and how new it feels, even though it's 7 years old!  Here are a few pictures that were taken at the dealership of our new ride:

I can't wait to start driving it full time in a few months! 

Abby's Nursery In Progress

Abby's nursery is coming together!  I found a perfect small area rug at Meijer today for an absolute steal (and it was the last one!) that I just love.  I think it will look really great with the fabric we're going to use for accents.  The rug has a few imperfections, but it was only $25, and all the other 5 x 7 rugs that I've been looking at were over $100, so I'm thrilled with it!  Here's a picture of the main room of the nursery so far:

Someone else really likes the new rug too :)  The dresser is located in a little alcove near the entrance to the room, so it's hard to photograph.  Just as a reminder, here it is:

The wall color looks really off in this picture because there wasn't much natural light in the room at the time.  Here is the fabric that we're planning to buy soon:

I ordered a sample a few days ago, so hopefully once that arrives and I can confirm that I like it in person, I'll be able to order the full amount that I want to make a crib skirt, quilt, small pillow for the glider, and possibly two window valances.  I think it's going to look perfect with the rug!  I would also like to make some of my own owl-themed art work, similar to these:

The blog I found these on, www.daffodildesign.com, even has free templates to some of these cute canvases.  I can't wait to start on things and see them hung up on the walls!  My other art work plans involve doing something with her name, kind of like this:

Or maybe something like this:

The last piece of furniture that I'd like to find is a small white side table to put next to the glider to keep snacks, my kindle, phone, etc. while I nurse (yes, in my head I will be able to read a book and relax while nursing, ha!).  I'm hoping to find something like either of these:

I just love how everything is coming together so far!  Abby is one very loved little girl already :)

Ultrasound Video

Here is Abby's gender reveal ultrasound video for anyone who would like to see it!

IT'S A GIRL!!

We had our 16 week early gender ultrasound today and baby is without a doubt 100% GIRL!!!  For some reason, the pictures that they gave us on cd aren't as clear as what we were able to see on the screen at the ultrasound, but I'll still post some anyway :)  We got a dvd of the whole ultrasound too, so I will try to figure out how to put that on here later.  I had some orange juice to drink about an hour before the appointment, and the baby was super active!  It was fun to see her moving all around. Without further ado:

Abigail Elizabeth Main

She is definitely all girl!  The tech said there's no chance that she has or will ever have boy parts.  Here's a little peak at her goods.

Looking right at mom and dad!

Tiny little baby foot!

Our daughter!

It was SO wonderful to be able to see her in a relaxed, non-medical setting.  The technician made us feel extremely comfortable and let us look at our baby girl for a long time without rushing us.  It was worth every penny in my opinion!!  I had such a strong feeling all along that the baby was a girl, and it was nice to find out that I was right!  We absolutely cannot wait to meet Abby in January!

16 Weeks

Today I'm 16 weeks pregnant!  I've been feeling good other than my near daily headaches and some round ligament pain.  I had a routine OB appointment this week and the nurse practitioner said that I'm already doing pretty much everything I can for my headaches: Tylenol, caffeine, and hot or cold compresses.  The good news is that I can take my Zyrtec again, so maybe once my allergies are under control the headaches won't be as frequent!  The nurse who checked baby's heartbeat with the Doppler had a very hard time finding it!  Baby likes to sit in one particular spot, just under my belly button and to the left.  The nurse started with the Doppler on the right, so I knew she wouldn't find it there.  As she moved all over my belly I definitely started to panic a bit!  Dave didn't come to the appointment with me, so I didn't have anyone's hand to hold for reassurance.  Finally, after pushing very hard and looking for about five minutes, the heartbeat came through clear as day!  Talk about a relief!  Baby's heart rate was 144 beats per minute, so it's slowed down quite a bit from my 12 week check up.  Other than that, the appointment went great and my blood pressure was the lowest it's ever been for me, 118/72, yay!  Our next OB appointment is in three weeks for our detailed anatomy scan.  Tomorrow, however, we are having an elective gender ultrasound!!  I am absolutely dying to know if this baby is a boy or a girl, so I really, really hope that s/he cooperates and shows us the goods.  I really just can't wait to see our little bean again too!  The last ultrasound we had the baby still looked more like a gummy bear than an actual human being.

I'll take my 16 week picture and post it tomorrow, because I am a hot mess right now after baking all afternoon and not at all decent enough for a cute picture! :-)

Baby is now the size of an avocado:

We have a few at home, so I help one up to my stomach to give Dave an idea of the actual size of the baby. It seems pretty large to me compared with just a few weeks ago!  What's crazy is that in the next few weeks the baby will double in weight and add inches to its length!  I guess that I should get ready for my bump to have a growth spurt of its own.  

I'll post my 16 week picture tomorrow morning and then we've got stuff going on all day, so I won't be able to post about the gender scan until Sunday.  I'm counting down the hours!!

Nursery Progress

We've made some great progress in the nursery!  Originally, I had picked out a furniture set from Walmart that I really liked, but then on a whim changed my mind because I wanted a larger dresser for added storage.  We ended up getting the furniture from Ikea instead.  While it was a pain to put together, I like how most of it turned out.  The crib is my favorite item.  We ended up going with the Ikea Sundvik crib in white.  I had originally thought I wanted the Gulliver, but when we got to the store the Gulliver was NOT white.  It was a cream color and I was turned off immediately.  We have bright white trim in the room and one thing I've always been sure on is that I want white nursery furniture.  So, the Sundvik was the next best thing!  I actually prefer the size and scale of the Sundvik better too, the Gulliver was quite small.  Here is the crib all set up in the nursery:

Here is another picture to show where it is situated in the room a little bit better:

I'm not in love with the changing table, because it came with the huge black screws.  I originally had plans to paint them, but I should have done it BEFORE assembling the table.  I knew that I wanted to have a changing table in the nursery though, and I think this one will work out fine once I get some baskets for organizing supplies:

We ended up going with the Malm dresser.  I love the look of the dresser, but the top two drawers are very finicky and don't really line up properly unless they are very carefully closed.  I think we'll just keep less used items in those drawers and try to live with the small flaw.  Talk about a let down though after spending so much time assembling the dresser!  I wasn't a very happy camper.

Lastly, we purchased a Storkcraft hoop glider and ottoman.  I love the look of the set and the glider is really comfortable.  Unfortunately, the glider came with a broken snap for the armrest cushions, so those aren't attached right now.  Hopefully when I contact the company they will be able to send me a replacement snap and then we'll be all set.  For now, here is a picture of the glider and ottoman without the armrest cushions:

We will hopefully find out this weekend if our little bean is a boy or a girl, but I'm still planning to wait until we have confirmation at our anatomy scan at the OB to go ahead and start buying gender specific things.  I saw the PERFECT rug for a girl's room the other day at Meijer for a great price, but I stopped myself from buying it just yet!  It was pink with white stripes and I just loved it.  The one great thing about living in a college town is that pretty soon the students will be coming back and stores like Meijer start carrying all sorts of area rugs and furniture that they don't normally carry.  I'm hoping to find a rug at a great price and possibly a white little side table to go next to the glider for a lamp, snacks, etc.  The pink rug I had originally picked out is no longer available, so hopefully if baby is a girl I'll be able to find something locally that I like.  I love how everything is coming together!  Plus, having all the big stuff done will leave me lots of time for the little things like sewing, artwork, etc :)

15 Weeks

This post is coming a few days late because we had our niece and nephew staying with us all weekend and they kept us very busy!  It was so fun to have kids in the house, but also made me realize that a) our house is desperately in need of some sort of mud room, and b) I'm really glad that we'll start out with just one child!  It's been so many years since I've taken care of kids that age and it definitely helped me to remember how active they are!  Hopefully we'll be able to get in the swing of things.

I think that morning sickness is FINALLY gone, which is wonderful!  The bad news is that I somehow gained 4 pounds in the last week, which I'm not at all happy about.  I had been down a total of 12 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, and now I'm down 8.  I knew that some weight gain would be coming sometime soon, but to gain four pounds so quickly is just not ok with me!  Hopefully the scale is just reflecting a weekend of unhealthy eating and things will even out again soon.

I've definitely started showing more this past week.  I feel like because I'm so short, and I have such a short torso, that there is nowhere for this baby to go but out.  My bump literally starts just below my chest and keeps on going from there.  The crazy thing is how hard my whole stomach is getting.  I knew that would happen, but it feels really strange since I've always had a pretty squishy middle!  The other thing that I've been experiencing this week is round ligament pain.  I had heard about it before pregnancy, but I didn't realize how painful it could really be!  Especially if I've been sitting or laying still for a while, and I get up to move.  It feels like the muscles in my abdomen are literally pulling apart from themselves.  Sneezing is even worse now too.  One sneeze and I feel like I've been stabbed in the stomach.  Fun times!  The other thing that is starting to get more difficult is finding a comfortable sleep position.  I'm already sleeping with a body pillow, which has been good for the most part.  Rolling from side to side with the huge pillow is awkward though, and of course sleeping on my belly is completely out of the question.  Laying on my back is ok, but pregnant women aren't supposed to lay on their back as pregnancy progresses, because the enlarged uterus puts pressure on a major vein and can cut off blood supply.  I still have a LONG way to go in this pregnancy, so hopefully I can suck it up and deal with it! :)

I am so incredibly anxious to find out the sex of the baby!!  I convinced Dave that I cannot possibly wait until our anatomy ultrasound at the OB, so we are having an early gender determination ultrasound this coming Saturday!  I really hope that baby cooperates and shows us the goods!  I'm still feeling like it's a girl, but I just need that confirmation.  I'll honestly be a little shocked if I'm wrong.  In the end, all that really matters is that the baby is healthy, since we would like both a boy and a girl when all is said and done.  Just a few more days until we'll hopefully know!

Here is my 15 week baby bump picture:

Baby is now the size of a navel orange:

How far along: 15 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: - 8 pounds
Maternity clothes: I bought my first maternity dress! It is adorable but makes me look really pregnant!
Stretch marks: Nothing new
Sleep: Not so great the last few days.
Best moment this week: Meeting baby Elliott!! He's the cutest little thing ever!
Movement: Yes! I've been feeling flutters for about a week now. Mostly after I eat and then lay still, and before bed. No real kicks yet though, and nothing consistent yet either.
Food cravings: Nothing specific this week, I've just definitely been eating more!
Gender: Hopefully we'll know on Saturday!
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Still wine!
What I am looking forward to: Elliott's shower this weekend.
Milestones: Feeling the first movements!