Pregnancy: So I may have missed a few weeks...[a coconut to a honeydew to a winter melon]

Consider this my 35 week picture. :) While I looked (and felt) like a pumpkin, Julia was closer to the size of a coconut.

My "Ha-Ha, very funny, Jake" look. :)

So, I do have a 38 and a 39 week picture, I just haven't posted them. I'd answer all the questions in the questionnaire, but the truth is that the answers are all pretty much the same. I've gained a bunch of weight, I feel like a stuffed turkey, I'm tired of being told how tired I look (Can you believe someone even told me I looked like I was "going through hell"? Gee, thanks, mister. Seriously, if you want to get punched by a pregnant lady who's just trying to help you with your paper, go talk to that guy). What I want to talk about today are some of my fears.
Surprisingly--at least up until now--my biggest fear has been labor itself. Even then, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm really afraid of it; more than anything, I would say I'm nervous about it, and that's mostly because I've never done it before and have no idea what to expect. So, I'm doing what I've been trained to do: prepare for/expect the worst, hope for the best. It's what I did for pregnancy itself, and so far it's worked in my favor. I was expecting to be puking and just be miserable for 9 months. Well, I wasn't. In fact, the only time I puked throughout my whole pregnancy (I figure I can say this now since I'm practically done--of course, that's totally going to jinx everything but oh well) was when I had to not puke during my 3-hour glucose test.

Back to my original point: I'm nervous about labor. I don't know what to expect because I've never done it. So far, I've been more nervous about the labor part of this than I have been about the Mommy-aspect of this. A friend of mine pointed something out to me that is both comforting and nerve-wracking: labor will eventually end. However many hours it lasts, however much pain there is, it will all eventually end. Motherhood will not. The moment that second little line showed up on my pregnancy test, I started on a journey that will never end. I should be nervous about this--and I'm sure I will be--but the more I think about it, the more I think that labor is a condensed shot of motherhood. (Like I said,  I've never experienced labor, but I've read a ton of birth stories, so I'm basing my observation off my limited exposure to labor through the stories of others). Labor is like a super condensed shot of motherhood. What I mean is there is discomfort, embarrasment, and intense, undescribable pain, but there is also insurmountable joy that cannot be defined as anything but the love of a mother.
I don't have any experience--yet--of motherhood, but I've watched friends become moms. I've watched my own mom--I've been her child (trust me, there was pain; my teenage years ensured that). Anyway, I mostly just made this observation and thought I'd share. If any of my mommy friends want to comment on how totally wrong I am, go for it. Like I said, this is from a completely outside, third-party point of view...

Pregnancy: Butternut Squash

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +26 lbs (approximately)
Maternity clothes: Yes.
Stretch marks: I think the two I found last week are just getting worse. I haven't found any new ones.
Sleep: I wish I could say this was getting better, but really, it's a night by night occasion. As in, occasionally, I sleep, but more often than not, I spend all night tossing and turning and getting up to pee.
Best Moment this week: I finally met my birth photographer! I also had my baby shower!! It was awesome.
Miss anything: I miss my hands not looking like sausages and my feet not feeling like them.
Movement: Julia is quite the little mover. Sometimes, I'm sure the whole world can see her moving. It's so wild to see her move.
Food Cravings: I want baked goods--mostly, I want to bake, but that could have less to do with being pregnant and more to do with the fact that it's fall. :)
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Labor signs: Not so far
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I think I'm mostly happy, but I don't know. Ask Jake; he could tell you if I'm more happy or moody. 
Looking forward to: Halloween. I love Halloween. I'm also looking forward to some baby things coming in the mail. Yay, presents!

Pregnancy: Not going to lie, I have no idea what a Durian Fruit is, but that's how big Julia is.

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +28 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes. I can't fit anything else (except Jake's tshirts, and even then, it's only the large ones).
Stretch marks: I have officially received my first stretch marks. I have two, and they're both underneath my belly button. I only noticed them because I was in the bathroom after my shower, so I saw them in the mirror; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have seen them at all.
Sleep: I feel like I sleep less and less as time goes by. Everyone keeps telling me to get used to it, but I can't lie, I think it will be easier to sleep without having to pee every 5 seconds and without someone kicking and headbutting me the whole time. I know my amount of available time to sleep will decrease, but I may actually sleep during the available time; whereas, right now, I don't really sleep at all. It's more like I "rest."
Best Moment this week: I think it was when Gwen went in and got her soft paws put on without any problems. (Last time we tried, she kind of had a giant meltdown--as in the vet tech suggested sedating her).
Miss anything: Being comfortable (mostly while sleeping, but just, in general, I tend to be spend more time uncomfortable than comfortable). It's mostly my back: lying down, standing up, it doesn't seem to make a difference. I just hurt.
Movement: She moves a lot after I eat and just went I lie down. I think she moves around when I lie down because gravity isn't working against her anymore. She can kind of just float around, and I think it gives her more room to move, so she does.
Food Cravings: I want hot chocolate all the time, but most of the time, I'm too hot to actually want it. It's like I want the idea of hot chocolate. It's weird.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Labor signs: Not so far
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I think I'm mostly pretty happy, but you'd have to ask the people around me. Hahaha.
Looking forward to: On Friday, Jake and I are headed to Rexburg to maybe check out a couple of possible apartments, to talk to some academic advisors, and to hopefully see my good friend! My baby shower is on Saturday, and I'm pretty excited for that. I'll also (hopefully) get to meet my birth photographer on Saturday.

Pregnancy: She's Squashing Me! (But seriously...)

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +26 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes. Let's just say that at this point, you're lucky I'm even wearing clothes. (or getting out of bed....not just because I want to sleep all the time, but because physically getting out of bed is hard).
Stretch marks: I think I have some on the back of my calves, but that could just be the light....right?
Sleep: Ain't nobody got time for that. Just kidding, this body just doesn't do it. I'm going to spend part of my day Googling "how to fall asleep faster." My hope is that if I master this ability before she's here, I'll be able to take the most advantage of the whole "nap when she naps" thing.
Best Moment this week: I wish I could tell you about one moment that stuck out from the rest, but for the most part, everything has been good. I went to my ward's Super Saturday and made a giant ruler that we'll use to measure our kids' growth on (we'll color code it because we're cool like that).
Miss anything: Sleep. I miss feeling well-rested, but I imagine that lack of rest feeling will become a constant companion for me for the next six months or so.
Movement: This girl is pretty chill. She does move--mostly when I'm getting ready for bed--but she isn't the kickboxing champion she was earlier. Either she's heard my many complaints of "Julia, it's not nice to kick me while I'm working, sleeping, etc., or my half of her genes have kicked in, and she's inherited some of my laziness.
Food Cravings: I crave Fall. I know it's not food, but it is. I crave pumpkin everything and hot chocolate and apple cider. This time of year also turns my crafting cravings on overdrive.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing specific. 
Labor signs: Not to the best of my knowledge.
Belly button in or out? In...but I can see the bottom of it. It's squishy and gross-looking (oh, I know you were wondering).
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: This has pretty much stayed the same: It just kind of depends. Some days I am really moody (and by moody, I mostly mean super irritable) while other days I'm pretty mellow and happy.
Looking forward to: Gwen getting her soft paws on (yay!) and my meeting for tutoring (seriously, I am. I love those meetings. I get paid to know stuff and eat food).

Pregnancy: Pineapple Princess, he calls me Pineapple Princess all day...

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +25lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes. All day everyday--except when I get home and want very much for clothes to be no clothes, but don't worry, I just opt for pjs which I don't count as real people clothes.
Stretch marks: It all looks the same: stretch marks on inner-thighs, but nowhere else (yet).
Sleep: Sleep has become something that I can only successfully do when I can't do it--or rather when I don't have time. For example, I toss and turn all night, but then, when it's time for me to get up and take Jake to work, I am able to sleep deeply (for about 5 minutes).
Best Moment this week: I think there were a couple: I found out that Julia is facing the direction she should be, so that's a plus. We had General Conference, and while I missed the first session, I loved every minute of it. Listening to some of the speakers speak in their native languages was really fun. Also, I decided to make a halloween quilt. I got the fabric I'll need, and it's pretty cute.
Miss anything: Sleeping.
Movement: She still throws the occasional dance party, but for the most part, her movement is the occassional kick or punch. At least once a day, it feels like she's trying to stretch.
Food Cravings: I’m back in see-food eater mode. If I see it, smell it, think about it, or hear about it, I probably want to eat it.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing specific.  (Same)
Labor signs: Not to the best of my knowledge.
Belly button in or out? In. (Same)
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. (But I have a feeling that my engagement ring may have to take the last month of pregnancy off; we'll see)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but I can switch to irritated pretty quickly (It's not a pretty picture; I don't like doing it!).
Looking forward to: Payday, and Saturday. Saturday is our ward's Super Saturday, which means crafting! I'm making a 6-foot ruler. The idea is that we'll measure Julia on it, and we'll get to take her growth chart with us everywhere we go--which is an especially nice idea since we'll essentially be gypsies for the next few years. :)

An Update that isn't about how swollen my feet are!

So, lately, every single post has been about my pregnancy. It's not weird or anything--I mean, being pregnant is a big part of my life (literally). However, I wanted to take a little time today to write about something other than feeling like a blue whale or my fears of immenant motherhood (and how totally and completely  unprepared I am for motherhood).

It has been a really long time since I did an update involving Jake. He probably isn't offended by this oversight, but I feel kind of bad about it, so here we go:

Jake is doing pretty good. He's working for Gunter Exteriors putting siding and roofs on houses. He'll be doing this until we move to Rexburg in January. Jake also just turned 30! We went to Driggs and spent the weekend at his grandma's cabin. It was nice to get away from everything and just be. We stayed up late, slept in the next morning, and he went fishing when he felt like fishing (down side: he didn't catch anything, but I guess that's why they call it fishing and not catching).
This past weekend, we spent some time with his family. Jake went fishing with his brother, Scott, on Friday, and then, on Saturday, we went and watched his younger brother, Zach, play in a football game (I'm still a little lost when it comes to football, but I'm getting better.....I think). We went home, watched General Conference, and then, Jake went to the Priesthood Session with his hanai dad (for those of you mainlanders who have never heard the word "hanai," it means "informally adopted." Really, the way it's used, it means someone who is so close to you that you consider them family even though, technically speaking, they are not related to you at all), brother, and brand new brother-in-law. I hung out with the women of our hanai family. We went to ladies' night and had some free cookies. We didn't win anything, but we got free cookies, so I consider us winners. ;)
On Sunday, Jake and I watched the first session of conference at the house. Our cat napped (that's not really news since that's what she spends most of her life doing, but I felt it was important to get her in here, so there). After the first session, Jake and I went back over to his hanai family's house. We watched some football until the second session of conference started (and by "we watched," I really mean "they watched while I knitted and asked questions"). We ate some delicious food and ended up playing games and watching more football.
All in all, we had a pretty nice weekend.

Pregnancy: Eggplant to Cucumber

So the pregnanter I get (pregnater is totally a word, p.s.) the more I start to slack on these things. I get the pictures taken; I just take five years to fill out the questionnaire and post it. Because of all of this, this post is another 3-in-1 post. I would promise that I'll get better, but I'd probably just break that promise. Instead, I promise I will try to get better. (Sorry, Yoda. Trying is the best you're getting from this pregnant lady).

How far along? 28 weeks/29 weeks/30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: How about we just say a lot and leave it there. (One day, we will buy a scale. It'll probably be when Julia is already 2, and I've already had my second child, but it will happen.)
Maternity clothes: Yes. My mom just sent me some super cute tops that I'm really stoked to wear.
Stretch marks: It all looks the same: stretch marks on inner-thighs, but no where else (yet).
Sleep: It comes and goes. Some nights, I still feel like I'm awake all night. Other nights, I feel like I'm only awake for part of the night. Either it's getting better, or I'm just getting used to it all.
Best Moment this week: For week 28, I went to the temple with a friend who received her endowments. Week 29, I went to the temple for that friend's sister who also received her endowments, and then we went back for her (the original friend's) wedding. Week 30, I got to spend some quality time with the hubs. He turned 30, and we spent some time away from it all. It was really nice. 
Miss anything: Sleeping on my stomach.
Movement: I smile every time she moves. Seriously. It's a little reminder that makes my impending motherhood all the more real (which completely terrifies me), but mostly, her movement just assures me that she's alive and well.
Food Cravings: I’m back in see-food eater mode. It’s actually terrible.  (I don't think this has changed)
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing specific.  (Same)
Labor signs: Not to the best of my knowledge.
Belly button in or out? In. (Same)
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.  (Same)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but I can switch to irritated pretty quickly (It's not a pretty picture; I don't like doing it!).
Looking forward to: General Conference. I'm not going to lie; this is partially because I can sleep in and be spiritually fed in my pjs, but I'm also pretty stoked because this will be the first General Conference where the speakers can speak in their native tongue instead of having to all speak in English. I'm really excited about it! :)

Pregnancy: Would a cauliflower by any other name still be as gross?

*Disclaimer: This post covers cauliflower-sized baby to rutabaga-sized baby (there’s a lettuce-sized baby in the middle of those two). Basically, I’m covering weeks 25 through 27 all in one post because if I don’t, I’ll probably be two weeks behind forever. So here we go!

/ /

How far along? 25 weeks/26 weeks/27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +15-16 lbs (I cut my hair and lost two pounds…but I don’t think that counts)/+16ish lbs/ +17ish lbs (We really need to buy a scale!
Maternity clothes: It’s seriously time to go shopping/My aunt and grandma took me shopping!!/Yes, and that will probably be the answer to this question from now on. 
Stretch marks: I haven’t really been looking, if I’m totally honest/So far lotion seems to still be working/my inner-thighs aren’t looking so hot. I think those are my worst stretch marks so far.
Sleep: Not so awesome, lately. I feel like I’m awake all night. (This is still exactly the same)
Best Moment this week: I chopped off all my hair, Jake came home, and he felt Julia kick. :)/Going to the open house with Jake/Getting to tell everyone at work that I’m pregnant!!
Miss anything: Not feeling tired, but I guess this is just a precursor of what is to come when Julia actually steps out into this world. (This is the same for all 3 weeks)
Movement: We’ve had kicks, punches, and the hiccups, so yes: lots of movement./I’m pretty sure she teaches a night kick-boxing class/I felt her move her foot (or hand), but it wasn’t a kick or punch. It was more like she was just moving past me. It was weird and really cool at the same time.
Food Cravings: I’m back in see-food eater mode. It’s actually terrible.  (Still true for all 3 weeks)
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing specific.  (Same)
Labor signs: Nope. (Same, although we did have a slight possible pre-term labor scare, but it also could have been Julia dramatically adjusting her position, so who knows?)
Belly button in or out? In. (Same)
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.  (Same)
Happy or Moody most of the time: I’m back in more-or-less happy mode, but sometimes I get moody and irritated (and I apologize if you hit me in my moody mode. It’s not pretty)./More moody/Back to happy
Looking forward to: Friday: we’re going over to my grandma’s house to hang out for a bit, and then we’re going to see my newly-married friend on Saturday (yes, the one that eloped last week); we’ll also go to the Ogden Temple open house on Saturday. It’ll be fun!/My hanai sister-in-law’s bridal shower/I start work on Monday (I’m a writing tutor at ISU), and on Saturday, my hanai sister-in-law takes her endowments out, so I’m excited about that, too!

Pregnancy: “You Cantaloupe” “Watch me!” (A week late)

(If we could all just ignore the fact that it looks like my face was hit with a stinging-curse and has been turned all puffy, that would be great….really, really great).  

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +15 lbs
Maternity clothes: I need more.
Stretch marks: The ones I already had have gotten more pronounced.
Sleep: It really varies. Some nights, I feel like I slept really well, and other nights feel like I haven’t slept at all. 
Best Moment this week: Throwing my sister-in-law’s baby shower on Saturday. It was really fun and made me even more excited for mine!! Also, my best friend got married—she eloped! (Technically that’d be part of next week since she got married on Monday, but next week’s post doesn’t have the word “cantaloupe” in it, so there.)
Miss anything: Jake. A lot. Like, a lot a lot.
Movement: Oh yes. She’s a little dancer. 
Food Cravings: I’m back in see-food eater mode. It’s actually terrible. 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing specific. 
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I’m back in more-or-less happy mode. 
Looking forward to: Thursday (Aug. 21): I have my next doctor’s appointment, and we always listen to Julia’s heartbeat, AND Jake comes home!

Pregnancy: A Grapefruit-sized little Girl

How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +15 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes. I need some new maternity pants though. These ones are starting to feel kind of tight. 
Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones (Apparently, lotioning up every day is working…for now)
Sleep: Five to six hours, but I just got a body pillow, so hopefully my number of sleeping hours will go up.
Best Moment this week: I had two: Thursday, I got to drive down to Utah and see a bunch of my cousins and aunts, and today (Saturday), I went over to Burley with my brother- and sister-in-law for a family reunion. All the kids that were little babies last time I saw them are running around and speaking in more or less complete sentences. Yesh! 
Miss anything: Jake
Movement: Oh yes. It feels like she’s doing summersaults in there. I’ve felt some definite kicks (or punches, I’m not 100% sure which). I think we may have quite the feisty little girl on our hands.
Food Cravings: Still hot fudge on vanilla ice cream; it’s actually kind of ridiculous how much I think about it.
Anything making you queasy or sick? My niece’s diapers…but they’d make a non-pregnant person a little queasy, so I don’t know that they count.
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I’m back in more-or-less happy mode. 
Looking forward to: Being able to put Jake’s hand on my stomach and have him feel her kick. Sorry everyone else, but no one gets to feel her until her daddy does. (It’s only fair. He helped make her after all.)

So, for those of you who don’t know, Jake has received a pretty cool opportunity to provide “opposing forces” for some marines in Utah. I don’t know how much I’m allowed to tell you (not that I know that much), but basically, the marines have some training that they have to do for new drills, and they need bad guys. Jake is getting paid to be a bad guy. He’s pretty stoked. They technically start tomorrow, but he left yesterday, so he could catch a ride down to Utah with his uncle.

On an unrelated note, here are some pictures from my fun with my cousins!

     

Pregnancy: Princess Papaya

How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +14 lbs (or more…still don’t own a scale)
Maternity clothes: Yes. There are still a few t-shirts that fit, but I’m quickly coming to the end of being able to wear those.
Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones (Apparently, lotioning up every day is working…for now)
Sleep: Five to six hours.
Best Moment this week: Meeting up with a friend and possibly finding a birth photographer (keep your fingers crossed!)
Miss anything: Sleeping through the night…still  
Movement: Definitely. It’s still hard to know for sure what is her and what is gas, but I know she is moving. :)
Food Cravings: Chocolate. Specifically, hot fudge on vanilla ice cream….which I think I’m going to go dish up for myself…
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing that didn’t make me queasy when I wasn’t pregnant.
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm still tending to be more moody.
Looking forward to: Feeling her kick, and knowing for sure that it was her.

And for those of you who are sick of all the pictures of me, here’s a picture of Jake:

Pregnancy: A Pretty Little Pomegranate

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +13 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes. I still have some non-maternity clothes that I fit, but that’s because that clothes was a bit big on me to start with.
Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones
Sleep: Less, much, much less than before. I think I’m getting around five to six hours a night, but it still feels like I'm awake, tossing and turning, all night.
Best Moment this week: We found out that (believe it or not) we are having a little girl! Jake and I were pretty shocked. We thought for sure we were having a boy, but this little girl proved us wrong. 
Miss anything: Sleeping through the night.  
Movement: I think so. At least, I'm pretty sure.
Food Cravings: I’m currently a see-food eater. If I watch a commercial for Olive Garden, I want Olive Garden. If I think (or see or smell) pizza, I want pizza. It’s kind of just everything all the time.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing that didn’t make me queasy when I wasn’t pregnant.
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm still tending to be more moody.
Looking forward to: Feeling her kick, and knowing for sure that it was her.

Pregnancy: Banana Baby

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +11 lbs at least. I haven't weighed myself lately. Someday we will get a scale...
Maternity clothes: I have some clothes now. I'm definitely away from the smaller end of my wardrobe.
Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones
Sleep: Less, much less than before. I must be getting at least seven to eight hours, but it doesn't feel like that. I feel like I'm awake, tossing and turning, all night.
Best Moment this week: I made, and finished, a count-down for the pregnancy (I added six extra rings that say "Any day now.")
Miss anything: Sleeping through the night.  
Movement: I think so. At least, I'm pretty sure.
Food Cravings: Artichokes, but maybe that's just because I've been thinking about them for ages.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing that didn’t make me queasy when I wasn’t pregnant.
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. My fingers feel fatter, but I’m really hoping that’s just psychological. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm tending to be more moody. I try to keep happy, but I'm pretty moody.
Looking forward to: Thursday!! We find out what Baby Contor's name will be. :)

Pregnancy: 133 days

How far along? 19 weeks (Mango-sized baby)

Total weight gain/loss: +11 lbs

Maternity clothes: I seriously need to go shopping. My wardrobe is slowly shrinking (and it’s because I’m slowly growing). 

Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones

Sleep: I think I’m actually sleeping more. I go to bed usually around 22:30ish, and I don’t get out of bed until around 08:30. That’s almost ten hours of sleep (I say almost because I usually wake up to eat or pee…usually both).

Best Moment this week:  Jake hugging me and telling me he’s excited for the day when he can feel the baby kick. :)  (I also got some hand-me-down maternity shirts! I’m pretty stoked about them.)

Miss anything: Sleeping on my stomach; everyone warned me this day would come, and here it is.  

Movement: Sometimes I’m sure it’s the baby; other times, I’m pretty sure it could be the baby, or it could be gas. Who knows?

Food Cravings: Still milk duds, and chocolate in general. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing that didn’t make me queasy when I wasn’t pregnant.

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. My fingers feel fatter, but I’m really hoping that’s just psychological. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly still happy, but occasionally I get moody (I’m noticing the moody more now. I don’t think I’m moodier than before, just that I’m more aware of it.)

Looking forward to: Finding out if we’re buying blue bow ties or pink tu-tus. :) We find out July 24th!! (Jake says no tu-tus, and I say “What’s the point of having a girl if there are no tu-tus?”)

18 week questionnaire & some thoughts on becoming a mom

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +10 lbs

Maternity clothes: Still just maternity pants, but I think that’s mostly because the pants are the only maternity clothing I own.

Stretch marks: Still haven’t spotted any new ones

Sleep: Still about 6-7 hours. I even managed to figure out (or my body did) how to manage my water intake so I don’t have to get up every single night at 04:30 to go pee. Now it’s only every other night or so.

Best Moment this week:  I’d have to say that going to my WIC appointment was pretty fun. I learn new things every time I go, and I think that all the little hand-outs I get just makes it all feel more real. 

Miss anything: A non-aching back. Although, that could be due more to my poor posture and the added weight than actually being pregnant. I’m sure if I sat up straighter (like my mom has been telling me to do for years), it wouldn’t be as bad. 

Movement: I think so. I feel like I’m occasionally getting poked, but mostly I just feel something similar to cramps if I’m laying on a side that baby doesn’t particularly agree with.

Food Cravings: Not Olive Garden anymore! My wonderful husband took me there as a surprise. Now, it’s milk duds, well, just chocolate in general, but specifically milk duds.  

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing that didn’t make me queasy when I wasn’t pregnant.

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. My fingers feel fatter, but I’m really hoping that’s just psychological. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly still happy, but occasionally I get moody (I’m noticing the moody more now. I don’t think I’m moodier than before, just that I’m more aware of it.)

Looking forward to: Finding out if we’re buying blue bow ties or pink tu-tus. :) We find out July 24th!! (Jake says no tu-tus, and I said “What’s the point of having a girl if there are no tu-tus?”)

 

I’m in an interesting stage. To many people, I’m not technically a mom yet. I mean, I don’t have a child that I have to feed all the time and change its diapers and so on and so forth, but I feel like a mom. I mean, I feel like a mom a little bit already. I’m already experiencing some of that parenting guilt—especially when I eat something I probably shouldn’t be eating (nothing harmful, don’t worry. I just mean eating junk verses eating good, healthy food). I’m already hearing about how the doctors say I should do this thing this way, and then, someone will ask how my appointment went, and I’ll tell them. Then it starts, “Well, that’s not how I did it…” “Are you sure that’s what he said? Because when I was pregnant…” I know they’re trying to help, but sometimes it’d be nice not to receive advice unless I asked for it; I guess that’s just part of being pregnant.

I think it’s interesting how being pregnant helps prepare moms for becoming moms. I mean, at least, I think it does. Like I said, this is an interesting stage. I’m a mom, but I’m not a mom. I feel like a mom because I do have a child. Can you see (probably) him? Can you hold (probably) him? No, not yet. But I feel (probably) him. I’m aware of (probably) his existence. There is a little person inside of me who depends on me to make healthy choices for (probably) him. I feel like having a cat has kind of prepared me. When I say this, I mean it in the sense that I went from having no one to care about other than myself to having a small, more or less helpless creature depend on me for her survival. If I don’t feed Guinevere, she doesn’t eat. If I’m not aware of the small objects I leave laying around, she could eat one and die. If I don’t pay attention to her and recognize signs that something may be amiss in her health and take her to the vet to address these issues, she could die, or worse, she could be living in pain for a very long time. Gwen doesn’t prepare me for a lot of things, like dealing with stares of annoyed people as my kid cries in a restaurant, or being aware for hours on end as I try to soothe my colicky baby and as (probably) he shows us what a healthy set of lungs he was blessed with. Having Gwen doesn’t prepare me for raising a child. Sure, I have to teach Gwen not to scratch the furniture or pee on the carpet (which the girl has never done in her life), but at the end of the day, she’s only going to live in my house. She’s only going to interact with my family and the family and friends we have over. She isn’t going to have to go out into the world and be a productive citizen. I think that’s the part I’m most scared about (in regards to pregnancy; in regards to labor, I have a whole long list): making sure my child doesn’t end up a psychopath, brat, or bum. I know those aren’t the only options, but the fact that those are even options kind of scares me.

I know that as long as Jake and I are a united front and that we parent our children like our Heavenly Father parents us, we can’t go too wrong.

Pregnancy: Pear-fectly wonderful

So, we were at a family reunion and failed to take a 17 week picture…but I promise I don’t look that different from last week (at least, I don’t think so). Instead, I decided to post a picture of the baby…well, a fruit the size of the baby. :) (Picture via Parents.com)

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +9 lbs

Maternity clothes: Still just maternity pants, but I’ve also been noticing the need to switch to bigger t-shirts…and bras. Seriously, bras.

Stretch marks: I still haven’t spotted any new ones

Sleep: Still about 6-7 hours. Even if I don’t get the 6 to 7 hours through the night, I usually get a 1-2 hour nap sometime during the day.

Best Moment this week:  I’m pretty sure I felt some movement. I talked to my sister-in-law, who is pregnant with baby #2, and explained what I was feeling and she said that was baby movement. So far, it just feels like I’m getting poked from the inside. It’s only once in a while, but it’s pretty exciting. 

Miss anything: Walking up stairs without my knee hurting. It’s been killing me since Friday, but it should be done soon…hopefully.

Movement: See Best Moment! 

Food Cravings: Still Olive Garden. The closest one to us is 45 minutes away. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing any more.

Labor signs: Not a one.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Same as last week: On, although my fingers feel pudgy at the end and beginning of my day. During they day, I’m fine.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly still happy.

Looking forward to: Finding out if we buying blue bow ties or pink tu-tus. :) We found out July 24th!!

Pregnancy: An Avocado-sized Baby

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +9 lbs

Maternity clothes: I’m still just on maternity pants, but I think my next bit of “fun” money may go to getting me some more comfortable bras. Seriously. Boobs have become the bane of my existence.

Stretch marks: I haven’t seen any new ones. I’ve been using cocoa butter lotion on my whole body, so hopefully stretch marks won’t be too much of a problem.

Sleep: Still about 6-7 hours. Even if I don’t get the 6 to 7 hours through the night, I usually get a 1-2 hour nap sometime during the day.

Best Moment this week:  Jake and I went to the doctor’s, and we heard the heartbeat again.

Miss anything: This might sound vain, but my legs. I’ve always had good looking legs (at least, I thought so. I considered it one of my good features) and now they look like old lady legs. Alas, the price we pay for our children. ;)

Movement: I think I might have felt movement, but I haven’t had anything definitive yet. It felt like it could have been movement, or it could have been a stomach spasm.

Food Cravings: Olive Garden bread sticks. Olive Garden in general.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Smells. Anything strong. Brushing my tongue makes me gag, but that’s true of when I’m not pregnant. My gag reflex is just more sensitive these days. 

Labor signs: Nope, just the same growing pains as before.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Same as last week: On, although my fingers feel pudgy at the end and beginning of my day. During they day, I’m fine.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly still happy.

Looking forward to: Finding out if we buying blue bow ties or pink tu-tus. :)

Pregnancy: A little questionnaire and another picture

One of my friends filled this out throughout her pregnancy. I’ve been meaning to start this, better late than never, as they say. :)

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: At least 5 pounds, but I don’t own a scale, so I can’t say for sure. We’re buying one soon. ;)

Maternity clothes: So far, just pants—well, they’re not technically pants, they’re actually more like capris. Anyway, they have a stretchy band, and my mid-section fully appreciates it. My tshirts are starting to feel tighter, and some of my gs are starting to feel uncomfortably tight.

Stretch marks: Only on my legs, the inside of my thigh, but those might have been there before. I did notice one on my upper thigh when I went swimming the other day.

Sleep: 6-7 hours. I usually wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning to pee, and then I go back to bed. I’m still able to sleep on my stomach—I’ve been told to take advantage of that while I can.

Best Moment this week: I had a dream that I had had the baby, and it was a boy. He was super cute and smiling. I’m pretty sure we’re having a boy; in fact, if we have a girl, I will be incredibly surprised.

Miss anything: Looking good in a swimsuit. I mean, I wasn’t a swimsuit model before, but I was pretty confident. I feel like a whale now. A big, purple whale (and it’s only 15 weeks!!).

Movement: None so far.

Food Cravings: I jump between ice cream and potatoes, but not both together, at least, not yet.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Dishes. Well, old dishes with squishy food or smells—I’m getting kind of queasy just thinking about it.

Labor signs: No. I have pains, but I’ve been told that they’re normal. Apparently, they’re essentially growing pains.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On, although my fingers feel pudgy at the end and beginning of my day. During they day, I’m fine.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, mostly.

Looking forward to: Hearing the baby’s heartbeat at the next appointment

We’re Adding to the Adventure

I know it’s been ages since I posted anything on here. I’ll get better; I promise. It’s hard to blog consistently when you don’t have internet access, but that’s really just an excuse. Let me move on to the why of this post.

This blog is called Danica and Jake’s Many Adventures, right? Well, come the beginning of December, we’ll have one more little adventurer who will be joining us. I’ve been meaning to post this news since Mother’s Day (when we told the whole world).

The idea of being a mom scares the living soul out of me, but it also excites me, but I’ll write more about that later. Below are a few pictures. I decided to start those pregnancy pictures at 12 weeks. So far, I don’t think I look pregnant; I just look like I’ve been hitting the cookies and ice cream too hard.

Don’t mind my cat’s photobomb in my 12 week picture; she’s just curious about what I’m doing.