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.

So, November Happened and We're Moving On to December!!

There are a TON of pictures in this post, so considered yourself warned. Each picture has details of what exactly it is. I thought it'd be easier than writing a HUGE thing and then having you look at all of the pictures anyway. :)

I made this! And it's interchangeable. The burlap wreath was super easy to make (I went to a super-Saturday-crafty-day with my hanai [adopted] sister-in-law). I'll put up a picture of the changes I made for Christmas.

This is my submission! My book submission. That's right; I've submitted my book for publication--I'll let you know in 6 months if they want it or not.

I LOVE the Elf on a Shelf Idea, but I don't have the money for an Elf, and they tend to be kind of creepy. So, I made my own. She is still without a name, poor girl. We'll come up with something I'm sure.

Here's Guinevere making out with Ken....oh wait...

Nevermind. She's trying to eat him.

 Thanksgiving:

Gwen spent a lot of time watching the birdies.

I made pies!

Two pies. A Pecan and...

A Chocolate Haupia Pie. Here, I'm mixing the coconut milk, cow milk and sugar with my left hand, and cornstarch and water with my right.

My aunt is going to kill me for putting this picture up, but this is what happened.

Here is Deborah and my aunt preparing for Thanksgiving dinner.

Hi, Grandma! She's making pan [bread]! Oh, how I love my grandmother's bread.

 Black Friday:

Jake and I went and saw one of my best buds, and she had her nephew with her.

Can you find the hidden nephew? He wanted to see the big trucks, but Nelli and I wanted to find somewhere to eat, so Jake volunteered to take him over to see the trucks.

 On the last day of November, my true love gave to me...

A little hanai niece to watch while her parents went on a well-deserved date. Here is Abi. If we're honest, we didn't have to watch her very much. The cat did a pretty good job of keeping her entertained. :) 

You can almost see Gwen thinking "Oh crap! She can get me under here after all!"

Oh this is priceless. This is basically how the whole thing went:
"No, Abi. Be soft. Guinevere, be nice!"

Gwen thought she'd seek refuge in her little house. She was wrong.

Is the kitty in the bathtub? No....

Look, everyone is playing nice.

Abi: "I could have sworn she was right here a second ago!"

Peek-a-boo!

"Gwen seems to like it in here; I think I'll try it."

Abi didn't understand the whole throw-the-ball-so-the-kitty-can-go-and-chase-it thing. She just kept handing Gwen the ball.

 We're finally in DECEMBER!!!

Here's Jake doing the lights. Gwen was so nice. She only sniffed the lights. The naughty came later.

At the same super-Saturday-crafty-day, I made this cute sign. The wooden beads are our "cranberries" for our tree. I love them.

Adding some final touches... and...

Add the star...

Go on, you stupid star!!

We decided to bring the snow inside. :)

Here are the rest of the Christmas decorations I have...

 On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....

One very naughty kitty cat.

Anyway, so that's what we've been up to. :) I'll be better about blogging....I promise.