Week 22 Wrap Up

No chalkboard again because we're in Atlanta for Thanksgiving break. Still wanted to stick with taking my pictures on the Monday (or last day) of my pregnancy week. So in case you haven't picked up on it yet, all of my pictures have been on __ weeks 6 days. I start a new week every Tuesday :)

How far along? Finishing up 22 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Papaya, spaghetti squash, or in my picture a can of sugar. The big size milestone this week is that Charlie weighs a whole pound. So... I thought a 1lb can of sugar that's about the same length should work for the picture. Mom wouldn't have used a papaya or spaghetti squash, and neither would I.

Total weight gain/loss: Down .6 for a total of 17.2lbs. But according to my doctor I've gained 2lbs since my last visit. As long as she thinks so and is happy ;) I have a feeling that it has something to do with me always weighing first thing in the morning and her weighing in the afternoons after work. Whatever!

Symptoms: The usual this week. The only knew thing is that I've been a total clutz! I can't keep my balance to save my life!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Belly Button in or out? In, but my surgery scar is poking out of it now!

Sleep: Very well! 

Food cravings: Cinnamon rolls. All week I was dying to get the cinnamon rolls from CiCi's Pizza and was so thrilled when JD showed up with them at work on Friday :) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! 

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. 

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: AGAIN with the Grey's Anatomy tears! I seriously just might need to stop watching for a few months! Overall I would say I was pretty happy this week though.

Workouts:  Just a Tuesday and Thursday workout this week. They were pretty standard and nothing too terribly different or exciting. Saturday's workout consisted of being on my feet and walking around shopping all day!

The Bump:  40ish inches

Have you started to show yet?: Absolutely, although more people have been commenting on me looking itty bitty again. At least I know that Charlie is right on track and I have nothing to worry about this time.

Stretch marks? No new ones, just the same two. 

Maternity Clothes? Y'all. I might never wear regular pants again. I bought my first pair of maternity jeans this week. LOVE THEM!!! My big shipment of stuff from Old Navy came in as well so I'm pleased to have some more options.

Gender: BOY! Thankfully I found lots of cute new clothes this week and it's made me feel much more excited. I'm definitely getting more and more excited every day about a little boy. Some days I still freak out, but I know God has big plans for this little family :) 

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie

Labor Signs: Yeah right

Movement: YES! He moves and moves and moves! I definitely can tell when he's awake or not, and I think he wakes up depending on what I'm doing/eating. I learned a new trick... If you lay back in a recliner or on the sofa and then put the remote or your phone on your belly then you can see every movement he makes. I can sit there and watch that remote bob around for hours! 

Best moment this week: JD FINALLY felt Charlie move! I've been trying to get him to feel my belly for weeks and he was apprehensive. He was having a hard time determining if he was really feeling Charlie or if it was just my pulse. This morning Charlie was really kicking so I convinced JD to give it a shot and try to feel. I didn't tell JD when I was feeling Charlie that way if JD said he felt something it would really be him feeling it and not just me making him think he was. It didn't take very long before JD's eyes got really big and he felt a good swift kick! He got the biggest smile on his face and said, "He's going to be a soccer player!!" Melts my heart to see him already loving his baby boy :)

Looking forward to: In 2 weeks we have a level 2 ultrasound based on some family heart history. We asked our doctor if there was any way we could schedule another ultrasound before the end of the year in order to use up our remaining HRA credit dollars. Since we had originally decided not to do the level 2 / fetal echo she brought it up again. I'm not at all worried about what we will find since we've had no symptoms or cause for concern so far, but I am SO excited to get to spend an hour seeing my little wiggle worm on the screen!

Week 21 Wrap Up

So... last week we did a banana because one website said banana. We didn't buy a pomegranate because I'm tired of buying stuff just for a picture. We were sure that we had carrots in the fridge... until we didn't. So I scrambled to find something 10.5 inches long. Spaghetti noodles it is! HA!

How far along? Finishing up 21 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Length of a carrot or banana, or the size of a pomegranate. I wish all of these websites would just get on the same page! Regardless, I can't believe that he supposedly grew almost 4 inches this week! Last week he was just 6.5 inches and this week he's 10.5. WHAT?!

Total weight gain/loss: UP 1 lb. YAY! Total loss = 16.6lbs I'm guessing those 4 inches helped contribute ;) 

Symptoms: The usual this week. Nothing really new. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Belly Button in or out? In, but not as deep! It's a little more shallow every week!

Sleep: Aside from waking up all the time to pee I slept well. My arms didn't go numb anymore and despite waking up on my back several times I didn't have terrible headaches. I was very sleepy all week though (growth spurt? daylight savings?) and in bed before 930/10 most nights. 

Food cravings: I woke up one morning really wanting cinnamon rolls, and I still have cider or hot chocolate almost every night. I'm definitely past my big sweets craving stage though. I can't remember when I last had a Chick Fil A milkshake or ice cream. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Maybe a few strong smells here and there but nothing major. 

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Not having heartburn. 

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Pretty happy for the most part. Although there were some big cries thrown in the mix. Grey's Anatomy is really doing a number on me these days since Arizona is doing so much prenatal surgery stuff. Sick babies. Gets me every time. I also got really upset during a preview for the new MLK movie called Selma. Nobody is born a racist. They are taught to hate. I will NOT allow my child to think its acceptable to treat another child of God any differently because of any distinguishing features. Period. *end soapbox*

Workouts:  Really well. My lower back hasn't bothered me all week, and Billy was pleased to hear it held up at Disney for 14 hours with only some mild soreness at the end of the day. We continued to target that area but also did a lot of upper back/shoulder work as well. I'm really enjoying doing my body weight squats. My legs have always seemed to bounce back into shape fairly quickly so I'm looking forward to doing more with them. We also added 20 total extra pounds to the sled for my sideways pulls!

The Bump:  40ish inches

Have you started to show yet?: Totally. Funny conversation with a student on the playground this week....

Student: Mrs. Dillard, do you ever want kids?

Me: Of course, sweetie! Haven't you heard there's a baby in my belly right now?

Student: No! You don't look like you have a baby in there! I thought you were supposed to have a big belly!

Me: He's still growing right now so it will get bigger. It will probably be pretty big when we come back after Christmas. 

Student: Then you'll look like Santa Claus with a great big belly!!!

Oh those kids ;)

Stretch marks? I've been denying it for a while now but this week I've come to terms with the fact that yes, I do in fact have two little ones on my chest. It happens. 

Maternity Clothes? Off and on. I'm still in my regular jeans but have to rubber band everything else. Shirts are hit and miss these days. Most dresses still work. I ordered 8 new things from Old Navy this week for a grand total of $90. Ready for that to come in for sure!

Gender: Boy, oh boy! Yup. The clothes struggle is real. Too many cute little Christmas dresses out these days. I worry that dressing him like I want is not going to work with a Dave Ramsey lifestyle. 

Any Names Picked Out Yet: My little Charlie :)

Labor Signs: Yeah right

Movement: So much!! SUCH a weird concept. I only ever feel him in one spot though which is weird. I thought it would be more of an all over thing? Maybe as he gets bigger? I've gotten used to my little nudges by now, but he still makes me jump every now and then when they're bigger or out of the blue. JD thinks he might have felt him move but wasn't convinced, so he didn't get too excited. 

Best moment this week: A much needed girls' day with my friend Allison. Shopping at fall festivals. Chicken Salad Chick for lunch. Pedicures. And just a lot of catching up to do :)

JD and I did go ahead and order my chair. I'm so in love with it! I took several people's advice and made my chair my splurge item for the nursery. It's a good fit size wise for both me and JD, and it is something we can use for many, many years to come. Unfortunately since we ordered right around the holidays we were told not to expect the standard 4-6 weeks for delivery but rather closer to 8. It might come in earlier, but I'm not anticipating it until January. The rest of my nursery will be finished by then (YAY!!!!) so all I will have to do is move the chair right in :)

We went with the Bilana swivel glider recliner from the Best Storytime Series. Ours is a pretty navy blue that we can use for another boy, in a navy/pink little girl's room, or even a future living room set :)

Looking forward to: JD being able to feel Charlie kick from the outside :) Shopping in Atlanta this weekend! BuyBuyBaby! Babies R Us! Actual options instead of just the few stores we have here! Hearing his heartbeat again at Thursday's 22 Week appointment :)

Week 20 Wrap Up

 No chalkboard this week! I decided that I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to get my 20 week picture at Disney World! The red button was for mine and JD's 2nd Anniversary. It's so fun having the cast members and random people in the park wishing you a happy anniversary all day. The yellow button on my belly was a 1st Visit button for baby Charlie :)

How far along? Finishing up 20 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Banana

Total weight gain/loss: UP .8lbs. YAY! If you look at my graph on My Fitness Pal it's pretty obvious that I've plateaued at this point. Oh well! Total loss = 17.6lbs I eat like a dadgum cow these days. I take a lunch box full of snacks with me to work each day and eat on it in addition to my regular lunch. For example, today at lunch I had chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, green beans, a fruit cup, and a chocolate cup cake. After lunch I ate a cup of yogurt, a cheese stick, and a cup of applesauce. The picture below is the rest of what I packed for snacks after already eating what I did. I never make it through the whole lunch box (thank goodness), but I like to give myself options ;) NOBODY can say that I'm not eating enough!

 

Symptoms: Heartburn! Ugh. My prescription ran out so I had to get it refilled and even being off of it a few days really messes with me. Emotional as mess. ZERO lung capacity (Thank God for Albuterol and Dulera). Peeing all the time. You know, the usual stuff.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Belly Button in or out? In, but not as deep! It's a little more shallow every week!

Sleep: Pretty good...once I started sleeping with 5 pillows again. My arms have started going numb when I sleep on my side which makes me roll onto my back (no matter how many pillows I sleep with). Then when I wake up on my back I have a major headache from the reduced blood flow and such I guess. I miss sleeping on my belly SO MUCH. Ugh it's the only way I'm comfortable. :(

Food cravings: Caramel Apple suckers, apple cider, and hot chocolate. Maybe those aren't pregnancy cravings so much as they are just my fall staples. The cooler weather has finally made it feel like fall in Valdosta!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Oddly enough I got SO sick on Saturday morning! NOT the morning that I really wanted to be hugging the toilet. I was going to Disney World! Nothing was going to keep me from it! Honestly I think I just let myself get too hungry. We ate around 6pm the night before and I didn't eat much because I wasn't hungry at the time. I went to bed hungry and woke up famished. I just have to remember to keep eating something every little bit. As long as I do that I'm never nauseous.

Miss anything? I'm sure I did, but I can't think of it right now. Oh yeah, I just said sleeping on my tummy. So there's that. OH! And I'm a fan of all of those Bud Ligh -ritas. My favorite is the Mango-rita, but I've noticed that they came out with an Apple-rita. This chick doesn't care for anything pumpkin but I'll eat/drink anything apple flavored. So yeah, I'm the preggo that's missing be able to drink right now. I'm sure that sounds awful.... No shame.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: SO emotional. TOTAL breakdown at work. Cried the whole Disney trip because "JD! Wishes really do come true if you just believe!!!!" and that new Garth Brooks song. DANG. I cried over TV shows. I cried over stories on the radio. I cried over Facebook. You name it I probably cried about it this week. 

Workouts:  Good stuff. Tuesday I hit the 20 week mark and did my hardest workout yet! Body weight squats, and new kind of shoulder press, modified step out burpees with a step up combo, two handed rows, and time on the elliptical. I felt AMAZING afterwards and was so proud of myself! Thursday Billy was gone so I made my own workout combination up of some of my more standard moves. Saturday we were in Disney and didn't workout, but I did carry my book bag the whole time and an average day in Disney usually = about 6 miles of walking. I'll call that a workout any day :)

The Bump:  40ish inches

Have you started to show yet?: Um do you see that picture of me at Disney??? Charlie is making his presence very well known!

Stretch marks? No stretch marks, but the veins are certainly showing up more and more. Road maps I tell you. Road maps.

Maternity Clothes? Still haven't gotten anything new. I need to hunt down a nice dress to be able to wear to The Fox over Thanksgiving break. I'll probably order some more stuff this week too. I'm still accepting any donations that friends might have ;)

Gender: Boy, oh boy! I'm still having a hard time getting excited about boys clothes. Like, a REALLY hard time. T-shirts and gym shorts all the time is NOT ok with me. Ugh it was so disappointing seeing the extremely limited selection for little boys compared to little girls at both Disney World and BuyBuyBaby. Y'all need to help me get excited here...........

Any Names Picked Out Yet: My little Charlie :) We still call him Charles or Charles David half the time, but Charlie it is.

Labor Signs: Yeah right

Movement: Oh. My. Goodness. This might be up there for best moment of the week. He is moving SO much. Like HELLO CHARLIE! He has finally woken up and is quite the wiggle worm! It made my hart so happy to feel him while we were at Disney. He kept giving me nudges while we were eating at Be Our Guest and all through the fireworks. I've come to expect to feel him at certain times of the day too. I also thought it was hilarious that whenever I would sit a certain way in the car he would start nudging me. JD says he thinks it's because I was squishing Charlie and he was just letting me know he didn't appreciate it very much :) I also think JD might have been just a little jealous of me feeling him! I would tell him whenever he was moving and he just seemed like he wanted that "connection" too.

Best moment this week: Best moment for me?? Disney. Hands down. Getting to share that special day with JD was so special. I absolutely loved it and it was one of my best Disney days ever. We never waited in a line for more than 40 minutes and that was without a FastPass! 

My best moment for my little family/pregnancy was finally deciding on and buying a crib. I know JD was not thrilled to come straight home from Disney and run to the store to buy it. He was even less excited about having to set it up that night. But it was fun to work on it together and see him get excited and involved. I think we rearranged the nursery about 8 times trying to decide on layout and furniture placement and such, but we finally got it how I want it. Now to just get my chair ordered and set it up! 

That was a pretty great moment too... We went to BuyBuyBaby while in Orlando and after sitting in at least 15 chairs I finally picked the one that I want :)

Looking forward to: JD being able to feel Charlie kick from the outside :)

Week 19 Wrap Up

I couldn't resist making a pumpkin belly shirt! The timing of this pregnancy was just too perfect not to!

How far along? Finishing up 19 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Mango

Total weight gain/loss: Down 1.4 for a total of -18.4. I've decided not to stress over the weight so much. It fluctuates as much as 2-3lbs a day, or even in the same day! I'm eating like a pig because I'm always SO hungry now, so maybe Charlie is just using all my calories up for me.

Symptoms: HUNGRY and once again SO tired! Lower back has been tight off and on. P Brain.

Wedding rings on or off? On and spinning

Belly Button in or out? In, but not as deep! It's a little more shallow every week!

Sleep: I've been sleeping a lot better actually!

Food cravings: Hmmmmm.... Nothing in particular that I really remember!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really this week :) The second trimester is SO much nicer!

Miss anything? This week I really missed my mom and dad. They were in the mountains with super sketchy cell service so I didn't get to talk to them very much. Some days Mom and I didn't even text! I hated it.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Happy! I've been in a pretty good mood all week overall!

Workouts:  Tuesday we started changing things up (finally!). I told Billy I was getting bored with some of my workouts and felt like I had plateaued. Basically I wanted to keep working the same super beneficial muscle groups but by doing different exercises and challenging myself. Thursday my lower back was KILLING me so we did a completely new routine that included a lot of stretching between each move. It was my longest workout yet and took over an hour and a half. This workout also massively targeted my glutes, which while I was glad to work that area, I was SO sore the next day! Saturday it was only about 40 degrees when we got out to the shed and, long story short, my crappy lungs gave up on me. After a few puffs on my rescue inhaler I was good to go and able to finish.

The Bump:  40ish inches

Have you started to show yet?: Definitely.

Stretch marks? Not yet. Still trying to fend them off no matter how inevitable they might be!

Maternity Clothes? I've been looking at some more. I can't wear any of my pants without doing the rubber band trick. If anyone in Valdosta has some clothes they would like to let me borrow I promise to take good care of them and return each and every piece. Just remember that I am 5'9" :)

Gender: Charlie is a sweet little boy. I'm getting more excited about having a little boy every day. There are some things that have me really excited, but others make me nervous! Being a potential football mom in South Georgia? Yikes! "Boys will be boys"? Yikes! Mud and bugs and mess? Yikes! But then I remember that I get to have a mother son dance at his wedding, that I'll have a little hero around who wants nothing more than to help and protect me, and that I get to watch JD teach him not only what it means to be a little man, but also a man of God. Yup. Those things help me be more excited about having a boy :)

Names: Charles David, but calling him Charlie :) So many people have told me how much they like the name and several have said that it's a "good strong name." Makes my heart smile!

Labor Signs: Yeah right

Movement: Y'all. I felt "popping" and "flutters" this week like you've all been describing. They felt DISTINCTLY different than all of the other things I've felt. Everything before felt more like a tugging or pulling on a rubber band and quite frankly hurt/was uncomfortable. These weren't. They were.... Different. JD says he thinks the pulling feeling was probably just my body growing, which I've thought before too. But not this. Was THAT my baby?!

Best moment this week: Picking out bedding for the nursery and then finding it on eBay for over $100 cheaper than buying it in the store!!! I fell in love with a set from Pottery Barn Kids which never has been, and probably never will be, in my budget. I tried looking around online but the only other place that had something similar was Carousel Designs, which was still way out of my budget. I was devastated. I mean come on y'all. $180 for curtains??? NOT happening! Enter good old trusty eBay :) I got my whole crib set (minus bumpers. No bumpers here!) for a fantastic price! Now to track down some curtains....

JD also got bit by the nesting bug and already rearranged all of the furniture to combine the office/guest bedroom and rearranged the furniture in what is now officially the nursery. It looks so empty without a crib! Picking a crib has felt like picking a wedding dress! I've found hundreds online but keep falling in love with ones I can't afford! SO stressful!

 Baby Charlie's super adorable and just preppy enough bedding :)

 Current crib crush :)

Looking forward to: Finally picking out and ordering a crib... But I'm more excited about GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! We leave Friday afternoon, are staying in the Hilton thanks to some amazing online deals, and spending the WHOLE DAY Saturday at the Magic Kingdom before heading back on Sunday. Happy 2 year anniversary to us!! And it means I get to see Momma and Daddy since they are coming down to keep our dogs. Seeing them is always a plus :)