20 Weeks

This week: 20 weeks and I officially feel pregnant! Woo hoo!

Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs - I gained a whopping 5 lbs since my last appointment just 3 short weeks ago. From now on, I'm supposed to gain a pound a week.

Sleep: Usually pretty good as long as I can get comfortable laying on my left side. I am sooo not a side sleeper.

Best moment of the week: We found out it was a boy yesterday! And we got to watch him move all around on the ultrasound. He's currently 11 ounces and so far, appears to be a spitting image of his father.

Movement: He's an active little guy! I love feeling him and now I know, for the time being anyway, what I'm feeling. He's currently in a breach position so the movements I'm feeling are his feet since I always feel (oh hi little guy! He just kicked!) the movements at the lower part of my belly.

Food cravings: The Napoleon dessert from Alpine Inn!!! That is one of the first places I'm going to eat at when I get to Rapid City in May!

Gender: Boy!!

What I miss: Just all the same things still, especially hot dogs.

What I am looking forward to: My first shower next week! And DJ gets to come too! It's going to be a combined baby shower/going away party hosted by DJ's work friends. I can't believe they want to do that for us and I'm so honored! (I think honored is the right word; it was just so unexpected!)

Weekly wisdom: I can't think of anything in particular that I've been told lately but I know I could use some wisdom to pick out the name for our little boy! It's a daunting task!

Milestones: They will now measure me at my appointments to see if my uterus is growing at the right rate and staying on track for my current due date of September 7. I measured at exactly 20 weeks yesterday so, so far so good! I already mentioned that our little dude is 11 ounces which they were able to determine by the size of his organs in the ultrasound yesterday and according to babycenter.com, he's the size of a banana or roughly 10 inches from head to foot. They also told us from looking at the ultrasound pictures that he has very healthy organs, a full upper lip (thank you DJ!), shorter legs (as compared to the rest of his body I suppose), and a flirty personality. Ok they didn't say the last part, but I certainly think he may be a bit of a flirt. He was putting on a show for us during the ultrasound - yawning, waving and flapping his arms, kicking his feet like a little soccer player and just being cute in general!

His little foot

I find this picture hilarious because he is yawning, which is so cute, but the picture looks like he is either scared or trying to be scary. His eyes and mouth are WIDE open.

You can see his cheeks and chin in this picture. They are taken straight from his father's face.

And this is a fantastic view of his boy parts which I was hoping for. Or rather I was hoping for a good view and that he wouldn't have his little legs crossed. Good job little dude!

We love you!

A Non-Traditional Easter

Last weekend, we celebrated Easter a little differently than we normally have in the past. It was perfect though. Instead of spending it with family, which would have been impossible, we decided to take advantage of the summer-like weather that we've been having and head into the mountains. After we went to an early church service, we hurried home and got everything together. I had made deviled eggs and a fruit salad the day before to take along and we also had some ham sandwiches, pasta salad, chips and pretzels to add to the mix. So our meal still had an Easter vibe but just served a non-typical way.

We picked up Cody along the way and headed to the Smokies by way of Gatlinburg. It was in the mid-80s and we weren't the only ones that had the idea of a non-traditional Easter. There were hundreds of people at the picnic area that we found in the Smokies and hundreds more that were roaming the streets of Gatlinburg. But it didn't seem crowded at our picnic. The area was perfect sitting next to the river that passes through the national park and the water drowned out all the noise of the people. We ate some food, played some cards, took a walk, experimented with the new camera and got plenty of sun. It was a great way to spend a day that celebrates new life and our risen Savior.







The following pictures were all taken by DJ. He is loving the new camera and I am loving the fact that we may have found an activity that we can enjoy together!






Stinkerbutt, as we so lovingly call our dog, got to come too.




Of course I had to get some pictures of the magnolia tree. I've never seen such a tree! It's so gorgeous with its giant flower blooms. And the peach trees and dogwood trees (didn't get a picture of the dogwoods yet), are also in full bloom. I love this time of year!

18 Weeks

This week: 18 weeks - I'm still not wearing maternity clothes but a nice pair of stretchy work pants are going to be my next purchase! I can no longer button any of my pants at all. And some I can't even zip!
Total weight gain/loss: I'm not sure if it's changed since last week - our scale needs new batteries.
Sleep: Good
Best moment of the week: I felt the baby move for the first time! It was truly unlike anything I have ever felt and I wouldn't describe it the same way as I've heard other people describe it. It doesn't really feel like a flutter or bubbles or anything like that. It just feels like I'm being jabbed from the inside - gentle jabs - but definitely distinct jabbing.
Movement: Since I felt the baby move on Monday, I have felt him (her) pretty consistently - I love it! It's nice to know something really is in there!
Food cravings: I have had a growing aversion to meat. I'll eat it but I don't want it all the time. Since it has been so warm here, I have just been craving summery, light, fresh foods like cold pasta salads and fresh fruit.
Gender: Two more weeks until we find out! I'm still convinced it's a boy and will be very surprised if it is, in fact, a muchacha.
What I miss: Hot dogs
What I am looking forward to: Having a baby to dress up in cute summery clothes and honestly, I am looking forward to having a little person to take care of. I may bite my tongue later but I really think I will enjoy being a mom and everything that goes with being a mom, including being depended on and needed.
Weekly wisdom: I finally told my boss the big news and he was very supportive and congratulatory. In an attempt to be as open and flexible as possible, I stated that I wouldn't have to take much maternity leave if I was working from home (the plan, if I am able to relocate with my job to Wyoming, where there is no KPMG office). Given the nature of my job, I feel like it will be doable for me to take care of the baby and do my work productively at the same time. My boss told me that pregnancies don't always go as planned and would like to come up with a contingency plan in the case that I actually do need more time. He and his wife have had 5 or 6 kids so he told me that once you get to the 4th, 5th or 6th kid (oh, please no!), you may kind of know what to expect but with the first, it's all a mystery. I thought that was very thoughtful of him to consider and prudent of course since I am the only one that currently performs the work that I do. He's covering his bases too but it was good advice and helpful to know that he is supportive!
Milestones: Squirt is a bell pepper this week. He weighs about 7 ounces and is 5.5 inches long. He's also a little elfish right now since, although his ears are in their righful place by now, they still stick out a little. And he's working away, flexing those arms and legs! As for me, my cardiovascular system is undergoing some major changes and I have felt the result - I definitely get more dizzy and am noticing that I have to move slower when I stand up.

Baker's Special - Raspberry Chocolate Cake

I never got around to blogging about it at the time, but we celebrated DJ's birthday last month. DJ and I decided to alternate years for celebrating each other's birthdays in extra special ways and since last year, it was DJ's turn for "extra special", this year, we celebrated on a smaller scale. But of course it still had to be special.

Since I know DJ loves chocolate combined with either cherries or raspberries, I decided to make a raspberry chocolate cake. Only this was no ordinary cake. I decided to go all out and do everything from scratch, cake, frosting, everything. I found recipes all claiming to make the best EVER cake/frosting/ganache. I thought I couldn't possibly go wrong if I used the best of the best for everything. I started out with the moistest cake EVER. Each layer was separated with a homemade chocolate buttercream frosting with the very middle layer including a layer of juicy raspberries. I then iced the entire outside with a rich ganache and layered the top with additional juicy raspberries. It was heaven.

The whole process started out a little shaky though. First the cake didn't start getting made until about 6:00 pm. It then had to bake and cool. While baking, one pan of batter deciding to overflow in the oven, resulting in a slightly deflated cake. When the cakes were finally ready to frost,I whipped up a batch of the buttercream frosting, but it was not enough. So another batch had to be made. Thankfully I had enough ingredients. By this time it was nearing 9:30 or 10:00 pm. Surprisngly the ganache presented no problems whatsoever, and I was able to cover all flaws with a thick layer. After all was said and done, the flavor of everything combined was perfect and it made up for the long wait. I even have a witness who has stated that it is the best cake he has ever eaten. And it wasn't DJ.

Birds, flowers, buds, oh my!

In addition to taking every opportunity to bask in the sun since it decided to make its appearance these past few days, I also decided to capture some images of the evidence that spring has finally arrived here in the southeast! I'm as happy as a squirrel who just found his neighbor's stash of horded acorns! (How's that for a mental image??)







Can you spot the bird in this picture? Kinda hard to miss with its bright red-orange feathers!





The spring mission for Maia is to work off her "winter weight" as the vet so kindly put it.



This isn't exactly a sign of spring in these parts. The grass never turned brown this winter! But I do think it's looking even greener lately and it's actually growing which it did stop doing over the winter.

17 Weeks!

This week: 17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs! I'm on the right track since I'm not supposed to gain too much during the first part of the pregnancy. I'm sure the pounds will start packing on now though!
Sleep: Back to my normal, good sleeping habits although I am finding it a little harder to get comfortable. I may need to break out my preggers pillow soon!
Best moment of the week: Hearing the heartbeat again at my appointment and scheduling the ultrasound to find out whether our little squirt has boy parts or girl parts! Also I was very happy to find out that I would be able to get in one more appointment before we move off to the great state of Wyoming. I will get my blood sugar test done at that point to see if I have developed gestational diabetes.
Movement: Nothin' yet. The doctor said that I probably still have a good couple of weeks though before I'll start feeling anything.
Food cravings: A bagel sandwich, yummmm, I love bagels!
Gender: I've got a strong feeling it's a boy! Especially after my nurse told me that she thinks it's a boy too and she's only been wrong two times.
What I miss: Wine! I have totally been craving a good glass of wine lately or the experience of a wine tasting. That's such a fun spring/summer activity and one I will miss out on this year.
What I am looking forward to: Holding my baby and dressing it in the cutest clothes. If it's a boy, I have already decided he will be the best dressed little boy out there! Sweater vests and polos anyone?
Weekly wisdom: I have a friend who is pregnant with her second child and who really likes to give me pregnancy advice. She told me that in addition to making sure that I am being very careful to not pick up anything heavy, I may also want to abstain from vacuuming! I immediately checked with my doctor the next day at my appointment to see if that was a bit over the top and I was assured that I could continue my housework. I had to laugh though because there is a lot of crazy pregnancy advice out there and I have chosen to go with the more laidback approach and obviously refrain from doing anything that blatantly would harm "squirt" but not taking it over the top and sitting on my duff all day either. I just listen to my body and do as it tells me to. (And in defense for my friend who gave me the vacuuming advice, she has a very high risk pregnancy and the vacuuming advice was directed at her by her doctor and she was just making sure I knew about all the risks. I thought it was very sweet of her to make sure I was duly informed.)
Milestones: Apparently "squirt" is a turnip now. I didn't even know what a turnip looked like and had always thought they were quite small. I was a little worried at first that the baby had started shrinking but then DJ properly informed me that it was about the size of an onion so I guess "squirt" is still growing. *phew* For those visual people...

16 Weeks!

This week: 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I will let you know after my appointment next week!
Sleep: No good. I went to Phoenix this past weekend and there was a three hour time change so I think that messed up my clock a bit. I slept fine while I was there but since I've been home I've had some insomnia. Hopefully this passes quickly! I love my sleep!
Best moment of the week: I might have felt the baby move as we were ascending into the sky in the plane on my way to Phoenix. It could have just been nerves though because I was feeling a little jumpy about flying since my doctor suggested that I not fly while pregnant. (I obviously did not heed her advice and am glad I didn't because I was just fine and had a great much needed restful time in Phoenix.)
Movement: Since that little possible occurrence on the plane, I haven't felt anything yet and really wish I would because I think that will be so exciting!
Food cravings: Nothing in particular lately.
Gender: Still don't know yet!
What I miss: Fitting in my clothes. Everything is definitely fitting tighter and some stuff doesn't fit at all anymore. And pregnancy clothes are still much too big, at least with pants. Pants are a definite issue right now. Bummer.
What I am looking forward to: Actually having a real baby bump, instead of just looking like I overdid it on the donuts and nachos!
Weekly wisdom: I want to remember this so although it's not pregnancy advice, it's good parenting advice... "Say yes often but when you say no, mean it." My mom told me that was something my Big Papa (great grandpa) told her when she was either pregnant or we were little and I really liked that.
Milestones: We have an avocado now! Our little baby is about 4.5 inches long and 3.5 ounces and he's getting ready to have a growth spurt. Woo hoo!