28 Weeks! Officially in the Third Trimester!

Disclaimer:  if you don't want to see my bare belly, don't scroll down past the 'Looking Forward To' part.

How far along?  28 weeks
Baby Size:  She's as big as an eggplant!
Total weight gain/loss: At my doctor's appointment last Thursday, I had only gained 3 more pounds!  Hurray!!  The doctor STILL wasn't happy with me though...this time I gained too little but whatever! They average out, right?
Maternity clothes? Trying to work with some summery dresses but I get really self-conscious about the front because my belly pulls it up right in the middle.  I thought being pregnant during the summer would be great because I could wear dresses all the time but I didn't think about the fact that I might need leggings for the dresses to be appropriate.
Stretch marks? Still none!!  I'm on my 4th tub of body butter.  Overkill?  My smooth skin says otherwise.
Sleep: Monday night I worked out a later in the evening and I wasn't able to fall asleep until midnight.  Other than that, sleep's been pretty good lately.  I can even sleep without a single sheet or cover on me at all which I've never been able to do in my entire life.  So much change!
Best moment this week: Our spontaneous road trip to the beach over the weekend was so perfect.  We took both dogs and they did great!  We went to a drive-in theater Saturday night and parked right next to a couple with their little baby and 2 dogs which gave us hope!  We got this...if they can do it, we can do it.  They were in a minivan though...that'll never happen.
Pregnancy brain moment of the week: Nothing to report!  Thank goodness.  Sometimes, I get a little freaked out about what I might forget.
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything? Margarita.  On the rocks.  No salt.  Please, someone order this the next time you go to a Mexican restaurant and send me a picture.  I would like to live vicariously through you.
Movement: All the time and all over the place.  I feel feel her whole little body moving around in there.  I've been getting weird pain on the right side of my back that I've never experienced before so I don't know if she's pressing against a part of my spine or something but it gets a little uncomfortable to walk around sometimes.  Not something I want to admit days before going to Vegas.  Lots of walking will be going on this weekend!  Hopefully my pregnant body can handle it.

Cravings:  A bladder that doesn't have to be emptied 30594 times a day.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and strangers are finally starting to notice.  I really feel like people are staring at me sometimes though, which I don't like.
Labor Signs: None yet.  I'm pretty sure I am waddling a good bit now though.  I can't walk nearly as fast as I normally could and there's a lot of pain under my belly now.  My doctor recommended a girdle so I'm wondering if I should get something to take the pressure off of my hips.  I'm REALLY trying to not buy anything pregnancy specific though...which is why I refuse to buy that nasty looking Snoogle pillow.  I'll probably just try to tough it out.
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but it's definitely not normal looking.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: VEGAS!!

Photos below taken February 3, March 2, and April 13.  Baby got huge over the past 3 months!

MyPublisher.com

My friend Meagan introduced me to MyPublisher.com back in March and I've been itching to make a photo book of my own since looking through all of hers.  She mentioned that there were Groupons for the books all the time and whadda know, the very next week there was!  I bought it immediately and began working on my book.  I didn't buy a wedding book through my photographer so this was the perfect way to put together our pictures to show guests and to look through every now and then without having to be on the computer.  I got the Deluxe Hardcover size but in my opinion, it's a little too big.  All of Meagan's books were the Classic Hardcover size and they looked great.

The quality is so much better than I expected with the larger size.  Even the full-size pictures look fantastic.  I was perusing their website yesterday and they have baby announcements for a really good price so I'm pretty sure I know who we're going to use for those now!

Sorry the pictures are a little out of focus, but you get the point.  I'm obsessed and I can't wait to make more books for all of our vacations!

Pregnancy Observations: Part Two

I'm either done with my second trimester or this is the last week of it.  I've definitely gone through more changes in the last 3 months than I ever thought would be possible for my body to go through.  We thought puberty was bad!  Throughout the second trimester, I've gone from normal clothes to not fitting into anything that wasn't loose before.  I got a haircut because, let's be honest, it was getting a little out of control (case in point--middle photo in the bottom 3).  People stare at me a lot more (or maybe I'm more self-conscious because I'm SICK of wearing makeup so I haven't been putting much on lately).  And I'm getting more and more excited about holding this little baby in my arms instead of around my waist.

Some things I discovered over the past couple of months...

The second trimester truly is the best.  

I had so much energy.  About two weeks ago, I really started having trouble sleeping because I can't lay on my stomach at all anymore.  (Before I got too big, I was able to kind of sleep half on my side, half on my stomach.)  When I wake up, my hips hurt and my shoulders and arms are actually sore from laying on them.  But overall, I felt great.  I no longer had to carry a bottle of Tylenol in my purse and the back pain that I experienced during the first trimester was much more manageable.

People really focus on the negative and like the to tell you all about it.

I'm honestly not nervous about the giving birth part of this whole experience.  (I am extremely nervous about the recovery period though.)  People seem to really like talking about their experiences (which I'm totally fine with) but sometimes a little discretion would be nice.  There are quite a few people that I know that have been pregnant and I love talking to them about how things are going because instead of being negative about things, they really listen and have good advice.  Actually, now that I think about it, it's mostly strangers that I don't like hearing stories from.  My friends have all been incredibly helpful.

Working out is incredibly helpful.

At first, with all my back pain, going to the gym really helped stretch out my back and it really helped me feel good.  Now that I'm not dealing with that as much, I've still been going once or twice a week along with going on long walks at night with Carson because it's been really helpful to keep my hips not hurting at night.  I'm really hoping that by staying slightly active, my recovery time will be a little easier and quicker.  We'll see.  It at least makes me feel better physically and emotionally, which I like.

Pregnancy has turned me into a morning person.

Not willingly.  Literally since the day after I found out I was pregnant, I've been incapable of falling back asleep.  Carson had a shooting tournament a couple weekends ago and had to wake up at 5:45 AM on Saturday and you betcha I was up with him, washing the dishes as he got ready.  There's a part of me that kind of likes it.

I clean so much more than I ever did.

This could very well be because we own our house and I feel more responsible now.  Or it could be because I'm pregnant.  Who knows.  I love vacuuming and I've already told Carson that if he's feeling like buying me anything any time soon, it should be a new vacuum.  I've also made our bed every single morning this year.  Probably not a huge deal to most people, but my mom will understand how big of an accomplishment that is.

I NEVER know what to say when people ask me how pregnancy is going.

I feel INCREDIBLY blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy so far.  Everything has gone great aside from a few minor aches and pains that I DO NOT feel comfortable complaining about.  So when people ask me and I say "Great!" they look at me expectantly and I just don't know what other information they're looking for, haha.  Do people want like...details?  I never know.  People probably think I don't like talking about it or something but I honestly just don't know what else they want me to say.

So now we're down to just 3 months left.  I have mixed emotions about it ending.  On one hand, I love that she's safe in there and nothing can hurt her.  (I have been bumping into a lot more corners lately but I read that the baby is still safe if you fall flat on your belly...so I'm hoping my corner bumping is also okay.)  On the other hand, I want to experience all things baby.  She just needs to stay in at least 10 more weeks so she's full term, then we're ready for her to be here!!

Baby Noble: 27 Weeks

How far along?  27 weeks
Baby Size:  She's as big as a rutabaga! 
Total weight gain/loss: I didn't weigh myself since I know I'll have to step on the scale at my doctor's appointment on Thursday.  I'd rather just experience that once this week.
Maternity clothes? I spent all of my clothing budget on my new hair cut so I'll have to squeeze into my normal clothes for another month.  I'm still working with just one pair of maternity jeans.
Stretch marks? Still none!!
Sleep:  Meh.  I miss being able to sleep on my back and I miss being able to sleep in.  Ever since I got pregnant, I haven't been able to go back to sleep once I'm up.  Carson had to wake up at 5:45 on Saturday to go to a shooting tournament...so that's when I got to get up too!  For someone who has NEVER been a morning person, I guess it's a nice shift.  
Best moment this week: I got my bi-annual haircut over the weekend and I feel much lighter in the hair department!  It looks better curled but that would require me to spend more than 15 minutes getting ready in the mornings.  
Pregnancy brain moment of the week: I let my boss borrow some paperwork today and after a while I PANICKED thinking that I had lost it.
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything? Margaritas.
Movement: So much movement these days!  I've tried taking a video of it a couple of times but I get really self conscious about how loud I'm breathing most of the time.  It sounds like Darth Vader's in the video.

Cravings:  Change.  And fish tacos.  I made Carson eat an extra meal with me at this place that supposedly has the BEST fish tacos in Bakersfield.  They were a little gross.  We at least got some delicious horchata out of the trip.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!
Have you started to show yet: Yes....last week Carson made the comment, "I don't know when it happened, but your belly is officially larger than your boobs."  And it's true!  Probably has been for a few weeks but we just noticed.
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? Still holding on to the innie status
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Lots of random crying episodes last week.  It was kind of a rough week.  A margarita would have been nice.  So instead, I cried.

Looking forward to: We're ONE payment away from paying off my student loans!  We've been paying extra since late last year and I can't believe we're almost done.  A celebration is in order once we're done cause we'll be debt-free except for our house! 

26 Weeks: Less than 90 Days Left!

How far along?  26 weeks
Baby Size:  She's as big as a head of lettuce.
Total weight gain/loss: I didn't even bother weighing myself this week.  Maybe next week!
Maternity clothes? Haven't bought anything new yet this month.
Stretch marks? Still none!!
Sleep:  Sunday night was TERRIBLE.  I tossed and turned all night because my hips were hurting so bad.  I didn't go to the gym at all last week and I think that really had a lot to do with it.  I went on a pretty long walk last night and I slept much better.  
Best moment this week: We had a nice, relaxing weekend at home.  We did nothing except go to church Sunday morning and it was really wonderful!  Also, we're so excited Mad Men is back!  
Pregnancy brain moment of the week: I accidentally left my keys in my car's ignition all night.  Oops.  
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back.  It's SO comfortable but I can feel everything sinking down and apparently that's bad...
Movement: She's moving around so much more lately.  It felt like she was quivering yesterday. Lots of strange things happening in there.

Cravings:  Pool time.  Summer time.  Vegas time.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Labor Signs: So much terrible painful round ligament pain.  Like, if I sit too long on the couch and try to stand up, it feels like the top half of my body is ripping apart from my lower half of my body.
Belly Button in or out? Still in...I have discovered that if I push out, I can make it move.  I don't want to tempt fate though...I'd rather it happen naturally than from my blowing it out, haha.  I realize this probably sounds really gross.  Sorry!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!

Looking forward to: VEGAS!  And baseball this Friday!

House Tour: The Front Yard

We were finally able to get sod put in our front yard and we are so happy!  We don't feel like the reject house on the corner with no grass anymore and people are actually acknowledging us now!

I never realized how expensive grass would be.  When we bought a foreclosure, I didn't even consider that as an immediate cost but I definitely should have.  Something to keep in mind for our next home purchase for sure!

Baby Noble: 25 Weeks!

How far along?  25 weeks this week!  Less than 100 days left until my due date!  Time is flying by!
Baby Size:  She's the size of a cauliflower and could weigh as much as 2.5 pounds!  So from here on out, all the weight I gain is actually just her getting bigger, right?  That's what I'm going to keep telling myself.
Total weight gain/loss: 21.5 pounds gained so far.  I looked up how many calories my typical Chipotle burrito has and I decided I should probably not "treat" myself so often.
Maternity clothes? New month, new clothing budget!  I'm hoping to get some more skirts and dresses to wear this month.  I'm doing fine in the shirt department but nothing fits on the bottom anymore.
Stretch marks?  Still doing okay!  I tried out some oil over the weekend but I really didn't like the consistency of putting it on.  I'll stick with my body butter.  So far it's been good to me.
Sleep:  I'm definitely not sleeping as well as I usually do but it's not terrible yet.  I haven't had as much hip pain since adding the extra pillow so that's been nice.
Best moment this week: Visiting our friends and family over Easter!  We even got to run through giant, Texas-sized rain drops.  We seriously had such an amazing visit in Texas.  The weather was gorgeous and we were able to really split the time between our family and friends in such a way that made us just really feel great about how we spent every moment.  It was exhausting and we're still recovering but it was definitely one of our best trips back.  I wish we could have seen more people but we're getting better about it so maybe next time we'll see even more people!
Pregnancy brain moment of the week: Apparently I'm not closing the garage door when I get home these days and I accidentally left it open all night once!  Oops...
Have you told family and friends: Yes
Miss Anything?  The weather is so beautiful outside and all I want to do is go for a run.  
Movement: I'm pretty sure I felt my first bout of baby hiccups!  Right before we landed back in Bakersfield, I would feel her jolt upwards and then it was like she reacted and wiggled her entire body over and over again.  I was pretty tired so I might have been imagining it because Carson had hiccups but I'm almost positive.

Cravings:  I'm going to get rid of 'food cravings' and change this to just 'cravings' because I certainly have been craving summertime and baseball games.  I normally hate baseball but I looked up the schedules of all the teams around us today to see how soon we could go to a game.  (Next Friday--I CAN'T WAIT!)  I also want to SAVE ALL THE PUPPIES.  I've tried really embarrassing things to save strays.  I'm so tempted to carry dog food in my car but I think that's taking it too far.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Labor Signs: None but still having a good bit of round ligament pain.  I used to think it was weird how much pregnant people touch themselves just everywhere but now I totally understand.  I think if I could guarantee that no one would look at me, I would walk around with my hands clasped always under my belly.
Belly Button in or out? Still in...waiting for the day I can creep out Carson!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!  I have definitely been MUCH more emotional the further along I get.

Looking forward to:  VEGAS.  In 3 weeks we're going and I. AM. SO. EXCITED.  We had such an amazing time last year.  I hope being pregnant won't slow me down too much while we're walking around.  

What it Feels like to Gain 20+ Pounds in 6 Months

This might make me seem selfish but I've had a really hard time the past couple of months with this whole gaining weight thing.  So I would like to talk about it.

In college, I gained a good bit of weight.  My freshman and sophomore years, there was more than one occasion that my dinner consisted of an entire package of Oreos washed down with milk.  I was pretty unhappy with my living situation and I had a really hard time living in the dorms and then in a small apartment.  I discovered those first 2 years of college that I am much happier living with a yard.  Even if it's the smallest yard known to man, I just need some kind of a private, grassy area to be happy.  I think growing up with 25 acres to roam will do that to a person.

Anyway, I got chunky.  I felt very ugly and I never dressed well because nothing ever fit right.  I'm pretty sure at one point I tipped the scales at 190.  No wonder no one wanted to date me.

January 2010 rolls around.  I actually got really sick...just like a cold or something and wasn't able to eat solid food for a few days and I lost a few pounds.  I kinda felt good, so I ended up drastically changing the way I ate from then on and was able to lose 40+ pounds over the course of the year.  By the time I graduated in December, I felt amazing.  I weighed less when I graduated college than I did when I graduated high school.  And once I lost a good bit of weight, I was able to eat bad things again and not gain any weight.  I somehow managed to seriously boost my metabolism.

2011 I was able to completely maintain my weight while working at Reynolds.  I might have gained 5 pounds back just from eating out every now and then but typically if I ate a big lunch, I wouldn't eat much dinner.  I bought clothes like crazy because everything looked good on!  Such an amazing feeling.

In 2012 when I moved out to California, Carson and I rarely ever ate out and by cooking all the time, I was able to lose a little more and I consistently weighed 140.  The picture on the left is from our marriage ceremony in March and the picture on the right is from our engagement pictures in April.  Not too huge of a difference but I could feel it.

I was probably my skinniest at our wedding in October.  I wasn't trying to lose weight before the wedding, it just happened that way.  Coincidentally, I was about 2 weeks pregnant.  

Now, I'm 6 months pregnant.  I've gained 21 pounds so far.  It's hard for me to look at pictures and not feel like I felt in the very first picture above.  My face has gotten fatter, my arms are huge and my legs rub together like they used to when I was bigger.  My clothes don't fit well and shopping is miserable.  I feel just so out of control and I don't want to be.  It's kind of terrifying gaining weight EVERY.SINGLE.WEEK.  I honestly should probably quit stepping on the scale but I'm afraid I'll have less control if I don't know how much I've gained each week.

I worry about the fact that I still have 15 weeks left to go.  Do I really have to gain another 15 pounds?  I'm sure I don't HAVE to, but changing my eating habits at this point wouldn't go over too well I don't think.  I honestly don't even feel like I'm eating that much differently than I was before I got pregnant.  I think that's what kills me.  For years, I was able to maintain a healthy weight and now everything that I did before just makes me gain more and more weight.

I know this probably all sounds terrible.  I also feel blessed to be pregnant and to be creating new life.  I'm so thankful that I have a supportive husband by my side.  I'm so in awe at the changes that my body is going through and I know it will be worth it when I hold my daughter in my arms. Fingers crossed.  I'm only 24.  Bounce back, body!  You can do it!