Happy 18 Weeks!

18 weeks today- that means only one week until we get to see little Sprout on the U/S.  YAY!  The past few weeks have been moving so slowly.
I'm still only up 3-4 pounds depending on the day and what I'm wearing, but I've been super hungry for the the past few days so I'm sure that will be changing soon.  (I'm eating Salt and Vinegar Pringles as I write this!)  As I said in the previous post I'm starting to feel what I'm pretty sure is Sprout moving around.  I don't know what else it would be- it's little thumps here and there.
On to Sprout -
Sprout this week is another weird food-  all these cute fruits at the beginning and I'm stuck with onion and .....wait for it....
Sweet Potato?  Oh well at least it's a "sweet"potato instead of "yam" .

Here's what Sprout's up to:  He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now. (from babycenter.com)

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect set of curtains and more "decor" for the nursery.  If you find anything you think may go- let me know!

Sprout's moving! (and other things)

       Exiting news- for the past few nights Sprout has had a dance party! When I lay down at night to go to bed (probably 'cause I'm a big dork) I put Pandora on my phone or Kindle and place it on my belly so that Sprout can listen to music.  WELL- Apparently he's a Journey fan because that's what was playing when I felt the first little "thump"- this was a few days ago (ok so maybe like a week ago).  I wasn't 100% sure it was Sprout but more and more I feel the little taps from within.  I've only felt them a few times at work but it's almost a guarantee that when I lay down and put some "tunes" on it's dance party time !  :)

I also wanted to share my "visuals" of Sprout.  They make me smile- and it also kinda "justifies" the name "Sprout".

Little teeny baby "Sprouts".

I love it.











I also need some opinions on nursery decor- Jessica this especially means you!  I found some curtains I really really like but I'm not 100% sure the "teal" or "aqua" is right.  Of course they're at a store located in Dallas and I'm not going to drive to Dallas to look at them- basically because I'm lazy and I hate driving to Dallas. The grey one's would be the second choice.  I love the teal ones... what do you think?

Test Results

We had the "Quad Screen" and Cystic Fibrosis test done at 15 weeks.  This tests for things such as spina bifida (incomplete formation of the spinal column) , anencephaly (basically no skull) , trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome) and trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome).  Results of the quad screen indicate your risk of carrying a baby who has certain developmental or chromosomal conditions but it does not say whether or not the baby has the condition.

I opted to get tested just in case the results were positive-then I'd have time to prepare.

We got our results on Saturday- everything was negative.  YAY!  I didn't even realize how worried I was until I got the results.  Chase and I were both pretty thrilled that Sprout is more than likely developing normally.

17 weeks pregnant.... ONION?

So I've had all sorts of "cute" fruit and now we're at an onion.  Super.  Couldn't they have picked something nicer to compare a growing baby to?  Oh well- onion it is then I suppose. 

So we're at 17 weeks!  Everything seems to be going well except for our little hiccup we had to get over Monday.  In 2 weeks we'll have our sonogram.  It's usually when we would find out the sex of the baby- but as most of you know- WE DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT.

I have had all my co-workers, friends, and even family members offer their guesses on the sex and what surprises me the most is every. single. one.  has said that Sprout is a boy.  Weird.  I guess we will find out in a few months.

Here is what Sprout is up to (from webmd: Your baby, now about in its 15th week of development, measures about 4.4 to 4.8 inches from crown to rump and has doubled in weight in the last two weeks to about 3.5 ounces. Fat begins to form, helping your baby's heat production and metabolism. The lungs are beginning to exhale amniotic fluid, and the circulatory and urinary systems are working. Hair on head, eyebrows and eyelashes is filling in.

Apparently, Sprout can hear loud noises like Kaiser barking and will actually "startle".  One website suggested that the more Sprout hears Kaiser now, the more likely it will be that Sprout can sleep through him barking later.  That's a good thing since Kaiser has no shortage of barks.

And speaking of Kaiser-

Here's a follow up to his "before" getting fixed picture  

This is a picture of where I found him when I got home from work.  He was "locked" in the bathroom because the vet did not want him getting dirt in his incision. 

Yes- that's him sitting ON the bathroom counter.  Who knows how long he'd been up there.  He was too scared to get down- probably because he just had surgery.  Silly dog.  He's doing fine now though.  You can't even tell he had surgery- which was not exactly what I was hoping for.  Maybe in a few more weeks we'll see some difference.

Busy Weekend

Chase and I had a very productive weekend.  He cleaned the garage out and now we can actually park my car in the garage.  What a novel idea!
I spent the day painting shelves Chase actually made a few weeks ago.  Then I talked Chase into hanging them up at 9pm (when the final coat of paint was dry).
     ** I bought the cheaper paint from Lowe's, the Olympic brand and could definitely tell the difference between it and a Valspar paint.  I had to do 3-4 coats of paint.  My hands are sore from painting.**

Painting coat #3

Making sure the holes are perfectly level

Attaching the shelves (I helped by capturing the moment )

The final screw

Some of Sprout's Owl Decor.  There's more that will be added for sure.

So that was the weekend.  Yesterday was certainly interesting.

           I woke up about 3 Am with HORRIBLE pain in my right lower abdomen.  I told Chase it felt like someone had stuck a javelin in my side.  It improved a little after about an hour but was still there.  I couldn't bend over or even walk upright.   I called my OB's office and they didn't call back so I contacted Jodi the NP that works with me for advice.  We both were thinking appendix, but since it improved a little I figured I'd wait.  3 hours later still no news from the OB so I called Dr. Lonergan.  He told me things to watch for (fever, worsening pain etc,) but he felt like I should probably go to the ER.  I did not want to but I felt that was probably the only option.  I'd been using Chase as my Doctor- I showed him how to do an abdominal exam so I could monitor if I had any improvement.  Chase informed me that to him, playing doctor was something a bit more fun.

 As I was getting ready to go to the ER, the OB's office called.  They said to drink water and keep my feet up.  (I'd been doing that).  They weren't really all that concerned so I just continued to lay around. 

This AM the pain is better but still there.  Hopefully everything is fine.  It sure seems to be.  

16 Weeks Pregnant

Well today makes for 16 weeks.  Overall I'm doing great.  I've got most of my energy back.  I'm staying up til 10pm instead of 8:30 which is nice.  I'm able to get the house work done and I have energy to do some projects as well.  YAY!  I can easily feel the "fundus" which is the top of the uterus- aka "Sprout's house"- it's about 2 inches below my belly button.

Sprout is an "avacado" this week. 

Here's what Sprout is up to: from Babycenter.com- Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day- and although my dearest husband calls it "a commerically driven holiday"- he bought me a BIG bouquet of flowers (I'll take a picture later), a sweet card, and a cover for my Kindle Fire (which I love!).  He also cooked me dinner last night.  (He forgot to make  reservations anywhere).

He cooked Feta and sundried tomato stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon; sauted asparagus and mushrooms, mashed red potatoes (I made those), and angel hair pasta with pesto.  For desert we had cheese cake.  It was wonderful and A LOT of food.  Sprout was happy.  I was sad I couldn't have the wine but I've started making my own Italian Sodas at home which are a nice treat.  
It's wonderful to have a husband who's a good cook!!! (We put to use all those wedding presents we got 1.5 years ago).

Poor Doggy

Poor, poor, Kaiser.  Today he is a bit less of a "man".   I've been threatening to "fix" him for a while now because he "dances" inappropriately with my nieces and nephews and he seems to want to "hump" his way to the top of the doggy food chain (any and all dogs are in danger of being "loved" on by him!) but when he decided to pee on the couch, not once but twice- the decision was made final.  I made him an appointment for this AM at 7:30.
I just called the vet and Kaiser is doing fine.  The procedure went as expected.  Chase really wanted to talk me out of it last night- but we both decided (as hard as it was for Chase) that if neutering Kaiser calmed him just 1/10 it would be worth it since we're expecting a baby in the house.  
Kaiser was exceptionally good this morning.  It was almost as if he knew something wasn't right.  I feel a little bad and Chase feels horrible but, like I told Chase,  we can't re-attach 'em!  I think it was the right decision for the long run.

Kaiser- before the procedure.

Homemade Pepperoni Rolls

Last weekend I baby sat for my sister.   I figured why not try out a recipe that looks super kid friendly.  The rolls ended up being easy to make and the girls even got to help!  I got the recipe for the pepperoni rolls from whataboutpie.  (I pinned it on Pintrest).
First you take frozen bread rolls.  The website recommended Rhodes brand and that's all Wal-Mart had so I went with it.

The kids were excited to help!  

I let the dough defrost all day.  I had to work- so even though the original only let it sit for a few hours- mine sat for 10.  The dough was ENORMOUS!  Chase so eloquently said "it looks like a butt".  The kids loved that.

Next you roll it out.  I tried it on a cutting board then decided it needed to be bigger so I tossed some flour on the counter top (helps it not stick) and rolled away.  I used some olive oil on the rolling pin because the dough stuck to it.   Once it's rolled out (larger than 11 x11) you smother some olive oil over the surface (I just used my hands) then you decorate it.

The youngest ate more cheese and pepperoni than she put down, but hey, it's all in good fun.

We added mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar, and Parmesan over pepperonis (just the kind you can buy to snack on) and we had some salami we stuck on there too.  Next you sprinkle some Italian seasoning and garlic powder.  

Then you roll it up!  You melt some butter and rub that on the top before you cook it so it browns nicely.  You place it in the oven at 375 degrees and cook for about 25 minutes.  The dough should sound hollow when you thump it.  Our first one (we made 2) was cooked on the outside but doughy in the middle so we had to stick it back in.  I don't think the dough was rolled out thin enough.  The second one was fine in the 25 minutes.  

This is what it looked like cooked.

Then we cut it into strips and ate it!  We used Ranch and Marinara as "dipping sauces".  This was definitely one to make again.  I talked so much about it a co-worker made some too!  Success with her kids as well!

15 weeks- orange

We had our 15 weeks appointment today.  We got to hear Sprout again- the heart rate was in the 150s.  Chase tried to "voice record" the doppler but all we got was a lot of static  :(
I had blood drawn to screen for genetic problems like Downs Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis.

Next month we go in for an ultrasound.  This is typically when the baby is "sexed" but since we don't want to know- we're just going to make sure Sprout is put together correctly.

Chase ordered our car seat/ stroller from Amazon last week.  We should get it in the mail today.  I'm excited to finally have bought something just for baby.  We also went to Babies R Us and found a crib we could actually agree on. (The one I wanted from Wal-Mart was actually more expensive and Chase didn't like it.)

I'm feeling much more "perky".  The only weird thing is I've developed a horrible aversion to toothpaste.  Brushing my teeth makes me gag- but as I told the OB this AM- I do keep brushing my teeth!

Here's Sprout's update:  She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.  (from baby center)

14 weeks

Hello Second Trimester!  I'd love to say I've noticed an increase in energy but because of my allergies I'd be lying.  I'm still exhausted but that's cause I'm sick.

The first trimester was really a breeze.  Not once did I throw up and I had no food aversions.  Yes, I was tired, but once I got over feeling like an old lady- a 9:00 bedtime suited me just fine.

I haven't gained a single pound yet but, woe is me, none of my pants fit.  After sitting on the floor one morning sobbing because I had no clothes to wear, Chase nicely suggested I just go get a few new pairs of pants.  I found some clearance maternity pants at Kohl's and Target.  I feel weird wearing them because I just look "chubby" right now but I figure I will fit in them later.  They're comfy so don't judge!

I am not doing so well with my water intake but I vow to do better.  Still, 2.3 liters of water is A LOT of water!!!  I'm taking vitamins daily.  I'd love to go for a walk but I figure that exposing myself to even more allergens outside is a bit stupid until I get what I have going under control.  I'll leave the dog walking up to Chase for now.

"Sprout" is a lemon this week.   Chase is still hoping Sprout is a boy.  He thinks it's best if a boy comes first.  I really honestly don't care.  I figure I'll eventually have a preference but right now, I just want a baby with all the necessary parts and no extras!

Here's what he's (she's?) up to:

Fourteen weeks into your pregnancy, or 12 weeks after conception, your baby's arms have almost reached the final relative lengths they'll be at birth and your baby's neck has become more defined. Red blood cells are forming in your baby's spleen.
Your baby's sex will become apparent this week or in the coming weeks. For girls, ovarian follicles begin forming. For boys, the prostate appears. from the Mayo Clinic Website