Plus 1

This is where blogging for family and friends will come in handy! It's time to catch all of you up on the details of... 

our baby!

My favorite and most recent picture of our baby @ 25 weeks. Sadly, it got beat up in my purse before I got to scan it (so ignore the cracked looking areas)

It was a Saturday morning in April when Matt and I found out we were soon to be parents! It didn't seem real to us so, after several more tests and about 2 weeks for it to sink in, we finally shared the news with immediate family. Since it was around Easter, I made these announcements to share the news with parents and grandparents:

 Made by me :) with my Silhouette Cameo!

We went to our first appointment around 8 weeks. Matt came along and we were so ready to hear a heart beat or see something on an ultrasound. But they didn't check either of those! At this point, it was still surreal to us.
Since then we've seen the baby 3 times on ultrasound! Here's the pictures many of you have been asking to see:

11 weeks

So little and cute! At this point it started feeling real. That's a baby.. our baby (well, really God's baby that He's trusting us to raise. wow!)

21 weeks

 side profile - note those tightly squished up legs blocking our view

 Thumb sucker?

Little baby footprint 

 

At this appointment, they tried to determine the gender of baby H. The little one had tightly crossed legs and slept through all poking and prodding. From the views we were able to get, I definitely saw girl parts, but the tech wouldn't really confirm anything. She saw them too but when I asked, "so it's a girl?" She said, "Well, I don't know. The legs are just crossed so tight." But when she printed out pictures, one was labeled "girl".  So confusing but they decided to do another scan at the next appointment to confirm.  Matt and I couldn't imagine waiting another month!... but we did.

25 weeks

It's a girl!! ... we think. 

 

profile

 profile - posing with her hand under her chin

 

The little stinker had tightly crossed legs again! This tech seemed a little more experienced and had me flipping on my side and moving all around. More poking and prodding and this little one slept through it all! We got two very quick flashes and the tech had to rewind her film to see. Still looks like girl parts! 

While I wish we had some very clear shots, I'm proud to have a very modest little girl. I also love that she seems like she can sleep through anything. 

Matt, Me, and baby Claire (25 weeks)

The Pregnancy

How far along?   I'm 6 months and 1 week (25 weeks) into this pregnancy.

 

How big is baby?  The size of a cauliflower. At every appointment, she has been measuring right on track. 

Total Weght gain/loss: I'm up 15 lbs. Yikes. It's tough getting used to this weight gain. Luckily, I've been able to run through this whole pregnancy and I hope I can continue. I think that has helped because I feel like I and always hungry and eating. Running was tough at first because the baby would just bounce on my bladder and I felt like I would pee on myself with every step. Now, in the second trimester, I don't feel that as much or I've just gotten used to it. Claire and I usually do between 2-3 miles on most days that I'm off. I think she might be a runner :)  Hopefully, when I switch to day shift, I'll have more time to workout and more energy. 

Sleep:  Sleeping well. That has never been a problem for me :) I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom but I fall right back to sleep. 

Movement:  She's starting to kick harder! Her butt and legs are always on my right side and she either is facing down and kicking my bladder/other organs, or facing up and kicking under my ribs. Every time Matt tries to feel her kicking, she stops. But last night, he finally felt it! It's crazy to watch my belly and see her moving around (Matt hasn't seen that yet though). 

Symptoms:   I had some nausea in the first trimester, usually in the evenings. I never threw up but sometimes I though if I could, I would feel better.  There's been about 3-4 times that I've shot up out of my sleep with a horrible leg cramp. It is so painful. Thankfully, that hasn't happened in a while. I've been stretching before bed and increased my calcium and potassium intake. 

Food Cravings:   In the beginning I had some very specific ones. One day I was seriously craving a Jason's Deli baked potato with the broccoli cheese soup on top. I HAD to have it. Then I went a few weeks where all I wanted was breaded chicken - chicken fingers, wings, chicken nuggets, etc. Now, it's mostly sweets... but that might not be pregnancy related. :) I have a mouth full of sweet teeth, not just one.

What I Miss:   Having more clothing options - I have about 4 maternity shirts and that's the extent of my maternity apparel. I feel like I wear the same thing all the time but I can't find a place to buy affordable, cute, maternity clothes. I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans /bottoms but I just leave them unbuttoned and wear a belly band. I no longer fit into my scrub tops so I'm wearing a plain maternity t-shirt to work for now.   I also sort of miss having a cold strawberry margarita during these hot Texas summer days. But I suppose ice cream or a snow cone will suffice :)

What I'm looking forward to:  Decorating the nursery, buying and sewing cute girly things, holding our baby girl! 

Prep for baby:   We bought a few things so far. I found this awesome sale, combined with some promotional offers, rewards, and a gift card and got my dream stroller, infant car seat, infant carrier, car seat insert, extra car seat base, and convertible car seat for FREE! I'm so excited about this stroller and love the fact that we can add an attachment to make it into a double when baby #2 comes along!
Check it out: 

Britax B-READY - click the link to see all 14 configurations!

We have been working on clearing out my sewing and craft room, closets, and other spaces to make room for the nursery. I must say, it feels good to de-clutter and purge. I will be cramming my sewing stuff into the coat closet. With a little girl on the way, I will definitely be busy on that sewing machine... maybe during nap times. :)


Soon, I will post my ideas for the nursery and keeping y'all updated! Let me know if there's anything I've left out.