Pregnancy: Week 26

GOODBYE 2ND TRIMESTER!!

Here we are, the last week of my 2nd trimester! Which means, we only have THREE short months until Dakota Lane makes his debut! This week, many of my 1st trimester symptoms that started re-appearing last week have only intensified. I get nauseous a lot, but I also want to eat almost constantly! I am ALWAYS hungry! The headaches have also come back, as well as the fatigue. Yesterday, I was cooking dinner and all of the sudden, had to come lay down because I was certain that if I stood there another second longer I would pass out and fall asleep right there on the kitchen floor! After I had laid on the couch for a couple of minutes though, I was fine. I got up and continued with dinner. Pregnancy is SO strange! I'm planning on going to get my glucose test done this Monday. Hopefully I will only have to take the first one hour test and won't be asked to come back for the 3 hr. Everyone always talks about how horrible the drink that they give you for the test is. I have a friend who just took hers, though, and she says it just tastes like flat orange soda. I'm hoping that she's right! 

How far along? 27 weeks as of yesterday

Total weight gain: 12 lbs +

Maternity clothes? shorts and maternity or loose fitting tops 

Stretch Marks? none yet! (knock on wood!)

Sleep: good. If it weren't for those dang trips to the bathroom, i'd say blissful!!

Best moment this week: playing with Koda. He's beginning to respond more when I talk to him or draw on my belly. It's like we're playing together =]

Miss Anything? I've never really been a big fan, but for some reason, now that I can't have it, I could really go for a sandwich with cold lunch meat!

 Movement? lots! I like to try and guess what he's moving but I still can't quite tell. It's fun to watch my belly move and shift as he squirms though!

Food cravings?: this list could go on for days! Pizza, frappuccinos, chocolate donuts, cheetos... 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing in particular

Gender: boy!

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: nausea, fatigue, dizziness, swelling, etc.

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: happy

Looking forward to: my 3d ultrasound!! Aug 4th!

Pregnancy: 25 Weeks

Whew! 15 Weeks to go!! (Well, a little under 14 now, if you wanna get technical) I always thought my belly would be stretched to the max and I'd be waddling around like one of the geese on Aristocats by now, but, it seems as though my baby bump hasn't grown very much since around 18 weeks or so and my 'waddling' is still at a minimum. (Although, I will admit, it is there and Zach likes to remind me) My mom didn't get very big when she was pregnant with me, and my pregnancy has been extremely similar to hers, from what she tells me, but I've got a feeling sometime within the next few weeks I'll wake up one morning and my belly will be HUGE! We shall see...I have 1 week left in my 2nd trimester and some of my 1st trimester symptoms are already starting to come back. Let the fun begin...Nausea, dizziness, tense shoulders, fatigue...yep, it's all too familiar. The 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' book said this would happen. I was just hoping it wouldn't for at least a few more weeks but nope, it's back, whether I like it or not. At least now I get to enjoy all of his movements (more like acrobatics) this time. 1st trimester, you just have to get through it, but this time I have him to giggle at while I'm trying my hardest to ignore the constant 'yucky' feeling in my gut. Speaking of Koda and his antics, this little one is quite the mover/shaker. He already has his own little routine each day. In the morning around 7:15/7:30 he wakes up and gets to kickin'. (I think it's because he knows his daddy his about to be home) Then, while I eat breakfast and pick up around the house, he takes a little nap. When I sit down to watch a movie or get on the computer, he wakes up and will bounce around on and off. This is one of my favorite times because I can just sit back and watch my belly bounce, which makes me laugh. He's already so funny =] Throughout the rest of the day he sleeps, or gets still, quite a bit. Every now and then he'll move around just to let me know he's in there. He wakes up again when it's bed time. Zach and I will lay there with our hands on my belly and laugh when he kicks us. Zach told me that this morning while I was asleep, he kicked him for about 5 minutes straight. He also said that it wasn't his usual light kicks, he said he was kicking HARD and that he was surprised it didn't wake me up. =] I like hearing about these moments because it's like it was just between them. Pretty special!  Alright, enough of my jibber jabber, here's my update!  

How far along? 26 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain: 12 lbs

Maternity clothes? shorts and roomy tops

Stretch Marks? none on my belly that i've caught so far, i've had SEVERAL scares though!

Sleep: good for the most part

Best moment this week: even though it wasn't a fantastic experience, my ultrasound

Miss Anything? energy

 Movement? tons!

Food cravings?: chinese food!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing in particular, i just have a constant nauseous feeling

Gender: rambunctious boy!

Labor Signs: No...a few braxton-hicks contractions here and there

Symptoms: nausea, fatigue, b-h contractions, swelling, etc.

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: happy

Looking forward to: my 3d ultrasound!! Aug 4th!

Getting Organized!

I don't know about you, but personally, I'm not the nice, neat, organized type. At least, not until now. Yes, I keep our house clean and things of that nature, but by no means do I have it all figured out just yet. Possibly because we don't have much space, BUT, i can't blame it ALL on that. Anyway, I guess the 'nesting' phase has kicked in and I've become pretty much obsessed with planning/organizing/cleaning etc. I didn't know it before, but there's a whole community online (bloggers, mostly) that are devoted to this sort of thing. They make 'printables' which have become part of my DAILY routine. Not to mention, they have great recipes, diy ideas, date ideas, party planning ideas, and so much more! I use these printables for everything from shopping lists, to budgeting, all the way to things like a camping checklist! My house-and life-are becoming a lot easier to manage simply by using these tools, and putting them into action. I've also started a board on my pinterest that is specifically dedicated to housekeeping. It doesn't have a lot on it yet, but it's being added to FREQUENTLY! Here's a link to that particular board: http://pinterest.com/mrsdq/housekeeping/ Feel free to add and follow me =] Here are some of the BEST blogs/sites that I've come across. These are the pages that really got me inspired and have continued to be helpful since I got started.

For Recipes:
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/recipe-box/
She also has a really good 'project gallery'!

For organization/family life:
http://pinchalittlesavealot.blogspot.com/
http://www.thenesteffect.com/
http://www.theletter4.com/
http://professorpoppins.blogspot.com/
http://www.kamleylane.com/
http://www.designfinch.com/

Other Favorites:
*http://www.thedatingdivas.com/*
*-GREAT 'date night' ideas and other special little things to keep your marriage/relationship fresh and exciting!
http://www.graceisoverrated.com/
http://www.howdoesshe.com/
**http://smithlive.blogspot.com/**
**-this one ESPECIALLY! She's very encouraging, uplifting and motivating. She is also very down to earth in her writing. One post, in particular, was just BRILLIANT!! She has a family of SIX and spends less in a month at the grocery store than I do for just myself and my husband!! Here's the link to that post-http://smithlive.blogspot.com/2011/12/monthly-meal-planning.html

Check out these sites! There's NO WAY you won't love them!! If you have any that you visit frequently, please let me know! I'm always looking for new one's to add to my reading list because they ALL have their own special spin on things =] Enjoy!

Pregnancy: 24 Weeks!

This pregnancy is starting to go by faster and faster! Though, I hear the last couple of months DRAG by! Dakota is becoming more and more active and I can't help but think how much I will miss his little kicks and punches when he arrives, but, I will definitely enjoy actually being able to see him, hold him, etc. Zach and I finally decided it was time to face the giant and...dun dun dunnnn....put together the crib!!! Let me tell you, it was no small task, but we got through it and amazingly enough, it didn't take the ENTIRE day! Now, the cleanup of the ridiculously sized box, and all the filling and OTHER boxes that came within that box....well, that's another story! While that is the one and only thing that has to do with the nursery that is finished, it is one thing that we have been able to check off of our to do list, and I must say, the finished product looks lovely, don't you think?! (please ignore the surrounding area...it has not yet began its transformation into 'nursery' just yet)

Week 24 was fairly uneventful, except for the fact that I got a cold...ugh...but after plenty of sleep, fluids, medicine, and pampering from my husband, I feel much better today! Here's my update:

How far along? 25 today!

Total weight gain: I'm up 10 lbs!! (still getting used to the idea that this is 'a good thing')

Maternity clothes? for the past few days, i've been living in pj's!

Stretch Marks? i think some are starting to appear on my belly =/ I'm keeping a close eye on them though!!!

Sleep: good...except the bathroom breaks are beginning to pick back up in frequency!

Best moment this week: putting Koda's crib together

Miss Anything? coffee

 Movement? tons!

Food cravings?: sweets and yesterday i would've killed for a What A Burger hamburger...but we don't have one here =/ Darn you, out of state cravings!!!

Anything making you queasy or sick: not so much

Gender: sweet baby boy!

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: round ligament pain and feet swelling

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: in love <3

Looking forward to: my next ultrasound!! Wednesday, you can't get here soon enough! I'm ready to see my little man!!

Pregnancy: Week 23

Wow! I absolutely cannot believe that I am already 24 weeks as of yesterday. This pregnancy is flying by! When we first found out that little man was on his way, I thought for sure the whole process would be long and grueling but honestly, it is anything but! Yes, there are uncomfortable moments, but for the most part, the days just fly by and I have really enjoyed my pregnancy, thus far. He is so much more mobile now and responds to things around him, especially country music. (no surprise there!) I came back home from Texas last Friday and Zach's family took us on vacation to Myrtle Beach this past week. It was so nice to actually be able to spend some time together after being apart for the month. It was Zach's first time being able to feel Dakota kick and his reaction was priceless! Everytime he hears Koda's heartbeat, feels him kick, sees him on ultrasound, or really, anytime anything having to do with Koda comes up, Zach gets this look of pure happiness on his face. It is impossible to match and is one of my favorite things in the world to see. Here's my update!

How far along? 24 Weeks as of yesterday

Total weight gain: Haven't checked in about a week. Last check was still just 4 lbs.

Maternity clothes? dresses, dresses, dresses!

Stretch Marks? a couple small ones on the tata's =P

Sleep: good, for the most part

Best moment this week: Seeing Zach's reaction to feeling Koda kick

Miss Anything? summer cocktails!

 Movement? NON STOP! I'm starting to think he's gonna be a bull rider! lol

Food cravings?: sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick: leftover food...weird!

Gender: sweet baby boy!

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: round ligament pain and feet swelling 

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: overjoyed

Looking forward to: my next ultrasound

Myrtle Beach
Our vacation with Zach's family was so much fun! We got to spend the whole week visiting boardwalks, beaches, and parks. =] If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it! But, I would also recommend saving up lots of money! LOL! There are lots of nice restaurants and attractions, but most of them were a bit too pricey for us, at this time. We are planning on going back, though, to do some of the things that we couldn't this time. Like, check out the Ripley's aquarium! The boardwalks that they have are really nice, especially Broadway at the Beach. There was a smaller one closer to where we were staying, but we didn't enjoy that one quite as much. There were lots of people there hounding you to go on some tour  and 'get paid'....whatever...and people would stand at the doors of their shops and try to talk you into coming in and if you kept walking, they'd get kind of rude! Other than that though, it was pretty enjoyable and opens up right onto the beach.We did go out to dinner one night, just us, at a place called Gulf Stream Cafe, and got a picture.

=]