18 Weeks and Feeling Movement!!!

How far along?  18+3 today (18 weeks exactly when I took the photo above)

How big is baby?  Around 6 inches from crown to rump, and right now baby weighs around 8.5oz.  Depending on the website/app, we're either at the size of an heirloom tomato, a mango, or a sweet potato.  :)  Mmmm.  Is anyone else getting hungry?!    

Total weight gain:  Between 3-4 pounds depending on the day.

Maternity clothes?  I'm loving my new maternity "wardrobe!"  Wardrobe in quotations, of course, because I don't have that many items ... but I've been doing a good job of rotating and making the most of my non-maternity items that still fit!  On the shopping list this week is a maternity swimsuit ... or at least just a tankini top.  My bottoms fit just fine, but my current (non-maternity) tankini top is extremely tight and uncomfortable.  I went to a deep water exercise class the other day and I felt like it was trying to cut off my circulation!!!  

Sleep:  No complaints about sleep right now!  I've really been sleeping well lately.  The main issue is that I want to sleep allllll the time.  I'm having such a tough time getting up in the morning for work - I wake up wishing every day was Saturday!     

Cravings:  I know it's a weird one, but the last couple of days I've REALLY been craving tacos.  Old school tacos, nothing fancy ... just a hard shell with some taco beef, lettuce, and cheese.  Simple.  Methinks I'll be picking up taco fixings on the way home from work today!  

Best moment this week:  Two great moments in the last week and a half!  First of all, we found out that my sister-in-law is pregnant AND due just a week after me!  I am due 10/29 and she is due 11/7 (coincidentally, also my mother-in-law's birthday!).  I just feel so overwhelmingly happy about this - she and her husband have been trying for baby #2 for several years and I'm so happy things worked out.  I'm also THRILLED that our baby will have a cousin so close in age!  The other fantastic moment happened on Monday ... and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and this morning.  Baby Smith is moving!  And I can feel it!  We went swimming down at my SIL's on Monday, and when we got home I felt two distinct little kicks.  They felt unlike anything I had experienced so far and I couldn't believe it!  Since then, I've felt movement every single day and it's just amazing.  Sometimes I sit and concentrate and say "move baby, move!" so that I can pay attention to the movement when it happens, but surprisingly, the baby isn't quite following my orders yet.  Aaaaand probably won't for a long time.  :)  I am really looking forward to when these movements can be felt from the outside so Matt can feel his baby kick! 

Movement: YES!!!  Yay!!!

Gender:  We'll know in just under two weeks ... The concensus by far is girl girl girl.  Anyone care to place a wager? 

Belly Button in or out? Innie.

What I miss:  Nothing this week!  Very happy and content.  :)

Milestones:  Feeling the baby kick was a HUGE milestone for me.  It's so easy to think that everything is just too good to be true ... sometimes I still can't believe I'm pregnant and this is even happening.  I know it sounds weird, but it just doesn't seem real sometimes!  Feeling those little movements ... well, everything just seems a lot more real to me now.  PLUS we have officially ordered furniture!  The crib and glider have been ordered and should be here within a couple of weeks - VERY exciting.  We also started going through the guest room (soon to be the nursery) and got rid of a bunch of stuff, reorganized, moved things around, and are starting to get this place ready for a baby! 

17 Weeks = Exhaustion!

17 weeks as of Monday, May 21st!  Which was also, coincidentally, Matt's 30th birthday!  Big things happening in the Smith family.  :)  It's been a great week!  I went up to Michigan over the weekend to attend Lisa's bridal shower, which was lots of fun.  Here is the one and only photo I took:

Anyway, the shower was fun and I am SO glad I live within driving distance and was able to make the trek up to celebrate!  Unfortunately, the weekend totally wiped me out.  The 6 hour drive home was really rough and I was thisclose to sleeping in the backseat of my car in a McDonald's parking lot to avoid driving the rest of the way home.  Overly dramatic?  Yes, totally.  But I was totally wiped out and it seemed like a fairly good idea at the time!  Thankfully, I powered through and made it home (safely in one piece) and I have NEVER been so happy to get home and get into my bed!  I still feel like I'm recovering and catching up on sleep, as ridiculous as that sounds.  I guess I just need to remember that my body is really working hard right now, and sometimes I just have to take it easy!  

That being said, here are this week's important things:

How far along?  17 week and 2 days today (17 weeks when I took the photo above)

How big is baby?  Baby Smith is now the size of a sweet potato - around 5.6 inches from head to tush and around 6.7 ounces.  Growing by leaps and bounds!  And I'm to the point where I literally feel like my belly is growing every. single. day.  Case in point?  I took the photo below yesterday, one day after my 17 week photo above.  Every day I wake up and look in the mirror and think, yep!  It's bigger!

Total weight gain:  Not sure ... haven't weighed myself recently, but I think I'm finally up a couple of pounds.    

Maternity clothes? Yes!  My parents met me in Grand Rapids on Sunday and treated me to a little maternity shopping spree.  I'm now the proud owner of several items ... including the adorable dress I'm modeling above in my (very sleep-looking) 17 week photo above!  

Sleep:  Sleeping great lately.  I started taking zantac every evening, and while I'm still dealing with heartburn, it's starting to feel a little more manageable.    

Cravings: Nothing really this week - probably for the best!    

Best moment this week:  It's definitely a tie between hanging out with Lisa and stepping in dog diarrhea with my bare foot on the carpet in the middle of the night last night.  I'll let you decide which I'm serious about.      

Movement: About the same as last week ... a couple of little flutters that I can't really distinguish as being the baby or not.  I'll keep you posted on this one.  :)

Gender: Dunno!  Lots more girl votes, and one more boy vote.  We'll find out three weeks from today!    

Belly Button in or out? Innie.

What I miss:  Eating raw sushi and staying awake past 9:30.  Oh, and being able to take roadtrips without feeling like I've been run over by a truck!    

Milestones:  Nothing new this week - besides being one week closer to meeting this little baby!  :)

16 Weeks = Pickles

Well, my 16 week post is a few days late (I was 16 weeks on Monday), but I'm blaming my computer for having some photo uploading issues.  This past week and a half has been The Week Of The Pickle.  No, that's not a euphemism.  I am just so in love with these Claussen kosher dill pickles that I have one almost every day.  They are so perfect and crunchy and ... mmmm.  Yep.  I'm going to need to have one when I finish writing this.  Sigh.    

Anyway.  Without further ado ...

How far along?  16 weeks and 3 days today (16 weeks exactly when I took the photo above)  

How big is baby?  According to the What to Expect app, Baby Smith is the size of a turnip - 5 inches long and 5 oz.  The BabyBump app says onion, 5.1 inches, and 5.9 oz.  :)

Total weight gain:  Still fluctuating up a pound and down a pound.    

Maternity clothes? Yes.  I don't have anything new since last week, just rotating through the 3-4 things I own with some closet staples like cardigans.  I think I have discovered the secret to buying minimal maternity clothes - buy plain, solid color stuff that can be rotated easily with pretty much anything else in my closet.  So my wardrobe is fairly boring these days, but I don't even care anymore.  

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well, besides the almost-constant heartburn that has been plaguing me.  My midwife told me to pick up some zantac, so I'll be trying that out and hoping for the best!  

Cravings: Pickles!  Yum!    

Best moment this week:  Hearing Baby Smith's loud, strong heartbeat this morning at my midwife appointment.  At 8 week sand 12 weeks, the heartrate was in the 160s and this morning it was in the 150s.  Do we have any gender guesses?    

Movement: Over the past few days, I've had a couple of little flutters but to be honest, they are so very subtle I can't really tell if it's the baby or just things moving around in there.  I'm really trying to pay attention to anything I'm feeling these days and I can't wait to feel the baby for real!  

Gender: We scheduled the anatomy scan this morning for June 13th at 1:00.  Pretty much everyone thinks we're having a girl, and I'm starting to believe them!  Still not sure yet, though.    

Belly Button in or out? Innie.  I've had two laparoscopic surgeries with incisions in my belly button, so I'm kind of interested to see what it will do!  :)  

What I miss:  Staying awake past 9:30 to watch good TV.  Ha.    

Weekly Wisdom:  I still don't know how I'm supposed to have any wisdom.  :)  

Milestones: Hearing baby's heartbeat this morning, and scheduling my 20 week ultrasound!  Cannot believe we're just a month away from half baked!  Also, on Saturday I went to my first prenatal yoga class.  Not sure if I'm going to keep going to the classes because they are fairly expensive, but I will definitely be doing some prenatal yoga at home.  I walked into the yoga place and found a wall full of these fun cloth diapers!  We are going to be cloth diapering and I love seeing all the fun colors!  :)

Blogging Motivation?

Big Ten Baby!

So!  About a week after my last post (and yes, I know it was three months ago!), and about a week after my 30th birthday, Matt and I found out that we were expecting!  As I hinted at in my birthday post, our journey to become parents has not been an easy road - nor has it been as challenging a journey as so many other couples struggle with.  It took us sixteen months (and three cycles of fertility meds) to get to this point, and frankly ... it still doesn't seem real.  I have been wanting to blog about Baby Smith for awhile (we officially "came out" on Facebook and Twitter a few weeks ago), but I think it's just been so hard for me to believe that this is really happening.  After wanting something so much, for so long, and then it finally happens ... it's very overwhelming.  So basically, this pregnancy is flying by and I feel like I'm not doing a very good job of focusing on what's happening!  Which means that maybe, JUST maybe, it's time to start up the old blog again.  I'd like to keep track of my weekly photos and stuff (because I have been HORRIBLE at taking photos so far).  So, I'm not making any promises, but let's just see where this goes. :)

{Insert crazy caption here about pee stick obsession}

I found out I was pregnant on February 17th, 2012.  My due date is October 29th - SO thrilled to be having a fall baby!  Fall is my favorite season, and our wedding anniversary is 11/8.  My gut feeling is that we will have a November baby, and not an October baby, but who knows!  Here's our 8 week ultrasound photo:

Gummy bear baby!

Anyway, my photos from 4 weeks through 14 weeks are kind of spotty and inconsistent, so I'm going to start with today's photo (15 weeks!  Yay!) and just consider myself caught up!  :)

How far along?  15 weeks exactly!  


How big is baby?  Around 3 ounces, measuring between 4-5 ounces in length.  Little peanut!

Total weight gain:  I'm fluctuating between one pound below prepregnancy weight and one pound over.  So I guess I'll take the average and say ... no weight gain yet.  

Maternity clothes? I have one pair of maternity capris (worn in the photo above and almost every day of every week) and a maternity jean skirt that is a bit too big for me still.  I have a couple of maternity t-shirts and tanks but mostly just repurposing my wardrobe (don't the fashion bloggers call that a "remix"??) and trying to make non-maternity stuff last as long as possible.  Maternity clothes are expensive!  Oh, but I did just score this super cute maternity dress from Gilt Groupe to wear to Lisa's bridal shower in a couple of weeks (and maybe rehearsal dinner in July, too!):

Yes, my self-portraits are usually taken at my work bathroom.  What of it?

Sleep:  I slept absolutely horribly all through the first trimester, with crazy dreams and getting up to pee 800 times a night.  Then, a couple of weeks ago, I started sleeping GREAT and it's been so wonderful ever since!  The only thing bothering me is that I will sleep in one position for most of the night, and when I wake up, my arm is always asleep.  #firstworldproblems.   

Cravings: I was really into fruit a few weeks ago and couldn't get enough strawberries, watermelon and raspberries.  But right now, no real cravings or food aversions, which is great!  

Best moment this week: Having Matt take the photo above ... and realizing that Baby Smith has definitely popped over the last few days!  My ambiguously fat beer gut/baby gut is slowly turning into a for-real baby belly!  

Movement: None yet - I cannot WAIT for this! 

Gender: Team Green for now ... we will find out in about 5 weeks if we're having a boy or a girl!  Almost everyone has told me they think I'm having a girl.  Matt and I have absolutely no idea or intuition at all, so who knows!  

Belly Button in or out? Innie. 

What I miss:  Really, nothing.  I am so very happy and thankful to be here ... I couldn't care less about missing out on wine, or delicious soft cheeses, or even sushi!  Oh, okay, I do miss something.  I miss being able to eat something - anything - without it giving me crazy heartburn.  I eat a strawberry = heartburn.  I have a sip of water = heartburn.  ARGH.   

Weekly Wisdom:  Well, I have no wisdom.  I don't know what I'm talking about yet.  :)

Milestones: Happily cruising through the 2nd trimester and feeling great!  


So, there ya have it.  Baby Smith, coming 10/29/12!  Oscar cannot WAIT to have a baby brother or sister.  Can't you tell?

A New Decade

Hello, long lost blog friends.  It's me.  Do you remember me?  Here's a recent photo just in case you have forgotten about me.  I wouldn't blame you, after all.  It's been almost six months.

Lots of things have happened in the last six months.  Most importantly, I started playing around with hot rollers (see above).  Okay, that's probably not the most important thing.  I don't really know what the most important thing is, but all I can say is ... you know you go too long without logging onto Blogger when every time you log in, the format has changed.  I must say that I am LOVING this new Blogger.  Nicely done, Google!

Anyway.  Today, I turn 30.  Another decade down.  It feels weird ... yet exciting.  I love birthdays, and I have never shied away from aging.  Seeing a new decade (you know, the one that starts with a 3) is definitely going to be an adjustment, but it's not one I'm unhappy about.  Every year of my life thus far has brought joy, new adventures, new experiences, and new friends.

These last ten years have been good to me.  I graduated from college, earned my graduate degree, moved to Virginia, got a job, quit that job, met the love of my life, got another job, became a puppy parent to Oscar, got another job, moved from Virginia to Indiana, got married, got a new job, said goodbye to my husband for a year and dealt with deployment, welcomed him home again (which remains one of the best days of my life), got ANOTHER new job (definitely the best yet), and ... bam.  All of a sudden, ten years have passed.

I'm not exactly where I thought I would be at 30.  If you would have asked me ten years ago what my life would be like now, I would have guessed that I would be happily married (check), have a house (nope) and a couple of kids (nope, unless you count the furry one with a tail), and feel settled (nope).

The happily married thing, I've had down for over three years now.  But the rest has proven to be a bit of a challenge.  We don't have a house, because we're not really settled.  Our future is very up in the air right now, and we're not quite sure where we'll be a year from now.  Our journey to become parents has been filled with challenges, heartache, and loss instead of joy and excitement, and this is something I'm struggling with every day.  I'm really hoping that the stars align for us soon, that 2012 is our year for so many things.

That being said, I'm happy.  I have Matt.

I have my sweet friends and family.  I have the best dog a gal could ask for.

Overall?  Life is good.  Life is great.  I may not be where I thought I'd be, but I remain content and optimistic that the future holds good things for our little family.

Now.  My goal for this year?  Smile more with my mouth open.  :)

My 30th birthday plans are to go to work, have a fantastic dinner with Matt (I'm thinking sushi ... our go-to special occasion pick), and snuggle.  I'm throwing myself a 30th birthday party next week, and I'm having tons of fun with some planning and decorating and crafting.  I'm hereby considering February my Birthday Month - why celebrate a day when you can have a whole month?! - and will ring in 30 with style!

So, hey everyone.  Not sure if I'll be back for real or not ... but know that I'm here, I'm alive, I'm on Twitter, and I'm keeping up with your lives ... I'm just not so great at commenting these days.  xxoo

Friday Mishmash

So, first of all ... wow.  Just checked out the new Blogger and it's kinda rocking my world a little bit!  As in, I am really confused and stuff.  But I like it, I think!  I think.  Hmm.

Anyway, I am finishing up my second week at work and I still love it.  It's seriously fabulous.  I love being on campus, and have figured out the bus situation a little bit better - now I take the bus from our apartment, and I don't have to drive at all!  Very exciting stuff.  Really.  :)  My office still looks as sad as it did last week, but I think Matt and I will be heading on campus this weekend to change all of that.  Stay tuned for photos of my new decorated office sometime next week!

In other news, I haven't been sewing as much as I would like (and must remedy that) but I did work on a little craft fun for Oscar recently.  I don't remember why exactly, but I was talking with Lisa online about something related to dogs, and I was on Etsy so I searched for "husky" to see what kind of fun handmade husky gear I could find.  Well, amazingly enough, one crazy thing popped up.  It turned out to be a digital image I could buy for $1 and then use for ... well, whatever.  It was so incredibly that I snatched it right up, swung by Hobby Lobby, and grabbed a canvas tote bag and some iron on transfer paper.  And the result?  Is kind of amazing.

Hmmm.  Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Seriously.  I don't know who thinks something like this up (oh wait, yes I do - I picked this bad boy up from Graphique), but it is spec-tac-u-lar.  It's a husky.  With a crown.  And wings.

No, I don't understand.  Yes, it looks almost exactly like Oscar.  No, Oscar doesn't really need his own tote bag.  Although yes, he does pack a bag when he goes to stay with Mamaw and Papaw.

So yes.  Clearly it was necessary.  I find it absolutely hilarious and often look at it hanging in the closet and giggle.

Anyway - I can't believe we're already at Labor Day weekend!  And I can't believe it's September.  We don't have any plans this weekend, besides watching college football and babysitting sweet baby Madeline.  What about you?

New Job and New Office!

This is the face of someone who is happy going to work in the morning. It's a new feeling, so I'm still getting used to it. This morning I took this photo with my computer on my way out the door, wearing my fancy new IU polo shirt for Welcome Week festivities. This job? Is so much fun. There's a lot to learn, but nothing that I can't handle. The people? Are fantastic. Everyone in my school is incredibly friendly, open and welcoming - something I really craved at my last job but never encountered. After three years in an extremely hostile work environment where nobody really seemed to like each other, this is such a breath of fresh air.

My first day was Tuesday, and I jumped right in and tried to start learning stuff. My boss took me out to lunch (thai food ... delish!), which was fun, and this morning they had a welcome breakfast for me. So nice! I actually got to meet some students this afternoon at the open house we hosted for freshmen. We had a great turnout, and it was lots of fun.

Working on a college campus is the best part of this job - I absolutely love taking the bus to work. Strange, I know, but there's something so enjoyable about sitting down, opening a book, and zoning out for the ten whole minutes it takes me to get there. I love spending some time walking outside, and yesterday - despite the crazy heat and the fact that it was dorm move-in day - I walked across campus to downtown to go to the library. Just the fact that I could walk there, and then walk to a different bus stop and take the bus home, totally made my day. Sometimes, it's just the little things, you know?

Anyway ... so yeah. All in all, the new job is fab. Still have a ton of stuff to learn, but that's okay. School starts next week, so I better learn quickly!

Another awesome part about my new job? My new office. For those of you who may not remember, here is a photo of the entirety of my office at the high school:

Yes, that really is all of it. Not pictured: the electrical box for the school, another smaller electrical box, and a small fried-looking box plugged into the wall I was told never to remove because it was linked to the school's alarm system.

Behold: my new, grown-up office, full of all sorts of excitement:

It definitely needs a little bit of decoration ... hopefully will have some stuff hung on the walls by next week.

I have my own thermostat! How awesome is that?!

Trust me ... after spending my summer sweltering at the high school (you know, not too many people there, so they weren't worried about keeping it cool), having an office with my own personal thermostat is muy exciting.

To be honest ... once I got used to my tiny office at North, I really grew to love it. It stopped seeming tiny to me (until I had more than one other person in it, of course). But, um, now? Just looking at that photo makes me feel claustrophobic. It doesn't take long to feel spoiled, eh?

Anyway, just wanted to give you an update on the new gig. In a word: lovely. :)