22 Weeks

Me:

How far along: 22 weeks

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I tried on my jeans yesterday and if I want to be comfortable in pants (other than sweats or yoga pants) I'm going to need maternity jeans very soon or start using that rubber band trick.

Wedding ring on or off: Still on.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping great.

Movement: Yup <3
Cravings: Nothing new.

 Heartburn: I must have jinxed myself because now I am getting it all the time.

Morning Sickness: Nope.
Symptoms: My hair is falling out, I have a light linea nigra below my belly button, and I'm always tired.
Belly button in or out: In.
Sings of Labor: Nope.
Best moment of the week: Listening to Kevin talk about being a dad and watching our little lady dance around.

Baby:
Size: Joanna weighs roughly 12.25 ounces and measures about 10.9 inches in length. She is the size of a papaya.
Milestones: Joanna's taste buds have started to form on her tongue and her brain and nerve endings are developed enough to where she can have a sense of touch. She may begin testing her sense of touch by touching her face or sucking her thumb (which we saw her try to do at our anatomy scan). Her uterus and ovaries are now in place too.
Sleep: She still has no distinct sleeping patterns.
Favorite foods: She kicked up a storm after eating a cookie, but I was also really hungry so I don't know if it was the cookie or the fact that I was finally able to eat something.

                            

They're not the best quality, but here I am at 22 weeks pregnant. Side and front view plus a very dirty mirror. I'm popping a lot more now (especially after a meal) and I expect to see a lot of growth in the next week or so.

 

21 Weeks

Me:

How far along: 21 weeks!

Maternity clothes: Nope, not yet.

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Sleep: I sleep great. I get 7-10 hours a night, plus long naps during the day.

Stretch marks: None yet.

Movement: All the time and I love it.

Cravings: So far my main craving has been meat, specifically ribs. I also like watermelon with fresh lime or lemon juice poured over it (the lime/lemon juice is a must).

Heartburn: I get it randomly and I never get it from the same thing twice.

Morning sickness: None.

Symptoms: My skin is terribly dry, my hair is falling out, and I think I’m starting to get a linea nigra, but only below my belly button.

Belly button in or out: In.

Labor signs: None, thank God.

Best moment of the week: Going to the anatomy scan and seeing a healthy baby.

Baby:

Size: Joanna weighs about twelve ounces and is roughly 8-10 ½ inches long (the size of a carrot or large banana).

Milestones: Joanna’s eyebrows and eyelids are now fully formed. She is practicing swallowing and her blood circulation is fully functional.

Sleep: She seems to take little naps in the middle of the day, but she moves all the time in the morning, evening, and throughout the night.  

Favorite foods: She doesn't seem to like or dislike anything.

21 week bump

Mother's Day

I have had an intense love/hate relationship with Mother’s Day over the past five years. While I have been grateful for the wonderful motherly figures in my life, I have ached with the desire to be a mother myself.

In the past five years, I have gained two baby boxes which now sit on a shelf together filled with memories. I have gone through labor and delivery twice, but that is the extent of my motherhood experience thus far.

“And all they who have mourned shall be comforted.” D&C 101:14

This year will be the first year I cry happy tears along with the sad. This year, while remembering my losses, my husband and I will also be lucky enough to celebrate the new life, and new opportunity, we have been given. We have experienced a lot of pain and sadness the past four years over children, but we have also been blessed with peace and comfort to carry us through, and we are just as grateful for those tender mercies as we are for this child.

“Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things.” Isaiah 12:5

Even though I have joy this Mother’s Day, there are many women, women I know and many more I don’t, who still dread this holiday. Sister Patricia Holland once said, “I believe mother is one of those very carefully chosen words, one of those rich words—with meaning after meaning after meaning. We must not, at all costs, let that word divide us. I believe with all my heart that it is first and foremost a statement about our nature, not a head count of our children."

Of course, there are more reasons than one to mourn on Mother's Day. Whatever the reason for someone's pain this day, my heart goes out to them. 

If you are one who suffers on this day, I hope you find peace, comfort, and happiness sooner than later and that you, too, will feel joy on this day.

Anatomy Scan

Kevin and I went the anatomy scan today and everything is looking great! According to the tech, I have twelve ounces of a healthy baby inside me. There was a shadow in part of the heart, but the doctor told me it happens all the time and it's nothing to be concerned about. Plus, I get another ultrasound in four weeks because of it so I can't complain about that :)

Profile

She was kicking the whole time we were trying to get photos of her feet. The tech told us she was really fast. It was fun watching her feet go crazy while feeling her kicks.  

Obligatory alien view of baby's face. Look at those tiny fingers! Her hands were my favorite part. I wish we got photos of those. She tried sucking her thumb several times during the ultrasound which was also a lot of fun to watch. 

We already knew we were having a girl because of the MaterniT21 test, but it was nice to get it confirmed via ultrasound. I think we might actually be comfortable buying things now. 

And there you have it. Life is good.

Over and out.

Our baby announcements

My husband and I decided to wait a while (18 weeks) before we announced our pregnancy to people. Since I had a long time to wait, I had lots of time to think about how I wanted to announce. I originally planned on making these boxes, but by the time I got out of the craft store I had completely different supplies, and a different idea.

So, here is a little step-by-step to show what I made and how they turned out:

Some supplies I used to make the boxes. Everything that I didn't have I bought from Michaels.

More supplies.

The stain I used on the boxes.

I stuck these butterflies on the squares that go in the windows on the boxes and those are name tags I was deciding between.

Here are the boxes after being stained. They were originally the same color as the squares the butterflies are on.

I took an ultrasound photo to FedEx, told them the dimensions I needed them to be, and had them print me a sheet. $0.14.

I used mod podge to stick the photo to one side of the square.

On the other side is the butterfly. The butterflies are facing the outside and...

when you open the box it has the photo.

Here are what the boxes look like closed.

Supplies to fill the boxes. Michaels.

I got some light pink, sheer paper, cut it into the size of our printer paper, and printed the note we wanted to go inside the boxes on it. Then I cut it into strips. 

Background paper. Cut it into strips to fit under the sheer note.

Cut and layered.

I used these little button clasps to attach the sheer note to the background paper.

Here is what the note looks like all put together.

Back side, to show the clasp things.

I rolled up the notes and tied them with pink ribbon.

Poured pink rocks into the boxes and added an "It's a girl" tag on the top flap.

What the boxes look like filled.

And here is the final product.

And there you have it.

Fun story, in order to get my mom's new address and let her know I was sending her a package without giving away the surprise I told her I was sending her Easter decorations. She had NO idea it was a baby announcement. She thought the box was nice and was 100% expecting to open it and find some Easter poem or something of that sort so she was really shocked. I'm not good at surprises so I was really proud of how good I fooled her.

I had some left over supplies so I sent out letters to other family members and close friends that I thought would appreciate getting a physical announcement. Each had a personal note written inside along with roughly the same contents as inside the box, minus the rocks, and were sent out in pink envelopes with a pink bow glued to the back.

I had a lot of fun making everything and our families loved them.

The experience was also healing. I have had a lot of fear this pregnancy that something would go wrong and my fears prevented me from feeling connected to the baby and being excited. I kept saying things like, "after this date, or that test I will know that this pregnancy is legit and then I'll be happy," but that didn't make things very fun or leave much room for hope. Making these boxes (and also getting the news that all our tests came back clear and baby girl is healthy mid-process) helped bring the peace I needed in order to relax and enjoy this wonderful time in my life.

Now I am filled with joy, hope, and love, and it's only getting better.

Happy News

Kevin and I are going to be parents (again)! I'm in my 20th week of pregnancy and due late September. We're expecting a healthy little girl and so far pregnancy has been great!

Our tiny T-Rex at 9 weeks

Our baby girl at 12 weeks

Kevin and I have been so grateful for all of the love and support we have received this past year. Thank you for the prayers, shoulders to cry on, blessings, meals, movie nights, and all the other wonderful things y'all have done for us. We're very lucky to have you in our lives and we're excited for you to be a part of our daughter's life as well.

"I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, 
and make them rejoice from their sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13