22 weeks and feeling fine!

Man does time fly or what? I feel like the first trimester just dragged by and now I stop to check things out and two weeks have flown by! Make it stop! Or at least slow down. ;) We are at 22 and a half weeks of my pregnancy and I'm feeling REALLY good. :) I don't feel like I'm about to fall asleep standing up, I haven't puked in weeks (knock on wood), and I can actually "hold it" for more than an hour, hooray!

Adam and I are no closer to finding a name for baby girl, but we still have plenty of time. It's actually really hard to pick! We're not talking about naming a goldfish or a pet rock here! This is our CHILD! And she will have this name forever! Man, talk about pressure. ;) I'm really not too worried about it yet, we still have plenty of time, and if it really comes down to it, they won't let us leave the hospital with her without putting something on her birth certificate. ;)

Okay, now for some silly stories about things I have done in the past week that I am totally blaming on pregnancy brain:

*Adam now refers to me as "Mrs. 3 second brain." What does this mean, you ask? Well, let me demonstrate a conversation we had on the way to church last week:

Me: Hey Adam, do you have to, ummm, what's it called? Where you help your Dad...? (And then, before he or I can figure out what it is I'm talking about....) Oh WAIT! Please don't let me forget to tell Andrea that I need to get that thing from her...

Adam: What thing?

Me: That thing I asked her for the other day, I can't remember the name of it.

Adam: No, the other thing.

Me: What other thing?

Adam: The thing you just asked me about.

Me: I asked you a question?

Adam: Yeah, about my Dad.

Me: I do not remember that...

Adam: Well, anyway, I'll help you remember to ask Andrea something.

Me: What do you need to ask Andrea?

Adam: Nothing, you do.

Me: I need to what?

Adam: Ask Andrea something!

Me: Well what did I need to ask her? What are you talking about?!?!

Adam: *sigh* I have no idea...

Me: (about 10 minutes later... during church) Recipe! I was going to ask Andrea for a recipe! What were you gonna ask her?

Adam: *groan*

*I needed to measure some fabric for Baby Girl's bedding, but I didn't want to use a ruler, so I went on a hunt for the yardstick. I searched EVERYWHERE! For at least 40 minutes. I was so mad that I could not find it. I thought Adam had moved it... so then I was mad at him. As I'm dialing his work number to chew him out about moving the yardstick, I realized.... I don't own a yardstick... my mom does. It's at her house. Oops...

*And my favorite so far actually happened yesterday... I go to the orthodontist every couple of weeks. My ortho's office is located on the third floor of a large office complex. I arrive at the complex, park my car, walk inside, ride the elevator up to the third floor, walk down the hall to my othro's office, and proceed to my appointment. Thirty minutes later I emerge from my ortho's office, head back down the hallway, and stop at the elevators. Here is where I proceed to take out my car keys and hit the "unlock" button on my clicker... several times... at the elevator... to get it to open... unsuccessfully, I might add. After about 4 tries it finally dawns on me... I am trying to unlock the elevator with my car keys. Awesome. I should not be allowed out in public, much less drive. Haha! I thought it was funny. :)

Okay, here's this week's picture: 22 weeks!

How far along? 22 weeks 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: Not quite sure... my scale is totally different from the one at the dr's so I never know until I go there.
Maternity clothes? Yep, there's no going back now! ;)
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Pretty good. I usually get up once a night, but it's not bad. Now I've started having really bizzare dreams, so that's... interesting.
Best moment this week: I know this is totally not pregnancy related but.... the WEATHER! It's been awesome! I even went on a walk. :) Go me!
Movement: Lots! It's so fun feeling her, and it always makes me smile. :)
Food cravings: Back on the apple pie kick, haha!
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in... I've decided I don't think it's going to "pop" just flatten out. I have a weird bellybutton...
What I miss: Bending over to tie my shoes or put on socks... it's uncomfortable!.
What I am looking forward to: Picking her name!
Weekly Wisdom: The chiropractor is your friend while you're pregnant, seriously. :)
Milestones: Month 5! Baby Girl is now the size of a papaya, is about a foot long, and weighs about a pound! Wow!

Halfway Mark!

I guess technically I was at the halfway mark last week, but I wasn't thinking about it, so we'll celebrate this week! Yay! :)

Had another doctor's appointment last week on Friday. Everything's looking good. I feel good. :) Blood pressure's good. It's allllll good. ;) The doc tried to hear the heartbeat again (I'm guessing they're going to do this every week now?) and was getting tickled b/c Baby Girl was being... elusive. ;) She doesn't like people invading her space so she kept slipping out from under the doppler wand. I was trying hard not to laugh. ;) We heard it for a couple of seconds though, so it was fine. Doctor's only comment was, "Well, she'll run out of room in there eventually and she won't be able to escape pretty soon, haha!" I love my doctor. He's so mellow and just makes me feel so comfortable and relaxed. I am so blessed. :)

I don't really think I have too much else to post about. Not much has happened in the last week, and I'm okay with that. Ha! I've given up facebook for Lent with our church's youth group, so I'm going to try and post some pictures in the blog from the past few weeks. Wish me luck!

21 Weeks

20 Weeks... Looking rough ;)

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Half a pound. :( I guess it's better than losing weight...
Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Eh, I have good nights and not-so-good nights. My back is starting to really bother me, so it makes sleep uncomfortable sometimes.
Best moment this week: Finally getting ALL of the supplies for her bedding! Now we just have to sent it off to get it made.
Movement: Lots! It's so fun feeling her, and it always makes me smile. :)
Food cravings: Just food in general. I'm always hungry. ;)
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Starting to get shallow... saw the back of my bellybutton for the first time ever, ha!
What I miss: Sleeping through the night. I'm always waking up to either pee, stretch, or because my arm or something has fallen asleep.
What I am looking forward to: Picking her name!
Weekly Wisdom: Talk to your hubby about anything that's bothering you... otherwise, it bottles up and then you have a melt-down and it freaks him out. ;)
Milestones: Made it past the halfway mark!

It's a.....

GIRL!

Yay! I'm so excited! (Ha! Like I wouldn't have been if she had been a boy? lol) It was so... surreal getting to see her on the ultrasound. :) Especially since we JUST got to hear her heartbeat for the first time the Thursday before. I don't know if it's just me, but I think ultrasounds have really improved recently. I can remember a bunch of girlfriends last year bringing me pics of their ultrasounds and I could barely see anything! But these were SO clear! We could see all four chambers of her little heart, see each tiny finger bone, and could even count all of her little ribs! So precious! Our ultrasound technician even gave us a CD with like 8 pics of her! Once I figure out how to get them up here, I'll post some. :) It was so awesome. :) I think Adam was a little sad she wasn't a boy for about 2 minutes, and then he was over it. She's already got him wrapped around her itty bitty finger. :) *sigh*.....

On another note, since it's been so long since I've posted, I've also definitely started to be able to feel her kick! And Adam and Emily (my sister) have been able to feel her too! Now that is pretty awesome! :D I've found that she REALLY doesn't like to share my lap... with anyone or anything. Haha! Anytime one of my daycare kids sits on my lap or I try to rock one of them to sleep, she freaks out and starts kicking like crazy! Also if I put my laptop on my lab, she doesn't like that either and she'll kick at it. It's kinda precious. ;)

We also decided to have her bedding made, instead of buying a set. Adam found some really cute fabrics (pinks, greens, and brown) at Hobby Lobby and we bought a pattern and Billie's (my brother-in-law) Gramma Mavis offered to make the bedding! I'm pretty excited!

How far along? 20 weeks-ish... ultrasound tech said she's measuring 4 days ahead, so it may be a little different...
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure, we go to the doctor this weekend
Maternity clothes? Yes. I can officially not wear ANY of my pre-preg clothing and some of my regular t-shirts are getting snug.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Pretty good. Usually get up at least once to pee. My mother-in-law bought me a Snoogle pillow for my birthday and I am totally in love with it!
Best moment this week: Finding out she's a GIRL and feeling her kick!
Movement: Several times a day! :) Adam says she's gonna be a soccer player just like him. ;)
Food cravings: Just food in general. I'm always hungry. ;)
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Starting to get shallow... saw the back of my bellybutton for the first time ever, ha!
What I miss: Bending over comfortably... tying my shoes is becoming a challenge. :)
What I am looking forward to: Getting her bedding made and picking a name!
Weekly Wisdom: Take naps when you can... they make you happy. :D
Milestones: Finding out gender and feeling her kick!

Houston, we have a... heartbeat!

Yay yay yay! Adam and I went in on Thursday for my monthly OB checkup and we got to hear Baby Cloud's heartbeat! :) It was SO cool. I didn't cry, but I didn't really think I would anyway. I'm kinda weird like that... I cry watching Extreme Home Makeover and when I get mad, but not at the normal stuff. You know like, baby dedications, weddings, hearing my child's heartbeat for the first time. I'm a weirdo. ;) It's okay, I've come to terms with it a loooong time ago.

Anyway, here's just a quick update of how the doctor's appointment went. They checked my weight (still down 1 lb. but they're pretty sure it's just from all the trouble I had with morning sickness). My blood pressure is looking great. They asked me the normal questions about how I felt and if I had any questions come up. And then we got to hear the heartbeat! It was in the 150's and it was nice and strong. Near the end, it started to sound kind of echo-y... almost like there were two heartbeats. I joking asked the doctor, "please tell me there's just one in there?" He laughed and said that it was possible, but the chances were slim (even though there are LOTS of twins on Adam's side) and there was nothing else so far in my pregnancy to make him think I was carrying more than one baby. That was kind of a relief to know. :) That sounds terrible, I know. Every little girl dreams of having twins, right? Well, when she grows up she realizes that although that is a very cool concept, she'd be just fine handling one baby, thank you very much! ;) The last thing the doctor did was to go ahead and schedule my first ultrasound... for next Monday! That's right, by Feb. 1st, we might know whether Baby Cloud is a boy or a girl! I am SO excited! And I can't believe they scheduled it so soon! I was sure that they were going to make me wait until 20 weeks (I'll be 17 at the appt). So needless to say, this was a VERY pleasant surprise! :D As of right now, Adam is hoping for a boy and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a girl. We totally don't care either way, but it's fun to try and guess. :) I created a poll online for our friends to guess the gender, and the standings as of right now are:

Boy: 5 votes

Girl: 7 votes

So it's pretty close in my opinion. :) Hopefully I can let you all know Monday which it is! :D

How far along? 16 weeks 4 days!
Total weight gain/loss: Down 1 lb. :(
Maternity clothes? Yes and no... I found a pair of jeans I bought right before I got pregnant and I put them on... and they still fit! :D That made me happy. ;)
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Sleeping like a, well, a baby. ;)
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat and scheduling the first ultrasound!
Movement: Nothing yet. :( Some nights I lay flat and I think I feel flutters, but I'm just not sure, lol.
Food cravings: Apply pie and vanilla ice cream... Thanks to Scott and Shannon for fufilling that craving! :D
Gender: We might find out Monday, Feb. 1st!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in... it's pretty deep, so I'm thinking I may not "pop" at all. We'll see...
What I miss: Being able to "hold it" for more than an hour, haha!
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender!
Weekly Wisdom: I have to drink a full 32 oz. in one sitting for my ultrasound on Monday... and I suck at drinking water. So I'm looking at this like a marathon runner would... practice and train! Haha!
Milestones: Hearing Baby's heartbeat (150's)!

Update on Life

Okay, so I'm not so great at keeping this thing updated... Kinda figured that would happen. ;) The thing is though, life gets busy! Some days I feel like the weeks are crawling by and then BAM! Something happens and you're left thinking, ummm where did the past few weeks go? I feel like it was just the beginning of December and I was trying to get ready for Christmas, and here I am now, in the last week of January! A lot of things have happened to me, my small family unit of two (soon to be three!), and my friends. Here's just a condensed list...

* Adam turned 25! He is now a quarter of a century old! ;) I love teasing him about that.

*We celebrated a blessed Christmas with the Cloud, Applegate, and O'Neal sides of the family. We came down to SEMO for a few days and witnessed a lot of rain and flooding, while our Olathe friends and family were snowed in for the holiday. No fair! ;)

*I was hit with some MONSTER morning sickness and stomach flu of some sort that left me in bed for a week in a half, and all of my daycare parents scrambling for childcare. :( Not a happy time.

*My family lost a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend in a terrible car accident on New Year's Eve. We love and miss you Michael!

*Our close group of friends from church suffered various illnesses, car accidents, job losses, etc. It's been a rough couple of months, and there have definitely been times where we've struggled, but my husband and friends continue to amaze and encourage me with their faith in God and his greater plan for our lives. :)

*I had to be put on medication for my increasing bouts with nausea and I'm finally finding relief. :)

A girlfriend of mine really inspired me with a list of things she filled out each week about her recent pregnancy and I decided to use her idea (thanks Meg!). ;)

How far along? 15 weeks 6 days!
Total weight gain/loss: Not really sure, I've been losing weight due to the morning sickness. Last OB appt. I weighed 122. And that was down 6 lbs from the previous appt. :(
Maternity clothes? Yes, finally! I've been in that awkward "none of my regular clothes fit, but maternity clothes are too big" stage for the past few weeks. A friend from church (who happens to be the same size as me) just had her baby in Dec. and let me borrow all of her clothes! Thanks Ashley!
Stretch marks? Just my tooshie. ;) TMI, sorry.
Sleep: Typically I sleep all through the night. The past few weeks I've stolen every extra pillow we own (including all of Adam's except one) and barricaded myself in. Otherwise, I have terrible back and hip pain for days. :(
Best moment this week: Getting drugs that keep me from puking! :D
Movement: Nothing yet. :( Some nights I lay flat and really still but I'm pretty sure all I feel is my stomach growling, lol.
Food cravings: Fruits and veggies always, but last night I demolished a whole plate of french fries by myself. ;)
Gender: still won't know for a few more weeks. :(
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in... it's pretty deep, so I'm thinking I may not "pop" at all. We'll see...
What I miss: Bowing down to the porcelain god... NOT!
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't be afraid to call the doctor and ask for help... he doesn't think you're stupid for not wanting to puke ALL the time! :)
Milestones: I kind of "popped" this past week. I think I still just look pudgy, but other people are called it a "bump" and that makes me smile. :)

First Blog!

Hey Everyone!

I decided to try and keep everyone a little more updated with mine and Adam's lives. And, of course, the upcoming arrival of our new little one in July! :D This is our first baby and we are SO excited! I also thought that this would be a great way to reflect back on the pregnancy later on. :)

So here's what's going on with the pregnancy so far:

I am 10 weeks along today! Yay! :)

I was sick (not horribly, but still not fun) from about week 5 to 9, but I'm feeling terrific now. :)

We are going to find out what the sex of the baby is, and YES, we are going to tell people. ;) We find out around 20 weeks. Maybe a little sooner. :)

No, we haven't picked a name yet. It's a lot harder than you'd think (for those of you who don't have kids yet). Being a girl, I had all of these names I was totally in love with all picked out... then I got married. Haha! Adam and I do not agree on a lot of names, but we have plenty of time and we're not really too worried about it right now. ;) This child will have a name... and for those of you who have talked to Adam, NO, the baby's name will NOT be Shrek, no matter what Adam tells you. ;)

As for regular life in general...

The last few weeks have been CRAZY BUSY for us. What with Thanksgiving, traveling, Adam's birthday (it was the 12th), doing stuff with the teens at church, shopping for Christmas, and the ending of the semester and finals at MNU (this has caused quite the crazy daycare schedules for me) I feel like we have been like the Energizer Bunny. Just going, and going, and going, and going... Only, I have no energy, lol! But things are starting to slow down, and for this I am eternally grateful. As of this moment right now, I only have one daycare kid. I feel like I'm on vacation! Haha! And am I doing something productive such as... working on the mountain of laundry (I'm being totally serious) in my room, cleaning my kitchen (which looks like it's exploded), picking up the four million toys on my floor (again, this is no exaggeration), or anything like that? Noooooo. I'm writing on my blog. Oh well, I've got all day, right? Right?

Okay, now I feel guilty. More updates soon! :)