17 Weeks

Another week under my belt... I guess literally too. I'm smiling as I type this because I'm congratulating myself on being pretty clever... because my waistline is expanding... ok anyways. Today we celebrate my "week birthday" because the baby and I "turn" 17 weeks! Its hard to believe that 17 weeks ago I didn't even know I was pregnant yet! And now, in the next month, I'll get to find out the sex of the baby... Wow.

This was a big week for me. Why? Because for the first time, I felt the baby kick!!! I was so excited! I was in shock at first and then as I switched positions I felt it again and I was ecstatic! It was just a few little taps, like someone tapping you on the shoulder to get your attention and I just imagine my little munchkin saying "hey mom, its me, I'm here!" That was Friday morning. Then Friday night I felt the baby kick again and tried frantically to get Brandon's hand on my stomach in time but the baby stopped kicking =(

I had another bout of pregnancy brain this week. Involving cooking again. I know you guys are already worried so let me reassure you, I did not burn down the house. However, I did forget 2 ingredients in the meatloaf. I was very excited that I was going to cook and had decided that I was going to cook meatloaf and mac'n'cheese and corn. Yummy. Well, I got to cooking and forgot the ketchup and bbq sauce in the meatloaf and didn't realize it until I had set the cooked meatloaf on the table next to the ketchup. Oh well... Brandon was a sport and listened to me pitch a huge fit (did I mention the pregnancy hormones and emotions caught up to me in this trimester??) and then ate my meatloaf and told me how wonderful it was. Then later when we were about to fall asleep all of a sudden I realized that I had made meatloaf, mac'n'cheese and RICE... not corn. I was distraught that I had forgotten to make corn. I mean, the rice was fine and all but I had planned on corn. If anyone has seen my brain or my memory, could you tell them I'm looking for them? K, thanks.

Survey time...

How far along? 17 weeks

Weight gain? Haven't weighed myself since my last doctor's appointment...

maternity clothes? I wore my first pair of maternity pants this week!

Sleep? Still up and down to potty and dreaming in between

stretch marks? None yet...

Best moment this week? Feeling the baby kick! I wait in anticipation of the next kicks!!

movement? Yes, tap tap tap, "I'm here Mommy!"

food cravings? Well this week I wanted fruit and yogurt parfaits... at least I'm craving healthier foods!! And I actually ate sweet foods this week too! I had a Krispy Kreme donut (well, 2) and they were wonderful! and Friday night, Brandon and I had a coupon and a giftcard to coldstone and I actually wanted ice cream and it was delicious! First time I've had ice cream in 4 months!! that's a record folks! You'll probably never see me go that long without ice cream ever again... I'm serious.

Food aversions? coffee coffee coffee

what I'm looking forward to... feeling the baby kick again and more often (I know I'll probably recant that statement later on when I'm getting kicked in the ribs and the bladder but for now I'm so anxious to feel my little one move!)

milestones... Feeling the baby kick, wearing maternity clothes, eating ice cream again, feeling energetic enough to organize my pantry and free closet... I think I'm trying to gear up for cleaning out the guest room to turn it into a nursery...

Here's bump picture for week 17...where did that thing come from? I promise it wasn't there last week!!! haha!

16 weeks

We've reached 16 weeks! 4 whole months pregnant! WOW!! In just another month I'll be halfway to meeting my little munchkin! This week (knock on wood) I have felt much better. I'm still nauseated in the morning until I eat something but I've felt less nauseous throughout the day this whole week... praise the Lord! I've been nauseated for something like 13 or 14 weeks now and that's a loooong time to be nauseated. I've also had more energy than I've had in a while and I feel like I'm seeing glimpses of myself before I was pregnant. This week was verrry busy and I'm so grateful that this timing happened like it did and I was able to attack this week with a lot more gusto than before =) I'm also grateful to the couple of women who have so graciously given and loaned me items that I'll need while pregnant! I think I wrote a little bit about that in an earlier post but another friend gave me a bag FULL of things today and I am so thankful for these women! Being pregnant and having a baby is expensive and being able to use clothes and other items from women who have been through it all before is such a help. Plus, its kind of the same feeling as going shopping, except everything was free! =)

I feel like I need to post a separate post about our Valentine's weekend to give each topic its own attention so this will be all about baby Delk =)

How far along? 16 weeks today!

Weight gain? 7 pounds as of my last weigh-in... haven't weighed myself since...

maternity clothes? not yet but boy are my jeans getting tight!

sleep? better I think... Brandon gave me a pregnancy pillow for Valentine's day so I slept very well last night =) thanks babe =) I also still have really vivid dreams, like dreams about getting a ticket for not putting enough money in a parking meter, dreams about people I know getting pregnant, dreams about work, etc!

stretch marks? None yet

Best moment this week? My valentine's date with Brandon... we both got all dolled up and went to a Japanese steakhouse and it was delicious and I love my sweet sweet Valentine =)

Movement? I thought I felt the baby move Friday night right before I went to sleep but I think it might have been my stomach growling... wish I knew how to tell for sure =)

Food cravings? this week definitely Chick-fil-a... oh my, I had chicken minis for breakfast and nuggets and fries for lunch... all week!

Food aversions? still coffee and anything sweet... its sad really

What I'm looking forward to? another week of feeling good and not having morning sickness all day every day!!!

Milestones... I had several breakthroughs this week! I ate FRUIT for the first time in 3 months!!!! I actually wanted it and it even tasted good to me!!! I ate blueberries and pineapple and strawberries and grapes!! And it was delicious! Exactly how I remember it! Annnd I ate a SALAD this week!!! Now, it was just the salad at the Japanese steakhouse last night, basically just lettuce and ginger dressing but it was a salad and I ate it and didn't gag!! Breakthrough!! Now I still don't want to even think about spinach or spring mix salads but lettuce is a start! woot woot!

Babycenter.com says the baby is now 4.5 inches long and the eyes and ears are moving more into their permanent position!

Here's the 16 week bump picture... the girl that looks like a whale, yeah that's me.

Brain Dump

Mid-week brain dump, ready... set... go!

• This week I put on a t-shirt, freshly washed, dried, and folded and was very upset for approximately 23 seconds. See, this t-shirt is an "oldie but a goodie," a hand-me-down ADPi t-shirt from my big sister, Nicole. I love this t-shirt. It's nothing special but it fits me just right and its been washed so many times that its got that nearly-perfect-washed-softness going on. Well, I put this t-shirt on and it was TOO SMALL. Brandon has been helping out a lot around the house lately (since I'm either too busy laying down or sitting in front of the toilet) and I couldn't remember who had done this load of clothes so naturally I assumed he had since he clearly shrunk my shirt! I looked in the mirror and turned towards the bedroom and hurtfully accused Brandon of ruining one of my favorite shirts. Shocked, it only took a few seconds for him to recover and he kindly and gently pointed out that the shirt had not shrunk, but I had grown. Oh my. I looked back in the mirror and realized he was right. Blush. The t-shirt stretched across my chest and my tummy certainly felt like it had shrunk but I knew he was right. Mystery of the shrunken t-shirt was solved. Easily and quickly to the rest of the population, not so obvious to preggo here... Eh... guess I'll have to just start wearing Brandon's t-shirts now.
• Some of you may know that Brittney and I have been teaching coupon classes lately. It has really taken off! We have 2 classes a week lined up for the next 3 or 4 weeks! Wow! PLUS, we've been working really hard on our blog so that people in this area will have a go-to website with accurate prices and deals. We are a long way from where we want to be but we have crossed some huge milestones this week... you can now print coupons directly from our website! YAY! This is HUGE! If you coupon, go check out our website and get your coupons! We are so excited about this. Also, we are quickly figuring out the complicated world of web design, and let me tell you there is a TON to know! www.apennyfilledpantry.blogspot.com is our money saving blog so go check it out and let us know what you think! We're working hard on getting it up and running on a daily basis so any tips you have will be MUCH appreciated!
• I cooked this week. Twice! Woohoo! For anyone keeping up with me these last few months knows this is quite a feat! To be fair, one of those times Brandon grilled chicken on the grill so I technically didn't cook the whole meal. Just the sides. Ok, just some rice and mac'n'cheese. I set the table too, ok?
• A friend from church gave me some maternity clothes this week!!! I am SO excited!! Emily just had her baby 2 months ago and she was so sweet to bring me two HUGE bags full of clothes, one summer and one winter! Now I just need a "bump" to fit in them! =) Everything from jeans to dress pants to sweaters and tops and swim suits and nursing gowns and sundresses and tanktops! Wow! I feel so blessed because even though I haven't bought any maternity clothes yet, I know buying a whole new wardrobe can't be cheap so thank goodness I have a head start!
• I need to get a belly band. But I need advice on where to get one, which brand is best/most comfortable, how much is too much to pay for one, what color... etc. This is only because I'm slightly embarrassed to wear my pants unbuttoned and unzipped for fear of "undies exposure." Haha... I might just coin that phrase... anyways, advice on a belly band is much appreciated!!

Ok, so long for now. Prayers for my International Business Midterm Exam would be awesome! Thanks!!!

15 weeks

Today is our quasi birthday! I've been telling Brandon that it feels kinda like a birthday every Sunday because I "turn a new week" haha! This week is our 15 week birthday! =) I'm sure everyone is getting bored with the little survey since not much has changed so I thought this week I would just tell some funny stories about my adventures as a pregnant woman. For those of you who have had children, know that there is a different between "woman" and "pregnant woman" and let me explain what I mean by different. Last night when Brandon and I were laying in bed about to fall asleep, I started giggling. Brandon asked me what was so funny and I told him that I was just thinking about how being pregnant is like having a stranger invade your body... then I realized, a stranger HAS!!! Oh my, that little thought just set me off and I thought it was the funniest thing! There is a 3.5 inch stranger who really has invaded my body and turned my world upside down!! Wow, please tell me someone else enjoys that funny little thought as much as I did =)

I think being pregnant also may kill off some smart brain cells because I did something very stupid this week. I'm almost too embarrassed to tell anyone. In fact, I waited almost a week before telling my mom. Please don't judge me. I am still reeling at how terribly stupid this was. Ok, since I've been pregnant, I've been eating a lot of frozen pizzas (they were free at Harris Teeter one week and they are something I want that I can "cook" at home and not have to go out to get a hot meal spur of the moment) and some of the frozen pizzas I've been making are the kind you place directly on the rack in the oven. Well, with that kind of pizza, its inevitable that you will get cheese and crust crumbs on the rack and down in the bottom of the oven. The last night I cooked a frozen pizza I forgot to clean off the rack after it cooled so when I wanted bagel bites the other night, I preheated the oven and a few minutes later, I realized I had forgotten to clean the rack from the pizza before. It smelled burnt. I'm sensitive to smells right now so I thought, "well I'll fix this" and I grabbed a wad of napkins, so I wouldn't burn myself obviously, and proceeded to wipe off the oven rack and get the cheese off. In the process, I knocked a crumb down into the bottom of the oven. I didn't want it to burn and smell too so I reached down and picked up the crumb. To my dismay, and believe me when I say I was truly shocked when this happened, my wad of napkins caught on fire from having touched the hot coil of the preheating oven. This is where the description "stupid" is entirely necessary because I really was surprised that I was holding a burning wad of napkins in my hand. I froze. It was like my brain could not process what to do next. I considered dropping the whole bunch of napkins right there, but discarded that idea and opted to make a run for the sink. By the time I was able to drop the napkins in the sink and fling on the water, I had almost burned my hand off. It was only at this point that I remembered I had a voice and managed to screech out "Brandon!" When Brandon came running into the kitchen, the sink was on full blast, I was waving a dish towel around my head like a mad woman and smoke was wafting up toward the smoke detector. Plus, the oven was still open (not preheating at this point, boo) and my bagel bites were still frozen. Not to mention the adrenaline rush I got from realizing just how close I'd come to burning down the house. Note to self: the next time I encounter flames inside, react SOONER!!

This week my baby realized his/her roots because Friday night I could not stop craving Japanese food! And of course we had Japanese again for lunch yesterday =)

I think I've come to realize why my morning sickness has persisted. I've noticed that after being on the computer for awhile, I start feeling really sick. I'm wondering if looking at the screen is making me nauseous because at work I constantly feel sick and yesterday when I was doing a research paper I felt really sick and had to stop and take a break several times. As honestly as I think this may be contributing to my morning sickness, I know most of you are thinking "yeah right, she just doesn't want to work or do school work!" Hey, it could be my subconscious telling me what's best for me right now =)

I guess probably the only interesting change in the survey was the weight gained and last week I told you I was going to the doctor so I guess I better spill the beans. Let's just say I semi-freaked out when the nurse weighed me this time... why? Because I gained 5 pounds in 4 weeks!! Aggghhh! I know I need to gain weight and that I will gain weight, but holy moly! I need to pace myself! I've still got 6 months to go!! That means that I've gained a total of 7 pounds so far. I don't think its going to my "bump" either so that means its all in my cheeks, butt and thighs!! Yikes! Who wants to make me run???

Here is baby bump pic at week 15. Sorry there were no weeks 13 or 14 pictures... a combination of no time and not feeling good equaled no picture taking.

This is a front view... don't I look THICK? I mean, dang! What has this girl been eating?! =)
This is the sideways view of the "bump." I guess you can sort of tell I'm pregnant now... if you look closely.

14 weeks

I spoke too soon. Or I jinxed myself. Or... maybe I'm going to be one of the women whose morning sickness lasts... 9... whole... months... Can anyone hear the despair in my voice? Last week I told you that I has finally crossed over into the blissfully nausea-and-exhaustion-free second trimester and spent the whole day feeling great. About 20 minutes after submitting my blog post, the nausea hit. This was one of the worst weeks of my pregnancy as far as morning sickness goes. Monday night I was so nauseous that I spent over an hour on my knees in front of the toilet, crying and breathing heavy and swallowing that nasty spit (sorry this is getting a little graphic) and eventually making my peace with the idea of actually vomiting... only to not. I took a zofran (anti-nausea medication) around 9:30 and just about the time that I was ready to stop suffering and just get it over with and throw up, my nausea subsided juuuuust enough to where I couldn't throw up. Then I got to lay in bed until after midnight, moaning and groaning and sitting up suddenly, until finally exhaustion won that battle and I fell asleep. Needless to say, I was fatigued the rest of the week because I just couldn't catch up on my sleep and I had a packed schedule. So my promise of a picture of week 13 is unfulfilled... between the morning sickness and my schedule this past week, whipping out the camera and dolling up my hair just didn't cross my mind. I'll post later about my busy week but for now, here is my survey for this week!

How far along? 14 weeks 1 day

Weight gain? according to the scale at my mother-in-law's house, 5 pounds (if anyone is keeping up with this that is technically a pound a week for the past 3 weeks! ahhhh) I go to the doctor this week so I'll give you an "official" poundage number then =)

Maternity clothes? Not yet although I'm getting to the point where everything is feeling tighter. I'm much more comfortable in pj's than real clothes

Sleep? I still get up to go to the bathroom once or twice a night, sometimes 3 times (poor brandon, he's a pretty light sleeper for the most part and wakes up every time I get up!) And I'm still having pretty vivid dreams (and nightmares!) but this is pretty normal (or so I've read)

Stretch Marks? None

Best Moment this week? Wednesday evening I had to run home to grab my book for class (naturally preggo brain here forgot it) and I was feeling so exhausted and so nauseous that I actually considered skipping class. In undergrad I would skip class and not think twice about it but since being in my MBA program I have missed only 1 class and that was due to a work conflict (which is considered an excused absence in our program). During my 10 minutes of wrestling with "do I go?" or "do I stay home?" Brandon's face lit up and he said "I have something for you that will make you feel better!" My silent response was "yeah right, nothing will make me feel better at this moment" but he whipped out his phone and played the recording of our baby's heartbeat. The sound of a tiny racing heartbeat got me up and out the door to class. I love that sound. And I love my husband for knowing exactly what I needed for motivation because I would have considered myself a quitter for not going to class. That was the best moment of my week =)

Movement? I think it is still too early for kicks, buuuut I've felt little flutterings that stop me in my tracks and I have to wonder, was that the baby? Everything I've read says that at this stage in the game its probably just gas... sweet, I just let the whole world know I have gas... or tummy growlings, etc. But maybe not, the baby might just be saying "hey mom! I'm here, doing gymnastics, just like you!" =)

Food Cravings? Eh, this week I didn't really want anything to eat, I just wanted to not feel nauseous so I ate something to try and make me feel better. I still want scrambled eggs and cheese in the morning more than anything else and something hearty (and unfortunately fatty or carby) for lunch(es) and dinner(s) (plural because I usually eat two of these meals a day... yea yea, I'm pregnant and feeding two ok?)

Food Aversions? coffee, ew. salads, gag. I'm not sure I would call this an aversion, but I sure have avoided fruit the past few months so maybe it is! The thought of eating some fruit makes my tummy flip flip, how sad.

What I'm looking forward to? feeling energetic and not nauseated and running.

Milestones... Babycenter.com says that the baby can now make facial expressions and weighs 1.5 ounces. The baby is the size of a lemon now! Wow!