18 weeks

I'm just gonna put it out here early on: I don't feel good but I really want to document each week so excuse me if my humor is absent in this post. The past couple of weeks I've felt both more energized and more exhausted all at once. More energized because I've moved into the second trimester and the sheer exhaustion is fading but more exhausted because I've been keeping the schedule of a crazy woman (or 3 women!). I get tired just thinking about my week ahead and you would too because I leave to go to work at 6:45am and don't get home until 9:30 or 10:30pm. Almost...every...night. I guess some people might think I really am crazy... I mean who else works full time (and commutes 2 hours each day), gets their MBA (which involves being in class 3 hours 2 nights a week), and teaches coupon classes in their "spare" time all while being pregnant for the first time. Oh yeah, me. Mom loves to tell the story about the time I came home and told her I was trying out for soccer. She puts it this way "Bethany had 5 minutes after school so she tried out for the soccer team." Typical for me I guess. I used to wish for 25 hours in each day instead of 24.

On another note, the baby is getting stronger because the kicks are getting harder! I don't feel the baby kick every day, but I'm not worried at this point because everything I've read said that I won't feel regular movement until about 20 weeks or so. I read something else this week that is absolutely adorable to me. What to Expect When You're Expecting says that the baby is rocked to sleep by Mommy's movements, like walking and moving around, during the day and then wakes up when Mommy gets still at night. How cute is that? I'm practicing rocking my baby to sleep and he/she is still in my tummy! =) Oh I love this baby more and more as the weeks go by.

I had a thought this week... I hope the baby isn't having growing pains because he/she is growing so quickly...

Here is this week's survey:

How far along? 18 weeks

Weight gain? I weighed myself at work and it was not good. Doctor's appointment this week will reveal the true number but let's just say I've got to get my weight gaining under control.

maternity clothes? I still wear my regular jeans but I've also worn a pair of maternity jeans and black maternity pants. No maternity shirts yet because the bump just isn't big enough.

Sleep? One night I actually made it all the way through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom!!

stretch marks? None yet...

Best moment this week? Feeling the baby's stronger kicks!

movement? Yes =)

food cravings? fruit and Japanese food =)

Food aversions? coffee... you don't realize how strongly the smell carries until it makes you gag =(

what I'm looking forward to... my doctor's appointment this week

milestones... This week BabyCenter.com says the baby is as big as a green bell pepper! How cute!

I need to run... as evidenced by this picture...

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!

Hello 2nd Trimester!!!

Today I enter into the 2nd trimester!! woohooo! 13 weeks! Everyone has been telling me that at 13 weeks it will be like a switch is flipped (or a flip is switched as I said earlier tonight haha) and whataya know, today is the first day of my pregnancy I haven't been nauseous at all!! Now granted it is only 7:15 as I type this so there are 3 more hours of potential nausea but lets stay positive and assume I won't be! I have felt great all day! Hallelujah!! I want to skip I'm so happy! I feel like I saw a glimpse of my pre-pregnancy self today with all the energy I had and lack of nausea. I'm thrilled to think that I'll actually be able to do things like I used to, like housework and cook and run, etc etc etc! Speaking of housework, I owe a huge THANK YOU to Cole Bowen, my brother-in-law. We had planned for him, Brittney and Corben to come over to our house for lunch today so they wouldn't have to drive all the way back home and back for Group Link (small group launch at church) tonight. Brittney and I told Cole we wanted to go to Harris Teeter (for free stuff, naturally) and that we would be back home to cook lunch. Well, we took a little longer than we thought (and got a lot more free stuff than we thought too!) and when we got back to my house, Cole had cleaned my kitchen, put away the dishes, and cooked lunch!! He made made-from-scratch mashed potatoes, corn and grilled chicken and steaks on the grill!! It was fabulous!! Then, Brittney folded the towels that I had neglected to fold since drying them and my house looked cleaner than it has in weeks!! THANK YOU Cole and Brittney! Honestly I have felt so tired and so ill the past few weeks I haven't lifted a finger and my house showed it. Brandon has done so much to pick up my slack but it really needs more attention than once a week cleaning... you know how it goes. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who love me enough to help me when I need it most!

Today was also the launch of our small groups at church. Group Link went seamlessly tonight and I am SO proud of my husband! I don't think everyone knows just how hard he works behind the scenes to pull stuff like this off. He has worked on processes for small groups for months now and this week has worked well over a normal workweek to launch these groups (no day off Friday and hasn't been home since 7:15 this morning!!). I am so proud of how he has grown into the leader he is. People respect him and they don't even know the half of what he does! I want to applaud Brandon and take a minute to recognize just how hard he has worked to take our church to the next level. We are very excited about small groups and especially our small group! We will have our group meet at our house this semester and we are pumped about everyone who will be a part of our group! I think people are craving personal relationships with one another and this will be a huge part in accomplishing that.

Here is my survey on my pregnancy for this week =)

How far along? 13 weeks

Weight gain? at work this week there was an employee health fair and I weighed myself there... keep in mind that it was right after lunch and I had eaten SOOO much pasta and it is a different scale than the doctor's offices (I feel like there are always some discrepancies between scales) BUT by the number that popped up, it means that I have gained 4 pounds so far! I was allowed to gain up to 5 in the first trimester so I don't feel horrible about that weight gain but I am a little nervous that I gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks, hmmm...

Maternity clothes? Not yet... but I DID get to church this morning and realized while I was greeting people for the first service that I had forgotten to zip and button my jeans!! I apparently was much more comfortable with my jeans unzipped =)

Sleep? Still getting up to go to the bathroom once or twice a night and I've been having very vivid dreams. I will have to read up on this to see if that is a normal pregnancy thing but I have woken up thinking "wow, that was so real if I wasn't in my bed, I would believe it happened!"

Stretch Marks? None so far (hopefully none at all!)

Best Moment this week? Running for the first time since knowing I was pregnant! It's been two months since I last ran!!! Can you believe it? Thanksgiving day I ran a couple miles and did some sprints (and I seem to recall thinking that afterward I was extremely tired, maybe the fact that I was carrying a baby....??haha) but since then I have been too worn out and too nauseated to run. Yesterday I was determined to give it a go and I went out and walk/jogged a mile! Meaning, I jogged for a few minutes, walked for a few, jogged for a few, walked for a few... etc. I didn't want to overdo it but MAN I felt great when I got done!! When I got back inside I even walked around pumping my fist in the air, I felt so victorious! =)

Movement? None yet... I'm hoping I'll feel the baby move soon but I think I still have to wait a few weeks...

Food Cravings? Still cheeseburgers, scrambled eggs and cheese, any form of potatoes (mashed, baked, soup, fries, chips, tatertots... seriously all of those) and anything carbs... bad I know but I've been feeling so much better after I eat bread or crackers or potatoes...

Food Aversions? still coffee, it smells disgusting to me. And anything that smells too strongly, even my chapstick makes me gaggy

What I miss most? Coffee... I long for the day when I will crave a vanilla latte again...

What I'm looking forward to? Feeling good in this trimester!! Woot Woot!

Milestones... Going an entire day without feeling nauseous! (Like I said, the day's not over yet, but I still feel good so here's to hoping with my fingers crossed!) BabyCenter.com says the baby is now almost 3 inches long and weighs an ounce! My little peanut is just growing up so fast =)

I haven't taken a picture today but I will at some point this week and I'll post it after I do. There's not much change since last week so don't get too disappointed I slacked on the visual for this week =)