21 weeks.

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About +10 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yep. Bought a couple Liz Lange maternity tees at Target yesterday. And I got a pair of gauchos too. SO COMFY. I could wear them all the time.
Stretch marks? Just of the thigh variety.
Sleep: Still sleeping through the night but waking up tired.
Best moment this week: Seeing the ninja kick me on the outside!
Movement: Indeed.
Food cravings: Still kind of Mexican-y.
Gender: All my friends have me thinking girl (but I'm still kind of leaning boy).
Labor Signs: Still working the BH.
Belly Button in or out? Flattening by the day.
What I miss: Relaxing in the backyard with a Leinie's Summer Shandy. Le sigh.
What I am looking forward to: This weekend! Yay for 4th of July fun!
Weekly Wisdom: Even if you don't feel hungry, EAT. Getting a massive dizzy spell at the mall SUCKS.
Milestones: Those outside kicks.

The Fruit: 21 weeks

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

(So, I should really try to cut back on the Cocoa Krispies and Sweettarts this week? Fine.)

SO happy I could cry.

Almost 3 months ago, my Grandmother passed away. She always spoiled me rotten, always - and even in her passing, she continued to do the same.

I was lucky enough to inherit her car, which was such a blessing since the hubs and I have been a one car household for almost 2.5 years. With the lil' ninja on it's way, and the hubs working 10 hour days (not getting home until almost 7 or 7:30 every night), functioning with only one car was becoming nearly impossible. So, for the car alone, I am eternally grateful.

However, she also left me a chunk of an IRA. A decent sized chunk which the hubs and I had planned on just hanging on to, but had wanted to pay off some debt. Last weekend, I talked to my mom and dad, and they convinced me that I should just cash it out and pay off our biggest credit card (leaving the rest of our credit card debt manageable and probably will be paid off by October).

Today, I did just that. I paid off our big credit card. Our honeymoon, the Mexico trip from earlier this year, numerous kitty emergencies, and God knows what else, all FINALLY paid for.

That, my friends, was the greatest feeling in the world. Knowing when our babe enters this world, we'll essentially be debt free (you know, aside from our car payment and mortgage) is the best feeling in the entire world.

Thanks again Gabs...you continue to be my guardian angel. Love you much, and miss you more.

I swear, we were just looking!

The hubs declared this weekend to be the weekend of Jenna - we do whatever I want to do, eat what and where I want to eat...etc, etc.

Last night we watched the Twins game (yay for winning) and hung out at a friend's condo. Today, we slept in (glorious, I haven't done that in a while) then cleaned up and headed to USA Baby. My only reason for heading there today was to get an idea of delivery times, prices, yadda yadda. Well, the first thing I see is a beautiful glider. And - surprise - they're having a huge sale. I sit in it, and it's super comfortable, even the hubs agrees. So we decide...we'll order the glider today. However, the glider only comes in chesnut and espresso. (I had mentally already planned the whole room in white furniture.) Well, fine, an espresso wood glider will be okay with white furniture, right? Right. So we get ready to go up to the front and order, and I see the crib of my dreams in the front, and it's on super clearance. It's also in a gorgeous espresso, with pewter accents. It and the matching combo are beautiful and I decide that we should just order it all and be done with it, since it could take 10-12 weeks to arrive.

So, majority of baby furniture = purchased. However, now my entire design plan for the room is out the window...and honestly I don't know what to do. The hubs almost has me convinced that the wall color in the nursery can stay as is and then we can just put the furniture in. Who knows. My brain hurts just from thinking about it.

Expect in the coming weeks I'll be doing a lot of opinion asking, because I'm more confused now than ever. :)

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure - the furniture.

This is the glider, but we got it in a sage green fabric.

And...the furniture (minus the armoire).

The newest belly pic is up...

...for your viewing pleasure. :)

Enjoy.

Also - we got a letter today - the spina bifida test came back negative, so we're in the clear for any abnormalities! (Aside from the horrid feet this baby is no doubt inheriting from me.)

Good god: A lunch hour tale.

I ventured to Macy's over my lunch hour to attempt to find some new flip-flops. That was a pretty decent fail. However, I was annoyed numerous times before I even walked through the doors of Macy's - warning me that I should not be allowed in public today.

Annoyance #1: Do not plow your way into the elevator until you know the people on it have gotten off. There honestly is nothing more annoying. Wait THREE MEASLY SECONDS. It's not that hard. That way, you don't run into the pregnant lady trying to find comfortable shoes.

Annoyance #2: You're on your way to lunch, not doing a triathlon. Therefore, running me over with your tacky handbag and paperback is not necessary just because you need to get to Au Bon Pain to buy a $10 salad and sit on your polyester covered ass for an hour.

Annoyance #3: Makeup counter ladies. When needed, you are nothing short of helpful. When I'm walking by you with my hot mac & cheese, sweating and being a "I don't care about my appearance today" pregnant lady, now's not the time. Seriously.

First lady at the NARS counter: OMG! I love your glasses! Too cute!
Sweaty, hungry me: Thanks! I actually bought them here.
Second NARS lady: You could really use some "Babe" on your lips.
First NARS lady: OMG - yes - let's do a makeup trial!!!!!!
Me: (trying to remember what I look like today, and remembering I indeed look like shit and "Babe" will do nothing to save me)
Me: No thanks, gotta eat while it's still warm! (nervous, crabby laugh)

So, now I'm back at my desk, after having inhaled that mac & cheese in about 5 minutes. And I'm still starving.

On the other annoying note for the day (that I'll probably get hate mail for) - I've officially gained 10 pounds in this pregnancy. This is good, and all on schedule...but it's weird. I've just never weighed this much in my entire life. I'm glad I'm finally gaining weight like I should. I just need to scale back the "eat whatever the eff I want" plan and get more fruits & veggies in there so I don't put on another 10 in the next two weeks. :)

20 weeks!

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About +6 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Bought more this past weekend at the outlet mall. Yay for cute dresses!
Stretch marks? Thigh ones...getting worse, not better.
Sleep: Sleeping through the night, but waking up tired.
Best moment this week: My first shower!
Movement: I haz it.
Food cravings: Mexican craving was tackled last night thanks to Don Pablo's.
Gender: All my friends have me thinking girl.
Labor Signs: No REAL labor signs, but more BH contrax.
Belly Button in or out? Flattening by the day.
What I miss: Not dreading getting into a swimming suit.
What I am looking forward to: Right now? Just enjoying the summer!
Weekly Wisdom: 90 degree heat + pregnant lady = hot mess, literally.
Milestones: I'm halfway there!!

The Fruit: 20 weeks!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Looonnggg weekend update!

You'll notice the huge lack of updates last week, that's because I flew home to the land of cows on Thursday morning, and just got back last night!

I was thrown a wonderful shower by my BFF Martini, and all my girlfriends from back home came! It was SO nice to see everyone, and all my girls were incredibly generous. This lil' ninja will be set when it arrives! I'll load up some pictures of the loot (and the adorable diaper cake Martini MADE HERSELF. That's right, SHE made it. Awesome.).

And I know I still owe the internets a 19 week belly pic and some ultrasound pics too. Well, bad news, I'm lame and never took a 19 week pic. But I will scan the u/s pics and hope to have them all up along with a 20 week belly pic a little later on.

All is well on the uterus front...

So, I had my ultrasound and 19 week appointment this morning. All is well. The little ninja is right on track, nothing out of the ordinary on the ultrasound, just a beautiful profile and some long legs. :) The babe wasn't moving nearly as much as the last time we saw it, but it seems like it's twice the size it was the last time, so it makes sense - less room to move around!

(You'll have to wait for the ultrasound pics - I want to show them off to my parents on Thursday before I show them off on the internets. :) Sorry!)

And...I stayed strong and we didn't find out the sex. Not that we could have if we wanted to - the babe had it's legs crossed the whole time!

So, to celebrate seeing the ninja again, I took myself to Macy's to peruse the maternity section and to buy myself some new bras (since mine are slightly ill fitting now-a-days). I bought a nice shirt for my shower on Friday, and then headed to the "intimates" section. Forty minutes later, I had three new bras in hand, and new knowledge about my new body. I went up TWO SIZES. (insert look of shock here.) But my god, are my new bras comfy. All I want to do is go home and put one on. Sooo sad. :)

New belly pic will go up later today. Keep your eyes peeled below!

19 weeks.

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About +5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Indeed. Same rotation of pants and shirts.
Stretch marks? Still only pre-preg thigh variety.
Sleep: Have some nights where it's good, some bad.
Best moment this week: Getting the loud noise kick.
Movement: I haz it.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular. Just more of everything.
Gender: Back to thinking boy but wishing girl.
Labor Signs: Still a few Braxton Hicks now and then.
Belly Button in or out? Just barely innie. Still wider.
What I miss: Being able to stay out past 11pm.
What I am looking forward to: The ultrasound in ONE HOUR!
Weekly Wisdom: I'll stick with the importance of water. Drink it. Love it.
Milestones: The noise/movement combo.

The Fruit: 19 weeks.

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Mangoes and greasy white substances. Mmmmmm.

It's like the Ninja knows...

So far in this pregnancy, I've noticed one constant. I'll have a symptom or milestone (backackes, movements) and then I'll get an email from "What to Expect" or a Bump email saying "Aching back?" or something. It's like this kiddo is stoked about making me feel most effects of pregnancy...right on time.

Today is no different. The Ninja moves around on a definite schedule. Two of the more normal times are around 9am and 11pm. However, this morning, while on the train around 8:15...the "door closing" signal went off (imagine a loud, ear piercing screech) and then WHAM! - a huge kick that made me jump out of my seat. That's the first time that I can tell that there's been a direct correlation between noise and movement.

I check the blog this morning and my nurturedfamily.com ticker says, "Day 118: Loud noises may startle the baby."

Check.

In other news, I'm totally scurred about the drinking 32 ounces of water by 8 am tomorrow and not being able to pee until after the u/s. How in God's name will I avoid pissing in my pants?! HOW?!

So this is what death's door looks like...

I tried adding the words "Put me out of my misery." to my tweet this morning, but I ran out of room.

But honestly, I feel that way. I REALLY felt like that while I was laying in bed last night, and only slightly feel that way today.

I am SO OVER being sick. If you're not a twitter follower of me, you may not have known that Monday afternoon, my cold (which was a month in already) decided to go ahead and START ALL OVER AGAIN...with the stuffy, snotty nose, coughing, sweats and everything else that is having a cold. I was thinking I was finally getting over it, even though the chest pain that started a little over a week ago hadn't subsided.

So, yesterday morning after my shower, I decided I officially was not going to work. I could barely move from the chest pain and was going through a kleenex every 3 minutes. Not to mention every earth shattering cough and sneeze was triggering the occasional braxton hicks.

Around 3pm when the hubs came home with the car, I took myself to Urgent Care. Got myself an x-ray (which I fully stressed myself with but feel better now) and exam - no pneumonia, no blood clot in the lung, possible bronchitis. I was given a Z-Pack and Tylenol w/Codine that I'm not so sure I want to take, even though it's safe.

Last night, I was fully doped up on antibiotics, Robitussin, and Sudafed. I felt better, but felt guilty about all I was putting this little bean through. I'm pretty sure all this kid knows are PB&Js, pickles, and the sound of momma's cough. And that makes me sad. When I finally went to bed, I felt so guilty and crappy and like a horrible fetus host that I almost started to cry. Luckily, I still had enough sense to realize that my Sudafed would be wearing off soon and any crying would only worsen the nasal issues I was having, so I convinced the waterworks to knock it off.

So here we are today. I'm at work, still feeling miserable (the Robitussin is on board so that's helping), but at least feeling the babe's kicks so I know it's not too crabby with me. Today, operation HEALTHY MOMMA begins. The hubs and I will kick it off with a grocery store trip this evening.

18 Weeks.

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About +5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Still wearing them. Still heavenly.
Stretch marks? I've begun treating the ones on my thighs with Mederma. We'll see how that goes.
Sleep: Lately, it's been good. Been utilizing the body pillow the last few nights.
Best moment this week: Just feeling more movement again!
Movement: I haz it.
Food cravings: Fruit has been sounding delish.
Gender: Back to thinking boy but wishing girl.
Labor Signs: Sadly, Braxton Hicks struck this week. (Although not REAL labor.)
Belly Button in or out? Still innie. Still wider.
What I miss: Beer, but the O'doul's Amber is DELISH.
What I am looking forward to: Next Tuesday's BIG u/s! (Although we won't find out the sex.) :(
Weekly Wisdom: KEEP DRINKING YOUR WATER! BH SUCKS.
Milestones: Learning what contractions feel like.

The "Fruit:" 18 Weeks.

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

(That's a sweet potato. Yeah, I was confused too.)

Hilarity.

Look what was in my mailbox today! Sophie! So of course, I opened up the package to play with her. (The babylegs came today too, but those aren't as much fun to play with.)

I guess I didn't really realize how much she squeaked. Or, how much that squeak sounds like the squeak of our cat Boo's mousies.

Or how much that squeak drives Boo ABSOLUTELY INSANE. Every time I squeeze the thing Boo-boo seems to think that it's automatically THROW SOPHIE time because he runs around in circles waiting for it to be thrown so he can run after it and sink his naughty teeth into it.

Hell NO, Boo. This toy will never be yours. That doesn't mean that I won't squeak it and fake throw it for HOURS just so I can laugh at you. Muah-ah-AH!

Dearest Braxton Hicks,

I wasn't expecting you so soon! It was a bit of a surprise to me yesterday as the hubs and I were driving to see "Up" that suddenly it felt like my pants were digging into my uterus. But alas, it was just you. And you scared the hell outta me.

I silently was thinking "I'm having contractions" and thought about saying it aloud, but didn't want to alarm the hubs. It was only you, and for the most part, you are relatively harmless. (Albeit annoying.)

You continued to visit me throughout the movie, and the drive home. I learned after pulling out the trusty "What to Expect When You're Expecting" that you can be triggered by dehydration. Guilty. I knew I was dehydrated when I woke up, yet I didn't properly rehydrate, instead I downed movie theater popcorn and a cherry coke like they were going out of style. This decision only added to my dehydration, and by the time I got to the car, I had chugged two bottles of water to try to redeem myself.

I was better last night. Today, you came back. Uninvited-again.

The nurse has informed me that I must drink 65 ounces of water a day to stay properly hydrated. Needless to say I have been not doing that. AT ALL. So today, I hope, is your last day of visit, Braxton Hicks, my friend. Nothing personal.

Signed,
jennabee

For the baby's room...

...(and the kitchen)...


See the bottom shelf there? With the circle brackets? I'll be purchasing a couple shelves for the babies room identical to those.

And maybe the square bracket ones (with chocolate shelves? or maybe white.) for the kitchen.

Check them out here - at westelm.com

Can't...stop....buying...

So, after a convo last night with my mom about how bad my registry was (3 packages of pacifiers and 6 jumper/swing/chair thingys and NO CLOTHES?!)...I added a bunch of essentials, that I...quite frankly...didn't know how essential they were.

In any case, she reminded me how I was going to need socks and hats and all sorts of "keep baby warm" things right off the bat, and couldn't really wait to get gender specific stuff! So, suddenly I'm obsessed with baby hats and keep warm items.

So today, I bought these items.


Baby Legs are the item of the day on BabySteals.com - they have a bunch of cute designs...and I determined these four pair to be the most gender neutral...athough something tells me the hubs might question the rainbow ones. W.

I also purchased this hat from Esty seller Cite Fuzz - SO CUTE. And just like all the hats this kid's daddy wears ALL THE TIME. :)


Seems gender neutral as well, right? Right. (Just agree with me.)

Must stop.

I posted too soon.

I think we had another milestone this morning.

As I was procrastinating getting out of bed this morning after the hubs left for work, I had my hand on my stomach. And I felt a couple kicks from the outside.

::squeals::

It was pretty cool.

And right now, I think the wee one is enjoying the sausage biscuit/magic coke combo - I've gotten a couple kicks that made me jump they were so hard. I'm really trying hard not to put my hand on my stomach at work to feel them, but I don't want to look like a lunatic.

The Fruit: 17 weeks.

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

So sue me...they're not all fruit. Majority rules, though.

17 Weeks.

If you look carefully, you'll see Boo-boo the cat with the hubs. Boo was really excited to watch The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian.

How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I think we're about +2 or 3 now.
Maternity clothes? Gots myself some shorts this weekend. Sweet sweet release.
Stretch marks? The ones I had pre-pregnancy on my thighs are definitely getting darker. Flop.
Sleep: Sometimes good, sometimes horrid.
Best moment this week: More movement!
Movement: Uh, see above.
Food cravings: Today, it was a hot fudge malt with a sausage biscuit...at the same time.
Gender: Still thinking girl.
Labor Signs: Nooo.
Belly Button in or out? Still innie. Still wider.
What I miss: Beer.
What I am looking forward to: The next u/s!
Weekly Wisdom: Paying $60 for shorts is only okay when you DESPERATELY CANNOT FIND SHORTS.
Milestones: Yay for more movement!

Not much to report...

This weekend was long, and sad. We attended the memorial service for our friend on Sunday, and I'm happy and sad to have it over. We also did some more yardwork, and replaced a little carpeting in our basement (ahhh, cat pee...you bastard, bastard kitties).

Other than that, not much news to report on the baby front. Still a little movement, still feeling okay. Bought some maternity shorts yesterday, which was an excellent move. It felt SO GOOD to have shorts on yesterday.