27 weeks 5 days

How far along? 27 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds and I’m pretty proud of this.
Maternity clothes? There is no other choice.
Stretch marks? I've been very lucky so far
Sleep: getting harder with the belly, I now have to sleep with it propped up with a pillow.
Best moment this week: Camping with friends for Memorial Day, so much fun and I was told by a drunken guy that I was the coolest pregnant woman he had ever met.
Miss Anything? Being able to bend over with ease
Movement: my whole stomach moves when he does
Food cravings: fruits
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet: Defiantly a yes.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? I give it three weeks
Wedding rings on or off? On, no swelling yet…
Happy or Moody most of the time: Enjoying these last days of comfort
Looking forward to: My shower this weekend and moving into the third trimester.

Hands on the Belly

Before I was pregnant I could not understand why pregnant women were always touching their bellies. Now I can't keep my hands off it! I have caught myself doing this on several different occasions and for different reasons as my pregnancy has progressed;

8-13 weeks: To see if there was a bump... there wasn't but it didn't hurt to check every ten minutes.

14-19 weeks: To make sure the "bump" was still there or to show people that I wasn't fat but pregnant. Before I could feel the little monkey, I had to reassure myself that there was indeed a bump and that I hadn't made it up. This was also the stage before people could really tell if I was pregnant or just gaining weight. So by putting my hands on my belly, I could let people know that I was expecting more than just a bad bathing suit season without yelling at them that I was knocked up (like I wanted to do constantly). I learned this trick after a personal trainer at my gym offered to sign me up for a free session with as he thought I need the extra help. My disgusted look and quick hands on the pregnant belly, aka the pregnant virgin Madonna pose, made him quickly shut his mouth.

20-24 weeks: To try and catch the little wiggler moving. 20 weeks is a long time to wait to know that there is life inside you. Sure I had seen pictures/videos of him dancing around inside of me but until I felt him for the first time it was hard to believe that he was really in there. Rourke also has a way of knowing if I want him to move and can then freeze on a dime if I'm trying to let someone feel his movement. Less than 2 pounds and already a rebel... So the hands constantly on the belly was a must!

25-current: To remind myself not to run the belly into things. I'm getting bigger every day and having a pregnant belly is nothing like being bloated or fat. It is hard and since it doesn't "jiggle", I don't always remember it is there. In fact a lot of the time it isn't until I walk by a window or look down that that I remember that I'm no longer a size 4. I am constantly trying to fit through spaces that just weeks ago I could manage and bending over to pick stuff up, surprised every time that my boobs hit my belly causing the motion to be impossible. It is not like he has stopped moving either, but we are not talking about the little kicks of a few weeks ago, where I needed my hand on my belly to be sure of the movement. Now I can feel his entire body shift and move inside me and when he kicks the movement can be seen through my clothes. The hand goes to my belly to steady myself and to reassure that my belly button is still in place.

So cheers to the needs of pregnant women everywhere to keep their hands ever on their bellies, whatever your reasons maybe. I'm sure the 18-25 year old version of me is out there judging us, but between you and me she has a lot to learn.

Now if I could just keep strangers hands off the belly...

24 weeks, 5 days

How far along? 24 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: since my 20 week appointment, 6 pounds, that is my new way to count.
Maternity clothes? Tried on an old swimsuit yesterday... that was a humbling experience 
Stretch marks? I'm sure they are on the way
Sleep: the dreams are getting a little too vivid
Best moment this week: Birthing class with Brad... we learned so much
Miss Anything? being able to go for a run
Movement: We actually felt a foot the other day...
Food cravings: Chocolate and/or Ice cream
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet: and proud of it
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None, I've been trying to figure out what braxton hicks contractions are but I'm not feeling anything
Belly Button in or out? it has a "rim" but it is still in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So content , I can't believe how much I love being pregnant!
Looking forward to: My mom coming to visit this weekend for Mother's Day

We can do this!

Something I have never really said to anyone including myself, since Brad and I first started to discuss having children, is that I have no idea if we can have a child. First there is the making one part, well we know we can get pregnant so check that off our,” to do list” and I have loved the experience of being pregnant so far so that’s great. But here with a little over three months to go, I’ve started thinking more about that fact that Rourke is not going to magically teleport outside of my body and when he does grace us with his presence he will be helpless and completely dependent on two people who have little to no infant care experience. Luck for him my Mom is going to stay with us after his birth to make sure he survives the ordeal but again he has to come out first.

Labor sounds awful… there is no getting around that. Any action were you are in excruciating pain for hours on end and chances are you are going to poop in front of everyone in the room and not care, doesn’t sound like a good time to me. I have a real low pain tolerance but also a dream of having him naturally so we will see which part of me wins out. But as I saw this weekend when I went to meet Kaylee and Nick Hansen’s new baby boy Kasen, it is all worth it for the outcome.  I have avoided holding babies out of fear my entire life (if you drop someone’s baby they are super hard to replace) and holding Kasen was really the first time I had tried it. The first thing I learned as they are not as breakable as they seem and the second is to hold them is to love them, or at least I fell in love with Kasen. I know if I can love a friend’s baby that much after one hour with him in my arms; I will poop on a table happily for Rory. I also, felt better after leaving the Hansen house about bring Rourke home. Kaylee and Nick really made everything look so natural and easy. Kaylee did admit to only having 11 hours of sleep in in the last 4 days, but I had never seen her so calm and happy.

Brad and I have our first Baby Class on Wednesday and I think with a combination of knowledge, love, and support from our family, that we can do this!

22 weeks 4 days

How far along? 21 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss:  +12 pounds (eeekkk)

Maternity clothes? Yes, indeed but the warmer weather in coming so bring on the dresses

 Stretch marks? Not yet....

Sleep: I go to bed so beyond tired but wake up at 6 AM on the dot

Best moment this week: Realizing that we are already completely ready for her 

Miss Anything? Social drinking and being skinny, my good friend had a birthday party and I was the sober fat girl

Movement: All the time now, so much more than Rourke

Food cravings: Ice cream, chocolate, cookies, lemon bars.... you get the idea

Anything making you queasy or sick: Eating too much at once

Have you started to show yet: Yup, it is official at a little over half way you can tell I'm pregnant

Gender: Found out we are having a GIRL!!! So the prediction at 13 weeks was right again! Rowan Margaret Emily Venables!

Labor Signs: none. But I do get dizzy if I don't drink enough water
Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Off my nickel allergy is back

Happy or Moody most of the time: I think Brad would say moody, his parents are coming to visit and I have been trying to clean, take care of a 1 year old, and grow this lil girl

Looking forward to: Visiting my Mom on Thursday! Rourke and I are going on a plane!

20 weeks 4 days

How far along? 20 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: back to where I started... let the gaining begin
Maternity clothes? really only maternity pants so I can sit down
marks? Not as of yet
Sleep: I'm told to enjoy this wonderful time of blissful sleep while I can
Best moment this week: Getting to tell everyone that we are having a BOY!
Miss Anything? My friends just got a hot tub... sounds amazing
Movement: YES!!! After the 20 week appointment it is so much easier to feel him and know what I am feeling.
Food cravings: FOOD I want to eat everything
Anything making you queasy or sick: I wish
Have you started to show yet: people have started to notice that I'm pregnant with out me telling them!
Gender: He is all boy, Rourke Patrick Venables.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In, but it is only a matter of time
Wedding rings on or off? On,
Happy or Moody most of the time: loving life!!!
Looking forward to: I'm selfish but my massage

Its a Boy!!!

Little known fact.... our ultra sound technician told/showed us we were having a boy at our 12 week appointment. The first above picture is from our 12 week appointment and the second one is from our 20 week appointment. We didn't want to tell anyone because everything we read (on the internet) told us that at 12 weeks there was no way to know for sure the baby’s gender (false as we are living proof). Plus how bad would I have felt if it the technician had been mistaken and my poor daughter had to find out later that for the first 5 months of her life she had been a boy? Can you imagine the teasing? Not that Brad or I was ever able to seriously think that there was a chance that the little monkey was a girl after she said that though. The room was painted blue and Brad bought the baby's first football, so thank goodness she was right. Plus my parents both tell such horror stories about raising me that both Brad and I will be happy to have our first child be a boy. We have however, come to terms with that fact that this means one or both of us might/will get peed on. We have had to try and hide this knowledge from friends and family members until we were certian, which is hard with a blue baby room. Just another secret about being pregnant that I no longer have to keep. I'm pretty sure that we have reached the end of the secret part of pregnancy, which I for one do not mind! We even did our gender announcement this Friday with a ballon realease!

 I can't seem to stop myself I have already started clothes shopping and the baby room is already. His name is all picked out Rourke Patrick Venables aka Rory. Now we just have to wait 4 more months to meet the little guy... So happy that its a boy!