Weekly Update

How far along? 24Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I am afraid to get on the scale. :)
Maternity clothes? Yes. Pretty exclusively.
Stretch marks? Yes. They are getting bigger and more obvious.
Sleep: Weird crazy dreams and middle of the night restroom breaks keep me from having the prefect nights sleep but it's not too bad.
Best moment this week: Cooking a Fab meal and watching True Blood with Sandro. We cleaned all the way up to 8 last night. We where whipped.
Movement: Some days she is active and some days very mellow and I feel her only a few times. (same this week)
Food cravings: I was craving powdered donuts and ice cold milk yesterday. But Sandro completely nixed that idea. He seriously has no love for my pregnant status. I ended up eating a huge plate of Jason's Deli Salad bar. OMG that was good.
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this. (16 weeks)
What I miss: Again anything that I used to be able to eat and not get heartburn.
What I am looking forward to: Getting a little bigger. Sometimes I just look overweight. People are still a little scared to ask me if I am pregnant. I do realize this is because I lost 40 pounds and I appear to be gaining it back but still. The baby belly is a little uneven so I think that if I was just a little more rounder I would look pg vrs just overweight.
Weekly Wisdom: Half price books is a great place to find used baby books. I found all the ones I purchased online for my birthday for half off. I really should have checked there first. However, it's hit or miss. I did look there a few times and there was nothing. This time there were duplicates of the ones I was looking for.
Milestones: None this week. I am coming down to being under my double digit days...13 more to go.

It's Jean Week so I didn't wear my usual outfit.

Vesna (MIL) working on her knitting patterns. You should see all the stuff she has planned to make. From booties to caps. She is so into it.

Sample #1 of what she is making but I think she is doing it lavender.

This is what she is making in the above picture. But it's yellow with a white border.

Another outfit she is planning to do.

Of course our sweet lovely boys want to be in today's blog. This is their sympathy pose. They are sad because it's just too hot outside for them. So they sit next to each other and the coolest spot next to the window. They are just too cute.

Week 24

Overall I am feeling good. The only issues I have is the heartburn usually in the middle of the night. Even if I eat a lighter meal it doesn't help. It doesn't seem to be anything in particular that (except for pizza) and it just more uncomfortable than painful if that makes sense. I am feeling a little less bloated over all as well. I am able to fit into one of the bra I got a few months ago. Doesn't fit me perfectly but at least I can wear it. Some times I have constipation but I am trying to increase my fiber intake. Not to be open but I tried to poop for 1 hour last night with a very small result. So I had to stop and relax and use my hemorrhoid wipes. Those always seem to help. I am not looking forward to trying again. :(

I have made a new commitment to work out at least 3 times a week. It won't be like it was previously. Just walking on the treadmill and using the pool at my gym. Not for long periods. I really miss working out so I figure I can start back slowly and not doing anything that isn't recommended. I used to walk the dogs every night but it's way to hot this summer. So the gym it is. Sandro is in full support of this. I know he misses running. He still takes the dogs for quick runs as well.

My stomach is growing and I am feeling baby girl a little more every day. Some days more than others. Like yesterday. All day long. It was crazy. She moves in the middle of the night sometimes when I have to pee. It just feels so reassuring to feel her.

So here is what is happening in Week 24.

Your baby continues to grow more proportional each and every day. During pregnancy week 24 her organ systems continue to mature as do the central nervous system, digestive system and even reproductive and circulatory systems. During a pregnancy at 24 weeks your baby's lungs are also starting to form little branches and will eventually start producing a substance called surfactant which happens closer to the time your baby's lungs start maturing.

The amniotic fluid surrounding your baby begins to increase in volume after about pregnancy 24 weeks.. This continues until delivery when your uterus will hold up to 2 pints of amniotic fluid.

Weekly Update

How far along? 23 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I started at 202 and now I am about 216.5. All in my boobs and my belly.
Maternity clothes? Of course. I got a awesome deal on some great pieces. I just need a swimsuit cause I would like to take up swimming or water aerobics.
Stretch marks? Yes. They are getting bigger and more obvious.
Sleep: Sleeping isn't as fun. I need to pee a lot more lately. Oh and the night time heartburn is little unbearable. I reach for the tums now 3-4 times a day. Twice at night.
Best moment this week: Hearing the Heartbeat. Such a amazing sound.
Movement: Some days she is active and some days very mellow and I feel her only a few times.
Food cravings:Nope. Really getting through the evening with no heartburn or tummy aches seems rare. I do like tomatoes right now. Especially my FIL's fresh homegrown ones. Yum....
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this. (17 weeks)
What I miss: Eating pepperoni pizza and indulging in cheese cake. I can't eat anything I used to love. Except for a veggie Chipolte (no hot sauce and no meat.)
What I am looking forward to: Getting more things for the baby rooms and feeling the baby on a more consistent basis.
Weekly Wisdom: Sometimes the hormonal outbursts can be a little crazy. Just expect to cry over just about anything. Like for instance...I started crying/bawling because Sandro didn't like Pinapple and Ham pizza. I thought he was just mean and didn't want to spend time with me. Ha! Can we say irrational?
Milestones: Not yet but I am only about one month away from the 3rd trimester.

Check out the work that Norma did on the window panels. She sent me two different verisons. Both go really well with the paint colors. I do think I like the paisely one just a tad better. Mainly because it has the brown that I love in it. Which do you like more?

#1

#2
Sandro modeling what it look on the window since I failed to get a curtain rod this weekend. It will sit a tad higher. I plan to put a sheer panal underneath. I heart the paisley. I plan to incorporate lavender/lilac to match the border in other pieces in the room.

Short & Sweet

All went well.I didn't get to meet with my regular Dr. because she had to go to another patients labor. I could have waited for her but for the weigh and measuring type of appointment it wasn't a big deal. Also since I have been feeling pretty good overall and I didn't really have any questions for the Dr. I was fine meeting with the nurse. The hb was found with the doppler and it was in the 150's. Baby was moving around a lot. From one side to the other. At first it was faint...(baby moved to the other side) Then we found it again on the other side and it was very strong but started to faint again. Obviously she has a lot of room to move. She was kicking/moving all day yesterday so I wasn't really nervous about it.

The next appointment is on July 15th. This will be my last one month appointment. I start going every two weeks after this one. Holy crap that means I am in the 3rd trimester in less than a month. They weren't lying when they said the 2nd trimester goes by fast. Next time I have to do the Glucose drink test where they test for Gestational Diabetes. They told me I should avoid carbs before the test but I can have plenty of proteins. Then I have to drink this orange drink 45 mins before the appointment. I honestly don't know how I am going to survive on no carbs since I know I am a carb addict and me and protein don't mix well. But oh well. It's just for a day. I can have a carb fest later that night right! :)

The belly is now unavoidable and I am just not going to try to hide it anymore. Today you definitely can see my baby belly. I told one lady yesterday that I was about 23 weeks her jaw dropped. She couldn't tell at all. But at the same time she thinks it's perfectly acceptable for me only to have 1500 calories a day when I am pregnant. (Which is about what I eat now with the occasional splurge) I was dieting before only eating 1300 calories a day and I track those calories. I am not tracking anymore but I really didn't increase my intake that much. She always asks me how my diet is going. She still couldn't believe I was already that far along. But I guess you can say that I haven't been openly telling everyone. It's feel it's a private matter. I am glad I am not the type of frame where everyone feels the need to rub my belly but I am sure this isn't far away as my belly makes it's appearance more and more each day.

Overall I feel pretty healthy. The only thing that is beginning to bother me is getting comfortable. Last night I went to sleep at 8:30 (it was still light outside) and I woke up at 4:30. As I get bigger I am noticing a big increase in my lack of motivation to get dressed up or do my hair. Blow drying my hair and then flat ironing takes a lot out of me. I know the heat doesn't help. Gosh this has already been the hottest summer ever.

So what's happening during this week?

Week 23

Your baby is still making remarkable changes at pregnancy 23 weeks. Her skin is still quite red and heavily wrinkled by the end of pregnancy week 23. Your baby can often hear loud noises in the womb from now and as you continue your pregnancy week by week, so don't be surprised if your baby seems to move around a bit when you are vacuuming or in an environment where loud noises are quite common.The bones located in your baby's middle ear are starting to form by pregnancy week 23 and your baby is continuing to fill out and look more and more proportional.

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have a feeling it will not be a good number this time...but I know it's over a double digit.
Maternity clothes? Of course.
Stretch marks? Yes. They are getting bigger and more obvious.
Sleep: I am starting to get uncomfortable when I sleep. My back in starting to ache on one side.
Best moment this week: Seeing all the progress in the baby room. It starting to feel so real.
Movement: I feel her more. DH still can't feel her from the outside. I feel her from the outside. But it's not that often and every time Sandro puts his hand on my tummy she stops.
Food cravings: I am the strangest pregnant lady but I don't have much cravings and nothing out of the ordinary.
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this. (18 weeks)
What I miss: The ability to handle the heat. I don't remember being this hot in Texas previously.
What I am looking forward to: Sandro feeling the baby from the outside.
Weekly Wisdom: Ceiling Fans help decrease the risk of SIDS. Along with having mesh bumpers and not to soft bedding.
Milestones: Not this week!

This week was a whirlwind. So many things accomplished. Sandro and I finished the paint and the border in the room. It still needs a few touch-ups and I will be doing that shortly. Sandro got a Giftcard from Randi and Igor and bought a ceiling fan for the office. We moved the ceiling fan that was in the office to the nursery. This fan we have had since we got together. We had in the apartment. It very quiet and sturdy and decorative. I think it's perfect for the nursery. He had to get his dad's help to switch them out. Amazingly I have had much more energy lately so I cleaned the house really well, with Sandro's help of course. I have been on a cooking frenzy. First I made Sandro a German Chocolate Birthday Cake (not my mom's recipe) on Thursday, then I made a peach cobbler with Georgia Peaches. For breakfast I made some pigs in the blanket with from scratch buttermilk biscuits. They came out heavenly. I also managed to make dinner last night...Sandro's favorite..The Taco Bake. So where is this energy coming from..? I don't know.

Installed Ceiling Fan..see the border? I think it turned out very nice.

Close-Up of Border

Front view of belly. Soon I will not be able to wear that shirt.

Side view of the bump. Holy Moly I grew a ton the last two weeks.

The dogs were inspecting the room with us. They wanted to be put in the blog as well.

The pigs in the blanket. Yum!

Weekly Update

How far along? 21 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have gained 8 pounds (according to my last weigh in at the Dr's Office). I weighed at home this weekend and I think I gained a few more...about 4 more.
Maternity clothes? Of course.
Stretch marks? Yes. They are coming back with a vengeance.
Sleep: Still not sleeping very well. I wake up thinking about all sorts of baby related things. (strollers, feeding, what I need to do)
Best moment this week: Starting on the baby room. Makes it feel so real.
Movement: I think I have discovered her pattern. She is very active about every other day.
Food cravings: Salad. Cold Foods...like lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes. Fruits are nice too. :) still the same. You should have seen my salad at Jason's Deli this week!
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: The selfish part of myself misses the ability to work out and keep up with my weight loss. It doesn't feel good to me to gain weight..though I no it's necessary for the baby.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the baby furniture.
Weekly Wisdom: This whole pregnancy goes by faster than what you think.
Milestones: Not this week!

See our progress on the paint. We are almost done. Next weekend we are doing the border. Sandro is a little work horse. :) I couldn't stay in there long because it was giving me a headache. So I was often sent a way. I think the color looks really nice. We also made a deposit on the baby furniture. It will not be in until the end of August. I am glad we at least have it on order. We decided on the 6 drawer dresser (which will double as a changing table) to go with the crib. We figure we can buy the hutch later if necessary...and maybe the bookcase. But the dresser would be a necessity.




Below is a gift given by Aunt Randi. It goes perfectly with our theme. Do you notice anything? Yep! that is her (Baby Juric) in the picture. It's crazy to think she has gotten so big.

And finally. Here is a little mini video I made of Sandro painting. I was experimenting with our new camcorder. When we went to Katrice and Eric's wedding we had to make an emergency purchase of a video camera. We had a little mix up and we didn't want to stress out the bride. So Sandro got this camcorder that doesn't have a tape. It has hard drive and we can record up to about a hour or so. You can also get SD cards if you need more time. It was a bit of challenge getting it to corporate at first with our computer but I learned that patience is very much needed. I am sure we will get a lot of use out of it when baby arrives.

Week 21

So this week is almost over already. I can't believe there is just 19 weeks before the baby arrives. Overall I am feeling good but baby is making me a little of a hormonal mess. Some days I am perfectly normal and others where I am just quick to get upset. I can tell I am gaining weight and my belly is rounder that ever. I am starting to little kicks here and there...but some days just flutters.

Here is what what is happening in Week 21.

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Dad and Norma have decided on the crib they are getting us. It's from the Munire Essex Collection. I am getting it in Sienna (Cherry) to match the rocking chair that my mom is letting me have. I think it will go nicely. Sandro and I are undecided on the hutch/dresser because it's a little out of our price range. Maybe it will go on sale. A girl can hope right?



This is the mattress we are going to get. It's a great deal for an organic mattress. We are getting it at Costco.



We have also started to register at Babies R Us and Target. Being first time parents I hope we are registering for the right things. I am seriously considering cloth diapering . But I may wait until the baby comes to do one of these type of sample programs.

Weekly Update

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have gained 8 pounds.
Maternity clothes? Of course.
Stretch marks? My belly is itchy lately.
Sleep: I have been having a lot of anxiety nightmares lately. Mainly over cribs, baby necessities and misc craziness.
Best moment this week: Feeling baby all the time now. Often in the mornings.
Movement: A lot more. Usually when I am hungry or just ate. She is demanding! ;) Wants food. Oh and nothing greasy or fatty. Just healthy!
Food cravings: Salad. Cold Foods...like lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes. Fruits are nice too. Strawberries.
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: My energy level it dies out so quickly it's crazy. Also I feel like a rolly polly sometimes when I try to do simple things.
What I am looking forward to: Sandro being able to feel the kicks from the outside. Probably a few more weeks till this.
Weekly Wisdom: Try not to let your lack of knowledge of baby necessities overwhelm you. Planning what to buy for baby is harder than planning a wedding.
Milestones: I am midway through this pregnancy. This feels amazing.

Week 20 picture...take a look at Week 10 for comparison.

We made progress on the nursery this weekend. We picked the paints officially and started to tape up the room. We are going to do a top color and a bottom color. The border had a light green edging (like the green we choose for the bottom.) I have to say I have the most patient husband alive. He is so great about projects and really puts his full effort in. He hates painting and grumbles a little but he always puts his project hat on before we start something. We are planning to do the room in stages. This week is taping (we only have the ceiling left) and then we may start on the upper part first. In case you are wondering we got quality paint that is supposed to be low and fumes and I have a mask to wear. I am sure my mother is worrying already. The taping he is doing here is to let us know where the border will be. Oh and we got the border this weekend. Such a good deal and it will look super cute. Sandro and I also did a first run of crib shopping. Currently I am still undecided which one is my favorite. Lets just say that you can tell the quality from crap.

The Top Color (the color in the middle)

The bottom Color (called asparagus)