That's new.

It's no longer comfortable or easy to bend over. I'm not that big yet, so I didn't expect this quite so soon. Simple tasks, like picking something up off the floor or unloading the dishwasher, are uncomfortable experiences for me. Shaving my legs in the shower is a PROJECT, let me tell ya. Makes me wonder how pregnant women that don't have the shower/tub combo ever shave their legs - without that ledge to elevate my leg that extra foot and a half, I'm pretty sure I'd be done shaving for good. Mom - did you, like, prop your foot up on a bucket or something in your standing shower when you were pregnant with me? So yeah, the whole I-get-winded-and-crampy-when-I-bend-over thing, that's new.

Baby Reeder has found my bladder, and she's using it as a trampoline. No joke, my mom and I were going to walk yesterday so I went to the bathroom right before we left. I had to stop about 20 minutes into the walk to pee again. Not 5 minutes later, I felt like I had to go again. That's new.

I can now feel my little one moving around when standing (used to be just when I was sitting). And it's much, much stronger when I'm standing for some reason. To the point that she startles me with a swift kick to the ute about twice a day while I'm moving about. She also kicks the kitchen counter when my belly presses up against it. That's new.

Apparently I "walk like a pregnant person" now. In other words, I waddle. Already. Ay yi yi. That's new. And awesome.

It's almost Sept....

How far along?: 23 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +0 again this week, still just +5 overall. sigh.
How big is baby?: Just over a pound and roughly 11 in. long
Maternity clothes?: Wore the maternity jeans for the 1st time this weekend. God bless the Gap.
Sleep: Afternoon nap = don't get to sleep until after 11. Not getting to sleep until after 11 = desperately need an afternoon nap. It's a vicious cycle.
Movement: All. The. Time. The husband's comments when he's felt the baby move: "Doesn't that get annoying?" and "How do you sleep with that?"
Labor signs: Ditto last week.
Food cravings: It's been a rough few days, so food has not been my friend. But the Funfetti cupcakes that are sitting on my counter should help me get back on track :)
Gender: I'll guess Boy this week (to appease everyone, even though I really think Girl.)
Belly button in or out?: Still deep.
What I miss: My pre-pregnancy hair. It's coarser and thicker now, i.e. gross.
What I am looking forward to: December 11th - my (tentative) last day at F+W. Forever.
Best moment this week: The baby jumped yesterday when the phone rang while it was sitting right next to me. It made me laugh.
Weekly Wisdom: Home-grown onions will wreak havoc on your digestive system.
Milestones: It's been a very unexciting week, and I've been sick. So I got nothing.

Another belly shot.

Thoughts:
1. The aforementioned belly button crater really shines in light-colored shirts. Lovely, eh? Ugh.
2. I really should start taking these in the morning, or at least before all the make-up has disappeared from my face and my hair becomes utterly gross. Thank god I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow...
3. Some of my maternity shirts actually make the Girls look smaller (and by that, I mean average sized.) This is clearly not one of those shirts.
4. Though the husband said I was "popping out" of this shirt, I still don't think I've grown at all in the last few weeks.

Baby Reeder at 22w5d

Nursery update :)

When I said exciting things were happening in Baby Reeder's nursery, I wasn't kidding! Here are the first photos of the not-quite-finished nursery (but boy are we making progress!) I must say - I'm in love. IN LOVE. It's been a busy 2 weeks for us in this little room. We started off with 2 coats of a beautiful soft blue paint last week. Since then, we've hung blackout shades, washed all the bedding (I heart Dreft - makes it smell like a baby in there!), made the bed, and built a new bookshelf. It's an overcast day today, so some of the pictures are a little dark, but you'll get the idea :)

Still to come: overhead lighting, valences for the windows, a rocking chair, frames/artwork for the walls, baskets for the new bookshelf, and all the crap that comes with babies that we have yet to buy/receive (monitor, books, toys, clothes, etc.)

This just in...

I just got my first stranger comment!! You know, the one I've been looking forward to since week 13? Hooray!

Had lunch at McAlisters with an old co-worker/friend who stopped in town for a quick visit. The woman behind the register asked me as soon as I walked up "So how many months along are you?" I was totally taken aback and stumbled for a minute before coming up with "5 months." She proceeded to tell me I was tiny and asked me to step back from the counter for a minute so she could show her co-worker how "big" they'd be in another month, as they are both 4 mos. pregnant. She told me my baby would be a Capricorn, which is apparently a good thing, and to make sure I make her birthday special (this was after I heard a story about how her Grandma would just freeze cake from the holidays for her birthday in early Jan.)

I was such a proud "tiny" mama, standing there with my bump, shootin' the breeze with the crazy McAlisters girl. I've been waiting to look pregnant and not just fat, so I guess I'm finally there! (This is so ironic to me, as I just finished telling the husband last night that I don't think I've grown at all in like 3 weeks.) Yay!

Donuts galore.

How far along?: 22 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +0 this week, +5 overall. Rewarding myself with a donut (see Food cravings.)
How big is baby?: Around a pound and roughly 11 in. long
Maternity clothes?: Getting bored of rotating my cotton skirts. Ready for fall and my maternity jeans!
Sleep: Not enough (thanks to the rambunctious night owl in my stomach.)
Movement: Slowed down over the weekend, but she's back to hyper-mode. Oh, and she really gets a kick out of moving about when I'm trying to fall asleep (pun intended.)
Labor signs: Ditto last week.
Food cravings: Bill's Donuts, specifically the whole-wheat ones. Taken care of on Sunday with the girls :)
Gender: Boy or girl, my child will have a blue room (progress pics of the nursery coming soon!)
Belly button in or out?: Possibly moving to the surface, possibly wishful thinking.
What I miss: College naps. sigh.
What I am looking forward to: September. We have plans on the calendar for every single weekend, which helps time fly by (and we're definitely in the "wishing time would fly by, bring on winter!" school of thought right now.)
Best moment this week: Our surprise baby shower! The reasoning behind the pressure to register early was revealed :)
Weekly Wisdom: Excessive sneezing should be in the books as a pregnancy symptom. Good Lord.
Milestones: Considering we didn't know we were pregnant until I was 4 weeks, this is the true halfway point (and I feel like I've been pregnant forever.) 125 days to go tomorrow!! :)

Playtime.

Dear Baby Reeder,

We need to have a talk. You seem to be enjoying yourself inside Mommy's tummy, flipping around without a care in the world. I want you to do what you can to entertain yourself, as I know there's nothing to do in there and things are getting more cramped by the day. Trust me, if I could throw a ball pit or a swing set in there for you, I would. I'd do anything for you.

That being said.... 11 p.m. is not playtime! 11 p.m. is sleep time. It won't be playtime until you're in college like your uncles. While I enjoy feeling you moving around in there, I don't appreciate it as much when I'm trying to fall asleep. If Mommy is still awake at 1:30 a.m., it's only going to make her miserable the next day - not good for you or me (or Daddy, who has to deal with my tossing and turning).

So for now, I ask that you try very hard to cool it around 10:00. Thanks munchkin!

Love,
Your Mommy :)

Surprise!

So many surprises with this pregnancy! We're keeping the gender a surprise until delivery. Our name choices will be kept a secret until the baby arrives (sorry friends, we are going to be those people.) Well, little did we know that our family was planning up a little surprise of their own.

We arrived at what we thought was going to be a family picnic yesterday to find out it was actually a surprise baby shower for us. Neither of us had a clue, not one darn clue. The husband's family hosted a very fun and exciting couples shower to help prepare us for Baby Reeder's arrival. Once we got over the initial shock, we had an excellent time catching up with family and friends, several of which we hadn't seen since our wedding. The food was delicious, the company was delightful, and the gifts - oh, the gifts! We received so many of the necessities that the husband can't believe we could possibly need anything more (he has no idea....)

The best part of the whole shower was the fact that he was there with me. He got to experience his first baby shower, and he was a trooper, let me tell ya! He was quizzed on particular baby items (needed a little help to figure out what a nasal aspirator was) and appropriately "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at all the little onesies and rattles. I'm very proud of him for making it through with a smile on his face :)

Many, many thanks go to those that helped put it together (and those that kept the secret, too!) Thanks also to Uncle Drew for sharing his birthday celebration with us! Happy 22nd :)

Precious.

Having lunch with my 3 yr old niece today makes me so excited to very soon have a little one of my own. She's become a real little person, with thoughts and ideas (that she now communicates in complete sentences - hilarious to me!) that can really melt your heart.

She really understands that I am pregnant and I have a baby in my belly, which is impressive for her age. She's super concerned with the baby's nutritional likes/dislikes ("Aunt Sarah, does your baby like macaroni and cheese?") She frequently asks what the baby is doing "in there" and if she can play with her when she "wakes up". (She, of course, assumes it's a girl because she has a sister and can't fathom babies being boys.) She has had many helpful name suggestions for us, as well. It's so much fun to see my pregnancy through her eyes.

Anyway, so at lunch today, she was leaning over the table to look at my stomach and say hi to the baby. She came to sit by me and towards the end of lunch was cold. I asked her if she wanted me to keep her warm, so I hugged her and rubbed her shoulders. She then says, "Maybe the baby can keep me warm." She immediately leaned down and hugged my stomach, arms outstretched, resting her head on my belly. I melted. She stayed down there for a while, trying to "hear her". Then she started singing to the baby, all the while just hugging my stomach. I tried so hard to concentrate on the lunch conversation, but couldn't help but think about the sweet bonding happening between Baby Reeder and her cousin :)

21 weeks.

How far along?: 21 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: Are you ready for this? +2.5 this week, +5 overall. Mama gained some weight this week. Yowza! Interesting tidbit (well, to me): I now weigh what I did at my wedding. Think my dress would zip up with this belly? :)
How big is baby?: Ours is already bigger than the books say, so probably almost a pound. Length - roughly 10.5 in. long, the length of a carrot :)
Maternity clothes?: Still mixing them in with old stuff.
Sleep: Mark this down. I got 8, I repeat 8, full hours of uninterrupted sleep last night. No pee breaks, no hip pain waking me up to roll over, just sleep. And I woke up feeling rested for the first time in months. Heaven.
Movement: Some days I think he's turning because I'll get kicked on the far left side, but then later he returns to his favorite position and whacks me right in the middle. Also much higher now, so I no longer look like a creeper with my hand down my pants while feeling for kicks in public (the image of this in your head right now is much more inappropriate than it looks in real life, I promise).
Labor signs: Ditto last week.
Food cravings: These have really calmed down lately. Nothing to report.
Gender: On the fence.
Belly button in or out?: Still a crater.
What I miss: My pre-pregnancy digestive sytem.
What I am looking forward to: Exciting things are happening in Baby Reeder's nursery this week. More to come!
Best moment this week: Watching my belly jump as baby kicks me. Phenomenal.
Weekly Wisdom: Guzzling water to try to flush out a sinus infection will only make you have to pee more.
Milestones: We're only 3 weeks away from Viability Day!

Explanation regarding V-Day:
At 24 weeks, the baby's lungs finally have the ability to transfer oxygen from the air to the bloodstream. Before this, the lungs aren't developed enough for that air exchange to happen, so surviving outside the womb is next to impossible. So around 24 weeks, doctors will use every effort to save a child born premature. Chances of survival are only around 25%, but there's a fighting chance! Survival odds go up to 90% by Week 26. Crazy to think we're only 5 weeks from that!

Baby on board.

This photo sums up pretty perfectly how I feel today. So exhausted and battling what may be the beginning of a sinus infection, yet still such a proud mama. I apologize for the mess that I now present to you.

Baby Reeder at 20w6d

Unfit mother.

Apparently, I'm an unfit mother already. Pregnancy weight gain casually came up in conversation this morning at work with some of the older ladies I work with (and by older, I mean they could be my mom.) When I mentioned that I hadn't gained any/much, jaws dropped. They stared at me as if I had just said that I got wasted last night while smoking a cigarette and eating 12 hot dogs and a plate of swordfish. One woman, my absolute favorite in the office (I will not use the name I frequently call her as I'm trying to keep this blog PG,) told me that this is really not good for my baby and I should be concerned.

What I said: I assured them that it was 100% fine, my child is growing perfectly, and my doctor even gave me a gold star for it.

What I wanted to say: I'm going to be able to drop my baby weight pretty easily, thank you very much. Just because you still haven't managed to do it 25 years later doesn't mean you get to chastise me in a jealous fit. Bite me.

I heart work.

Lesson learned.

It's offical. I can not stay up until 3 a.m. anymore and expect to be able to fully function the next day. Yikes. While I was incredibly excited to spend time with out-of-town friends on Friday night, I was a hot mess on Saturday. I had a pregnancy hangover, if you will, without the benefit of a tall Bud Light from Bdubs the night before. This little one of mine likes his sleep!

Also official: I can not only feel but now see the baby move. My stomach jumps as he kicks me, which is so fun to watch. It's amazing how strong he is. Such a talented child we have:)

Halfway point!

"We are going to have a baby in 4.5 months. It's going to look like us. Woah." This is a text I sent the husband a few hours after our appt yesterday. It has finally hit me, and how appropriate that it happens on our halfway point milestone!

Halfway? Really? Wow! Seems like forever ago that I excitedly started this blog on Day #1. No one knew that I was pregnant besides me and the husband and even we didn't believe it. Now, everyone knows. As of yesterday, even facebook knows. Hard to believe we've been so blessed!

There are a few new questions I've added to the survey now that we're in the "I'm really harboring a human that will soon want to come out" stage.

How far along?: 20 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +0 this week, +2.5 overall
How big is baby?: 12 big oz. and roughly 10 in. long from head to toe
Maternity clothes?: Still about half the time, but Mom and I made the big maternity clothes purchase this week - my 1st (and 2nd) pair of maternity jeans. I feel like you're not really in maternity clothes until you have some button-free, elastic-waisted jeans.
Sleep: We have a love/hate relationship still. No bathroom breaks last night!! Sign of good things to come?
Movement: Crazy-active child in this uterus. I've become one of those stereotypical pregnant women whose hand is always resting on her belly; I love feeling those kicks (and rolls!)
Labor signs: No, and hopefully none for a very long time.
Food cravings: A ham & cheese croissant from Au Bon Pain (random, I know.)
Gender: I'm pretty convinced it's a girl. Daddy's sure (or just hoping?) it's a boy.
Belly button in or out?: So very far in that it's hard to imagine it will ever budge. My belly looks like it has a giant crater smack-dab in the middle; this bothers me more than it should.
What I miss: Honestly? Nothing. I'm in a state of pregnant euphoria this week.
What I am looking forward to: The first few moments after delivery when it's just me, the husband, and Baby R. :)
Best moment this week: Without a doubt, seeing my gorgeous child. Though watching the husband feel his baby kick for the first time is a very close second!
Weekly Wisdom: People that have had children love to tell a pregnant woman "Oh, just wait!" when they hear about your pregnancy symptoms. Statements like "This baby's kicking me hard" or "I'm so uncomfortable when I sleep" or "I'm getting so big" are almost guaranteed to solicit an "Oh, just wait!" response from any mothers (and some bold fathers) that hear them.
Milestones: 50% down, 50% to go :)

Our little blessing :)

I have the most beautiful child, don't you think? Here are just half of the new pictures we got of Baby Reeder today! First and foremost: yes, we're still on Team Green, as we held steady and did not let them show/tell us the sex (all the "she's" are because Mama has a girl feeling today).

The little one was pretty cooperative during the ultrasound. Her head is down and her legs are all curled up, with her feet by her head. This explains why I've been feeling such strong kicks - her feet are resting right up against my stomach! She's measuring 2 days ahead, but not enough for them to move the due date. Her head is surprisingly measuring in the normal range which I was thrilled to hear (have you ever seen the size of mine or my husband's head? yikes!) Heartbeat was strong and steady at 144 bpm and beating away right in front of our eyes. She weighs a whopping 12 oz., which is about 1.5 oz. above average. She is perfect, with all the necessary parts and limbs :)

My appointment with the doctor went swimmingly yet again. As expected, I had a +0 weight gain this time. But, she told me she is not AT ALL concerned with my lack of weight gain; she said she likes to see a 0-5 lb. total gain at 20 weeks (and that the pregnancy books lie!) I believe her exact words were "Whatever you're doing is working, so keep it up!" Looks like those 4-mile walks are paying off! From this point on, her goal for me is 1 lb/week.

And now, the fun part....

5 little toes and the placenta :)

This is a frontal skeletal shot. I find it creepy, but it actually shows quite a bit. From l to r: the little black hole in the torso is the stomach, the fortune cookie-looking thing to the right of that is the baby's heart (mid-beat), you can clearly see the mouth and nose, and the "eye patch" is just the second eye socket (I promise there's an eye in there.)

This is one of my favorites. Baby Reeder is spread-eagle, so that is actually a foot coming right at us. The four little lines on her head is actually her hand.

We tried for some 3D pics, but her hands were covering her face (could I have a shy child? impossible!) and the umbilical cord was, too. Don't care though, because these pictures are enough to have had me grinning from ear-to-ear all day!

Daddy, meet Baby.

Daddy and Baby Reeder had their first encounter last night! The husband felt the baby kick for the very first time :) Actually, it was the first time I felt kicks from the outside, too. We are over the moon!!

Grandma and Grandpa Vonderhaar had just left our house after a wild & crazy game of Phase 10. I had some pretty horrible indigestion, so I assumed the baby's favorite lounging position on the couch (she always kicks me like crazy when I sit in this position for some reason.) I immediately started getting some really strong kicks and put my hand to my belly to see if I could feel it. Sure enough, I felt the same thumps on the outside that I felt on the inside. I just had a feeling they were strong enough for someone else to feel, so Daddy rested his hand there, too. At first, he just felt my heartbeat. When I felt a pretty strong one from the inside, I asked "Did you feel that?" With a cute smile on his face, he nodded, to which I replied "That was your baby." The munchkin continued to kick both of us for a few blissful minutes.

I cannot even begin to express the joy I find in this event. For months I've felt the symptoms of pregnancy: the nausea, the headaches, the achy body, etc. And for the last few weeks I've had the pleasure of feeling my little one moving around in there. But the husband has pretty much just had to take my word for it this whole time. Not anymore! It's incredibly thrilling for me that he finally got to feel his baby. He even said to me at one point, "Yep, it's really in there." He can now be a part of this pregnancy in a very real way.

I am one very happy mama today. So proud of my strong little soccer player in there. Keep up the good work, little one :)