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 :)