Pregnancy Wrap-Up

I loved my pregnancy with Winter.  She was such a joy to carry in my belly.  Now that she is 2.5 weeks old, sometimes I miss feeling her movements inside me:)  But I wouldn’t trade her being here for anything!  We just love our little girl!  I thought it would be neat to do a little pregnancy wrap up/summary…so here it is:

How long was this pregnancy?: 40 weeks and 2 days

Total Weight Gain: 23 pounds!  I feel AWESOME that I stayed within my goal weight gain amount (I wanted to stay under 30 lbs gained).  It took a lot of work to keep my number at 23 pounds.

Stretchmarks: None, thankfully!

Best Moment of the Pregnancy:  Getting the positive test in January.  Plus I loved feeling her movements/hiccups inside my belly.  SO SWEET!  I miss it sometimes.

Movement: Winter was constantly “on the go” in my belly.  She favored my right side, so I guess she will be a right handed girl.  We will see.  Now that she is born, she is SO strong….now I know why those kicks and jabs were so strong in my belly.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button: Out, but it’s back to an innie now.

Linea Nigra: None.  Though I think while in Florida I got a bit of a pregnancy mask on my face.  It’s gone now.

Workouts/Running While Pregnant: I ran ALL THE WAY UNTIL DELIVERY!!  I feel absolutely so proud of myself for this!  My running schedule was Sun/Tue/Thur with gym days on Mon/Wed/Fri.  I ran several miles on my due date (Tue, 10/8), and then did a gym workout on Wed (10/9), and went into labor that evening.  So I literally ran all the way until I possibly could:)

What I Missed Most While Pregnant: Feeling light and not being able to do “basic things” easily (bend over, paint toe nails, harder time running/working out, shaving, etc).

Biggest Cravings: Apples with peanut butter & vanilla greek yogurt.

Pregnancy Numbers:

# of positive pregnancy tests: 4 – at the end of January 2013 when 4 weeks pregnant
# ER visits: 0 – thankfully
# outie belly buttons: 1
# of intact belly button rings: 0 – I took my belly button ring out in the 1st trimester, will probably put it back in within a few weeks/months
# of stretch marks: 0 – lucky here
# weeks running while pregnant: 40 weeks (never took off a single week during my whole pregnancy!)
# of normal (vaginal) births: 1
# of healthy babies born: 1 – Winter Elizabeth Lute
Total pounds gained: 23 lbs
Total waist measurement: Good question – I honestly don’t know!
Total hours at Swedish Hospital before Winter arrived: 5 hours (1:30 pm until 6:37 pm)
Total hours in labor (defined as time after contractions started): 22 hours (8:30 pm on October 9th until 6:37 pm on October 10th)
# of weeks pregnant when I delivered: 40 weeks, 2 days (only 2 days past due!!)
# OBGYN doctors: 3 – Dr. Lewkowski & Dr. Peters (at my regular Denver office) and Dr. Caplan (at my Florida office)
# of ultrasounds: 5 – at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 19 weeks, 33 weeks and 36 weeks
# of hours driving across the country on a roadtrip: 58+ hours (28 hours from Denver to Florida in July and 30 hours from Florida to Denver in September)
# of movements felt: TONS!  This was the best part of pregnancy!
# of things I loved about being pregnant: 100s! – Feeling her movements, I loved my belly, hearing her heartbeat at appts, feeling her hiccups, etc
# of things I disliked about being pregnant: 3 –  1. sickness/fatigue of the 1st trimester, 2. feeling heavy/slow and 3. achy hips/back

Well, that’s a wrap!  This pregnancy is over.  I am loving motherhood so far.  I can’t wait to start writing more about my experiences as they come.  I already feel like I have so much to write about.  With family visitors/helpers here for the past 2 weeks, I haven’t had any time for blogging.  Whenever I got a chance, I have snuck away here and there to write out Winter’s birth story.  So stay tuned, because I will be posting about her birth very soon!  It took me hours and hours to write (and it’s very long!), so I hope you enjoy reading about it!

To tide you over, here are two more beautiful photos we got back from Winter’s newborn photography session: 

Maternity Photography

Maternity photos are in! I’m so excited to share these maternity photos with you! They arrived this week, and Eric and I love them. Dueck Photography did an amazing job capturing these beautiful moments. http://www.dueckphotography.com We had these photos taken at 36 weeks. Towards the end of the photoshoot, we were battling the POURING rain! Regardless, the pictures turned out beautiful.

BUMP REPORT – 39 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 39

**Don’t forget!  If you haven’t had a chance to submit your guess on our baby pool, there is still time!  Click here (https://babylute2013.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/baby-pool-make-your-predictions/) for directions on how to play!**

My age: 27

How far along: 39 weeks

How big is baby: the size of a small pumpkin.  She is approximately 19-21 inches long and weighs 7.2 pounds.

Check out this photo I found online of what baby/body look like at 39 weeks!  I think it’s really cool:

Now, be aware….Eric took several photos of me proudly showing off my 39 week bare belly.  If you don’t need to see a whole bunch of baby belly shots, just skip right past this part!  Can you tell how proud I am of this baby belly?!?  I will definitely miss it once it’s gone.  I’m cherishing every last second of carrying this baby girl inside of me.

Here come a few 39 week bare belly shots:

See, that wasn’t so bad!  I know some people just hate seeing bare belly photos.  Not me.  I just LOVE this belly!

What have you been up to: This past week had so many commitments on the calendar.  I honestly felt overwhelmed by all of the appointments and other commitments.  Thankfully this week’s calendar has barely ANYTHING on it, yay!  Between several get together’s with friends, a birthday party, O.B. appointment, several pediatrician appointments, dentist appointments, MOPS group, church, weekly Bible study….it was just A LOT for this 9-months-pregnant gal.  But as I mentioned, this week is looking much more low-key, so I’m grateful for that.

After meeting several pediatricians, we did settle on one we liked the most.  I’m really excited about his practice because he runs his entire business on solid healthy principles that also line up with our values.  He is a Christian doctor who has done mission work in the past!!  How cool.  My family has always been a missions family (I even lived in Nicaragua and Costa Rica as a missionary kid growing up).  Not only do his faith values line up, his philosophy in practice is great: trying to focus on wellness-care instead of waiting for sick-care to kick in.  He is highly encouraging of parents to lead healthy lifestyles (via exercise and healthy foods) and instill these practices in their growing kids.

Eric and I are cherishing every last moment as a childless couple.  Ever since returning home to Colorado, we have made it a weekly practice to go on dates.  I absolutely love spending time together, just the two of us.  That is something that we somewhat neglected before due to our overly social lifestyles.  I am really enjoying all of our one-on-one quality time that we have been spending together.  I know our relationship dynamic is about to change as we add a baby into the mix.  Our family will go from two to three, and will the focus heavily on the third party for a while.  We both want to be adamant to remain strong in our relationship, but we also aren’t naïve enough to believe that a baby isn’t going to change many things.  So we are taking advantage of these last opportunities to do things together alone, baby-less.

This week’s date we went out and painted pottery!  It was a lot of fun.

Eric painted a teddy bear & I painted a tea-light candle holder.  After these are fired in the kiln, I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

This week I got a pedicure.  Many friends have recommended that I get a pedicure before giving birth, as it gives you something pretty to look at during labor.  I figured it was close enough to time now, so my friend and I met up and had a pedicure lunch date late last week.  I’m somewhat of a cheapskate, so I never indulge myself on things like manicures or pedicures, so this was a treat for me!  I even got blinged out with flowers on my toes!

Eric and I dropped by Once Upon a Child the other day and practically stole from them!  They had a sale where you could get 10 onesies for $10.  Though we have a lot of baby clothes that we have received as gifts, we figured it wouldn’t hurt to have 10 cute onesies in newborn size since she will probably go through multiple outfits per day.  Here is what we walked out of the store with for only $10:

10 cute onesies…my favorite is the navy polka-dot one with the pink flowers on it.

Every year as September turns into October, we try to take a drive up to the high country to see the leaves changing.  Down here in Denver we are just starting to see glimpses of the trees turning into fall colors, but it happens sooner in the mountains.  Over the weekend we took a drive up to see the pretty colors.  Here are a few pictures we got from the drive:

Exercise/Activity Level: Still consistently working out 6 days this past week.  3 runs and 3 gym days.  On Sunday morning’s run, I told Eric that this might be his last run with my during pregnancy.  He is not a runner and doesn’t really enjoy it, but throughout the pregnancy, anytime I’ve asked him to join me, he has gladly come along.  He is SO SWEET that he runs with me, despite hating running!  Usually because of his work, the only times I ask him to join me are on the weekends….so that is why it could be his last run with me while pregnant!  There is a chance by next weekend the baby MIGHT BE HERE!

Maternity clothes:  I am still loving my maternity clothes, but starting to get excited to bring back some of my normal clothes in the next few weeks/months.  Over the weekend I decided to just “see” if I could still fit my most favorite pair of red skinny jeans….and guess what?!?  They actually fit (no, they didn’t zip or button though)!  So I proudly threw a belly band to disguise the un-zipped/unbuttoned waistband and wore them out!

Stretch marks: Still none.

Belly Button: Outie.  Although some people don’t think I technically have an outie….  To me, it’s an outie because a portion of my belly button has been sticking out further than the rest of my belly for a good 10 weeks.

Sleep: I’ve really been sleeping great.  My drink-10-waters-a-day rule works best when I cut off my last fluid intake by 9pm.  I usually only am up 1-2 times per night for the bathroom.  Some nights I go the entire stretch without once getting up!  I’m trying to soak in all the sleep I can get right now….I know once baby is here, that is going to be a real change.

Newest baby milestones this week: Baby is gaining more weight inside the womb.  It will be interesting to see what her birth weight is once she makes her debut.  My guess is somewhere between 7-7.5 pounds at birth weight.  Her brain continues to grow and develop.  Baby is dropping further into the pelvis and getting engaged for birth.  Will we make it to a 40 week BUMP REPORT?!?  I guess time will tell.

Best Moment of the Week: Finding out that my sister Maggie and my 3-month-old nephew Silas booked a trip to come see Baby Lute at the end of October!  I also forgot to mention that one of my other sisters, Melody booked a trip out here too!!!  I am so excited because I wasn’t expecting them to visit.  I have yet to meet my nephew Silas, so I’m way excited to finally meet him too:)  So now from my side of the family, I’m so excited to welcome these visitors: my mom and dad, my sisters Melody and Maggie & baby Silas!  I am SO THRILLED and honored that they are flying out to come see the baby.  Now I’m also very excited for the Lute-side to visit as well!  Of course Eric and I are really excited to see his mom and dad.  They are about to become first-time grandparents…and they just can’t wait to meet this little one.

Worst Moment of the Week: Same story as last week: my worst moments have been my emotional breakdowns.  Some days I am great, and other days I cannot hold it together.  I meltdown over the silliest things.

Food cravings: Still apples with peanut butter.

Food aversions: None.

Symptoms: My Braxton hicks contractions are getting WAY more regular/frequent and stronger.  The other day I was about to start timing them!!  I also feel like the baby is dropping further into my pelvis because my belly looks lower to me and feels lower.  I have more pressure on my bladder and feel like I need to pee every 10 minutes.  I’ve begun getting cramping in my uterus (almost like menstrual cramps).  I think this baby and this body are getting ready for birth!  I’m not sure if we will make it to 40 weeks….we will see soon.  I could be totally wrong.

Movement: She is just as active as ever.  Sometimes I think her randomly stronger kicks are out of frustration that she just wants to get OUT!  I’ve also noticed her “playing on my hip bones” in the past week.  I think this is because she is dropping lower, so I feel more movements on my hips.

Gender: Girl

What I’m looking forward to: Looking forward to meeting our baby in person!  Eric and I are feeling more and more ready every day to finally get this baby here in the world with us!

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Praying for a safe delivery for baby.  My nerves are strangely calming down about with whole labor & delivery process.  Somehow I’m feeling more at peace and know that I’m strong enough to do this.  Bring it on!

What I miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach.  That will be so nice to be able to do that again!  I hate side sleeping.

Next appointment: Wednesday, October 2nd @ 11AM.  Will be interesting to see if there is anymore cervical change.

To-do list before baby’s arrival:  THINGS I WANT TO GET DONE THIS WEEK:

-Still need to get out all the parts to the breast pump & sterilize them (didn’t get to that yet)

-Go on a major shopping trip to stock up on things like: toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc

-Have the baby 🙂  (I guess I can’t control this one–but I’d be happy if it happened this week)

Well….happy 39 weeks.  Baby, you can come anytime if you like!  For all of my friends/readers/followers: perhaps a 40 week BUMP REPORT will be in order, but who knows?  Please send up some prayers for us this week:)

BUMP REPORT – 36 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 36

Ok, how crazy is this?!?  36 weeks pregnant, is this for REAL?!  Check out the count-down-ticker on the side bar of my blog…it should read how many DAYS are left now, instead of months.  Today it shows 29 days left.  Whoa.  I think that Eric and I are realizing just how quickly our due date is approaching.  We are getting the final touches on the nursery done, buying items off our registry and momma is even starting to do a bit of nesting!  36 weeks means baby girl could be here anytime.  Now we are fully hoping for a full term baby (give us at LEAST 2 weeks, baby girl!).  But honestly she could make her appearance at any time.  We can’t wait to meet that little gal!!!

I realized that today (September 9th) marks 6 years since Eric proposed to me.  I am so happy that I said yes!  I love him more and more with every day that passes.  I just can’t wait to watch him transition into his new role as daddy.  I think I love him now, but I can only imagine how much MORE I will love him when I watch him as a daddy to our baby girl.  So excited for that.  Look at HOW YOUNG we looked on September 9, 2007:

My age: 27

How far along: 36 weeks (LESS than a month)

How big is baby: the size of a watermelon.  She is approximately 19 inches long and weighs 6 pounds.

What have you been up to: Since last week’s post I have traveled MANY miles.  We drove from Florida to Colorado in a mere two days, and I was amazed at how well the trip went!  On Wednesday we logged 17.5 hours from start to finish, driving from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Dallas, Texas.  Thursday we logged 13.5 hours from start to finish, driving from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado.  Both days went flawlessly!!  Eric and I enjoyed driving along the coast and seeing some new scenery.  We had a bulletproof system: we alternated on 3 hour shifts of driving with walking breaks between shifts.  My feet swelled only slightly and I felt great throughout the entire trip.

Since getting home, we have gotten together with friends, spent time in the nursery getting organized, purchased several baby items (glider rocking chair, video baby monitor, etc), gone to church and cleaned our house.  It feels so nice to get home and start final baby preparations.

I had my 36 week doctor check up today.  Everything is looking good, but there was one slight area of concern.  The nurse practitioner saw me at the appointment today, and she questioned my slight weight loss (I lost a few pounds in Florida and then have stayed the same weight for about a month).  As of right now, my total weight gain is 23 pounds, and she was wondering why I have not been gaining (and even lost a bit).  I explained that my eating habits have been super healthy (avoiding all processed/junk foods and all desserts/sweets).  Upon the explanation, she was very understanding and seemed to be fine with that.  Aside from the weight issue, she was also just slightly concerned with my fundal height measurement.  I measured at 34-35 cm, which is the same as my previous measurement from my last doctor visit a few weeks ago.  Just to double check on baby’s growth, she ordered an ultrasound for Wednesday morning.  She said there is no reason to stress or be concerned since at my 33 week ultrasound the baby was measuring right on track.  The NP said my fundal height might be based on baby’s positioning since she is so squished in there.

At first I felt slightly worried and stressed, but after talking with my sister, I know that everything is just fine.  She has 3 kids, and with all 3 of her pregnancies she gained most of her weight in the 2nd trimester.  Her 3rd trimesters is where her weight gain slowed down and she said there was some weight loss that occurred for her too.  As far as fundal height goes, she also measured on the smaller side with her pregnancies too.  All of her babies were born at healthy weights with no problems.  Sounds like she and I have had similar experiences.  So I will just NOT stress about this and be EXCITED for another opportunity to see my little girl on an ultrasound this week!  Here is a picture of my sister Maggie at 36 weeks pregnant with her 2 older boys (taken in early June):

Exercise/Activity Level: With two full travel days last week, I managed to still get in 5 days of exercise.  There was zero way to squeeze a workout in on either of those days, except for the walking breaks I took every 3 hours during the drive (which doesn’t count!).  I ran 3 days and did cardio/weights 2 days.  I had been preparing myself to get slapped in the face with the mile-high altitude upon returning to Colorado, but honestly the 2 runs I have done since being here have been GREAT!  Yesterday my sweet husband went running with me around a nearby lake, and it’s incredible to see the gorgeous mountains and Colorado scenery.  Can you tell I’m happy to be home?!

Maternity clothes:  All maternity, and I’m excited to actually WEAR more of my maternity clothes now that I’m not living in swimsuits anymore.

Stretch marks: None.

Belly Button: Outie.

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty solid with a few hiccups.  Last night I was in and out of sleep all night long because my hips were hurting so bad.

Newest baby milestones this week: Baby is nearly full-term.  Most of her systems are up and running.  Her liver and kidneys are fully functioning, her immune system is all squared away and ready to attack germs, but her lungs still have just a bit more developing to do this week until they are ready for life outside the womb.

Best Moment of the Week:   Getting home!  Being back in our own house with our comforts, friends, community and church is just splendid.  I love being home.  I LOVED Florida, but there is just something about getting home that feels the best.

Worst Moment of the Week: Waking up in the middle of the night with sharp hip pain earlier this week.

Food cravings: I’ve continued eating super clean and I feel great.  I eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, greek yogurt and granola bars.  My go-to is still apples with peanut butter and vanilla greek yogurt.  Oh and also banana/peanut butter smoothies too (made with 2 bananas, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a dash of water and ice cubes blended together).

Food aversions: After feeling nauseated from eggs over a week ago, I haven’t attempted eating any since then.  Not sure if they still would make me sick, but I’d rather not find out.

Symptoms: Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, loose joints, hip pain, trouble rolling over/getting out of bed, slight swelling in my feet, growing/feeling like my belly is so huge it is going to make me topple over, etc.

Movement: This girl is a mover and a shaker.  In church on Sunday she was bouncing off the walls the entire service.  The music in our church is pretty loud and I think she was doing a little dancing:)

Gender: Girl

What I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to taking our maternity photos tonight.  We have a really great photographer lined up (Dueck Photography), and I am just so excited to capture some great shots tonight.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Praying for our baby girl to continue to be healthy and grow.  She sure FEELS like she is growing a ton!!  She is making momma so uncomfortable and tired sometimes.

What I miss: Being able to run faster.  Yesterday there was a fit girl who ran past us (probably running my old pre-pregnancy pace).  Watching her get further and further ahead of us made me feel like I was literally running in slow motion.  I can’t wait to be lighter so I can run faster!!

Next appointment: Wednesday, September 11th @ 8:30 am for an ultrasound.  The doctor just wants to get some current measurements to see if baby Lute is still on track.

To-do list before baby’s arrival:  (I’m adding this one now that we are getting so close!)

THINGS I WANT TO GET DONE THIS WEEK:

-Hospital tour (tomorrow night)

-Pre-register at the hospital

-Buy items off baby registry

-Get the nursery 100% finished

-Wash & organize baby clothes

BUMP REPORT – 34 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 34

My age: 27

How far along: 34 weeks (countdown – 6 weeks left)

How big is baby: the size of a cantaloupe.  She is approximately 18 inches long and weighs 5 pounds.

What have you been up to: This week has been so much fun.  My sister Melody and her husband Andrew are currently here in Florida visiting us.  We have really been enjoying our time with them.  I will post more about that next week.  I’m a little delayed on writing my BUMP REPORT this week because it’s hard to pull away from the fun in the sun and spend time on the computer!  Thankfully it’s the morning so I’m the only one awake – so I have time to write.

This past week we had our ultrasound!  We were SO EXCITED to see our baby girl since we hadn’t had an ultrasound since 19 weeks.  It was really cool to see her and how much bigger she is.  Also, we were only expecting to see the regular 2D sonography, but the ultrasound tech occasionally would turn on the 4D imaging so we could see different things.  At first, I could barely tell what was what, but then when we saw her face it was such a crazy experience!  Our little girl has chubby cheeks, hair on her head and my nose!  We could see her opening and closing her eyes, and even making faces.  Eric and I agree that we are so excited to meet her in person in “real life” and see those features for real.

In the waiting room before the ultrasound.  We were so excited!

Post ultrasound with our photos of Baby Lute!

Proud momma!  Do you see the resemblance?  Haha, just kidding!

Exercise/Activity Level: I did 6 workouts like usual for this week.  3 runs and 3 cardio/weights days.  On my cardio/weights days, I’ve been using the rowing machine for cardio almost exclusively.  It’s interesting doing the rower with a big belly, but I make it work!  For weights, I’ve focused on free weights and kettle bells this week.

For running, two of the days were treadmill-based and one was outside (it was overcast, yay!).  Running continues to be hard, but I keep having really empowering/successful runs each week, so I feel really fulfilled!!!  This week I had a new 8-months-pregnant accomplishment: I ran for 36 minutes STRAIGHT without a single break for walking.  3.1 miles (5K distance) took me 36 minutes (a far cry from my pre-pregnancy pace)….I really felt on top of the world.  Go me!  I know this won’t be possible too much longer.

My sister and I post-workout yesterday….I can’t believe how big this belly is!

Maternity clothes:  All maternity.  Still swimsuits.  Only one more week left in Florida, so I will probably never have opportunities to wear those swim suits again this pregnancy.  I am looking forward to wearing more fall-like clothes…leggings with boots and cardigans.

Stretch marks: None.  My sister is going to jinx me though, she is shocked that I don’t have any.  I told her, “heyyyyy, I still have 6 weeks, hopefully I’ll still be ok!”

My belly is pretty huge, but thankfully still streak-free!

Belly Button: It’s out.

Sleep: Sleep is great.  My no-drinking-any-water-past-9pm rule is working flawlessly!  I average one trip nightly to the bathroom.  Otherwise I sleep like a rock.  I’m sleeping better now than I have in my 1st and 2nd trimesters.

Newest baby milestones this week: Baby continues growing rapidly!  She is putting on lots of body fat to fill out her frame.

Best Moment of the Week:   We had our hearts melted watching her on the ultrasound this week.  As I mentioned, we were not there for a 3D or 4D ultrasound, just the normal 2D sonography.  But the ultrasound tech turned on the 4D imaging multiple times to “double check” something.  I think she just wanted to give us a thrill so we could see our baby’s face….and I admit, it was really crazy to see our baby.  She is pretty squished in the womb, so her arms were covering part of her face.  But we could clearly see her open and close her eyes and even scrunch up her face to make a pouty-face!  So neat!!

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting into a fight with my poor husband….  I can’t wait to get these hormones back to normal.

Food cravings: My eating is still really healthy.  Still no dessert/sweets or junk foods consumed in over 3 weeks.  I’m pretty to the book on eating.  My snacks I crave are apples and peanut butter or greek yogurt.

Food aversions: None.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions.  Trouble rolling over.  Feeling heavy.  Feeling like my belly is huge.  Can’t touch my toes.  Need assistance to get up from the couch.  Hip and joint pain (that has DEFINITELY kicked in!!)…I think it is starting to cause me to walk a little differently (uhhhmm, waddle?)

Movement: She moves so much.  My entire belly gets mis-shapen when she rolls around, lol!  She still gets the hiccups a lot too, sometimes as much as 3 times per day.

Gender: It’s a Girl

What I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to this last week in Florida.  I want to enjoy every last drop of time we have left!!

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Our 28-30 hour car trip back to Denver next week.  I think it will be fine, but I am slightly nervous with how much more frequently I have to pee now compared to the drive out here.  We did a 3-day drive here, but our plan for the way home is to shove it into 2 days.  It will be hard, but we think 2 15-hour days will be better than 3 days.

What I miss: Simple things…like tying my shoes without struggle or painting my toe nails.

Next appointment: Friday, August 30 at 9:45 am.

My 7 favorite pregnant bloggers

The Pregnancy Blogging World.  When I first became pregnant, I knew right away that I wanted to document my pregnancy with a blog.  As soon as I got a positive pregnancy test, this blog was created (it was a secret blog until I was 13 weeks along).  I try not to post a lot of pregnancy updates to facebook, but rather direct people to this blog for all the ins and outs of my pregnancy.  Little did I know that I would find other ladies who were also documenting their pregnancies via blogs just like me!  It has been such a ball to keep up with other pregnant ladies.  It sort of feels like we are all going through this together.  Even though I have never met a single one of these girls in person, I feel as if I know them because we read up on each other’s lives/pregnancies regularly.  It feels so GREAT to get positive comments, uplifting words and motivation from these gals!  Here are my favorite 7 pregnant bloggers:

Kearney Keepings (http://kearneykeepings.wordpress.com/)

Kearney Keepings – Becky is 34 weeks pregnant with a little boy.  She is so sweet and uplifting whenever she comments on my blog (or other ladies’ blogs).  Every week when I read her weekly “Bumpdate” I always am left laughing or crying — or both!

The Baby Doctor’s Wife (http://thebabydoctorswife.wordpress.com/)

The Baby Doctor’s Wife – Carin is married to a pediatrician and is 30 weeks pregnant with her first baby, a little girl “Miss Nugget.”  She continually  keeps me motivated to keep on moving!  She is a fitness enthusiast who still runs and works out daily. 

Beer, Bait and Books (http://themiddaughs.wordpress.com/)

Beer, Bait and Books – Summer is 35 weeks pregnant.  She and her husband have decided to keep their baby’s gender a surprise until birth.  She is such a fun and positive personality type.  I always end up laughing when she writes something funny in her blog — which is a lot! 

Life as a Curious Katie (http://acuriouskatie.wordpress.com/)

Life as a Curious Katie — Katie is 37 weeks pregnant and only weeks/days from meeting her little daughter!  She does weekly updates with her chalkboard, which I love (especially since I also do chalkboard updates).  She is a really sweet girl and I’m sure will have the sweetest little daughter.

All in the Family (http://thearnolds.wordpress.com/)

All in the Family — She is also due in October with their first baby.  She has the cutest maternity fashion and I’m always entertained by her weekly updates.  She has a goal to complete 60 minutes of exercise per day, which is really inspiring!

A Written Purpose (http://awrittenpurpose.wordpress.com/)

A Written Purpose — Mary Helen is pregnant with her 2nd child, a little girl!  She is also a runner just like me.  Her son Damian is the cutest little boy with his curly hair.  MH always is so uplifting and sweet.

Sparkley Pink Lemons (http://sparkleypinklemons.wordpress.com/blog/)

Sparkley Pink Lemons — I love her tagline “turning lemons into sparkling moments…”  This dietitian is having a baby boy this fall.  Her blog is full of DIY and recipes.  I always enjoy reading through her blog!

Look at that growth!

It’s fun to look back over the pregnancy weeks and see just how much has changed!  I started taking weekly chalkboard pictures at 12 weeks because I thought I was already starting to “show” at that time.  How crazy!  When I look at this progression, I was barely showing at 16 weeks.  We didn’t publicly announce the pregnancy until 13 weeks, and it felt as if I had already been pregnant for forever.  Here is a recap of my bump and chalkboards 12-25 weeks:

Dr. Appointment Today + Maternity Clothes

Dr. appointment.  This morning I went in for my regular monthly O.B. appointment.  It feels like I hadn’t been to the doctor in ages, and realistically it was only 5 1/2 weeks since I was there.  The visit was a pretty standard check-up: urine sample, weight check, blood pressure, listen to the baby’s heartbeat on the Doppler, measure my belly’s fundal height and ask for any questions.

One thing I was really curious about was to see how much weight I’ve gained.  I don’t weigh myself at home, so I just find out each time when I’m at the doctor.  As of last time I was up 9 pounds (at 19 weeks), and as of today (24 1/2 weeks) I’m up 14 pounds.  I feel like that’s pretty good!!  For some reason I was expecting more since my body just FEELS huge, haha!  I’m hoping that I keep my total pregnancy weight gain between 25-35 pounds as recommended by the doctor (hopefully more like 30 or less).

Today was the first time the doctor measured my belly’s fundal height.  She said that the measurement should be within a centimeter or two of the number of weeks pregnant I am.  I measured 24 cm, so that’s right on track!

Baby’s heartbeat was in the 140s.  When we listed on the Doppler, it was so much clearer and easy to hear than it has been on previous visits.

My next appointment will be in 4 weeks from now.  That is when I’m scheduled for the glucose screening.  They gave me this bottle of “juice” I have to drink before I come in to the appointment so they can test my blood sugar.  The results of the test help determine if gestational diabetes is an issue or not.

Maternity clothes.  One of my good friends mentioned a while back that she had a bin of maternity clothes that I could use.  She dropped the bin off last night and I am SO EXCITED for a ton of new items to wear!  There are so many really nice clothes….shirts, pants, capris, leggings, dresses, etc!  I definitely am set on maternity clothes now.  I have been feeling like I am very limited by my small maternity wardrobe lately.  Now that is no longer an issue since I over DOUBLED my current wardrobe.  I am just so excited!!!  (Can you tell?? haha)