Thursday, December 27, 2012

A kickin' Christmas

Christmas eve snow
"Next year we will be sharing a whole new xmas experience. So happy to share it with you" This is part of Scott's note in my Christmas card he gave to me and that could not be more true. This Christmas was definitely one to remember, and the last of its kind. Next Christmas we will be focused on a baby and beginning to start our own family traditions; presents from a Santa is real once again, toys wrapped in children's paper (I already got Baby's paper for next year during an after-Christmas sale!), toys covering our floors, the struggle of getting a little boy to stay still and smile in front of the Christmas tree. It will be new and exciting, tiring I am sure, and magical but until then, I enjoyed spending Christmas with our families and having some special time together, just me and Scott.



The 3 of us


Baby Boy's little stockings hanging on my childhood stocking hook,
care of my mom





  • How far along? 23 Weeks
  • Baby is the size of a: A grapefruit
  • Total weight gain/loss: 20.9 lbs
  • The Bump: only getting bigger by the day 
  • Symptoms: can't kick the heartburn! Sore hip/groin joints too thanks to the loosening and expanding of my joints. No biggie- just my body getting ready to expel a real life baby!
  • Food Cravings: The only reason I had peanut butter fudge to take to Christmas gatherings is because I wanted it, myself! Also anything cheesy. Mac-n-cheese, cheeseburgers, a plate of melted shredded cheese will even do! OJ (which is probably not helping with the heartburn but that isn't stopping me).
  • Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope but I did wake up nauseous 2 days in the past week. Eating breakfast made it better.
  • Sleep: Much better now that I have a snoogle from my wonderful husband. Its wonderful! :) Now if I could only hold my bladder through the night.
  • What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, being able to go hours before needing to hit the loo
  • Weddings Rings On or Off: On
  • Any Names Picked Out Yet: Yes, but we are keeping it a secret
  • Gender: Still a boy
  • Movement: Gave me a big Christmas wake-up kick. Scott felt the baby move on December 19 and we both saw my belly move on December 21.
  • Maternity Clothes: make me feel special and happy to be getting to wear them!
  • Labor Signs: getting a bit nervous to start feeling these. Still have a while to go though...
  • Best moment of the Week: The amazing ripple across my belly that Scott and I both saw, and thinking 'That is a baby, our baby, that is growing inside of my stomach, kicking from the INSIDE!'
  • What I am most looking forward to: Our next ultrasound! We mustn't forget how excited I am to take my glucose test this month. That's gonna SUCK be interesting. I am also pumped to start my prenatal yoga class later this month.
  • 
    
    Whoa belly!

    

     
     

    

    Wednesday, December 19, 2012

    My pregnancy in numbers


    22 Number of weeks pregnant today
    28 The number of years old I am
    1 Number of pounds baby supposedly weighs
    2 Times I got up to use the bathroom last night
    4 Times I thought about getting up to use the bathroom last night
    18 Week I first felt baby flutters
    21 Week I felt the first kick
    127 Days since we found out we were pregnant
    9 Number of times in a day I think about at least one of the following: cheeseburger, cheesesteak, mango, or orange juice
    4 Number of bottles of prenatal vitamins I have gone through
    2 Number of medicine bottles I carry with me at all times now (Tylenol and Pepcid AC)
    64 Number of days since I have felt really sick
    35 Number of days to go until I am in my THIRD trimester
    3 Number of pregnancy books I own
    0 Number of pregnancy books I actually have read or finished
    61 Number of things I have 'pinned' on Pinterest relating to pregnancy/baby
    1,649 Days I have been married to my baby daddy XOXO
    Countless Number of names that have been thrown around
    1 Number of names we have decided on (shhh....still keeping it a secret:)
    123 Days until Baby LaCoss makes his debut!



    Thursday, December 13, 2012

    Nighttime magic

    How does one make December even more magical? How about feeling my little baby kick for the first time! 12.10.12 marks the date that I felt a first kick. I am still feeling flutters and quivers, but what I felt was so much stronger and more pronounced and gave me chills from head to toe. Scott is still a little nervous about feeling the baby move, but to appease his pregnant wife, placed his hand on my belly. No more kicks but Scott will be sure to feel him soon enough!

    My most favorite time of the day is bed time. I love to lay in bed and feel baby LaCoss move. It is when I feel him the most and some nights it is non-stop for several minutes. Sometimes it makes me giggle, but mostly I just lay there with what I am sure is a goofy grin across my face. My mom reminded me about my feelings about being pregnant before I was actually pregnant. It kind of wierded me out! Still does a little but, but more in a 'this is unbelievable' way. I thought for sure it would feel like a strange alien inside of my belly, foreign and unnatural. Not how I feel now- it feels so amazing and just.... right.

    My growing belly

    My Grammy Al and I went on our annual Christmas shopping trip and she picked up some onesies for little baby LaCoss. Here are two of his first pieces of clothing. I am sure they aren't the only things that have been purchased for him, but these are the ones that I have. Grammy Rose got us the Patriots onesie before we even conceived- her wishful thinking worked, I guess :)

    Baby LaCoss onesies from Grammy Al and Grammy Rose


    My four boys waiting for baby to make #5!


    Monday, December 10, 2012

    Over the halfway mark!

    There was an important moment in our lives this past week.  I put the first baby item in the empty room upstairs and just like that, the old office became the beginnings of a nursery. Although I just placed an item in the room- didn't paint, didn't add furniture or hang pictures- I JUST set an item down in the room, it still felt like it made the nursery real! We made our first official baby purchase this past week and when it came in the mail I just couldn't wait to see it! I have been searching for crib sheets that I could decorate the nursery around, and when I found these, Scott and I both fell in love with them (OK, Scott said he really liked them and I fell in love with them). The sheet set is a bumper-less crib set from Skip Hop and has an adorable giraffe design (did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against crib bumpers?). I have a few decorating ideas, decorating the room around this design, but first I have to get through my finals and then enjoy the Holidays!

    Skip Hop's Giraffe Safari

    Baby LaCoss is the size of a pomegranate and is already getting to work on making the products of his first dirty diaper (meconium). Joy! I am not a huge fan of McDonalds but the past week or so, I have really been craving McDonald cheeseburgers. I have only indulged once and it was delicious (am I really saying that!?), but I could probably eat them for lunch every day. Actually just typing this makes me want to run out to Mickey Ds and pick up a few!

    Just how I like it- just cheese and burger, nothing else.


    I am feeling pretty good overall, except for my new sleep schedule. I am finding that I sleep great until about 4 am when I wake up to go to the bathroom. After that I have a very hard time falling back asleep and getting comfortable. My belly is making it uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach anymore.  I haven't always had to wake up in the middle of the night for potty breaks, but since being pregnant, and since I have started waking up to use the bathroom, it reminded me of a nighttime routine I had when I was little. I don't remember how old I was,  elementary school I would guess, and I don't remember how long I did it for, too many months in my dads eyes, I am sure. Every night I would wake up in the middle of the night and call for my dad.

    "Dad"
    "Daad"
    "DAAAAD"

    And he would wake up, come into my room and I would ask for a drink of water. A drink of water in the middle of the night, that I surely could have got up and gotten for myself! But I was consistent and called his name just about every night and he would respond just as consistently. Maybe I was getting spoiled; he could have stayed in bed, or yelled for me to go back to sleep, or even yelled for me to get my own darn drink! But he didn't. And I remember that he didn't, and it makes me realize that there are probably going to be things that Scott and I won't NEED to do, or even want to do, for our baby- but we WILL, and maybe we will do things just like my dad did for me because it will feel good to be needed by someone who you love. We will do these things because we already love him so so much.










    Tuesday, December 4, 2012

    My other half--- at 20 weeks

    This week Baby LaCoss is the length of a banana. He is also able to taste banana- and anything else I eat! He is now able to be measured from head to toe, where as up until this point, he was only measured from head to rump since his little legs were curled up. He's all stretched out now and I am really feeling him move quite a bit, still very sporatic but I feel him move frequently at night. It is the strangest feeling- a mix between a quiver and the quickest, slightest of tummy grumbles. I love feeling it but I think Scott is getting a bit jelaous! By the beginning of January Scott should be able to feel him move- what a great Christmas present that would be!



    Little baby LaCoss has also upped his drinking and is gulping down more amniotic fluid than he was before. Gross. Who knew that babies drank that stuff!? Oh the things Scott and I are learning!

    Scott is going to be a daddy and I will be a mommy. But in additon to these titles, we will be PARENTS, raising and teaching our little one. And since we are in this together, we didn't want the only pregnancy pictures to be of me, so here is Scott's 20 week photo:



    Friday, November 30, 2012

    19 Weeks

  • How far along? 19 Weeks
  • Baby is the size of a: A large heirloom tomato
  • Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs total
  • The Bump: Is officially noticeable 
  • Symptoms: Heartburn and headaches, currently carrying a full bottle of Tylenol and Pepcid AC in my purse. Feeling a bit scatter brained also but I'm not sure if I can blame that on the pregnancy. Oh and my belly is so itttchy!
  • Food Cravings: Nothing unusual. Maybe brussel sprouts but there isn't any one food that I think about a lot.
  • Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Not that I have had the pleasure of crossing paths with yet.
  • Sleep: Getting uncomfortable
  • What I miss: nothing right now, I am loving this!
  • Weddings Rings On or Off: On
  • Any Names Picked Out Yet: shhhh :)
  • Gender: Boy!
  • Movement: I felt him move on Thanksgiving night, but not since then...until today! I have been feeling him move frequently today but the Dr says not to be surprised if it remains very sporadic for the next month.
  • Maternity Clothes: Bring em on! I have been wearing leggings just about non-stop. I still have one pair of jeans that I can just about bare but will be picking up a few items this week. Maternity wardrobe makeover is full on :)
  • Labor Signs: nope
  • Best Moment of the Week: Finding out the sex of the baby and feeling it move! Simply amazing. Hearing the Dr say that everything is perfect! So much to be thankful for this week.
  • What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Being able to pick out baby boy things and nursery items. Seeing my bump in Christmas photos.


  • This week the baby is forming the white coating, vernix caseosa, that makes newborns so adorable. *Gag* This coating protects the baby from the amniotic fluid. I wonder if there's a way to harvest it- I bet its moisterizing quality could do wonders for my itchy belly!
    
    19 weeks pregnant
     

    Tuesday, November 27, 2012

    It's a....

    BOY!











         The ultrasound was amazing! At ultrasound #1, he was just a little Blip (50 Shades readers anyone? ;)  Now we can see arms, legs, spine, even the valves of his heart! His heartbeat was 160 bpm and his skull, from front to back, measures only 6 cm (2.4 in)! It was a moment I will never forget- we even got to see his little mouth open and close a few times- he's a talker already! I definitely was teary-eyed getting to see him. It was a special time, being with Scott and seeing our baby. We are very excited to be welcoming a baby boy into our house and excited to start preparing for him!

    And here HE is :)


    His little arm

    Creepy face! I hope I don't give birth to Skeletor!

    Baby boy's profile
    It's a boy!

    Monday, November 26, 2012

    A West Virginian Thanksgiving


    This Thanksgiving we took a little trip with my family to a cabin on the Cacapon River, just outside of Berkley Springs, WV.  It was wonderful. As we took the short drive, Scott mentioned that this would be our last Thanksgiving without a child- this time next year our baby will be almost as old as our niece, Cordelia, is now! It is crazy to think about and we can't wait! The house was warm and cozy, right on the water and had a great fireplace that we kept going the entire time. I will definitely miss the warmth and smell! Thanksgiving was relaxing, as mom, Carrie and I made Thanksgiving dishes in the morning and let everything cook in crockpots- it was so simple, stress free and everything turned out great! Just about the only thing we didn't use one for was the turkey- thank goodness we had a lot of counter space for all of those crockpots! We ventured into the town of Berkley Springs one day and I stuck my feet in the water of the natural springs, which is supposed to be very healing and surprisingly was not very cold. Mom, Carrie and I also crafted our very own felted Matryoshka doll ornaments- we love craft time! Saturday Carrie and I went back into town and I had my first prenatal massage. It was heavenly! I can't wait for my next :) Scott and I had a really great time relaxing, spending time with family and with each other, playing with the girls and my baby bump decided to make a grand appearance (I even think I may have felt the baby move in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving!). Here are a few photos from the trip.



    Thanksgiving morning sunshine







    Enjoying the view (both of us ;)














    The three of us :)
    Happy Thanksgiving!
















    Some photos from around the house:


    Uncle Scott loves that Cordelia Bliss!
    Me and my sis












    Camden, mid- happy dance
    Such a big girl!
    Our finished ornaments
    Scott and Dan with the girls

    Dad and Camden exploring









































































    Mom and Dilly



    The trip into the town of Berkley Springs:


    Soaking my feet





    Mom and Dad

    Dad surprised me with a new Pandora bead to remember this time in our lives and celebrate the excitement we all have in anticipation of baby LaCoss! My dad is so sweet- it is a precious little baby carriage:


    And last but not least- here is my 18 week photo :)



    Now...onto week 19 and finding out the sex of baby LaCoss!!!

    Thursday, November 22, 2012

    Happy Thanksgiving!


    Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?

    We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything.

    If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

    - Henry David Thoreau

    Week 18: This week our little baby is forming its very own set of fingerprints and toe prints. These will be unique to our baby and unlike any other human on earth. Baby LaCoss is already so unique and special. I can't wait to tell my baby just how special he/she is. This week, when the lure of good sales may feel so overwhelming, it is important to remember just how thankful you are for everything that you do have.
    This Thanksgiving, and every day I am Thankful for parents that brought me up with good humor, a lust for life, a curiosity about nature, love and kindness, and so much more. 
    I am thankful that I have a sister who is one of my best friends, along with my mother. They're the two best friends that anyone could have :) 
    I am thankful that I am ale to call my Grammy one of my best friends too. I love her to the moon & back times infinity plus 10. 
    I am thankful that my father was and is a great man and showed me how a girl should be treated.
    I am thankful that I found Scott, a man who treats me great and is my equal. 
    I am thankful I have a job that has meaning and a boss that is nice to me.
    I am thankful that my in-laws aren't crazy and that I am able to love them like my own without even trying.
    I am thankful for my wonderful nieces and nephew, who made me realize that I wanted to give them a cousin.
    I am thankful for true friendships, old and new. 
    I am thankful for Pinterest, Pepto cherry chews, dirty vodka martinis (even though it will be 6 months or so before I have one again) my cats- who love me unconditionally, but most of all
    I am thankful to be carrying this blessing of a child, who I will love unconditionally and will love me the same (or else...!), who is half of me and half of the love of my life, and who is unique and unlike any other person in this world. 

    What are you thankful for?

    Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes in the world come about. So be that person.

    -Buckminster Fuller

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Monday, November 19, 2012

    Operation: candle jar revamp, with bonus footage of a cat freak-out

    Not only do I grow human beings, but I also craft! Ever feel wasteful throwing away cool candle jars? Scott and I are in love with Bath & Body Works candles. Actually we are BBW candle snobs and don't purchase non-BBW candles- they just smell that much better! If someone gifts us a non-BBW candle- I will burn it 'til it can't burn no more...but they just aren't the same. Plus, the jars are cool! So below, I have turned empty candle jars into sleek, stylish jars for the bathroom (you could use them for anything!)



    Once the candle has burned down to its end, place the jars into the freezer for several hours. Remove the jars and break up the remaining wax and clean the jar. I used hot water and soap and some Goo Gone (Love that stuff!). Simple as that!



    I used my jars in the bathroom for make-up pads, bath salts and Q-Tips, but you could put just about anything you wanted in them; hair ties or Bobbie pins, cupcake wrappers (mine seem to take over the cabinet once I have taken them out of the package), etc. Let me know what you would put in your jars!




    Here is our 17 Week photo. Baby LaCoss was about 5.1 inches long and weighed 5.9 ounces. I am speaking the past tense because Sundays start the beginning of our next week and I am now actually in week 18! Apparently babies grow quickly (only 40 weeks for a whole human to grow!) and so I am sure those figures aren't even accurate anymore (although they are just rough guidelines to begin with).

    Scott and I wanted to see how the cats would react to a baby crying. Trey and Boomer didn't seem to mind. George pretty much had a freak attack and was on pins and needle the entire day. Here is just a snippet of my baby boy freaking out, look at the poor thing!






    Tuesday, November 13, 2012

    Same old, same old


    My 16 week photo- Baby is the size of an avocado!




    No new updates on baby LaCoss except that we WILL be finding out the sex of the baby, I had my first baby dream (it was a girl) and the jeans that do still fit are on their last leg...shopping trip coming up!

    This week we had our new carpet put in and the office/spare bedroom is just waiting to be turned into a nursery! Scott put together a new desk and an area in the living room for our computer since we will no longer have an office. The house is already starting to come together and we haven't even done too much.

    And for those of you who really don't care about this sort of details: please stop reading this and go drink a Spiced Caramel Apple or a Pumpkin Pie for me!

    Thanksgiving drink: Pumpkin Pie
    Perfect Fall drink: Spiced Caramel Apple Spiced Caramel Apple

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