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

 

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!

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!!!

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!

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!

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

Week 16

To wait or not to wait, that is the question. When people find out we are expecting, after they congratulate us and usually tell us a story from their pregnancy experience, the one thing that almost every single person has asked us is

"Are you going to find out what sex it is?"

Not sure, but I bet you will tell us why we should or shouldn't! I love that people are so curious and excited. The closer it gets to our next ultrasound, the more I think I would like to find out the sex. Scott has wanted to find out all along. Until the final decision has been made I thought I would check out some of the crazy gender predictors that are out there. And some are OUT THERE!

Mayan Legend: Girl
Frequency/Strength of morning sickness: Boy
Craving sweet vs. craving salty and savory: Boy
Chinese Lunar Chart: Boy
Presence of breakouts vs. clear skin: Girl (legend has it that if you have breakouts it's a girl because she is stealing my beauty)- Don't boys want to be pretty too?
Dry hands or soft hands: Boy
Baby's heart rate (140+ = girl, under 140 = boy): Girl
Hanging my wedding ring over my belly: No idea- can't tell if it is swinging in a circle or swinging back and forth!
Eat a clove of garlic, if it seeps out of your pores its a boy, if it doesn't it is a girl: no thanks- not trying this one!
The list goes on and on but these are the ones that I could do without having a big belly yet (Are you carrying high or low?) or urinating in a cup of Draino. WTH?!

Girl: 3
Boy: 4

This week our baby's ears are developing and is able to hear our voices which is pretty amazing! Scott has already acted upon this new development step and likes to talk to the baby. I feel great, aside from the nightly heartburn and frequent headaches!

Love this Obama Maternity Shirt!

And now that we all know that Obama is going to be President for 4 more years (hooray!) and that the gay marriage law has passed in MD (woohoo!) here is a little pregnancy humor to get your mind off the election!   Awkward Pregnancy Photos

Facebook official

How far along? 15 weeks [and 3 days ;)]
Total weight gain: 6.5 lb
 Maternity clothes? 'normal' clothes but my jeans are getting tighter and I am totally digging leggings
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: still waking up to go to the bathroom around 4 every night, joy!
 Best moment this week:  Heard the baby's heartbeat and got an A from the Dr!
Miss Anything? The vodka to go with my olive juice!
 Movement:  not yet
Food cravings: I feel pretty hungry and just about everything sounds good! Can't wait for our grocery store trip to get Talenti Gelato though!
 Anything making you queasy or sick: not at this point. Scott is still in charge of cooking ground beef just in case the preparation ruins dinner for me
Gender: The first questions most people ask me...Are you going to find out the sex? but no, we don't know yet and still contemplating not finding out- we have 4 weeks to make up our mind!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn and acid reflux, yum.
 Belly Button in or out? inny
Wedding rings on or off? on and actually feeling pretty loose with the weather getting colder!
 Happy or Moody most of the time: happy and excited!!!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving food, duh. We are also fast approaching the halfway point which is utterly insane!

Today we had a Dr. appt and we finally got to hear the heartbeat! There was not a peep to be heard from that exam room except for the fast swishy sound of the heartbeat. Scott, myself and the Dr just all stood there listening. Life is amazing and we are so blessed! All other health checks were good too- so far so good!

Scott's been waiting for weeks to tell the Facebook world so I told him he was allowed to do so after this visit. We both started laughing at the immediate 'Likes' and the number of them just kept rising and probably will continue to for a while. Its crazy how much Facebook has become part of everyones lives as a way to communicate and connect! Even the term 'Facebook Official' is commonly used! Well- we are official now and the excitement and joy only continue to grow as the days pass and our baby grows too!