A few of my favorite things

 

In my 25th week of pregnancy, just as I start getting used to my belly, it goes and changes on me! My shoe size has gone up one whole size, I get out of breathe coming up our back stairs (which, for the record are very steep and there are about 20 of them), I feel strains and soreness even though I haven't hit up the gym, I get surprised when my stream of urine lasts longer than 3 seconds (TMI?), that evil dark line going up my belly is starting to show its face and I find myself getting emotional very easily. I have also officially dipped my belly into my food. Twice. I am still really enjoying being pregnant, but I also know that the hardest part is yet to come! I am also getting really nervous about giving birth, but glad that I will have Scott there to blame for all of this try to keep me calm. After 25 weeks of being preggo- here are a few of my favorite things.

25 Week Faves

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Stretch Oil- the description says that it 'deters stretch marks'. I would love it even more if it said prevent! The entire line of products is awesome.

Skinny Girl Mommy Conditioning Belly Butter- nothing worse than an itchy belly. Well, I could think of a few things, but this stuff feels great!

Target Mossimo Long and Lean Tanks- these tanks were a wardrobe staple for me even before pregnancy. They come in lots of colors, are extra long and are great for layering and sleeping. And they're only $8!

Welch's fruit snacks- like candy! Good thing I don't already have a child in the house that I would have to share these with.

Bearpaw Emma Tall boots- not as expensive as Uggs (which don't really fit my large calves anyways) but they are just as cute, super comfy and warm and fit my growing feet! I also have the Sarah boots which are cute too!

Leacho Total Body Pillow- this is great and keeps me from tossing and turning (most nights). Plus, there are like 10 different positons that you can use and it doesn't take up too much more room in the bed (Scott has even admitted to sleeping against it too). I would highly recommend this pillow!

About Baby LaCoss at 25 weeks:

His lungs are getting primed and ready for that very first breath he will take once he is born and his nostrils are unclogging and allowing him to begin to practice breathing. Fat is accumulating and blood capillaries are giving his skin a pink hue.  Baby LaCoss is gearing up for the big day! 

Resolutions for my son

My baby boy,

New years resolutions. People make them. Break them. Stick with them and feel proud. Falter at them and feel defeated. Fail and realize that maybe it wasn't something that they wanted bad enough. I want you to know that you do not need the beginning of a new year to resolve to make changes that you want in your life. You can decide to make changes any day that you want, because life is constantly changing and to be successful in life you must be flexible, resilient and stand firm for whatever it is that you believe in and love.

However, if you decide to make new years resolutions, please know that whether you accomplish them or not, success is not always measured by one years time and that you are always capable of getting up and trying again. It is what your father and I will expect from you; to try again at anything you wish to succeed in.

I usually do not make new years resolutions, but this is what I resolve for you:

I resolve to love you with all of my heart, forever and always.
I resolve to be there for you.
I resolve to keep my calm through crying and screaming fits that you might will have. (And when I fail, I will keep trying!)
I resolve to love your father and not keep score of the # of poopy diapers each of us has changed.
I resolve to be the best mother to you that I can be, so please bear with us - we've never done this before.

Love you - to the moon and back,
Mom


2013 is going to be a big year for us, bringing a new baby into our lives. We will face hardships and incredible joys. I will tackle being a mommy while taking on work and school, and surely be grateful for having a wonderful husband and family. We will be tested and tried, but be given the most amazing gift at the same time. 2013 is going to be a big year for us. Ready or not, here we go!

16 weeks to go!

This week Baby LaCoss' inner ear is developed, therefore giving him a sense of balance, and so he is able to tell whether he is upside down or right side up in there. His face is almost completely formed, even his little eyelashes (which I am hoping he gets from his father- long beautiful lashes). He is now gaining weight at an average of 6 ounces per week and I am only getting bigger and bigger!

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!



 

 



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!

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!

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.

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: