Kelly Belly-18 weeks

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of Baby: size of a sweet potato!!!  That seems big!  No wonder my stomach grew like crazy this week!

Maternity Clothes:  I am wearing a few maternity shirts on my days off...with my workout pants of course!  I ordered some maternity jeans from Motherhood the other day....we will see if they work.  I have to have LONG jeans.  I also ordered a couple of tanks and some capris. 


Today is the first day I wore a fitted top to work instead of a frumpy scrub top.  I got a few remarks from people that know I am pregnant. It felt liberating to shed the scrub top!

My mother and I went to Target yesterday and I got a few more shirts, a dress, and some khaki shorts.  Of course, baby girl got an outfit as well :)

Weight Gain:  +6 pounds total

Stretch Marks:  same as before pregnancy.  My stomach has been itching lately so I have been lathering up like crazy with my lotion.  I know that this won't prevent stretch marks but it sure can't hurt!  



Belly Button:  still the same.  I am getting used to looking at my belly without the belly ring in it now.  



Sleep:  I mean it is really hit or miss with the sleep.  I'll sleep really good one night and then awful the next.  I am loving my body pillows though!

Best Moment of the Week:  My mom and I looking at fabrics for baby girl's nursery.  That was really really really fun.  We have narrowed it down but it is just so hard to decide.  I ended up liking things that I never thought I would have liked!  I have also enjoyed thinking about baby names.  

Movement: not that I know for sure.  I have felt some little things but I can't be certain it is her yet.  

Symptoms:  I started having some cramps this week.  Not all the time and not really bad.  Just every so often it feels like a period cramp.  I asked my dr. about it and he said that it was normal and is my uterus accommodating my moving and bouncing girl.  It seems to happen when my bladder is full.  After I pee, it goes away.  I am starting to think that maybe it is my bladder cramping and not my uterus!  It is really low.  I hope I am not getting a bladder infection.  I haven't had any problems today at all.  We will see!


***little update***  I wrote most of this out yesterday and just added the picture today.  But, the girls at work today convinced me to go up to the dr to get a urinalysis just to make sure I didn't have a bladder infection.  I thought it was probably a good idea since I am leaving for Florida on Sat.  It all turned out fine.  He said that since my uterus is so big now it can cause bladder spasms.... 

Food Cravings/Aversions:  nothing really this week.  I did cook dinner the other night for the first time since I have been pregnant!  My poor husband!  I made pork tenderloin with mustard dill sauce, roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes, roasted parmesan asparagus, and a spinach salad.  It was yummy!  The problem is that after I ate it the thought of it made me want to puke.  So the leftovers are still sitting in the fridge :(

Gender: a sweet little princess :)

What I Miss:  nothing this week!

What I'm Looking Forward to:  knowing for sure that I am feeling her move and my Florida trip on Saturday

Weekly Wisdom: nothing will calm you down or make you  more relaxed than a warm bath....

Milestones:  Each day is a milestone and one day closer to holding my precious little princess in my arms :)

Dreams:  I dreamed the other night that I was back in high school and they were making me play on the boys basketball team instead of the girls...because I was that good!  Well every time they would put me in I would do awful and people would boo me.  


I also dreamed that I was in high school and I was trying to park my car in the parking lot but it was flooded so I would try a spot and then have to hurry up and leave it.....


And here is the belly this week.  I swear it has gotten way bigger and more firm this week!

18 week belly

And just to compare....this was my belly two weeks ago at 16 weeks!

Wine and Gourmet Club

We are members of a Wine and Gourmet Club that meets twice a year.  There are about 60 couples (mostly older than us).  The group had been around for 28 years.  We meet twice a year at a restaurant in town and have excellent food and wine.  There are two couples that host each event and they pick the different wine we drink and the restaurant makes food to go with the wine.  We usually have a spring dinner, which is more casual, and then a winter dinner that is more formal.  Which we learned last year means tuxes!!  


We were invited to join last year so the dinner this past Tuesday was our third one.  We always look forward to it because of the good wine and the great company.


When we got the invite this year I wondered if we should go since I am pregnant.  I mean it is a WINE DINNER!  We decided to go ahead because we enjoy the company and at least I get to eat great food.  I should mention that my OB is also a member and was at the dinner.  


These people LOVE their wine.  I mean we are by no means wine snobs or anything.  I know what wine I like and what wine I don't like and that is about it.  I will try anything though...as will my husband.  I can't describe the wines or anything.  BUT most of these people can!  We actually learn something at this dinner every time.  


The second we walked in the door the hostess' were handing out the wine.  I politely declined which got me a crazy look.  I then explained why and then everyone was excited!  I made my husband go get me some water so I could at least have something to hold in my hand while we mingled.  


This dinner was 6 courses.....SIX COURSES PEOPLE!!!  I was do darn full by then end I though my husband was going to have to carry me out.  It was great fun though.  The host couples assign seats for everyone.  So you sit by someone new each time.  I like this because you either get to meet someone you don't know or you get to know someone you just kinda know.  


I really enjoyed being the pregnant one.  That is pretty much what everyone at my table wanted to talk about.  I have learned that people definitely give you advice when you are pregnant.  It is interesting.  I have to say there was quite a bit of pressure to drink some wine...or at least taste it.  I had to say no like 20 times.  I know they meant well but I am not going to be THAT girl.


Another interesting tidbit....another couple that we sat with did IVF 5 times.  They ended up adopting a little girl.  It is amazing how many couples have trouble conceiving.  It is just something you never think about until you have to go through it.  


At the end of dinner I asked my OB, Dr. C, if maybe he wouldn't weigh me at my appointment the next day.  Yeah, that didn't work....


Here is a picture of me and my honey.....

He is so handsome :)


Hope y'all have had a great Monday!

What you've all been waiting for!

So I have kept you in suspense long enough, right?

Well I didn't do it on purpose.  I just wanted to look again to double check and make ABSOLUTELY SURE we were right.  


I'm going to share a few things first.  


The Chinese gender chart said it was a girl


The Intelligender said it was a boy


The ring on a string of your hair test (some call this the needle test) said it was a girl


The heartbeat has been high...according to the old wives this means girl


The old wives also say that it should be a boy because girls should steal your beauty.  I haven't had any acne or anything like that.  


So are you ready???

Can you believe it?  Because I was surprised.  I had been thinking boy the whole time!


It is still sinking in that we are going to have a daughter.  It is so cute hearing my husband talk about HER.  Crazy!  We were at dinner the other night and of course people are giving us all sorts of advice.  One man told my husband  to just wait until she was a teenager and boys started coming around.  I thought he was going to pass out.  He was white as a ghost!  Heart him....


For Mother's Day my mom and Jenni (aunt) got me a few things.  I took some pics to share with y'all.  

beautiful gowns...

I was in Belk the other day buying stuff for me when I wandered over to the little girl section.  I can't even focus when I am there.  It is all just so cute.  I wanted to buy something but I felt like my first baby purchase needed to PERFECT.  I couldn't find anything that I just couldn't live without so I was about to leave when I came across the sale rack.  I got each of these for $7.  Each set has two onsies (one short sleeved and one long sleeved) and the pants.  Ummm....that is PERFECT!

This says daddy adores me...and how cute is the flower on the booty!!!!!  I love it!

 mommy says I'm purr-fect...

 This one says one of a kind on the other onesie that I didn't get a picture of.  

So there it is.  We are having a baby girl.  Now she just needs a name.  That is going to be tough.  We have had a few names that we have liked for a long time but now that it is real the list seems to keep growing instead of getting shorter.  I think it will be a while before we decide.  


Oh and guess what?  My sister in law (married to my husband's brother) sent me an email the other day with some excellent news.  Her grandmother has offered to make the bumper pad and bedskirt if I want her too!  I am so excited!  My mom and I went to look at fabrics yesterday and I literally can't stop thinking about it.  I had dreams about little girl colors all night long.  There is so much to choose from.  I am off today and I think I will spend it online researching!  Fun Fun Fun!  

Kelly Belly-17 weeks (a day late of course!)

I wanted to wait until today to post this because I had my doctors appointment.  

How Far Along: 17 weeks!!!

Size of Baby: they say baby is the size of the palm of my hand...but I do have a pretty big hand!

Maternity Clothes:  some.  We had a dinner to go to last night and I wore a maternity dress.  You could for sure see my little bump but the dress was black so it kind of hid it.  Oh and this picture was taken after a SIX COURSE MEAL so some of that is bloat...I was soooooo full!!!!!

By the way, my husband HATED the flower in my hair.  I thought it was cute and springy.  What do y'all think???

I went last week and bought some summer dresses at Belk.  They aren't maternity but they will work for a long time.  Here is me in one of them.  I also got a bright blue one and a navy one.  Oh and those are my mother's day flowers from one of my friend's...how sweet is that?

I got some non-maternity shorts from Old Navy that have a stretchy waist and no buttons or zippers.  They just tie so they will be able to grow with me also.  And they are long so my butt doesn't hang out.  I HATE THAT.... 


Also, you would think that a girl wouldn't grow out of her scrubs....well I have.  I can't go back to work in the same scrubs!  They drove me BONKERS yesterday.  They have absolutely no give at all so they just dig into my belly.  I am going to order a bigger size pants and see if that helps...UGH!

Weight Gain:  I was up 4 pounds at the doctor this morning from a month ago.  So this is +6 pounds total.  

Stretch Marks:  no new ones.  


Belly Button:  I did take my belly button ring out this week.  It was showing in the dresses I was wearing!  I guess I'm going to leave it out.  It's not that I am attached to it but I feel like I look weird without it.  I have had it for 10 years so I am just going to have to get used to looking at my tummy with no bling.  Oh and it is always way in....I find it hard to believe that it could poke out!  



Sleep: I have been sleeping really deep but I wake up with headaches about every other day.  My hips have also started hurting at night.  It almost feels like they have a cramp...weird...  I bought some new pillows and two body pillows so hopefully that will help all of this.  

Best Moment of the Week:  Of course hearing the heartbeat this morning.  It was 158 bpm.  My mom went with me so she got to hear it too.  Such a sweet sound!  Oh and I had a girl at work, A, scan me yesterday.  That will always be a great moment :)

Movement: not yet that I can tell.  I have felt a few little weird things but I have no idea if it is the real thing or not....

Symptoms:   still the headaches, huge boobs, and fatigue.  

Food Cravings/Aversions:  I have been eating two pieces of peanut butter toast every morning.  Then for a mid morning snack I have been having one of those Naked drinks that I talked a little bit about here.  This seems to work very well for me.  I don't get that "OMG if I don't eat right this very second I am going to fall over and die" feeling.  I am still loving Simply Lemonade...I guess that is not going to go away.  I have done really well this week on drinking the right amount of water.  It is hard!  My honey also made some chicken salad yesterday and I can't wait to chow down on that for lunch!

Gender: I promise a gender reveal post tomorrow :)

What I Miss:  I honestly don't miss anything and I love being pregnant.  We are members of a Wine & Gourmet Club that meets twice a year and our spring dinner was last night.  I am going to post about that later this week but if you like wine and are pregnant you will miss your wine at this dinner!!!  Although it was super fun being the pregnant girl there!

What I'm Looking Forward to: my Florida trip with the girls/women in my family.  We leave in a week and a half.  So technically it will be baby's first family Florida trip!  And, of course feeling the baby move!

Weekly Wisdom: This comes from my friend Sarah....KELLY!!!  You are four months pregnant and it is ok to have a belly!  QUIT thinking you look chubby!!!!  Literally she yelled this at me.  I should listen to her more....

Milestones:  Another doctor's appointment down!  Officially started wearing some maternity clothes that show my belly!  

Dreams: A few days ago I dreamed that I drank a bunch of wine because I forgot that I was pregnant.  A total flip out ensued....


I also dreamed that I was running around my aunt Jenni's house naked.  I was banging on her window so she would let me in and shower but she wouldn't....super weird...


Here is the baby belly this week!