baby ole :: week 22

this week started off with my cousin andrew's wedding to jenny in duluth. since it was a friday wedding, al took off work and i took off work and school. we drove up to the cities, dropped tator off at uncle shane and aunt jodi's house to play with his fur cousins boz and titan, then went to mom's house to pick up my brother. the plan was to ride up with mom but because grama had broken her hip earlier in the week, mom was already in duluth. grama apparently practices her dancing for weddings too hard as she broke her pelvis right before our wedding and now her hip just before andrew's wedding. :)

we got up to duluth, into our hotel (which was a huge room and had free bike rentals since it was right on some trail. munger inn) then mom and i headed up to the other hotel so i could braid angi's hair for the wedding (and so we could play with ruby!!) we went back to get dressed and pick up the boys, then went to spirit mountain for the wedding. it was gorgeous even tho it looked like rain and sprinkled a bit at the end. the food was delicious, the kiddie cocktails were great :) and the cupcakes and candy bar fulfilled our sweet tooth! due to my hip pain and feet pain that i had prior to going to the wedding, i only danced 2 songs. a slow one with al that i had to tell him not to sway so much due to the pain and of course the cupid shuffle (my favorite!). needless to say, i slept well that night!

 ruby!!

nesset siblings (minus wayne who was in CO)

 gorgeous ceremony site

 kiddie cocktails

we drove back in the morning, hung out at shane and jodi's a bit (got to see shane's parents), and eventually headed back to bloomer. we had a lazy football sunday.

i had my 2nd test on wednesday which i felt much better about than the first. we mostly decided, after many failed attempts at finding a house to rent in or nearer to eau claire, that we will likely be staying in our (very cold) house in bloomer. even despite the freezing temps and high propane bills in the winter, i am ok with this decision. the places we looked at were just not even near par and were tiny. plus, now that we've pretty much decided that, i can start organizing and moving things around to create the baby's room. organizing always makes me happy! :)

i had what i think were a couple of pregnancy firsts for me: first attack of hormones and first craving (maybe). on monday, al picked me up from school so we could go look at a house, and i was so stressed and overwhelmed with everything, and after a comment from my professor, i lost it. i decided that i was done with school and didn't want to do it anymore and couldn't stop crying. i got over it eventually especially once my test was done, but i couldn't shake the stressed feeling. then driving to work on thursday morning, i NEEDED chocolate milk. as in, i wasn't going to be able to go on living, working, schooling, driving, anything unless i had chocolate milk. guess i'll be working some more calcium into my diet (i don't drink much milk as my tummy's not so keen on it and don't do a whole lot of other dairy). also, i wore my first pair of maternity pants to work this week, they were leggings from target with a full belly band and they were a little strange/uncomfortable because the belly part was too big so i felt like they were always falling down.

we made chili this week and between al and i, it finally turned out good. a bit too much meat for my taste, but still good. we also got 2 boxes from al's mom in alaska. she sent some of his old toys and clothes. the first one was awesome including his old school ninja turtles, legos and cars/trucks.

How far along: 22 weeks

How big is baby: size of a papaya

Weight gain/loss: 10 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well, if i wake up in the night (when al comes to bed usually) i'm a bit uncomfortable but nothing too bad.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies, especially apples.

Movement: feeling movement daily, starting to feel a little bit on the outside (especially when i'm laying on my back), hopefully al will be able to feel him soon!

What I'm loving:  the weather! nice and chilly, although we did skip over my favorite temp range of the 60s.

Symptoms:   i noticed that my round ligament pain has either gone away or is just so minimal now that i don't feel it anymore. occassional hip pain still even without softball.

What I'm looking forward to:  organizing the house. the weekend. mom coming to visit.

Best moment of the week:  the wedding and seeing family.

How I'm feeling: still feeling stressed about pretty much everything but with the living situation under control and a test complete, i'm better now.

baby ole :: week 21

this weekend al and i ran errands in eau claire (yay for al having weekends off!) and got the volkswagen some new tires, which took far too long. then sunday was manda's norwex party and mom and i went to ikea and burlington to look at cribs (i didn't like the ikea cribs as much as i thought i did). then softball sunday and monday night; my last 4 games of the season. i'm so glad to be done with softball. i'm going to miss the exercise and my friends and seeing my mom every week, but i'm so looking forward to not driving and not being away from home, al and tator 3 nights a week.

we've started looking at places to live in eau claire and/or chippewa. now that we've completed our lease here in bloomer and al's living requirements have changed, we're considering moving closer to work, school and the cities. i'd love to stay within the county so that al can still take his squad home, but the options are limited. i'm also having some difficulty leaving here; we're so spoiled with the cheap rent, lots of land, large house, no neighbors, the cats, etc. but to save in heat and gas might be worth it. we'll see what happens. hopefully i don't pull a manda and end up moving right around my due date. :)

this week my jeans started getting uncomfortable after wearing them for a couple hours. guess it's about time to start using the bella band and admitting that this little guy is making my belly bigger...

How far along: 21 weeks

How big is baby: size of a pomegrantae

Weight gain/loss: 7-9 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies

Movement: feeling movement daily

What I'm loving: the daily, large amounts of movement. getting to make more concrete decisions since we know he's a boy.

Symptoms:  lots of heartburn this week.

What I'm looking forward to:  andrew and jenny's wedding and bumming around duluth! then watching the greeder kids saturday-sunday with al (although, i will undoubtedly be exhausted after this weekend) :)

Best moment of the week:  ending softball; it was great weather, fun with friends and i'm glad it's over.

How I'm feeling: tired. ready to have more time at home and for homework.

baby ole :: week 20

halfway! and we had our first ultra sound and.... it's a BOY!!! crazy!! i didn't think i had any preconceived notions on what gender it was until the ultra sound tech said "well, there's your gender" and it was very clearly a boy. i guess i really really thought it was a girl/that we'd have a girl first. i was shocked and had to keep saying "it's a boy" for days afterwards.

i went into the ultra sound about to pee my pants (as i had to have a full bladder). luckily, when she put the camera on she was able to see how "full" i was and quickly let me go to the bathroom. then came the fun stuff: seeing baby ole. we got to see it all: face (skull), arms, hands, spine, belly, heart, brain, legs, feet, placenta, gender. we got pictures of each except his profile (which is what i really wanted to see). he kept putting his arms and hands in front of his face and moving. and then when she left for a little bit and came back to try again, he had buried his face farther in. little stinker. all was normal and looked great. 10 fingers and toes, 4 chambers of the heart, 2 sides of the brain, great blood flow through the cord and spine.

he was very active and wouldn't sit still but is measuring average and right on his due date. he is also a very proud little boy according to the tech. :) there was no mistaking his gender and she didn't even have to tell us it was so obvious. i'm so happy to know and be able to plan a little further. dinosaurs it is.

 after i got over some of the shock of having a boy (or perhaps to help with it) i decided to craft something for him. mom wanted to get started on his aphgan and thus wanted me to go with her to joann to pick out yarn. so i took that opportunity to pick up some boy flannel to make burp clothes. i was pretty excited to find ninja turtle, dinosaur (his room theme) and sports.

here are some of the ultra sound pictures:

here's his face/skull

 and with his mouth open :)





here's the best profile we got, blurry tho.

arm and hand 

 foot

 and gender :)

How far along: 20 weeks

How big is baby: size of a banana

Weight gain/loss: 7-9 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies

Movement: feeling movement daily

What I'm loving: the weather and the end of softball (and so much driving) coming soon. and getting used to the thought of having a son (momma's boy?) :] 

Symptoms: still lots of pubic bone/muscle pain and rear hip pain after softball and while walking. 

 

What I'm looking forward to:  having a normal, less driving schedule. being home more. my cousin andrew's wedding in duluth.

Best moment of the week: the gender reveal!

How I'm feeling: sore, tired, hurting and still in shock that he's a boy!

baby ole :: week 19

saturday was our walk to defeat ALS for auntie diane in eagan. al, mom and i headed over for a beautiful day and a good walk. my hips were unhappy and luckily it was only 1.5 miles instead of the 3 (5k) it was supposed to be. our team raised the most money and we had a good sized group! then al and i were supposed to head back to eau claire for a wedding reception but al got a migrane. which was actually ok for me since i got to nap and rest my hips. then softball on sunday and monday were a little rough on the ol' hips too considering i got on base almost every time up and we had no extra girls/subs. also, i've been going to dr angie (chiropractor) every week for a while and had a big adjustment of my neck and hips and pubic bone before softball on monday.

aside from my hjps/pubic pain, i'm feeling great! i just have to remind myself that softball is almost over, and i'm going to miss it once it is. after that i can moderate the amount of movement i do at once which should help the hip pain greatly.

we have had beautiful weather this week although still a bit hot for this incubator. :) i had my first test on wednesday and i left it feeling unhappy with my performance. not that i didn't know how to do most of it, just that i didn't do as much of it as i had hoped. i finished it in terms of what i had to get done but there were extra questions that i wanted to get to. after a frustrating drive to the cities after the test, i went to softball. it was our last game and our theme was halloween costumes. i had a blast! it was just what i needed and to top it off, my hips did not hurt! i was able to play every inning and position that i wanted and i even got a home run (2 days shy of 20 weeks and in a bee costume!). :)

thursday we got our tests back and i got an 89!! B+; much better than i expected and the best grade out of my group. we also get to do some extra credit in which i can bring this up to an A-. i'm still unhappy with my performance of not finishing all the questions but i'll take the grade and i'll work harder towards the next test.

How far along: 19 weeks

How big is baby: size of a mango
 

Weight gain/loss: 5-7 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: sweets; not good. and veggies, preferably of the fresh, raw variety. it's hard to get the fresh veggies in currently due to me not being home 4 days/3 nights a week; they go bad quickly. but i'm looking forward to making food (and my lunches regularly) again once softball is over.

Movement: feeling some movement daily

What I'm loving: the weather; cooler temps, especially at night.

Symptoms: still lots of pubic bone/muscle pain and rear hip pain after softball and while walking. dr angie says it's my round ligament in the front (according to her, it is VERY tight).

What I'm looking forward to:  trying some prenatal yoga and stretching to help ease the hip pain, a weekend at home, cooler temps, and of course the gender reveal on monday!!

Best moment of the week: no pain in the hips during/after softball on wednesday, test results, and having some time home.

How I'm feeling: i still feel like i'm not showing much; like it still just looks like a gut. and at half way through i thought i'd officially look pregnant (thanks long torso). i'ts a good thing and a bad thing. most of the time, i'm ready for people to know that i'm pregnant by looking at me. but i like it at other times because it's not obvious; especially at school. i'm already the old married lady, adding knocked up to it makes me uneasy.

baby ole :: week 18

this week started with going to some kids consignment sales. first, after work on friday i went to the eau claire ones, which were good but would have been better if i could/needed to get clothes. i got 3 bags of infant tags and 2 bags of infant books for less than 15 bucks; great deal! then al, tator and i drove up to the cities and to manda and johnny's house. we hung out for a bit, then manda and i headed to the woodbury jbf sale for the half price night. the prices were much higher (one of the toys i got in a bag of others for $3 in ec, the one toy alone in woodbury was $10) but they actually had maternity clothes. i got some shirts, a pair of black pants and one pair of used jeans for cheap ($3 for the jeans!). i also found a smaller version of one of the toys al said he'd wanted (the wooden bead one that is usually at the dentist or doctors office).

then al and i played in a one day co-ed tourney in oakdale with the beaver liquors plus a couple replacements (including the benyseks!) as a fundraiser for a 32 year old guy who had died running in from the outfield that summer. it was one pitch which i had never done, but it was really fun! we played 4 games (should have won the last one but couldn't hit), and al did great! especially hitting.

on sunday, i went back up to the cities for a family get together since cousin torie was in town. and then played 2 more softball games sunday night, 2 monday, and 2 wednesday. so. much. softball. :)

i went to my 18 week doctors appt on tuesday and the midwife said the heartbeat sounded fabulous. nice and steady (and fast at 150, does that mean girl??). 2 weeks until we find out the gender!!!

i swear, in about 4 days this bump appeared :)

 we also announced on facebook this week that we're expecting. a little later than i had originally thought but i hadn't been ready and didn't have an idea for how to announce it. until i realized i could easily do football onsies, although it caused a little bit of confusion on an implication of twins. we're having a lil VIKINGS (or packers) fan; or being the important word. :)

How far along: 18 weeks

How big is baby: size of a sweet potato

Weight gain/loss: about 5 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: i (as well as al) am loving ice cream :) still some aversions to meat but i think it's getting better. i've been wanting chili, lasagna, soup but really i think i'm just craving fall! 

Movement: feeling some movement occasionally

What I'm loving: the cooler weather and some rain. and if i'm being honest, the boobs!! :) they're awesome! not by any means big, but in comparison, they're fantastic!

Symptoms: itchy belly and boobs a bit, still lots of pubic bone/muscle pain and rear hip pain after softball.

 

What I'm looking forward to:  gender reveal (need to start thinking of ideas), the als walk on saturday, my cousins wedding, and in all honesty, the end of softball.

Best moment of the week: cooler temps, having the midwife say the heartbeat was great, the facebook reveal

How I'm feeling: large-ish and a little sad that my favorite vest is already tight and that maternity vests are SO expensive.

baby ole :: week 17

i'm fairly certain i felt the first kicks/movements this week. i've been a bit gassy so i've tried really hard to be aware of exactly what that feels like and if anything feels different. early this week, i was stretched out watching tv with al when i felt something that was very different; slight and just once. and have felt it a couple of times since.

Football started this week!! go vikes! :)

i also decided, late this week, that i have too much on my plate. with all the drive time, softball, soreness in hips/pubic areas, work, and school with homework, it's all too much. so i dropped one of my classes (the harder one). i have mixed feelings about it because i wanted to be able to do it all. but in the end, on all counts, i think it's the best. it lets me focus on this one class and the actuarial exam that goes with it. i'm ok with my decision as of now; i hope it stays that way.



How far along: 17 weeks

How big is baby: size of an onion

Weight gain/loss: somewhere between 3-5 pounds

Stretch marks: none

 

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well
 

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: i think i'm doing better with food and eating now although i'm still not a big fan of meat.

Movement: felt the first "flutters" this week!

What I'm loving: thursday had gorgeous weather! 70* and breezy = amazing!

 

Symptoms: nothing really, although my allergies are so bad i don't think i'd notice if i did. i miss my nasal spray!! also, my jeans are starting to be uncomfortable in the front and had to loosen the belt another much. :) Been having some muscle aches in my pubic bone area (especially while walking) and sore hips after softball.

 

What I'm looking forward to: consignment sales this weekend, one day co-ed tourney that al's playing in, and midwife appt on tuesday next week.

Best moment of the week: thursday: cooler temps and relief of some stress

How I'm feeling: a little overwhelmed and unsure with everything but that is easing and should get easier once softball is done in october. hoping we can move closer to eau claire sooner rather than later so i can start planning the baby's room (once we find out gender).

baby ole :: week 16

this was a busy week. we went to the great minnesota get together (the state fair) on friday (al, mom and i) we ate a lot and thankfully it wasn't too hot, although i was still pretty warm. the australian battered potatos are still my favorite!! it was also a 3 day weekend in which i did nothing else outside of the house: due to the heat and wanting to relax and get things done before school started. i also didn't have softball sunday or monday night which was a great rest for my aching hips and pubic bone.

i made a list and got most of it done on monday. tuesday was techinically the start of classes but since i don't have class on tuesdays, wednesday was my first day. i felt ok after the first day although was slightly disturbed when in my math classes the professor indicated we'd be working in groups and have presentations. not what i want for a math class especially because i tend to work at a different pace then others and i don't want to feel like i'm holding people back if i can't remember parts of math since it's been so long.

after school wednesday i drove to the cities, had a chiro appointment, then headed to mom's to change and eat and off to softball. my hips bothered me again at softball, which displeased me greatly. i just want to feel good/decent and not be hurting. i want to be able to play softball; i wanted to still be able to do it all, while pregnant. but i am slowly but surely coming around to the fact that i cannot.

thursday was not such a great day. i was still hurting especially while walking to class and it was really really hot. i just couldn't grasp my financial math class info even though it was working with interest, which i know. so i went home and started on homework, which proved to be an epic failure. my probability homework took me all of 5 minutes. financial math, on the other hand, took me 3 hours for 10 problems; i just couldn't get it. i felt so frustrated and questioned if i should be doing school, both classes, tests, actuary, everything really.

luckily when i got to class friday, i wasn't the only one who struggled. still not liking the feeling but we'll see how next week goes.



How far along: 16 weeks

How big is baby: size of an avocado

Weight gain/loss: the scale changes daily, up or down, probably somewhere between 2-5 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: i think i'm doing better with food and eating now although i'm still not a big fan of meat.

Movement: none that i know of yet

What I'm loving: working only 5 hours a day.

Symptoms: nothing really, although my allergies are so bad i don't think i'd notice if i did. i miss my nasal spray!! also, my jeans are starting to be uncomfortable in the front.

What I'm looking forward to: cooler temps

Best moment of the week: the long weekend and the fair

How I'm feeling: nervous about school, hoping the temp drops and the allergies get better.