25 Weeks, 5 Days Pregnant!

Really feeling like there's no hiding it anymore!

How far along: 25 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: +18.6 lbs. I'm doing my best not to panic! 

Maternity clothes: Yes! Linda got me a ton of adorable clothes for our shower, and I borrowed a lot from Kristy, so I think I am set until I grow too big for these!

Stretch marks: Nope! Still diligently using my stretch mark prevention trio. I used some delicious lavender lotion before bed while I was staying at my parents and it helped me sleep so well! I'm thinking of trying to find it here because I loved it so much.

Sleep: Doing pretty good there. I've noticed that falling asleep is getting more and more difficult. I slept very well at my parents due to their cloud-like mattress. And I slept like a rock last night since we had been driving all day and were exhausted. But last night it still took me about an hour to fall asleep. Luckily, I stay asleep once I fall asleep so I really shouldn't complain.

Best moment this week: Going home for Thanksgiving! Jon and I were so, so happy with the whole trip. It was very relaxing and filled with family and friends, and we couldn't have asked for more. Our moms really outdid themselves for our shower. It was great to visit with people we haven't seen in so long and feel all the love. Today we spent some time putting ornaments on the tree which was really fun. We also tried out Modern Kitchen and it was delicious! We will definitely be going back.

Worst moment this week: Driving back to Colorado in one day was not exactly the worst, but I'm glad it's not a trip we make often. It was the easiest drive yet, but somewhat painful and exhausting to sit in a car all day. Happy was a champ, of course, and was sooooo excited when he got into the apartment. He kept running to check out the bed and his toys and his little bed. We could tell he was glad to be back.

Food cravings: Still Charleston Chews - which my lovely parents had bought for me! - and honey roasted peanuts. Luckily we got some of those today. I still reeeeally want sweets, so I'm hoping the honey roasted peanuts will help that sweet tooth while still packing on some nutrients.

Gender: No clue! Majority of people seem to think boy, so we'll see! Jon still thinks boy, but now I'm leaning towards girl. It seriously changes daily.

Movement: Lots of movement! It's really fun to feel and see baby kick. Jon's been having fun playing with babe and trying to make it move.

Symptoms: Sore back! My lower back really hurts, but I'm wondering if that's aftermath of the extended car ride. Also, I can tell my ankles are a bit poofier than usual.

Belly button in or out: Out, and still stretching!

Wedding rings on or off: ON!

Happy or moody: Happy. I feel very refreshed having been at home and with our families. I'm also very optimistic about the next few weeks since there's another break coming up!

Looking forward to: Jon's work Christmas party! I'm so excited to meet more of his coworkers - they've all been incredibly nice - and for a fancy night out in the city. That's on the 10th, so we have a few more weeks. And my winter break begins the 16th, so I am already dying for that!

Thanksgiving!

Can you tell Happy was glad to be back in this bed?

The entry to our lovely shower!

Jon captured the look on my face as I loaded up a plate full of Portillos for the first time in 5 months 

24 Weeks, 5 Days Pregnant!

This is my one and only school shirt. I order it in a medium so I could grow into it, and now I think I'm on the verge of growing out of it!

How far along: 24 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: +16.8 lbs. Still (quickly) rising!

Maternity clothes: Yep! Since it's break and we'll be traveling, I have a lot of comfy and loose fitted clothing planned. 

Stretch marks: Nope!

Sleep: Good! We slept around 8 hours on Friday night, and then I fell asleep on the couch for 2.5 hours before going back to bed last night. It's been getting more difficult to roll over and to accommodate my belly. I was a total belly sleeper, so this has been quite the transition process.

Best moment this week: For sure yesterday! We took down all the Thanksgiving decorations and put up all our Christmas stuff. You may be thinking it's way too early, but now when we get home from our road trip in a week, the whole apartment will be clean and ready for the holidays with no effort from us! Last night we made Sean Herbert's famous BBQ burgers. Except we used the cast iron skillet so it wasn't as delicious and the grill flavor. We also took apart the guest bed, which is the first step in crafting together this nursery for baby. Now just to get someone to buy it...

Worst moment this week: I'm not quite sure I've really had one! It'll be a bummer to see Jon go to work tomorrow when I'll be home, but I have a lot of cleaning planned. I'm going to do all the laundry so we have fresh clothes for our trip and don't have laundry when we get home. And Happy's getting much needed haircut.  I guess something that's annoying is that people still will touch my belly without being asked. I am just not a touchy-feely person to begin with, and, for an emotional pregnant lady, I do not want people grabbing the part of my body that just keeps getting bigger. It's weird that being pregnant makes all social norms go out the window. I don't go around grabbing people's bellies on a whim, and you shouldn't either - even if it is a pregnant belly! Rant over :)

Food cravings: Sweets still. Charleston Chews - which I found for $1 and have split it into three servings when it really says you can split it into two! Also bread. We've been eating a lot of pizza and calzones and cheesy bread with marinara. Yum. I'm so excited to get my hands on some Portillos!! Especially their delicious Italian Beef with sweet peppers! And the chopped salad... Can't wait!

Gender: No idea, still! My mind changes basically daily as to what it will be. Jon and I took Happ for a walk and where talking about how we should probably whittle down our name list, but we decided we'll probably go to the hospital having no clue what the final name will be. And we both prefer it that way. We had a bunch of names picked out for the dog, and they just didn't fit. We're excited to see the baby and find a name that suits them perfectly.

Movement: Yep! Nothing that keeps me awake, which is great, but pretty consistently. Baby still likes to kick very hard at night - so you can see it outside my belly - and when I first lay down at night. It's also been kicking against Happy a little when he lays his whole body on my belly. Smart kid.

Symptoms: Acne still, but I think I found a good moisturizer that is helping some of the issue. I've noticed my hair and skin is waaaaay dryer here since there is little to no humidity. Also difficulty getting my socks and shoes on. It's starting to hurt when I bend over now.

Belly button in or out: Out.

Wedding rings on or off: On. I read this is the week that swelling really takes affect, so I'm drinking a lot of water and sitting often.

Happy or moody: Happy! I'm very excited for our road trip and then the fact that we're going back to Illinois to see our family and friends! I can't wait to drive around and see everything we've missed. And it will be a blast to celebrate Thanksgiving and our little one with everyone we love :)

Looking forward to: Well, everything I said up above! I'm also really excited for another road trip with Jon. Road trips are exhausting, but we always make them fun and it's time with Jon when we would normally be working. Plus seeing my parents and Jon's family. I'm also very excited for Happy to see the family. He's always so surprised everyone still exists when they visit, so it will be very fun to see him back in his element and terrorizing Charlie.

You know it's going to be a good day when you wake up to these two

He's lucky we're planning to wash the sheets soon. If you look closely, you can see a dusting of fine black hair.

Our Christmas mantle! This is only a portion of how Christmas-y our apartment is. We have garlands and lights and little trees and trinkets everywhere! I'm obsessed :)

Happy trying to show the bump that he was here first.

23 Weeks, 5 Days Pregnant!

Absolutely loving this adorable and cozy sweater from Dustin, Lauren, and Genevieve! 

How far along: 23 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: +15 lbs. Yikes!

Maternity clothes: Yes! I've been enjoying a lot of tunics and leggings as of late.

Stretch marks: Still no! Still enjoying using A Spoiled Mama's stretch mark prevention trio. I've never been more moisturized!

Sleep: As fantastic than ever! Jon has really been doing his bed to let me sleep as long as I need. Friday night I slept 9.75 hours, and last night I slept 11 hours! He hasn't been sleeping well, but I'm so thankful he lets me sleep and keeps Happy away for as long as he can. Happy was snuggling us this morning which is always fun, too.

Best moment of the week: Probably Friday. I had professional development, which is always a nice break from the kids. We got sushi, and relaxed for a while. I even stayed up until 10! Then, Jon and I had a laughing fit in bed, which always makes us sleep well. And we remembered that we used to put lavender on the bottom of our feet, so that really knocked us out! Yesterday was fun, too, because we tried Parry's Pizzeria, like 2 minutes down the road, and it was delicious!! They had $3 drafts (that Jon enjoyed) and calzones and a delicious pesto chicken sandwich. We definitely found our new pizza place!

Worst moment of the week: The election on Tuesday. Also, Jon took the car in for an oil change on Saturday and, four and a half hours later and a whole lot of money, we have new tires! There was a hole in one tire that was irreparable, and they would need to be replaced in about 10,000 miles anyway, so we decided to bite the bullet. It's definitely reassuring now that we have a long trip in front of us.

Food cravings: Sweets! I could eat ALL. THE SWEETS, but I'm really trying not to. I'm reeeeeeeally craving Charleston Chews, but I'm not letting myself get them. I really haven't been eating much differently than I did before being pregnant, so I'm trying to keep doing that.

Gender: No idea! We both think boy as of now, but I think I would be more surprised if it were a boy. Maybe that means I think it's a girl? haha

Movement: Very consistently. Usually when I'm wearing a tight waist band, and when I stop moving for a while. I was working and leaning against a desk, and baby kept kicked at where the desk was pushing into my stomach. This kid is very fond of their space already.

Symptoms: Really, not a lot. I am so incredibly lucky to be feeling so good and sleeping so well. Still occasional acne, but I'm learning to live with it. 

Belly button in or out: Still out.

Wedding rings on or off: On. I took them off today to work out, and there was a clear indention of them. I can tell my fingers are getting a little poofy :( We're planning to get my ring cleaned while we're home though and I'm super excited for that!

Happy or moody: Definitely more happy. Getting sleep definitely makes or breaks my mood.

Looking forward to: We have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and then it's Jon's turn to pick where we eat in Denver. This has by far been my favorite thing about being pregnant. It's really gotten us out in the city and trying a lot of fun new things. And then this week being over! Then it's Thanksgiving Break! We're decorating for Christmas next weekend, and changing our sheets to the nice red flannel sheets Jon got me. And then we leave for Illinois! A lot of excitement coming up.

We stayed in bed until 9am and then just lounged around. It was great.

We didn't do much this weekend because Happy was so starved for attention. He was all over us all weekend. We loved it as well.

LOVING maternity jeans! Holy cow, they are game changers. This outfit (when I'm not lifting the top) made me look not even pregnant! It was fun!

22 Weeks, 5 Days Pregnant!

How far along: 22 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: 12 lbs

Maternity clothes: Yes! I got a bunch of great clothes from my mom for my birthday! And now I have two pair of maternity jeans, and they are truly game changers. I don't know what I was waiting for. I wore maternity jeans and a maternity long sleeved tee to the grocery store today, and I felt like it made me look more pregnant to have clothes that fit. It was nice :)

Stretch marks: Nope! Jon's mom got me a stretch mark prevent trio that I've been having my eye on since I got pregnant! I know stretch marks are truly just genetics, but it was very pampering to use peppermint scrub and belly butter after my shower.

Sleep: Still my favorite. 9.5 hours last night! Planning on getting some shut eye soon to take advantage of that extra hour. What better way to use it than for sleeping!?

Best moment of the week: Yesterday by far. I had to take that test, and it was disappointingly harder than I wanted it to be, so I was in a grumpy mood to start. But we got Starbucks and then headed to Boulder! We ate at Dish Gormet, which has great and unique sandwiches. I got the Thanksgiving - turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and melted cheese on ciabatta. YUM!

Then we went to Celestial Seasonings for a tea tour. It was so neat! You got a little ceramic mug and got to sample literally ANY of their teas. Then you got a tour of the factory and learned how tea is made - this is where Jon got/had to wear a beard-net as well as a hairnet. And then they drop you off in the tea shop (duh) and I picked out two boxes of tea. So fun. After that, we went to Fuzziwigs and got a bunch of fun candy (salt water taffy and a mixed variety of nuts coated in dark chocolate) and sodas. Our last stop was to a long line in Voodoo Donuts to pick up some delish donuts!

That same night, we went to Seasons 52 and got the best food, again. We got a cheese fondue to start, which Jon practically licked clean. Then I got a lamb chop and Jon got lobster parpadelle. They noticed I was pregnant and got me a sparkling raspberry lemonade, so that was fun. And for dessert I tried the peanut butter chocolate shooter and Jon raved over the pecan pie shooter. And then we ate donuts in bed and watched Beauty and the Beast. It was a dream day.

Worst moment of the week: Definitely leaving for work last Monday. It was Happy's birthday so I felt bad knowing he'd be alone all day plus, you know, it was Monday. But to make up for it, Jon worked from home on Friday so we had a bonus day this weekend! How lucky am I?

Food cravings: Lots of sweets. Dark chocolate for sure. 

Gender: Mystery!

Movement: Somewhat consistently. When I'm on the school schedule, I could predict when the baby will be active, but now that it's the weekend, the movement is a lot more unpredictable.

Symptoms: Definitely backache, which sometimes wakes me up. I've also been getting calf-cramps randomly in the middle of the night. And it's definitely getting harder to put my socks on.

Belly button in or out: Out.

Wedding rings on or off: On!!

Happy or moody: Definitely a bit of both. I never get moody in the sense of short tempered, but more sad for no reason at all. I usually find Jon and he helps fix that right away :)

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! We're getting really close, and I'm super excited. It'll be a very hectic week, but we're so ready to visit home. Plus we're decorating for Christmas the weekend before so the apartment is all done when we get home. And Jon got me the most amazing red flannel sheets that we'll put on right before we leave so we'll have fresh sheets to come home to. Clearly, we've never considered this before.

Feeling incredibly spoiled.

He is not letting the belly get in his way

The Thanksgiving from Dish Gormet!

My dream man fresh from a tea tour!

I wore this dress almost exactly two years ago to Genevieve's baptism! Pretty surprised to find the size 0 dress still fit! You go Loft!