Week 31- The Final Countdown

We are in single digits people! 9 weeks left! This week Taylor got a job! I have been working as a nanny since we moved here while Taylor was in school, but of course I knew that I would have to transition out of it before the baby came. We've been trying to figure out this transition for the last little bit as we looked for a job for Taylor since the summer following the first year of optometry is freed up so he has no other obligations. We are also going to be moving to a new apartment next month to prepare for our little girl! It's interesting how Heavenly Father has a plan for us that we can see through the little details in our lives. We found our current apartment only about a month before we moved here, and because we had never seen it we felt good about and decided to lease for only 11 months just in case it wasn't what we wanted. We ended up loving our apartment (we are so sad to leave it), but the timing worked out perfect that we will only have one month (June) overlapping where we will be paying rent at two places, which will actually make the move less rushed and a little more easy going which is nice since Taylor will be working full time, and I'm...well, pregnant and not quite as agile as 8 months ago :). Another thing that (surprisingly worked out) was Taylor's job. Taylor finding a job was stressing me out for a while because I wanted to be able to tell the family I nanny for when I would probably need to be phased out, but I didn't want to do that until I knew we would have another source of income, but I did want to give them notice in enough time. Taylor was contacted about one job about a month ago and we thought it was 100% perfect and the one for him. However, it took a while for us to get details on the hours he was eligible to work, what he'd be doing, etc. The day that he finalized his hours and the pay (neither of which were horrible, but not what we were hoping for since I would have to stop working when the baby comes), he received an email about another possible job opportunity. Had all of the details gotten figure out when he was initially contact about job #1, Taylor would have been working for about a month (we probably would have taken the job despite the pay and hours), developing rapport with the doctors and clients he would have been working with, and then ending up leaving for a better job (which we felt good about), which could have severed some ties with people whom he would like to work with in the future. 

It's crazy how everything has worked out, but now one of the three things (job, housing, and last minute baby preparation) that have been causing me stress is settled. 

This week we also took a trip to Ikea (actually on our way back from Taylor's interview for job #2--which he was hired for on the spot by the way!). It was so fun to look around at things we will actually be needing (and using!) for our sweet girl in just 59ish days! We don't have much yet for her but we did get a dresser and a few frames for some prints I have for her room. 

Taylor and I have teased each other about whether our girl is doing soccer drills or dance moves in my belly because she has been fairly active since about 17 weeks. Of course I'm biased because I grew up dancing, and Taylor says soccer since he loves sports and his sisters and nieces did/do soccer. Of course our daughter will be free to choose whatever activities she wants, but it's fun to picture her as a "mini me". But she has really amped up her movements this week. Like, I'm talking it tickles, it hurts, and she catches me off guard with some of her movements now. We can now just sit and watch her really move more than we have been able to in the past. It is so neat to just always have my little buddy in there. Although, I'll be honest, sometimes it's really painful because she really really likes my right side and my right ribs only, it is so neat to be able to feel her growing and developing stronger and stronger each day. I'm going to miss being able to have her with me physically 100% wherever I go no matter where I am. 

Week 30-Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! What an exciting and event-filled week it has been. 

Being pregnant on Mother's Day is kind of weird because you feel like a "mother" because you have this little relationship with this baby inside you, but you kind of don't feel like a mother because you haven't met your baby yet (outside the womb--I feel like I know this little girl's personality, habits, etc. already!). Either way, my sweet husband woke me up with homemade crepes ready (a skill he mastered in my first trimester when crepes were the only thing that sounded good) and a sweet card and gift. 

This week I feel like I've gotten to "know" our little girl a little more. She DEFINITELY favors my right side. She is always just chillin on my right side, rolling around, and playing in my ribs apparently. It has been pretty uncomfortable and sometimes painful because I don't have a very long torso (just long legs which is where my height comes from), but it's fun and kind of funny to notice her tendencies that she doesn't veer away from very often. There are certain times of day where she is more active and I feel like a mom when Taylor will ask if she's moving and I can tell him that she's usually resting at that time and when she'll probably be active again. Let's hope she maybe has a consistent schedule when she's born.. :)

This week we decided to go out for Cinco de Mayo since Taylor is out of school and since we only have two months left to go out just ourselves whenever we want! It was fun to have a mid-week date, and the food was amazing. I have never been much of a Tex-Mex fan until I moved here! We also saw the new Avengers movie (wasn't a huge fan sadly) this week (two dates in one week---it was pretty fun!). That day I was getting worried because I hadn't really been feeling as much movement, and as I mentioned, our girl usually moves a decent amount and on somewhat of a schedule. I was worried all day and kind of didn't even want to go to the movie because I was just so worried. We ended up going since sitting around worrying wouldn't do anything and since I didn't feel like I needed to call the Dr. yet. The movie was really loud since it's an action movie, and that made our girl move like crazy. There was one point in the movie where it was super loud and my hand was on my belly and felt and then saw a big bump (maybe her back hunched over or her bum) come up and move. It was crazy. Needless to say I was pretty grateful we went to the movie since she ended up moving (lots) again. It was pretty humorous to see/feel her reaction to louder noises. 

                      

Being pregnant has probably only given me a glimpse of the love mothers feel for their children. I just wanted to share a little bit about my mom and my love and gratitude for her this Mother's Day! My mom currently works for EFY (Especially For Youth) at BYU so a lot of younger people my age who are counselors or work for EFY love my mom and think "Phyllis is awesome!" (what people tell me when they find out she's my mom). But what a lot of people who know her now and just recently met her don't know is the kind of mom she was to her kids as we grew up. 

My mom has always and will always put her children first. I know all parents are different and have different styles and needs, but my mom has never been one to just take some "me time" (although I wish she would because she never does anything for herself). I think she's just always too busy to stop and think about herself since she's been working full time since I was in 8th grade and adjusting to being a single-parent since my dad passed away 8 years ago. 

My mom has always made it a priority to make sure her children have opportunities to learn and grow and develop their interests, talents, and hobbies. Money hasn't always been plentiful in my family, but my mom has always somehow found a way to provide these opportunities for us, and for that I am so grateful! Growing up I was able to play the piano (even though one teacher told me my fingers were just "a little bigger"...who says that??), dance, play the cello, and participate in a lot of other extracurricular things to help me figure out what I wanted to do with my life and which things were really things I wanted to pursue. And not only did she provide these opportunities for us, but she was always there at our performances, she chaperoned one of my orchestra tours, she was there to cheer me on at the spelling bee in 4th grade (so what if I got out on my 1st word. I bet you're wondering what word it was now huh? :)), dance concerts (even when I'm sure I looked super awkward in my leotards. I have proof, so no I'm not exaggerating), etc. 

Something else my mom has always taught me through word and by example, even if I haven't always been good at practicing it, is to not care what others think about you. I have always been one who is self-conscious about what I look like, if I worded something wrong, or if people don't like me for whatever reason. Luckily I had my mom who would always encourage me to be kind and do my best in everything, but to not let what others think or say get to me. I think a phrase I heard a lot growing up was to "tell (enter person's name) to jump in a lake". I have teased my mom about this because it just makes me laugh since I don't think I even knew what that meant when I was younger, but having a mom who was able to brush off anything negative, mean, or not worth-while that people said about her helped me to try to be more confident. 

Even though my mom has always been confident and strong herself, she has always been willing to listen and try to understand when I (or one of my siblings) wasn't feeling quite that way. I remember when I was in third grade and going through an unfortunately long period of an awkward stage (go stalk my Instagram for proof. You'll find a gem from a while back), I felt just ugly and bad about myself at the time. My mom took me to get a haircut (I don't remember if I requested it or if it was her idea) just to give me a change to help me refresh how I felt about myself. I remember I felt so much better about myself going to school the next day even though it was just a haircut and even though my mom could've just given me a pep talk and hoped I felt better the next day.

My mom has always been very strong with her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember when I was younger walking in countless times as she was on her knees praying or reading her scriptures in the morning. My mom always (and as of the last time I was home for Christmas still does) requires that we all watch the animated Mormon stories movie about Christ's birth before we would go downstairs to open presents. I'll be honest, we've all always kind of hated that (if you watch the movie now it's a little silly with the animation and voices, but the sentiment and message is there), but it was a lesson to focus on what was really important that day. My mom has always stayed close to the gospel and had faith especially through the many trials she's faced in life. I haven't really shared this before, but the night my dad passed away I went and asked my mom if she was okay as she laid on her bed. She told me that she was ok but that she just wanted to make sure all of her kids were ok. Her strength in that moment has always been an example to me that I can get through hard things with the Gospel just like she has. 

Throughout this pregnancy my mom has constantly been praying for the things she knows we are concerned about, the things in our lives that are causing us stress, and just for our baby in general. She will always listen when I just need to talk, and as an emotional pregnant woman that's kind of a lot :).

I could go on and on and on and on, but then I wouldn't get to eat dinner and I'd end up with mascara all down my face as I think about all that my mom has done for my siblings and for me. I will leave you with this memory: in third grade my mom took me, my older sister, and her friend to a Backstreet Boys concert. Since then I've known what all the people who meet my mom nowadays tell me: "My mom is awesome". 

I'm so grateful for my mom, and I'm also so grateful for my wonderful mother-in-law! I've been teased before about the fact that I get excited when my mother-in-law comes in town or when we are going to visit because that's not the stereotype that usually goes along with mothers-in-law. She is the most generous and kind woman. She and my mom are very similar in that they spend all of their time and energy on their children! She never fails to make us a warm breakfast each time we visit, and she is constantly sending us care packages in the mail and cards just for fun and for each holiday. She will text me and Taylor every morning with a thought or scripture to help uplift us and get us started on the right foot. I'm so glad our little girl will have two amazing women as her grandmothers. 

Week 29- RIBS..& Done with Year 1!!!

This week was a little crazy knowing that it was the end of the '20s' and that after this week everything was going to count down to our little girl's arrival! Luckily this week my back pain was totally gone! I had about 3 nights of legitimately good sleep and it very much welcomed! Unfortunately it didn't last the whole week, but it was nice while it lasted. 

As mentioned, our baby girl LOVES my ribs. But not just my ribs, she only resides on my right side, and my right ribs. Occasionally I'll feel movement in the center of my belly, but literally 99% of the time it's the right side. I love our girl, but it is exhausting sometimes!

This week was so nice to have a relaxing weekend with Taylor now that school is done. It's only been a few days so far but it has been so nice! He is in the middle of figuring out a job for the summer (we have one that is in the works and we are crossing our fingers it works out!), and I am in my last few weeks nannying before I have a month to get ready for our girl's arrival. I am really going to miss the kids I nanny. They are so sweet, and I have learned so much from their sweet family. But it's also very exciting knowing that I'm about to have my own little family to learn from and create traditions with. We are also going to be moving apartments in the next month, which will be around second move in 8 months! 

To celebrate the end of year one of school, we had a little BBQ and pool party with some of our friends in Taylor's class! A couple of them couldn't come so it ended up a party with our Mormon optometry friends! There are 4 Mormons total in Taylor's class. Of the 3 who are married, all 3 of them have had expecting wives since near the beginning of the school year as I mentioned here . We were expecting us all to be here, but our friend Melissa delivered two weeks early that week during finals for the guys! We were so happy for them but definitely missed them at the little party. We got together literally just a couple hours after the guys' last final and I don't know if it had even hit them yet that they were done. But we pregnant women sure enjoyed the food and freedom from our husbands having to take any more tests until the fall! The guys took a total of 52 tests throughout the school year. Crazy! 

Week 28- Third Trimester!

The third trimester!!! I have said this so many times, but things are getting real here! I have been blessed with a fairly "easy" pregnancy (in comparison to others' I'm sure), so some weeks have gone by really fast. Making it to the third trimester though still felt like a breakthrough because this is the last trimester! My next milestone is making it to full-term. 

Although this pregnancy hasn't been too bad, this week I felt really "welcomed" into the third trimester with super sever back pain and I almost wanted to take back saying I'd had an easy pregnancy simply because of this week! Of course that's kind of dramatic but this week I was definitely feeling overwhelmed. I have had lower back pain problems for the past few years and I've just learned to deal with it, but this was totally something different! I later talked to my doctor and figured it was probably sciatica, but luckily it has been getting much better! 

Something that I was really excited about this week was that I made it to my third trimester gaining just under my goal weight-gain for this point in my pregnancy. I know everyone has told me to not worry about the scale, to eat what I want when I want, that I'm "eating for two", etc. but let's be honest, that's way easier said than done! I don't care so much about the number I see on the scale as I do gaining a healthy amount of weight rather than just going crazy with the carbs (the thing I'd rather be doing on most days!) It was such a small "victory" for the week, but it's the little things that count because sometimes when I'm eating a green smoothie (occasionally :)) when I really would rather have a donut, it's nice to know it pays off (whether or not you're pregnant)! But don't be fooled, I did request some donuts in celebration of this small victory. A little ironic, I know :).  

This week I felt our baby girl totally roll over or turn over or something like that. It was like this big wave of movement instead of the normal jabs or movements I feel. It was almost a little freaky, but totally exciting.  

This week I also hosted a shower for my friend Sarah who is due a week ahead of me. It was so fun to put together a fun celebration for her and her little girl. I'll post pictures soon!

Week 27-Sleep?

If you know me you know I am a sleeper. First one to fall asleep at sleepovers, the one who has fallen asleep on the way home from a date in the car (in my defense my date fell asleep too--it was a double date and we were not the drivers!), the one who can sleep anywhere, and sleep well no matter where. Well my sleeping skills, I have found, are no match for pregnancy! For a while it was crazy dreams, but now it's just straight up falling asleep but not ever really feeling asleep. 

Aside from not sleeping well, things are going pretty well! I feel basically like myself besides these little pregnancy things. I have been able to make some pre-pregnancy clothes work up until this point, but this week I figured out I'm basically past that point. 

Taylor finishes school soon and he WE are soooo excited! I think I am just probably more needy than some wives because I'm sure some wives do just fine having their husbands be consumed by med school for months at a time, but I don't care if that's me! Haha :) I'm just really excited to be able to prepare for this summer together! 

Week 26- Still No Name

Excuse my silly face here. Sometimes the husband catches some pictures of how I'm really feeling in the moment or my reactions to the things he says to try to catch a natural smile. Taking these weekly pictures is something I wanted to do to remember everything later, but I'll tell you taking pictures is not always my #1 thing I want to do being pregnant. This week I think I really started feeling my body fully take on pregnancy. There are times when I'm just really uncomfortable and times I just don't feel like myself. I'm super excited and grateful for this opportunity, but it's still new to me!

We are still working on a name. But I think I've mentioned before that I don't plan to have a name totally solidified until I give birth. We probably will have a few names picked out but maybe decide once we meet our girl. 

Week 25- Pregnancy Brain

Don't mind that I look tired in this picture...because I have been very tired lately! This pregnancy is honestly flying by! I always felt like time passed quickly when I had friends who were pregnant, and occasionally I'd say "wow, that went by fast" when it was time for their delivery....and later I'd realize it probably didn't go by fast for them and they probably wanted to smack me haha. But really things have gone by fast for me! I think I've just become used to being pregnant and not being the only one affecting what happens with my body, so time just flies by. 

Lately I've found myself getting tired more easily, and I have to take a break off my feet if I've been on them all day (generally I am because I nanny). Houston is also heating up quickly, complete with the retched humidity (I miss my dry Utah!), so that's made my hands and feet swell sometimes. I am still hearing "oh, you don't even look pregnant!"...which, again, confuses me. But really, I get it in that sometimes if I'm not wearing something that definitely shows that I'm pregnant, it's not super obvious because I don't have a petite body so it doesn't stand out as easily. But something I've learned about pregnancy, or rather something that I've been reminded of, is that we all have different bodies, and our bodies know what they need! So for me, this is how my body adjusts for pregnancy! 

This week I was driving to a girls night so naturally I had my music turned up since it was just me in the car, and I started feeling baby girl moving like crazy! I thought it was just a coincidence, but later when I turned the same song on and played it loud (I did this one or two other times) and she did it again! Taylor and I argue about whether she is practicing her dancing or doing soccer drills. I guess only time will tell :). 

Side note: as mentioned below, pregnancy brain is 100% real. I have so many moments where I forget little things, can't think of a certain word I want to use, etc. which drives me crazy! I have to make sure I write things down and keeps lists otherwise I will forget them! 

Week 24- "You Don't Even Look Pregnant"

"You don't even look pregnant"....pretty much sums up life lately. Now, I'm not longing to be huge by any means. But since I am almost in my 3rd trimester, and since I definitely know my body doesn't normally have a bulging belly and some extra round edges all around, all I can think to "say" when I hear "You don't even look pregnant" is "...". Pretty much a blank stare. Cause I just don't get how people don't see ANY pregnancy going on. If you've said this to me, don't worry. I'm not offended! I know lots of women get really offended by what people say to pregnant women, and I'll agree, some of it is super off and sometimes I wonder if they even realize what they're saying before it comes out of their mouths. But I know nobody has bad intentions, and I'm sure I've said something awkward or just wrong to a pregnant woman before, so now it's my turn to be on the receiving end :). To be honest, it's been nice to be able to still fit in just a couple pre-pregnancy things (like the striped dress below) because buying a whole new wardrobe gets expensive! 

This week we also got to see our baby girl on ultrasound again. We had the anatomy scan at 20 weeks, but the doctor wanted to follow up on a couple things she saw in that one (don't worry everything seems to look OK now), so we got to have another one this week. I seriously love getting to do ultrasounds this far along because I really feel like we see our baby girl's personality as she moves around. She moved a ton again this ultrasound and then wouldn't move when the technician needed her to! It was cute to see her feet even better this time. I think she has Taylor's feet! She also looked like a little chubster! One shot (regular ultrasound, not 3d) showed us her face and we could see her little round chin...followed by some pretty round cheeks! It looks like she takes after me :). She had the hiccups during the appointment and it was so funny to feel her move and see it at the same time on the screen. I'm so excited to have another ultrasound in the next month or so. 

Also, as mentioned below, I got a diaper bag! Doesn't sound that cool, but we don't own hardly an baby 'essentials', so this was a fun one. I joined Petunia Picklebottom's outlet sale mailing list, and found out they had a sale going on! All the moms I've talked to have a less-expensive brand favorite, but they all agreed that Petunia Picklebottom was worth the investment and that they lasted forever. Since I got a good price and they had the print I've been eyeing forever, I was able to get a really nice bag from them! I suggest joining their mailing list (just go to petunia.com and click on "outlet") to find out about future clearance sales! 

This week Taylor's classmates planned a beach bbq, and it was so much fun! Living in a city (like, smack-dab in the middle of the city), we don't get to just enjoy the outdoors much, so it was really nice to get some sun (literally...I burned on accident.) and enjoy good company and food! Side note--Target has some pretty good maternity swim if anyone is looking. 

The optometry school pregnant wives! There are four Mormons in Taylor's class including Taylor, 3 married and 1 single (shout out to all my single lady friends--he's great!). All 3 of the married ones are expecting. Melissa, on the left, is due in just 5 weeks! Sarah (middle) is in our ward and she is due just a week ahead of me. And we are all having girls! It's so fun to have this little group going through the same things as we are! 

That night Taylor's school had a banquet! It was called "The Roaring 20 | 20s" (gotta love an optometry pun). It was really fun to get dressed up and have a night out since those days will be long gone in just a few months! I had lots of people ask where I got my dress (thanks for the love! :)) so I'll just share I got it on clearance from ASOS Maternity! They were super good with returns (I got two sizes to try) and the dress was beautiful. I definitely recommend them as well. PS this post sounds sponsored, but don't worry. I'm not that cool. I just like sharing good info :) 

 

Week 23-Hello Hospital

Week 23.... Well the most interesting thing that week was probably our trip to the hospital at 3:30 AM. I woke up around 3 with a lot of pain in my stomach, so I went to the bathroom (sorry ahead of time this post may be too TMI for the very light-hearted---AKA it's not that bad but just in case...). Anyway, I did have a little gas (sorry :/) so I thought that was the problem so I went back to bed. But about ten minutes later as I got back in bed the very strong pains came back, and I also had some pain in my lower back. I'm a pretty deep sleeper and I love my sleep so anything that keeps me awake has to be pretty powerful. I got up again and got some water and started praying because Taylor had a big test that next morning and I didn't want to wake him up unless there really was a problem. I tried to lay back down again and the pains came back and were really bad and I felt like something was really wrong. I woke Taylor up and told him I needed to call the doctor. I called the emergency line at my Dr.'s office and was transferred to my Dr.'s nurse practitioner she works with. She pretty much didn't know what to tell me because contractions aren't really normally at 23 weeks, but I didn't have any bleeding or anything, so we didn't know what was wrong. She suggested I go to the hospital to be monitored because if it was contractions it wasn't good. Taylor and I got up and got to the hospital and were directed to Labor & Delivery because I was past 20 weeks. I will tell you that really freaked me out. We signed in right after a girl who was about to pop who was there for a scheduled c-section. Her family was all there wearing bright green shirts that said "Team Gavin" with their respective family relations on the back ("grandma" "aunt so-and-so", etc.). It was super cute and exciting but it made me so nervous that I was not very far along and being seen in the same place as people who were about to give birth! 

I got put in a hospital room and then had me on a contraction monitor. She also wanted to test my urine to see if I was dehydrated or if I had any infections that could be causing the pain. I gave her a sample, and it wasn't much but I figured I probably give them way more than needed each time, right? She took the urine for sampling and kept me on the monitor for a while. 

In the meantime a woman came in asking if we had a living will, if I had a birth plan, etc. and I started to feel so overwhelmed! We didn't even own a crib (still don't), and they were asking me all these serious questions that we hadn't even thought about! That made reality set in really quickly. 

Later the nurse came back and said they didn't see any contractions being recorded but just some possible uterus irritation being recorded. I was happy that everything seemed to be OK and was ready to go home. Poor Taylor stayed up studying for his test the whole time, and since his progress in school is important to both of us I wanted to get him home! But then the nurse told me that they didn't have enough urine from me to sample, so we had to stick around until I was able to give them a bunch more. So she brought in this giant cup of ice water for me to drink and then wait until I could give them a bigger sample. Eventually I did, and they tested it, and the test came back normal. 

They weren't ever sure what caused all my pain, but gave me some instructions to stay off my feet for a bit, avoid heavy lifting, etc. Although going to the hospital for 4 hours in the middle of the night wasn't ideal, I was so grateful everything was OK. It's funny because I don't always feel like a 'parent' quite yet, but ever since I became pregnant, it's become so natural to be OK with just doing whatever is best for our little girl, even if it's uncomfortable, unappetizing (like eating really healthy food that I really don't want to be eating), or scary. I am not saying I'm perfect and unselfish by any means, but I am starting to understand the love and devotion that parents really have for their kids! 

Total side note: when you go to the hospital (it was my first time), you should really wear those little booties they set out for you. I thought I was fine but ended up freezing cold just being in the little hospital robe and with just a sheet I was kind of too tall for. 

Week 22-UTAH!

As mentioned in my last post, we took a trip to Utah during Taylor's spring break! I was so grateful we got to take a trip home even just for a week. My sisters (and really all my family) threw a shower for me that I'll definitely post about later because it was super cute and perfect. People were so generous, and I loved being able to see so many people I grew up with and became friends with living in Provo for so long. We got a lot of stuff for baby girl, and it really made me feel like this is real, and that in just 4 short months we will have another little human living with us! 

Taylor hasn't been able to feel very many kicks so far (even though I am able to feel them all the time!), but this week he was able to feel his 3rd kick! Being pregnant can be kind of isolating in that it's just your body that is physically feeling the effects of growing a little person, so I love being able to share part of that with Taylor when he is able to feel her move. 

I feel like I am 99% back to normal eating-wise which is SO SO SO nice. I felt like a psycho person every time I went to eat because my appetite changed every meal for the first 20-ish weeks of pregnancy, which is a long time to not feel like yourself. I say I feel 99% normal because I didn't realize my gag reflex isn't quite normal until I went to change my nephew's diaper (let's just say it definitely wasn't #1). Normally diapers don't bug me, but I almost lost it, which was a nice little reminder that I'm still not my normal self, but that's OK because baby girl is worth it :) 

Week 21-Pictureless

Week 21 came and went without me even thinking about taking a picture, but that's ok! Week 21 has kind of meshed with 20 and 22 (and, let's be honest, they probably all mesh together to most people, but the OCD in me can't skip a week). Week 21 is when I finally felt like I was "showing". Being pregnant is weird because it's a time when it's "free game" for people to comment on your physical appearance--tactfully or not. In my semantics and pragmatics class (shout out to Dr. Oaks) for my major at BYU, we talked about pregnancy being a time when people feel comfortable to talk to a complete stranger when normally we as humans keep to ourselves, as well as feeling like commenting about someone's body (and sometimes making physical contact (such as touching someone's stomach) is A-OK when normally those things aren't socially acceptable. The most frequent comment I hear nowadays when people hear that I'm expecting is, "you don't even look pregnant", which is understandable considering there are people as far along as I am who look way "more" pregnant, but in my head I think these people are crazy because I know my body well and know that I definitely do indeed look pregnant. But don't worry if you're one of these people, I'm not offended, I mostly just want people to know I didn't just let go of myself haha :).  I've been in maternity jeans for a while because I normally hate jeans in general because I like being comfy, but this week I started buying more maternity clothes, which really are so comfy and fun. No complaints over here!

We took a trip to Utah between this week and week 22. It was really, really nice to take a break from our busy and crazy lives in Houston and have a nice, slow-paced week in Provo. I really missed that place. We did plenty of eating that I'm sure I'll hear about at my next appointment :/.

Week 20- GIRL!

Week 20 came and went, and now I feel like things are really getting real! We already revealed that we're having a baby girl , but here are the happenings from week 20! It's crazy that 20 weeks meant we hit the halfway mark! I'm trying to get on top of planning for and purchasing the big items we'll need since I'm guessing my energy levels are probably at their peak right now. It's been fun knowing we have a baby girl on her way because the planning really feels real and it's pretty fun! 

Week 19- Taylor Feels a Kick!

Week 18- Movement!!!

Week 17- Movement?

First, don't worry, my blog will be more than just weekly updates. I have some other posts coming soon. But I promised myself I would document pictures and information (hence the little picture/info collages) because if I don't it'll just fall on the list of things I start and doing finish (sadly, there is an unofficial list). And don't mind the awkwardness of some of these photos or the fact that I (just realized) I wear stripes probably way too much. But that's the beauty of this being my blog...you're only reading it if you choose to :) 

So anyway, week 17 was kind of a turning point as far as me actually feel like things are changing and things are feeling more real. I have more of a bump than just the chub that I mentioned in Week 16. It looks a little bigger here because we had just eaten so things were expanded anyway, but there is a bump. Which is exciting but definitely weird to see. 

I also think I felt some movement this week! I am envious of the people who KNOW that they're feeling movement, but considering the fact that this is the first time I've had a human being growing inside of me, sometimes I can't tell what I'm feeling because ever since I found out I was pregnant I've just accepted that my body is just going to look and feel different than normal. But I have felt some jabs multiple times throughout the day for a few days which is exciting! 

As mentioned in the picture, I've grown to be more antsy than normal. I found this blog post  that totally described how I felt. In the beginning you see the Dr. just every few weeks, and so much can happen and change during that time so it's scary just hoping everything is going to look OK the next time you go in. 

I've also become antsy and a little impatient about finding out the gender. I almost feel like I have to apologize for saying that because nowadays I should say something "politically correct" like "our baby isn't defined by its gender so gender doesn't matter to us".....but we all know that I'm not that person, and that I'm not one to just buy everything gender neutral :). Of course we will and do love our child either way, but finding out the gender means we get to know our little one more and we can start planning for things like names, decor, etc. which are some fun and exciting things! 

In case you're wondering why we're waiting until 20 weeks, that's when insurance covers the ultrasound because it's considered medically necessary since 20 weeks is when you do the anatomy scan to check the baby's growth. We decided not to shell out $100 to find out a few weeks early so we're just kicking it old school I guess :).

Anyway, that being said, I'm trying really hard to be patient! But we are so excited to be able to see our little baby again on the ultrasound and see if baby is a he or a she! Aside from the growing belly, I feel pretty much like my normal self, just a little lot more emotional than normal :). 

Week 16- AVOCADOS

So week 16 came and went, and technically I'm almost 18 weeks now! I kind of used to hate only hearing "I'm (enter amount) weeks" whenever I asked someone how far along they were because it meant nothing to me as someone who hadn't ever been pregnant and therefore had no need to sit and calculate months into weeks (if I was my husband I could do the math fast but that's why we're hoping our baby inherits his or her math skills from dad :)). I just knew people carried for 9 months (lies!!! 40 weeks is 10 months but there's no going back now!) so months was all I wanted to hear. But week 16 was easy since it's divisible by 4 and it hit me that I'm 4 months along! The first couple of months seemed to drag on forever especially since we hadn't really told people, and not much was happening. 

Week 16 was probably the most awkward size-wise. Basically my stomach is not its normal size, but unless you're me and know my body size really well you wouldn't really know that the extra "roundness" going on in my torso area isn't normal. So basically I looked like I just kind of let go of myself a little, while everyone continued to tell me how I don't look pregnant at all, so I just kind of felt fat and confused. And hungry. Because as of late I'm always hungry. 

Speaking of eating, I devoured more avocados during week 16 than I can remember. And they were delicious, but as of now that ship has sailed and every day something different sounds good. It's been an interesting couple of weeks!