Baby Bump - 15 Weeks

15 Weeks

Please ignore my soaking wet hair. As dry as the air is, if I don't let it dry on it's own, I end up with major static. Anyway, I was getting ready to run out the door but wanted to grab a quick picture first. Still not much of a bump there. It looks way bigger to me from above than it does from the side. *Sigh* It will come soon enough I guess.

Bump Fashion

If you or a close friend have had a baby, you know just how incredibly fashionable maternity clothes can be. The full belly panels...the tops that tie in the back...it's all soooo glamorous. *GAG*  In all seriousness, if you're on a tight budget, it is TOUGH to make pregnancy look good. Though I have given in to the unexpected heaven that is full belly panels (seriously, who would have thought that all that extra fabric under your shirt would be so comfortable), I still refuse to buy anything that ties in the back. While that might help out with fit, it's just not cute and frankly it's uncomfortable when you lean back against your chair. I spend pretty much my entire day sitting on my ass, so I need to be comfortable.

When searching out fashion inspiration, it only made sense that I turn to - in my opinion - the most gorgeous woman on earth: Angelina Jolie. Not only is she jaw-droppingly beautiful, but she rocked both of her pregnancies. She stayed in her comfort zone with a lot of black - because when you're packing on the pounds, you really appreciate the slimming effect - but also kept it girly with long flowy dresses. What I like most about her pregnancy style is that most of her outfits can easily be duplicated with cheap, local finds. Target, Motherhood Maternity, Old Navy/Gap, and most department stores carry all the basics you need to replicate her bump wardrobe. Here are a few of my favorites:

I'm kinda digging her monochrome look (not having to match would make it really easy to throw something on in the morning). As an added bonus, the pieces can be mixed and matched with pretty much anything else in your wardrobe to provide a variety of outfits.

A flowy maxi dress is great for a spring/summer pregnancy. You can stay cool while hiding a lot of figure flaws (like my fat legs) and the massive amount of fabric will accomodate a pretty large belly without having to buy maternity.  The right maxi dress could last through your entire pregnancy. I have a few already and definitely plan on investing in a few more.

Wearing a jersey dress is like walking out of the house in your nightgown. I have one that is definitely my go-to dress during the summer when I need to look cute but don't actually feel like getting out of bed. Whenever I wear it, people ask why I'm dressed up. Joke's on them.

Here are a few of my picks to mimic Angelina's style:

Jaime Maxi Dress - Alloy - $46.90

Loved by Heidi Klum Maxi Dress - Motherhood Maternity - $44.98

Maternity Pants and Tee and Women's Blazer - Target

I've been doing a little bit of maternity shopping lately, so hopefully I'll share some of those purchases with you soon. A photo shoot just might be in order. I think though, that some of the above items might have to make their way into my closet as well. I REALLY love the all black!

Since not everyone loves Angelina like I do - and there have been so many stylish celeb mamas lately - I think I'll make this a regular feature here. In the coming weeks you can expect the maternity fashion of Gwen Stefani, Nicole Richie, Heidi Klum, and whoever else strikes my fancy. Let me know if there's anyone in particular you'd like to see!

Week 15

How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now (finally), and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl!

I thought the other day that I might have felt my first little kick, but I'm still not entirely sure. It's pretty early still, and though this is my second pregnancy, I'm not as thin as I was first time around. Skinnier mamas usually feel their babies sooner. Oh well. I'm not going to write it in the baby book until I know for sure that I wasn't just feeling gas or a stomach gurgle. Gas bubbles are pretty much a constant occurence so it will probably be a while before I can tell the difference. Maybe she'll put those little legs (that are now finally longer than her arms) to use and give me a good kick or two this week!

Today I'm starving. I had a cereal bar and a big glass of 2% milk for breakfast, but my stomach was still growling when I got to work. I bought a bunch of lunch things over the weekend, so I dug through my bag and pulled out one of those individual-sized microwave cans of Chef Boyardee Spagetti and Meatballs. Who cares that it was only 9am. Baby was hungry and who am I to argue. Now it's 11:30 and I'm still starving. My stomach is growling loud enough for my coworkers to hear it. I think I hear a Cup O' Noodles calling my name. I've been trying to resist because my amazing husband is taking me to Red Lobster (cheddar bay biscuits, mmmmmmm!) for lunch today around 2, but I don't think I'll make it. Maybe if I eat my Cup O' Noodles now, I'll be hungry again by then. Let's hope so! I need to be able to eat as many of those delicious biscuits as possible!

Week 14 in Review

How far along?  14 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Our scale is broken so all I really have to go on is what I was told at the doctor's office a few weeks ago, which is that I lost the one pound I had gained, so I'm back at 0!

How big is baby? About 4" long!

Maternity clothes?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my maternity pants. I can still wear my regular tops, because my style has always been a little loose fitting around the middle since I'd rather eat than work out. I have 2 pairs of pre-preg jeans that I can still wear as long as I don't try to button them.

Stretch marks?  I honestly hadn't even started thinking about stretch marks yet. My belly is growing, but not enough that I feel like that's an issue at this point. I probably should get started on the lotion regimen though...

Sleep: What's that? I toss and turn all night then wake up an hour before my alarm feeling like I'm going to wet the bed if I don't get to the bathroom RIGHT NOW.

Best moment this week: Buying a really cute pair of maternity jeans for $12.99.

Movement: I think I felt a little *nudge nudge* the other day but nothing since, so now I'm not so sure.

Food cravings: Nothing has been overwhelming like I GOTTA have it, but this week I've had a taste for mashed potatoes and then ice cream. Those aren't unusual cravings for me.

Gender: Ok, obviously, it's a girl. We just have to wait another 2 weeks for the official declaration.

Labor Signs: Only when I give birth to a food baby. TMI?

Belly Button in or out? Still looks totally normal.

New Pregnancy Symptom: Major constipation, hemmorhoids, and now the baby doesn't seem to like when I eat.

What I am looking forward to: The big ultrasound on May 9th and feeling our little princess move!
Weekly Wisdom: Eat LOTS of fiber!

Milestones: Mommy's first hemmorhoid. Yay.

Planning Vivienne's Nursery

I've been kinda obsessing over our little girl's nursery lately. I know it's kinda weird that we don't even know for sure it's a girl and I'm already planning out the nursery, but I honestly can't help myself. I knew going in it would be a difficult task to make everything work so I figured I'd get an early start and the obsession kinda grew from there. The big issue is that the baby's room is red and it's been pretty much impossible to find any sort of baby girl bedding that has even a little bit of red in it. Pretty much EVERYTHING is pink and brown. The stuff that isn't is 6 different shades of pink and covered in butterflies or puffy flowers, which is fine if that's your style, but it just doesn't work for me. I feel like the bedding should at least have a little red to make it all tie together. I don't want it to look like I just threw a pile of pink fluff into the middle of a red room because I didn't care about matching. I most certainly DO care about matching. I knew I wanted the primary colors to be red and pink, but I really didn't care beyond that (except no butterflies, big cartoony flowers, hearts, or any of that mess - it turns out I'm cool with sparrows and owls). So enough explanation, here is what I found:

I LOVE that it's fun and bright but also girly and has all the colors I wanted. It has a sweet vintage vibe - which is totally me - and I can't wait to see our little girl snuggled up amidst the flowers. The different shades of green will allow me to reuse the glider and ottoman from Logan's room, but it will need to be refinished or painted. We have dark espresso finish furniture in that room so now we have to decide if we want to refinish Logan's old crib or just buy new. I figure we'll just refinish since I'll already be doing the glider, and it will be nice to save some money. The finished products should look something like this:

Our crib isn't nearly this cute but since I'm daydreaming...

I think the refinished glider will look something like this. I'm not hapy about all the little parts that I'm going to have to stain, but gliders aren't cheap folks.

We have some major projects to do before this baby comes. Hopefully this snow will all melt sometime before August so we can get outside and get started.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the room so you can get an idea of the color. It looks totally different in different lighting, so it's somewhere between this:

Pic by our favorite photographers Gina & Tony

and this:

I guess it's kind of a brick red, but I think it will make a nice backdrop for the bedding. It's kind of our old-fashioned room because it has all the original woodwork and trim. That's the crib we'll be attempting to refinish. Hopefully it will all go as planned and I won't just ruin the furniture and end up having to buy new anyway.

I've found a few decor ideas I'd like to try as well. I found an idea that I'm really excited about on a wedding website actually. The couple hung mobiles dangling with origami cranes over each table as a centerpiece. You can't really tell from the picture but some of the paper is solid colored and the rest is patterned. I'd like to make a smaller version in shades of pink, red, yellow, and green to match the bedding. I really wanted something that would look nice to her from below as well as to everyone who walks into the room. Now I just need to work on my origami.

Lastly, I'd like to do an artsy arrangement on the wall above the crib. I haven't decided exactly what to put up there but possibly just different patterened paper or fabrics to match the decor. Something like this:

But you never know. I may just go for a collage of artwork, family pictures, and fabrics. I have time to start collecting items and make the decision.

I know it's probably silly that I'm acting as though we already know this is a girl. The thing is, it FEELS like a girl. As much as I wanted a girl the first time around, I knew Logan was a boy. This pregnancy has been so very different and...I don't know how else to explain it. I could be completely wrong, but I don't feel like I am. I'm staying on Team Pink until the doctor shows me a tiny penis! Don't get me wrong, we will be happy and love our child even if it does have an outie instead of an innie, but we'd really like one of each so we can call it quits. So I'm just going to stay here in my happy pretend pink world for the next 3 weeks and plan for our little Vivienne!

Bedding: Land of Nod

Crib and Glider/Ottoman: Babies R Us

Origami Mobile and Pink and Green Arrangement: I don't remember. Sorry!

Week 14

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, her facial muscles are getting a workout as her tiny features form one expression after another. Her kidneys are producing urine, which she releases into the amniotic fluid around her — a process she'll keep up until birth. She can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch her sucking her thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and she weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some lengthening to do.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over her body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and her spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel her tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

 

I can't believe how fast this is going! Ok, not really, but at least we have lots of good stuff coming up in the next few weeks and that helps. It shouldn't be long before I can feel her move and we're only 3 weeks away from knowing for sure that it's a little Vivienne in there and not a Tristan. I'll be out buying pink in no time!

The nausea is pretty much completely gone. I still get waves now and then when  I need to eat but those are easily remedied. The worst part of this right now is the sleeplessness. I miss getting a good night's sleep without tossing and turning, weird dreams, and potty trips. The other night I dreamt that I was dancing in the Olympics...with a guy from my high school cheerleading squad...wearing a cowboy costume....and dancing to Cotton Eyed Joe. Yeah. It was totally bizarro. I just miss sleep. I'm so exhausted, but it doesn't even seem to matter. Oh, and here's a fun new development: hemorrhoids. You read that right. Why not just be honest? There are little bumps on my heiney and it hurts to poo. Another sweet, sweet gift from my tummy-dweller. I have to say, I don't have much experience with this darker side of pregnancy. My first baby was textbook. No complications and no nasty side effects like puberty face or heiney bumps. This is a penalty for my smugness. (Is that a word?) After Logan I was all "This pregnancy has been soooo easy. I just looooove being pregnant. I haven't dealt with any of those nasty things that I hear people talk about. Blah...blah...blah...." This is what I get. I'm willing to bet that this time I'll experience every nasty pregnancy symptom and I may even make up some of my own. That better damn well be a girl in there.

On a more positive note, we had a lovely dinner date Saturday night! We ADORE Tony's new lady and she fit right in. We're not sure what she sees in him, but there must be something...  ;)

We had a really relaxing Valentine's Day yesterday. Really low key. We made an amazing dinner courtesy of a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and followed it with tiramisu (from Target) and homemade chocolate covered strawberries. Then I watched Tool Academy in one room while he played Mass Effect in a different room. Veeeeery romantic! Lol. Really, it was a nice night. He was really smiley and affectionate all weekend and I enjoyed an unusual amount of attention even with us spending a few hours in separate rooms. Oh, and I got a BEAUTIFUL necklace! He always buys me blue topaz to match my engagement ring (though it is actually a darker topaz) and the earrings he bought me as wedding gift (which he thought would match my engagement ring but didn't).

So how was your Valentine's Day???

Baby pictures via Google Images

Necklace from Macy's

Baby Bump @ 13.5 Weeks!

Baby Lynch - 13.5 Weeks

Mommy and Daddy before our Valentine's Day dinner.

Karen and Baby Jackson - 24 Weeks

Finally dug out of our snow cave.

It was almost this bad!

I have to apologize ladies, I have none of the things I promised. No ultrasound, no belly pics, not even a video of my boys in the snow. Seriously, all this blizzarding has worn me out, and I didn't even do any of the shoveling! (Thank you husband!)  This week I have worked one and a half days. That's it. Our governor REEEALLY hates to shut the state down due to snow, but there has been no avoiding it this week. 2 weekends ago we got hit with 12-18", last weekend we got another 12", and then on Tuesday we experienced a full out blizzard. It's hard to say how much snow actually came along with that since it blew that shit all over the place. There are spots in our yard that come up to my husband's waist and other spots that are about to my knee. So, I don't know, anywhere from 2-3.5' total? It's ridiculous. But I do have some pictures and videos to upload, so maybe that will happen this weekend while the Monster is off terrorizing his Grandmas.

Saturday night is a very long awaited date night! You see, Kyle has two best friends: Tony and Dave. They've been besties since elementary school. It's adorable. We do a lot of double-dating with Dave and his wife Karen (my fellow pregger), but poor Tony always gets left out or ends up the 5th wheel. Until now! Tony has a girlfriend! It's a freaking miracle! We've been trying the last 2 weekends to get together for dinner so we can all meet her - although Karen and I have already facebook friended her - but we've been snowed out every time. Hopefully, this weekend we'll have some "3rd time's the charm" luck and it will actually happen. Kyle and I haven't made any Valentine's Day plans, so this will basically count for that. I'm not hard to please. Also, Karen and I are going to get some back to back belly shots and I'll make sure I get a good one of my little bump to share with you guys! It's going to look so tiny compared to hers, but it's there. Promise!

In pregnancy news, our doctor's appointment on Tuesday went well even though we didn't get the ultrasound we expected. We got to hear our little one's heartbeat, so that made up for it a little. Then we got the BEST NEWS EVER! I lost a pound. Yep. One. Pound. That's all the weight I had gained so far, so that puts me back at Pregnancy Weight Gain: Big Fat 0. Our baby is measuring just a few days ahead of where we are, so that's perfect. Everything is perfect. And I lost a pound.

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend my loves!

Image from some email I got today...

What is all this white stuff???

We got TWO FEET of snow over the weekend! Can you believe it? That's on top of the foot of snow from last weekend that was still hanging around. Now it's supposed to start again this afternoon and we're expected to get another 7-9" by tomorrow. This is absurd. I took a few videos of the boys playing outside over the weekend. I'll try to get them posted tonight for your entertainment.

I did manage to get out of the house for a few hours yesterday with my pregnant girlfriend. She's about 24 weeks and her bump is HUGE. I'm jealous, but I did get to feel her little guy kick, so that was cool. We ran some errands, did some maternity and baby shopping (maternity for me, baby for her), and stopped for the best donut I've EVER had. There's a place in the town below us that makes fresh cake donuts then dunks them in whatever glaze and toppings you want. You actually watch your donut go into the fryer. I had mine dipped in mocha glaze and mini chocolate chips and chased it with a jug of 2% milk. The result was heavenly. I hope my little one enjoyed it, because I think it's better that I stay far away from that place for the remainder of my pregnancy! After that, we hit the mall to work off some of the calories. I did manage to find some decent maternity stuff even with our limited options. Now I just need maybe one or two pairs of denim capris or bermuda shorts and I think I'm set for our April trip to Florida. I have to say, it was tough to make myself shop for tanks, tees, and shorts when there's two feet of snow on the ground!

I'm going to start belly pics this week, so keep an eye out for that. I popped a little over the weekend, but it pretty much just looks like a beer gut at this point unless you know better. I'm sticking with my flowy tops until I've rounded out a little more. We're on the verge now of so many exciting things. Within the next month we should find out the gender, start feeling the baby kick, and I should start to look more obviously pregnant. I think March is going to be pretty good to us!

Fracture Prune donut pictures via Google Images

Week 13

How your baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Via

Via

Finally her body is starting to catch up with her head! I felt some movement this weekend, I'm not saying it was her, but it was something. My best guess is that our pesky placenta is making it's way upward, but we'll find out for sure at the ultrasound this afternoon. I felt the same kind of movement last week, so I'm hoping we can get the "all clear" today to return to life as normal. I need lovin'. And some exercise. Lol. Seriously, how am I supposed to limit my weight gain if I'm not even allowed work out? I've decided that all I really need to do is get my arms nice and skinny for the summer so that I can look really good in pictures from the bump up. Makes sense, right? I thought so.

Check back tomorrow for ultrasound pictures and hopefully even a video too!

Letter to Baby

Dear Baby Vivienne,
(That's right. We're so certain you're a girl, we've already taken to calling you by name!)

We're nearing the start of our second trimester, and so many exciting things are happening! Hearing your heartbeat last week was magical. I'm constantly amazed by how quickly you are growing. It won't be long now before I'm able to feel all the wiggling you're doing in there, and I simply cannot wait! We'll get another look at you today in just a few hours. Mommom, Poppop, and your big brother Logan will be there this time, and they are all so excited to see you!. Daddy is going to videotape it too so we can show everyone else your sweet dance moves. I'd appreciate it if you could put on a good show for us baby girl.

Daddy has been taking good care of me so that I can take care of you. This weekend he shoveled snow 2 feet deep to get my car out, while you and I snuggled up on the couch and watched old movies. He's a wonderful Daddy and we are both lucky, lucky girls. You're so tiny and already you have him wrapped around your perfect little fingers. As long as you appreciate him, there's nothing he won't do for you. Remember that. (He's a sucker, so hugs and kisses will get you a long way too.)

Your big brother Logan is excited to meet you. This weekend he announced that he was going to teach you how to play catch and watch tv. Every day he comes up with something new to teach you. He has big plans already!  I think he's going to be an amazing big brother. He's been practicing on one of Mommy's old dolls (whom we've named Vivienne, of course). He's already pretty good at feeding and burping and he takes the doll for rides on his bouncy horse (I promise not to let him take you on the bouncy horse for a long time).

I often wonder what you'll be like. I like to imagine you with big brown eyes, dark wavy hair, pale skin, and freckles all over your body (like Daddy). I hope you have his eyes and my lips. I hope that you're intelligent, kind, and thoughtful. I hope that you love music and books. There is so much to teach you, and we can't wait to get started. You already seem to be a pretty good swimmer. I think you must be a natural. That's good, because Mommom and Poppop have a pool and we'll be spending a lot of time there.

We already love you so much, sweet baby. Can't wait to see you!

Love,
Mommy
aka

The most beautiful sound!

I heard our little angel's heartbeat for the first time last night! It's so strong and fast and was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. A friend of ours has a doppler, so when I stopped by her place last night to borrow her Sea Bands (little wrist bands that prevent sea-sickness and supposedly morning sickness as well)she decided to try to find our little heartbeat. Then, being the total sweetheart that she is, she made us a little video with our most recent ultrasound and the heartbeat playing in the background, and uploaded it to my facebook. I'll try to add it here tonight if I can figure out how to do that.

Via

So far the Sea Bands seem to be helping a little. The nausea isn't gone completely, but it's not as bad as it was yesterday. I'll let you know what I really think after I've had them for a few days.

My new favorite jeans from JCP

Today I'm taking a maternity shopping excursion on my lunch break. The only places around here to buy maternity gear are Target, JC Penney, and Boscovs. That's it. I'll give you a moment to feel sorry for me. Our Macy's doesn't carry maternity and now our Old Navy stores don't either. It's sad. Maybe I'll start a weekly "How gross do I look?" post so you can pity me some more. So anyway, I'm going to be brave today and see what I can find. Boscovs isn't a store I would usually venture into, but it's worth a shot. I need some more jeans and I should also start picking up a few summery things here and there for our Florida trip in April. With a foot of snow on the ground (and half an inch of hair on my legs), it's hard to think about shorts or tank tops, but spring break will be here before I know it and I need to be prepared.

Week 12

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, her toes will curl, her eye muscles will clench, and her mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. Her intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now, and her kidneys will begin excreting urine into her bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. Her face looks unquestionably human: Her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of her head, and her ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Via

Via

Via

According to pretty much everything I've read, the morning/all-day-long sickness should start to taper off pretty soon. I certainly hope so. Constant nausea for months on end - and the level of irritation and frustration that it causes - is just something my poor, sweet husband cannot understand. He seems to think that I should be used to it by now. It just doesn't work that way hunny, sorry. I should be back to almost my normal self soon.

I'm hoping to start posting belly pics pretty soon - once I find my camera charger. I figure at this point I might as well wait and start that up with the 2nd trimester, since we're so close! There's not a whole lot to see at this point anyway. I like to pretend that the bump I'm rockin' is all pregnancy-related, but Hubs and I both know the truth: it's most likely more jiggle than baby. Sadly, I never regained my flat stomach after the Monster came along. Not that I've really tried.....but I'm fortunate that my husband loves me and thinks I'm gorgeous no matter how squishy I am!

These days I'm most comfortable in maternity pants or with a hair band to secure my pre-baby jeans since I can't actually button them anymore. I haven't had to buy any maternity shirts yet because most of the tops I already own are loose around the middle, so that's been a nice cost-saver! To you moms, where did you get your maternity clothes? We all know how expensive they can be, and I just can't justify spending $100 on a pair of jeans or $50 on a top that I'll only wear for a few months. As you all know, Hubs is currently unemployed and I'm facing at least a month of leave without pay once the baby comes, so we're trying to save as much as possible. Help me out ladies!

Info via http://www.babycenter.com/