Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day friends!  I truly feel that this is my happiest Valentine's Day yet.  I have so much love for my hubby, for my family and friends, and for our little baby girl. 

I already took pictures of what I'm going to give Art for Valentine's Day, but we aren't exchanging gifts until tonight.  He doesn't lurk he very often but you never know...so I will save that for tomorrow. 

Today I just have to brag about what an awesome best friend I have.  I was telling her about my first experience going shopping for Sweet Pea at Gymboree and how excited I was to score my first Gymbucks!  Nichole is a major deal finder/coupon mom so she told me all about how to do this.  If you buy $50 of clothes at Gymboree during certain time periods, you get a coupon for $25 off your next $50 purchase.  That's really nice because you can do this on top of sales and other coupons.  I'm going to post pictures of all of the cute things I got our girl, but I don't have them uploaded quite yet.  Stay tuned for that :)

Anyway, Nichole reminded me that I better not buy all the tiny baby sizes and that I can be buying bigger sizes too.  I admitted that it was a little overwhelming to try to figure out what season the kid will be in what size, so she made me this awesome size chart!




  

Isn't it great?!  Although I am wondering if my kid is really going to be in Newborn and 0-3 clothes for very long.  Time will tell, but it's nice to have this to refer to.  Thanks Nichole!  I'm so glad I have a fellow mom to guide me through all this stuff!

18 weeks 6 days

I'm coming in right under the wire yet again!  At least I'm not late this time though.  Sheesh, can't life stop being so hectic so that I can blog and take pictures more???  (and what I really mean is pose for pictures :-P )

Anyway, this weekend was really hectic because we were away on a high school youth group retreat that Art and I helped facilitate.  It was really tiring serving all weekend but it was great to build relationships with the teens and minister to them and see God working in their lives over the weekend.

Now that I'm back, I finally took my 18 weeks picture!

Don't I look huge?!  I can't believe my belly is already showing so much.  People are finally starting to notice and make comments, which is a good thing because I finally look pregnant and not just chubby!  I'm loving pregnancy right now.  I still have energy, I still fit in a decent amount of my clothes, but I'm looking more pregnant and now I know that we are Team Pink! 

Now time for the 18 week update:

How far along?: 18 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of a papaya!  Baby is 10" long from head to toe and weighs 8 ounces.  It's the first time that the legs are straight enough to be measured.  Baby now may be large enough for you to feel her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching her way around the womb. Plus, she's developing yawning and hiccuping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and her own unique set of toe and fingerprints.

Any appointments or updates this week?:  I had a doctor's appointment this morning with the medical director of my OB group.  I really liked him.  He listened to our little girl's heartbeat and checked to see where my uterus was extending to.  Right now it's right below my belly button.  

Body changes?:  The bump is here!  I love it.  Nothing else has changed much lately, I'm feeling great!

Maternity clothes?:  I wore full panel maternity pants the other day for the first time and they actually fit!  They are still a little loose but I think in another couple of weeks I will be switching over.  The belly band is still working for now but I'm sure I will be outgrowing it soon. 

Best moment last week?:  Finding out that we are having a healthy baby girl, and getting to share the exciting news with our family and friends.  

Food cravings?:  Anything sweet, especially chocolate and ice cream.

Symptoms?:  Same as usual: thirsty all the time.

Exercise?: None this week.  I really need to go walking again. 

What I miss?:  Drinking Coke every once in a while 

What I'm looking forward to?: Decorating the nursery and picking out more baby stuff, especially some more cute girly clothes!

That's all for tonight, since it's now way past my bedtime!  Good night and God Bless!

Feeling the Love

Wow, this kid is already very, very loved...this is our Facebook announcement that I posted on Tuesday night.  I'm blown away by how much our friends and family care about us.

Shopping for our Baby Girl!

So you didn't really think I could make it through the whole day yesterday without buying something special for our baby girl, did you?  Haha of course not!

I saw this adorable outfit and couldn't resist:

I know our baby probably won't need a sweater in July, but the onesie and pants were just too cute to pass up!

I also found this pretty (and more practical) set:

and of course a pink baby blanket to wrap her up in:

So, so exciting!!!  I'm going to do my best to only shop sales and stuff, so I got the scoop on how Gymboree does their Gymbucks and when they run their sales from my BFF Nichole last night...and while on the Gymboree website I just happened to find this!

 

Perfect, right?!  I just can't believe this is really my life...we are so blessed.  

Big Huge Update (that you don't want to miss)!

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything...time flies!  There has been so much going on, I promise to update you on everything!  

First of all, here are my belated 16 and 17 week pictures!  You can see my bump is popping out a little more every week :) 

I'm extra dressed up in the 16 week picture because it was taken right before I went to the airport last Monday for a business trip.  I forgot to have Art take my picture all weekend, so I made him stop everything and take it so I wouldn't miss a week.

So since I wasn't here last week, I made sure to take some pictures to show you all what I was doing...and believe it or not I wasn't actually playing in this snow the whole time, haha.

Unfortunately I was so busy with work and traveling that I missed giving my 17 week update last week.  So I'm going to go back in time and try to remember everything from last week...

How far along?: 17 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of an onion!  Baby is about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and is developing some body fat. Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing.

Any appointments or updates this week?:  It's definitely fun to be around my coworkers this week, since we all work in different locations this is the first time they have seen me pregnant.  

Body changes?:  The bump is getting a tiny bit bigger, but you can't see it under all the layers I'm wearing in the snow. 

Maternity clothes?:  I purposely picked out some bump-enhancing dresses to wear on the trip so that people would be able to tell that I'm pregnant.  Unfortunately one of the outfits I planned to wear on the coldest day completely backfired.  I had to give a presentation in a very warm conference room and I was sweating and my face was turning red!  I couldn't take off any of my layers though because of the fact that the shirt underneath my sweater wasn't tucked in (thanks belly band) and was wrinkled too.  I just suffered through it until I could leave the room and get some air. 

Best moment last week?: Being reunited with Art after my trip.  I couldn't wait to get home to him! He sweetly met me inside the airport terminal to help me with all my bags and it was really cute and romantic. 

Food cravings?: Chocolate!

Symptoms?:  Always thirsty and always using the bathroom!  Not much else this week though.

Exercise?: Nope, none at all

What I miss?:  Being able to zip my pants

What I'm looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan 

So, you figure this update is over yet?  No way, we are just getting to the good part!  

On Saturday morning I was laying in bed with Art and I felt a little twitch in the lower part of my belly.  It was the first time I was sure I had felt Sweet Pea move!  I had felt some little things before but this time I was sure that it was the baby.  So exciting!

And finally, today we had our anatomy scan!  Art and I woke up bright and early to get to the office for our 7am appointment.  I was so tired, I was excited to see the baby but honestly it was kind of hard to stay awake, especially because the ultrasound tech was pretty quiet for most of the time.  Art was good at picking out all of the body parts though.  

It was such a relief to know that our baby was healthy and moving around in there.  The most exciting part was that we learned that Sweet Pea is a...GIRL!  We were both so happy and thrilled (and still are!).  

Our reaction:

And here are a few pictures of our little girl, the ultrasound tech was nice enough to do a few 3D pictures for us at the end:

So there you go!  There are two excited parents in this house tonight and I've already started doing some baby shopping now.  The clothes are just too cute to say no!  As my friends who have daughters assure me, I will probably be broke soon but I will spend my foreseeable future clothing my daughter in the most adorable stuff I can find, and I will be happy :)  

God bless and have a great week!  -Erin

15 Week Bump Picture!

Okay, okay I know this picture is late since I'm already 16 weeks, but bear with me!  This is one of the new dresses from my friend Melissa.  I wore it to church on Sunday and got complimented :)  And you can't see it but I had a skinny belt on above my belly to show off the bump! 

Art and I both agree that my bump actually looks a little smaller in this picture than my 14 weeks picture.  Guess that's because that one was taken immediately after dinner!  Hehe.  Anyway, enjoy! I hope you have a great day!

16 Week Update

How far along?: 16 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of a mango!  In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length.  His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Any appointments or updates this week?: No updates this week...just waiting on our anatomy scan on 2/5!

Body changes?:  My bump is definitely showing up!  According to what I've been reading the top of my uterus is about halfway between my pubic bone and belly button now, so it's definitely pushing everything out more.

Maternity clothes?: My sweet friend Melissa let me borrow a bunch of her awesome maternity clothes.  My favorite so far is the belly band she brought me.  I've been wearing it every day and it's been great to not have to go out and buy all new pants just yet.  Plus I have a bunch of cute dresses to try once it warms up a little more!

Best moment last week?: Getting excited over the mat clothes from Melissa...plus she brought me some cute baby stuff too! 

Food cravings?: I haven't had any cravings lately.  Maybe that will come in the third tri? 

Symptoms?: Waking up the middle of the night having leg cramps and/or having to use the bathroom.  Other than that most of my symptoms have been getting better!  I feel like I'm getting my energy back to a good extent. 

Exercise?: Blah - I have been failing at this lately.  I REALLY need to make it a priority.  Now I just need some motivation...

What I miss?: Starbucks!  Especially when it's cold outside. 

What I'm looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan and also being able to feel the baby moving.  I've heard that usually happens between 16-18 weeks so it shouldn't be too much longer!  --- still this from last week :)

What our baby looks like this week: (You can see that the proportions are starting to look more like a newborn now!)