24 weeks

This week I didn't feel that great any day except Friday. At least I got one good day.
At my appointment Monday they said everything looks fine and I am measuring at 24 weeks (which would be one week bigger than I was at the time). At the 20 wk ultrasound I was measuring small, so I guess I am right on track. I finally gained some weight, and they were happy about that too.
I have the glucose test next month- yyyyyuck! Not looking foreword to that one.
I have been feeling the baby move a lot more lately, and John kept trying to feel him but he never could...until today. John was really excited when he felt the little guy kicking.
We got to have lunch at Olive Garden with Chad and Christine today. It was fun and delicious. Thanks guys!
Here are some pictures (after our lunch) of my belly:

I am looking down in the second on to see how my belly looks, but the self-timer flashed, and I think it turned out to be a cute picture.
My shirt is from Old Navy Maternity (online). It is my new favorite non-dressy shirt. Although I only technically have a few non-dressy maternity shirts:)
Tonight I made John some brownies with chocolate chips and marshmallows and ice cream...I made a banana and yogurt milkshake for myself. His sure looked good- I kinda miss chocolate.

Nursery ideas

Here are some ideas I have for the nursery.
First-
Some of the nurseries I have enjoyed looking at:
This one is a little to babyish for me, but I like the colors.

I love the patterns of the blankets. Too bad the bedding set is ridiculously expensive. Maybe I can find some material like it and commission a friend to make something for me. The light blue and tan can make it simple to complete the decor.

This one is by far my favorite. I love the simplicity with bold (but not too bold) colors. I love that it looks like it could be done inexpensively.Here is another picture from the above nursery. The books on the shelf are great!
I like the crib and the tree a lot.
I really only like the lamps in this one.

I love this mobile, and wonder if it would work in a room that I would create.Honestly, a big part of my inspiration this past week has come from the google homepage banners during the Olympics. See the light colored mountains and the abstract little trees? John loves snowboarding, but I wasn't sure if there was a way to incorporate this into a nursery.


Here is some bedding that is very cute and could work with the mountain theme...but is also ridiculously expensive.

I have been playing in Photoshop combining some of my favorite ideas.
I took a picture of the room. (John did laundry right after this, but I had already started editing the photo:) Here is a combination of the google mountains and trees. I don't really love it:( We do have the tan paint already (from a different painting job in the house), so that is part of the reason I would love to incorporate the tan.

After realizing that the bad picture I took of the room/walls probably wasn't going to work, I started with a regular size blank canvas in Photoshop.
Here is another arrangement combining a bunch of my favorite elements from the above nurseries.

The crib bedding is probably not what I would choose, but it isn't bad. The rocker/glider is one that I saw at Walmart for $140. (Not bad) The crib is one we like from Sears, but we also like a few at Babies R Us.
I was looking at initial letters online, but I think I could find someone to make those for me too. We HAVE decided on a name (it is a family name so many people know what it is already). We HAVEN'T decided what we are going to call him. That may sound funny, but it's true.

So...What do you think??? Are there some things you like and some things you don't like so much? Are there other good ideas of things I could add? I haven't purchased anything yet- so it really is still a blank canvas.

Isn't it Ironic

As the snow came down this weekend, John and I found ourselves in the house together almost all weekend (which rarely happens). At times it was quite amusing:

Me: "John, some animal has been frolicking in our backyard...come look at the tracks in the snow."
John: "hmm...looks like the white dog next door. Yep, definitely that dog. We should call animal control about it."
John: "Although our neighbor who owns the dog IS the animal control officer in our town- so that might be pointless."

(Watching Simpson's together in our small computer room)
Me: "Baby must like Simpson's- because he is moving around a bunch...or maybe he likes the almond pattie I ate"
John: (hits pause and picks up his drum sticks next to the snare drum and starts playing a few beats which happen to be very loud because we are in a small room)
Me: "I guess now would be the time to play Baby some music...he can hear stuff"
John: (pausing)"I'm trying to think of something soothing for the little guy" (Starts playing again)
Me: (Laughing)"I think anything you play on a snare drum in a small room is going to be violent and scary for him, but you can go for soothing."

22 wks

Here are 2 pictures from 22 weeks.


I feel the baby more often now. I wish John could feel it.
I feel significantly better during the day when I have taken my pill. At work I seem happy and very pleasant a lot of the time (which only WAS happening on good days). At night (after 7:30pm), during the night, and even in the morning I DON'T feel good most of the time- but then I take my pill in the morning and I get through the day.
I have been making a lot more meals for myself and it feels good to eat healthy and normal again.

More rounded edges practice

This is a picture from last year. I am still practicing my rounded edges.

Chad and Christine

Congrats on your engagement!
(I am attempting to figure out rounded edges in Photoshop. Thanks for being my example:))

21 wks picts

I am so exhaused this week. My only break at school today was first period- so I pretty much went full blast all day long. It was Pajama day so the kids were wired (but I was comfy:), and we had a Valentines cookie decorating party which was FUN, but a lot of work. I almost can't function tonight (but it is only 7:30 and I am trying to stay awake until at least 8:00).

I actually felt pretty good (read- didn't feel as much nausea) in the last 2 days but I don't want to get my hopes up...we'll see.

I can finally feel the baby moving- and I know it isn't gas:) I can feel him quite a bit. It doesn't always feel good even though I know it means he is doing good.

Here are some pictures of me this week. I look HUGE in the second one- but I think it is because it is taken at night, and I shoved the sweater back to show off my stomach.

Pregnancy thoughts at 21 weeks

These are random thoughts, but I felt like sharing them.

I had a dull pain in the right side of my abdomen tonight. I was concerned for a while- John just assumed it was the baby growing...and he was right. I found my answer HERE
"Round ligament pain is due to normal changes that take place in the body during pregnancy. It is caused by stretching of the round ligaments attached to the uterus. More commonly it occurs on the right side of the pelvis." Interesting. Well- maybe not considering I ate 3 homemade pizza burgers for supper.

I have had more cravings lately- many of them involving peanut butter. Blue Bunny Ice cream was on sale and I got some "peanut butter panic". YUM.

I realized that almost all I have drank for the last month is water. Almost all fruit juice has citric acid in it, and I don't like drinking milk (except chocolate milk- and chocolate is off limits because of heartburn)...so WATER it is. I do vary it up some with cold water and hot water:)

Wearing pregnancy clothes is so fun. I even hauled out some shirts that before pregnancy made me look a bit fat. Now I don't care if I look fat:) Also, I can wear tennis shoes with any outfit and no one ever questions it.

The acne at this stage of pregnancy is ridiculous. I have tried all my normal OTC acne face washes and lotions. I have resorted to plain water for the most part, and that doesn't work either.

Someone told me when I was 9 weeks pregnant to start buying diapers now. I was very timid and even stood in the diaper isle with coupons in hand...but I gave the coupons away to a new mom who was buying diapers. This week I did start buying some diapers at Walgreens on a super sale. After all my coupons and RR deals they were $2.99 for a 40pk.

Pro's of being pregnant: the only year my new years resolution can be to "eat more", pregnancy clothes, I get to buy baby clothes not just for gifts, the obvious end result:)

Con's of being pregnant: NAUSEA and sickness- especially the kind that doesn't go away after the first trimester, heartburn, not great sleep (mostly because of nausea), bad acne.

I'm over half way...WOO HOO!
I was feeling not very crafty after seeing Lori's post about making PANTS, and Sarah's post about lining a bag...then I saw this on Vanilla Bean's blog and I felt better:)

Shopping!

I went shopping today (mostly for groceries and other things I needed) but I ended up at a few thrift stores. See what I bought from Goodwill BRAND NEW still in the box and my other good deals on my other blog. Go here: Being Dutch Gets You Much
Hint:

"These pretzels are makin me thirsty"

"These pretzels are makin me thirsty" is a line from Seinfeld where Kramer gets a line in a movie and tries to come up with the best way to say it. (Photo from the 80's tees.com website)

I have been thinking about that line a lot lately because I am saying to myself, "This baby is making me sick" in some of the same voices he uses.

I love baby Shaler, but I still have those bad nausea days and nights and I can't remember feeling "good" anymore. It is nice being able to see the pictures and video from the ultrasound...so that when people say it will all be worth it in the end- I can SEE when they mean:)

They said at the ultrasound that baby shaler was measuring a bit small- but I expected that based on many things. It wasn't enough to change my due date, so that will stay at June 20 but I will expect to go late.

Everything else went great at the appointment. According to the ultrasound tec. he looks like a "very healthy baby". I think John had a hard time seeing the baby right away (it does just look like a bunch of white moving around), but eventually he understood where the parts were.

I still avoid meat and lots of other foods on my bad days, but on my good days I can eat about anything...especially ice cream. I think ice cream is really the only thing besides salad that I have craved and I eat a salad every day.

Here is my 20 wks. picture (taken shortly after I polished off a DQ Blizzard).


I see my midwife again in less than 3 weeks, so hopefully they will say I have gained some weight- because it feels like I have!

Right now I am spending some time worrying about what to do with my flex benefits at work. If I have the baby before June 30, my current flex benefits can be used, but if he comes on July 1 or after then next years flex benefits need to be used. AHHH...
John told me the other day that he learned in Human Growth and Development (one of his classes) that a pregnant mother should not be stressed out because it can be bad for the baby. I hope that means he will continue doing the dishes and cooking for himself...because it makes me happy:)

The verdict is in...

The votes were close on my poll- It was back and forth and no one really seemed to know if "baby shaler" was a boy or girl until NOW!
I had no idea my Women's Clinic did 3D or 4D ultrasounds, but apparently they do!
The baby was kind of crammed by my uterine wall, so it was hard to get good pictures but it was fun to see everything. The baby looks healthy- 10 fingers and 10 toes.
And...










We are sooo excited!
Here are some pictures:


Check out his face!! (I added the arrow in Photoshop)