Pregnancy Belly

I have had a few people ask about my belly.  Most of these have come from people who didn’t know me prior to pregnancy or who read this blog.  People tell me constantly that I don’t look pregnant.  I also love saying how many weeks along I am and watching people’s shocked looks.  I have to say a few things about this as clarification for people wondering if they are big enough or small enough for the same amount of weeks. 

Mornings make my belly look smaller than evenings.  If I have been standing all day it definitely sticks out further.  I should do a series of pictures throughout the day.  Certain shirts make it look bigger or smaller.  I am pretty self-conscious of the belly.  I have been the same size since high school.  I exercised and worked really hard to have a muscular stomach.  I wear shirts that are looser and of course that means it isn’t very noticeable.  I take my weekly bump shots in the morning.  It is just easier for me.  

I am not big on showing it off (yet).  People are already touching it.  This is weird to me.  I want to put my hand on their stomach.  My husband tells me I need to get over this.  So, I started rubbing his stomach and asked him if that was weird to him.  He tried not to laugh, because he agreed it was a little weird.  My own mother hasn’t even touched it because she knows.  My Dad on the other hand has touched it and he likes to add how he knows I hate it, but he says he isn’t used to seeing a belly on me so he has to touch it.  He usually is laughing while he does it.  I am sure my face says it all.

I am 5 foot 6 inches tall.  I think it is important for women to know this.  I think height definitely effects the belly.  My Mom is shorter than me by several inches.  In fact, I am the tallest girl in my family by several inches.  My Mom tells me all the time that when you are shorter there is only one direction that baby can go and that is out.  I have seen other people’s bump pictures and I think wow her bump looks like a pregnant belly.  I am definitely feeling like mine is getting closer, but it could also look like a beer gut too.  Everyone shows at different times and to different extremes.  Since, I spent the first trimester sick I think that effects the way my bump looks.  I lost several pounds before I was able to start gaining.  

I hope this helps all the ladies out there questioning there bumps.  I still question mine from time to time.  I don’t think I look very pregnant.  I will share a funny story:  My husband has a tendency to say whatever comes to his mind.  The other day I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.  My husband proceeded to tell me how I look like a man with a beer gut…and laughs.  At first I was like what the heck are you talking about you mean person, then he proceeded to tell me why he said it.  My t-shirt didn’t touch my shorts (anymore).  It stood out from my belly, just like a man with a beer gut.  Thanks husband I appreciated that.  I did laugh.  He wasn’t trying to be mean, he just was stating the best he could what he saw.  It was his way of letting me know I am showing.  Got to love the man’s prospective.   

Razorback Football 3 Days!!!

You can feel the excitement which has been building over the last few months here in my town.  Football season is getting ready to start.  Who is excited? ME!!!!! I can’t wait to see how our team performs.  This weekend isn’t the big game to showcase if we could go all the way this year or not, but it is still the first game and it is going to be exciting to see just how our seniors perform. 

I have already planned my outfit for this weekend’s game.  That’s what ladies of the south do…plan our outfits at least a month in advance if not sooner.  It is a little harder this year, since I am pregnant.  Now it may rain, so I have a few different options.  A rainy day option and a sunny day option.  We will see! 

My husband sent me this video today and I have to share, it got me more ready for Saturday.  Our boys will do great and they will show the doubter what players and leadership at a school can do for a football program!

Week 19

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 4 lb
Maternity clothes? Officially wearing maternity clothes for work.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness.
Sleep: Most night are good.  I have the occasional night that I can’t sleep, like last night.
Best moment this week: Going shopping for maternity clothes! I am no longer scared!
Miss Anything? A great glass of red wine on a work trip, especially when eating a steak.
Movement: The movement is getting stronger to me.  If napping it can wake me up.
Food cravings: I ate steak several meals last week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing this week.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and I am getting a little more comfortable with it.
Gender: Almost halfway to finding out.
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.  I had a great week and since I was traveling all week for work I am going to say it is very positive..
Looking forward to: Our 20 week diagnostic ultrasound.  I say diagnostic, because most people call it the gender ultrasound.  Since, we are not finding out what we are having it is more of a see the baby’s heart and bones.

I have to thank my friend, Rachel, for going maternity clothes shopping.  Without her there I probably would have walked in and out of the store with no new clothes.  I instead had fun and got a lot of new clothes.  I am VERY excited to start wearing them.  I am ready for the weather to cool off so I can wear leggings, boots, and comfortable shirts.  If you are pregnant, I highly recommend taking a friend who was recently in maternity clothes.  They have the best advice.

Week 18

How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 1 lb according to my doctor’s visit last week.
Maternity clothes? Not yet and I am a little worried about finding cute stuff.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness.
Sleep: It has been a good week for sleep.  I still get up several times a night to go to the bathroom, but sleep has been harder.
Best moment this week: Getting a 3D/4D ultrasound of our little monkey.
Miss Anything? Buttoning my cute jeans.  My shorts still fit fine, but my jeans are a little uncomfortable buttoned.
Movement: This has been the best week for movement.  Michael and Gabby felt the baby move this week.  Gabby first, was laying on my stomach and the baby kicked (or something) and Gabby looked up at me like what was that.  Michael and I laughed.  Then this weekend, at the lake, I was up at 5:00AM and kept feeling a strong kick.  I woke Michael up and said you have to be able to feel this.  He did!! It was great knowing that now we can share more of this experience. 
Food cravings: I just want sweets this week and soda.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing this week.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and I don’t know how I feel about it.
Gender: Our tech for the ultrasound completed avoided that area, so guess 5 more months.
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.  I have had a great week. 
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move more and more.  Each day seems like it gets a little stronger.

It has been the best week.  The doctor said everything sounded good.  The baby’s heartbeat was 167 at that appointment and 146 at the ultrasound.  Seeing our baby getting bigger is one of the best moments.  He/She was moving a ton during the ultrasound.  Our little monkey also was sucking his/her thumb.  I was a thumb sucker, so this just made me laugh.  We also noticed it was also looking for his/her left thumb.  Maybe it will be left handed like its Mom.  We also got a DVD of the baby and it is great.  My mom made a copy of the DVD and when we were at the lake this weekend they asked everyone if they wanted to watch it.  Got to love their excitement.

Love that you can see the spine…SO cool!

Becoming Godparents

Michael and I were asked by our good friends to be the Godparents to their daughter Hattie.  We were completely honored to be asked and accepted immediately! I am so behind on pictures that I just finished looking through and editing the photos from her baptism at the end of July.  I planes, trains, and automobiled myself from South Carolina to Arkansas in order to be at her baptism.  Well minus the trains, but I made it thank goodness.  I was super worried I wasn’t going to make it due to a canceled flight.  I would have been VERY sad to miss out on that special moment.  We are truly blessed to have these great friends, who also just live down the street. 

I am looking forward to my little bundle of joy and Hattie being raised together.  We have already declared if we have a boy that Hattie and him will be boyfriend/girlfriend.  We have told Stella, the older sister, she can’t steal her sister’s boyfriend, because she will be too old for him.  If we have a girl they will be best friends.  Can’t wait to watch Miss Hattie grow.  She is already changing each day, and we feel very lucky to see the changes.  Here are some pictures from the baptism and after party.

Getting blessed.Check out that smile for her Daddy!She didn’t even cry.Big Sister giving out some love.Michael lighting the candle.Group Shot after.Getting some much needed Godmother love. Big Sister Stella being silly with Jen Jen.Family shot with Father John Antony.The entire crew.Snuggling with her Daddy.

Week 17

First I have to say that I stole this idea from pinterest and a blogger.  I have to say Thank You to the person who came up with this because I wanted to do something fun and finally found this to keep up the memories.

How far along? 17 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 4 lbs
Maternity clothes? I can still button the shorts I am wearing in this picture.  I do have to do the hair tie on my jeans. So, no to the maternity clothes, yet.  I have gotten a few items.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness.
Sleep: Depends on the evening.  Some nights my back bothers me or I have to use the bathroom a lot.
Best moment this week: Not throwing up!
Miss Anything? We went to a baseball game this week with friends and everyone got a beer.  I was wishing I could join the fun.  Baseball and beer go hand and hand.
Movement: Sometimes.  I go back and forth if I am really feeling the baby. 
Food cravings: I want to eat Taco Bell everyday! I also want chocolate ice cream.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Certain smells bother me still, but this is much improved.
Have you started to show yet: Finally! 
Gender: We won’t find out. Thoughts this week are a boy.
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.  I do feel like things annoy me easier, but I try to step back and keep my mouth shut.
Looking forward to: My doctor’s appointment this week.  Hearing the baby’s heartbeat again!

Week 15

This first picture, I took early.  I think I was 7 weeks pregnant here.  Obviously there is no bump.  I thought I would share this picture as a starting point for my next project.  I am giving into the taking a picture every week thing.  I was really on the fence about doing a bump picture.  Here at the beginning, it has been very hard to even tell I am pregnant.  In the mornings, I don’t even have a bump, but by the end of the day I feel a little more bumpish.  I have been taking pictures with my phone, but I forget to do it every week.  I am going to make a big effort to get a weekly growing picture.  I am sure at the end I will want to see the difference.    Here is my first real bump photo.  Get ready it will grow.  If you didn’t know me prior you wouldn’t be able to tell, which is why I included the photo above.  Things you won’t see from me when it comes to these pictures.  I will never expose my belly.  It is funny.  I would post a picture of me in a swimsuit, but not of my ever expanding waist.  For all those ladies who do the actual skin shot, more power to you.  I don’t like them.  When we have our maternity pictures in several months I don’t plan to take a belly exposure picture even for our home or whatever.  I don’t like them.  I think it will be fun to see my belly grow and expand, but the rest of the world does not need to see that.  My husband is now starting to notice the bump changes.  I love the days where he tells me I look pregnant.  At this point in the pregnancy it is cute and very nice to hear.  Now when I am 8 months pregnant and he tells me I look really pregnant, then I will punch him.     Now to how I have been feeling the last week.  I haven’t fainted again. YAY! I have thrown up a few times.  I thought that was supposed to be over by now.  It has been a fairly boring pregnancy week.  I feel like my belly is growing.  My muscles are sore.  I have started having trouble sleeping at night.  I am a back sleeper normally, but I have been waking up at night with my back hurting.  I have tried sleeping on my side with and without a pillow between my legs, but it causes my hips to hurt.  I just change positions 10 times.  I had a few weeks/days where I didn’t wake up every hour.  I have been really tired during the day.  On Saturday, I was feeling bad and laid down for a nap, 5 hours later I woke up.  I guess this baby is growing like a storm and therefore I need more sleep.  It really hasn’t been too exciting this week, which is good!