20 Weeks (Halfway there!)

How far along: 20 weeks
Total weight gain: Three pounds. I am starting to feel quite round. But I'm only halfway there!
Maternity clothes: I have everything I need as far as maternity clothes go. I have a few pairs of pants for weekend/work, two dresses and a few shirts that work for the office or weekends.
Stretch marks: I've started to notice some slight ones on my sides. Yay for stretch marks...
Sleep: Still doing OK with sleeping, especially because John gave me one of my Christmas presents early. He got me a pregnancy pillow and it's so nice. It really does help me to sleep because it supports my back and belly.
Best moment of this week: I finally felt the baby move for sure! I have been feeling little flutters/bubbles for a week or two now, but I wasn't sure if it was the baby. On Friday, I know I felt baby for sure!
Miss anything: Nothing in particular. We did go out to a sushi restaurant and I couldn't get my favorite roll. I guess I missed being able to eat it.
Movement: See above. Finally! It's so weird, but cool at the same time.
Food cravings: Nothing much this week. I have eaten a variety of stuff and have been feeling pretty good with all foods/smells.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. It's so nice to finally be over that feeling!
Have you started to show yet: Yes, for sure. I feel like my belly is huge, but I know I have a LONG way to go before I'm done.
Gender: We find out Dec. 23. That's only 2 days away! Eeek!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I am emotional. I can't help it. I'm mostly happy, but we've had a rough week this last week. Someone went on a spending spree with our debit card and we have had to do several repairs to my car, which are two things that really suck right before Christmas.
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a boy/girl on Dec. 23!

18 Weeks

How far along: 18 weeks
Total weight gain: Two pounds. It is amazing how fast the weight starts to come on all of a sudden. I went from gaining nothing to a pound a week in the last two weeks. Is that normal?
Maternity clothes: John bought me the dress in the picture above. I love it! I needed it for work events and our friends' wedding and any other nice things that come up between now and baby.
Stretch marks: None yet, but my belly is getting pretty round.
Sleep: I am finally back to being able to sleep normally after having a cold that lasted 2 weeks. I'm enjoying every minute of it, because I hear eventually it's going to get harder and harder to sleep comfortably.
Best moment of this week: Well, it's still early in the week, so I'm hoping my best moment will be feeling baby move for the first time.
Miss anything: Not really this week. I find that I really enjoy being pregnant, even though there are some aches and pains!
Movement: See above. Still nothing. Hoping for something this week!
Food cravings: Nothing weird. I still drink a lot of juice.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I have felt queasy a couple of nights in the last week or so, but when I go to bed it goes away by morning.
Have you started to show yet: Yep. I even had an acquaintance, who didn't have any idea that I was pregnant, ask me today if I was expecting. I guess it's finally obvious to the world now.
Gender: We find out Dec. 23. I started a fun online poll for close friends/family instead of doing a gender reveal party. Right now it's split about 50-50 between people who think it's a boy and people who think it's a girl.
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I think I'm still pretty happy, but again, I do find myself crying at weird stuff...even NFL commercials. What's up with that?
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a boy/girl on Dec. 23!

16 Weeks

Keep in mind this was taken right after I had Thanksgiving dinner ;)

How far along: 16 weeks
Total weight gain: I've officially gained my first pound! I have been trying to eat really healthy (with the exception of Thanksgiving), so I think that's really helped to keep the weight gain low.
Maternity clothes: I ordered a couple of things online from Gap, including a pair of maternity jeans and the dress I'm wearing in the pic! I didn't really need them yet, but they were on sale! If you know me, I can't ever pass up a good sale! ;)
Stretch marks: None yet, but my belly is getting pretty round. Any day now...but hopefully not!
Sleep: I had a cold for a week and that really messed with my sleep.
Best moment of this week: Going to my doctor's appointment and hearing the heartbeat (a healthy 151!) and spending Thanksgiving weekend with the family!
Miss anything: Not being able to take meds while sick. That really sucked.
Movement: Nothing yet. I'm starting to get impatient. I want to feel something!
Food cravings: I've gotten a lot better about food. I'll eat pretty much anything, though some things I used to love don't taste as good (like chocolate), while other things I used to not care for taste really good (like orange juice). I've also been eating a lot of guacamole. I guess that's a craving.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really. While I was sick when I was coughing sometimes I'd feel queasy right after but no barfing occurred. Whew!
Have you started to show yet: Yep, I think around 15-16 weeks is when my belly officially popped.
Gender: We find out Dec. 23! Eek! According to a tarot reading from my Aunt Kara, it's a boy.
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I've been pretty steady with my emotions, though I think John would say I've been harder to live with. I do cry at commercials now though, which is really weird. They don't even have to be that sentimental...but man those holiday ones get me going!
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a boy/girl on Dec. 23 and celebrating our last Christmas season just the two of us.

 

John and I at the Zermatt after our Thanksgiving feast with his parents. I'm so
grateful for all our blessings, especially the fact that we get to be parents soon!

 

14 Weeks

I should get this dressed up for every bump shot!

How far along: 14 weeks
Total weight gain: None. I made it through the first trimester without gaining anything, but we'll see how long it lasts. My appetite is starting to come back!
Maternity clothes: Still none. I'm putting this off as long as I can.
Stretch marks: None yet, but I won't be surprised if they show up soon.
Sleep: Still pretty good, but I have been waking up about once a night for no reason. At least I can always go back to sleep.
Best moment of this week: Going to a black tie event with John for an event I was covering for work (see post below). It was a really fun and romantic date for us!
Miss anything: My appetite, having a day without nausea
Movement: Nothing yet, but I can't wait to feel something!
Food cravings: This last weekend I was going to kill someone if I didn't get chicken fried steak with country gravy. It took all day to convince John that I needed it, but he finally took me out to get it. The whole Madison clan joined us. It was fun.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I was actually telling John the other day that I was starting to feel better, but then I threw up in the middle of eating dinner. So apparently, I'm not over it yet.
Have you started to show yet: Yeah, I still think I just look bloated, but my pants are getting tight!
Gender: We won't know until the week before Christmas. Everyone keeps guessing boy though.
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I've been happy, except for the day when I needed chicken fried steak. I had a bit of a conniption fit.
Looking forward to: This weekend we are finally going to clean out our storage room so that we can start moving things from our guest room into it so that we can convert the guest room into a nursery. I'm excited to get that project done! We've put it off for too long.

And, just for fun, here's my Halloween "costume":

A Black Tie Affair (AKA Adult Prom)

Last weekend John and I got to get all dressed up and go to a black tie event I was covering for work. We had such a great time! John put on his suit and I put on a fancy dress and even got my hair done for the occasion...it was so much fun, and totally felt like we were getting ready for the prom! We went to the Grand America downtown and enjoyed a nice dinner, program and fun after party (though we didn't make it past 10 p.m. -- it's hard to stay up late when you're growing a baby!). Pictures below of our fun night!!

The Grand America grounds were beautiful. We had fun taking some Prom-inspired pics outside.

At the after party! Lots of tasty beverages (John with a martini and
me with ginger lemonade) and appetizers were served.

I think John was chewing in this picture...haha

The most amazing experience!

I had my 12-week doctor's appointment today, and because we are going through the university hospital, there are a lot of students who shadow the nurses/midwives while they earn their grad degrees. I got the chance to have an extra ultrasound today so one of the students could practice. Because she was practicing and receiving instruction, John and I got to watch our baby for a good 20 minutes, plus hear the heartbeat! It was such an amazing experience! Baby has arms, legs, hands and feet. We even got to see baby's profile and watch him/her kick, flip, bounce and roll over. I have never seen anything this amazing before. I totally understand how women can fall in love with their children before they are even born. I mean, look at this little guy! SO cute. And he/she is ours! We made that!

12 Weeks

 How far along: 12 weeks
Total weight gain: None so far
Maternity clothes: None yet, but I did purchase a couple of Belly Button Bands to make my jeans more comfortable. They are so worth it! I highly recommend. Also, leggings are my new best friend.
Stretch marks: None yet. I've been using Burt's Bees Belly Butter to help prevent.
Sleep: So far so good, although I have to pee with a vengeance every morning.
Best moment of this week: Going in for my 12-week check up and getting to a surprise ultrasound thanks to some U of U students needing to practice! More on that ultrasound later.
Miss anything: My old eating habits. I've gotten really picky and don't really enjoy meals that much.
Movement: None that I can feel, but my 12-week ultrasound proved that baby is very energetic! Kicks, flips, bounces, etc.
Food cravings: I started out my pregnancy craving protein (eggs, hamburgers, etc.), but haven't had many cravings lately. I have eaten a lot of buttered toast, drank a lot of juice, and had a lot more mac n cheese than any person should though.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Certain smells, like John's beard oil (sorry honey!) and I usually get a wave of nausea during every meal. But luckily, no throwing up.
Have you started to show yet: See above...I think I definitely am. I mostly look bloated, but there's a definite bump there.
Gender: Don't know yet. John wants a boy, and I don't care!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I think I've been pretty good emotionally. I would say I'm happy most of the time, with the occasional cry session. But it's not me...it's my hormones! ;-)
Looking forward to: Cleaning out our storage room so that we can start moving things from our guest room into it so that we can convert it into a nursery. And Halloween. I got a cute shirt to wear since I'm pregnant. I'll post pics after Halloween.

And just for fun...here's John's 12 week bump shot:

Finding out!

Finding out I was pregnant is kind of a funny story. We found out I was pregnant on Sept. 2, 2014.

 

Over FOUR years ago, when John and I got married, one of my best friends got us everything we'd need for a medicine cabinet...including pregnancy tests (Thanks, Ash!). Back then we thought it was pretty funny and they got put into a storage closet where we kind of forgot we had them. Well, when I starting to think that maybe I could be pregnant (no symptoms really, I was just late and had a feeling), I decided to dig them out. Turns out, they had expired over two years ago...but we decided to try them anyway. I took one before work that morning and it immediately turned up positive. We both shrugged it off, figured because it was expired it would give a false positive, and decided to buy more after work. I did my best to concentrate that day at work but it was tough! After work, we stopped at Walmart and picked up a couple more tests. When we got home, I took one right away. It turned up positive too! That's when we knew for sure! I am not going to lie, my initial reaction to learning I was pregnant was panic, fear and stress. Our whole lives were/are going to change! It was a lot to take in. After letting it sink in for a couple of hours, I finally got excited. I could not believe that there was an actual human being growing inside of me (Well, technically it was a blastocyst at that time). I asked myself and John several times up until my first doctor's appointment...am I really pregnant? John has been ready to be a dad for probably a couple of years now, so he was excited from the beginning. He is also a very laid back person who rarely stresses out or panics. I guess that's why we work together well. He was really supportive while I processed and had my mini-panic attack. Now that I'm in the thick of my pregnancy (no pun intended, but seriously...I think I'm starting to get a little thick around the middle), I'm SO excited and can't wait to meet our little baby.

 

 

Me with 2 of the 4 tests I took...shocked!

Kind of gross since I peed on these, but here are the positive tests.

And here's John with the tests! Shocked and awed!

Oh Baby!

It's official....John and I are going to be parents!! Announcing Baby Madison, due May 10, 2015!!

Here's my first ultrasound, taken during week 9. Baby was just 3 centimeters long and had a heart rate of 173. I am going to do my best to document my pregnancy on my blog, along with pictures of my growing belly. I think it'll be fun to look back on in the future...so here's to hoping I can actually keep up with it! I'm 12 weeks along now, and I plan to do the updates weekly starting with this week. Now off to take some selfies of my belly in the mirror.... Stay tuned!!

City of Rocks

Last weekend John and I had a totally, 100 percent free day, which if you know us, never happens! So, since we had so much free time on our hands, we decided to take a day trip up to Idaho to see the City of Rocks National Register and do a little hiking. We had SO much fun! The drive was about 3 hours each way, but there was beautiful scenery and a lot of fun little towns to go through. The City of Rocks was beautiful! Pictures below! :)

Absolutely beautiful views!

Just one of the many cool rock formations

Can you see John?

There were tons of pools formed in the rocks
 because of all the rain we got in August.

Looking out at the expanse of City of Rocks

More beautiful views!

We were so high up that I felt like I was going to blow away at times.

Window Arch

Another cool rock formation

Lake Tahoe or Bust! (And Reno too)

A few weeks ago, I was offered a promotion at work from assistant editor to associate editor. As kind of a way to celebrate, in addition to John and I having a four-day weekend that we didn't know what to do with, we decided to take a road trip. I have never been so spontaneous--I usually plan trips months or even years in advance! We had three weeks to spare so we booked some hotels, found some Groupons for some cheap entertainment and dining options, and we were ready for Lake Tahoe (or BUST!). We had a great time. We stopped in Wendover the first night, and then drove to Tahoe where we spent two nights. Our last night we spent in Reno. It was SO much fun! Pictures below to show all of our fun times (in no particular order)!

The road went from looking like this...

...to this! Much better.

John just hanging out at Heavenly Village.
He didn't even know I was taking a picture...

At Heavenly Village! It was so bright.
I think both of us closed our eyes, haha.

Riding the gondola to the top of the mountain to see Lake Tahoe!

The view of Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain.

John pretending like he wasn't scared to ride a ski lift.

Cave Rock. It's a 75-foot long tunnel that's sacred
 to local Native Americans. Really cool!

Beautiful Lake Tahoe!

John and I at the lake.

Another gorgeous view.

All ready to go hiking!

The beginning of our hike. It only got better!

John and I before our hike.

Check out the size of that pine cone! They were all huge!

The trees were massive...we had to demonstrate just
 how big! This is me trying to hug a tree...

...and this is John showing how short he is compared to the tree, haha.

All the pine trees were amazingly beautiful!

We made it to Vikingsholm! An easy hike down the
 mountain, but going back up was not so fun.

Vikingsholm, a Scandinavian castle built on the
shores of Lake Tahoe in the early 1900s.

The water was so clear!

John pondering life and stuff while standing in the lake.

Eagle Falls. A steep but short hike. Worth it!

John inside a tree.

And me inside a tree. We had to take this pic fast, I'm pretty
sure there were a million spiders in there.

At the Nestle Tollhouse Café. Yum!

We got a kick out of this soda. I wonder what it tastes like?

Emerald Bay

Vikingsholm again.

We went to the Wooden Boat Classic, a boat show for
wooden boats built in the 1930s and 40s. Really cool!

One of the most beautiful boats!

We of course had to stop for milkshakes during our road trip,
because it's not a road trip without a milkshake, right?

My handsome John!

Reno! It was party central downtown. People were literally dancing in the streets.

We went to a place called The Chocolate Bar, that specializes
in all things chocolate. How could I resist? Fondue for two!

*Side note: I realize I have posted a lot of junk food. I promise we
don't eat like this all the time. And we did eat fruits and vegetables too...I think..

While we were in Reno we found out our best friends Chris & Alysia
got engaged! These were our shocked and excited faces. So happy for them!

Beautiful corvette we saw at Heavenly Village during their Hot
August Nights car show. There were a ton of beautiful cars, but I really love corvettes!