Week 26

From last week :)

Being silly, as usual.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing wonderfully this Labor Day weekend. Things here have been remarkably well. However, last weekend I panicked because my one-hour glucose tolerance test came back a little high. It was recommended that I do the three-hour test to ensure that I didn't have gestational diabetes. Boy, was I scared...and this nervousness wasn't just for me anymore, I worried about Micah!The morning of the three-hour test I went swimming at 6 a.m. I know it wasn't the best idea because avoiding (drinking) water while exercising is a no-no for a prego (sorry kinda corny, but I guess that is my mood right now). I then went to the lab to do the three hour test (fasting). I was already nervous because I am used to eating when I am hungry and drinking water constantly. The first three tests were fine. I read 50% of a book while I waited, and I just relaxed. However, the last test didn't go over so well. The nurse stuck me, and no blood came out. She told me she was going to have to move the needle around to reposition it, and I knew right then that that wasn't a good idea. She couldn't get any blood out of that vein for the life of her. I asked her to go back to one of the other veins, and she did. I felt fine until afterwards. The room started to spin and I knew I was going to pass out. Well, I didn't pass out thankfully because I stayed right where I was. Another nurse brought over a recliner and they helped me into it. I felt better immediately. Ugh, why am I such a wimp when it comes to needles!?Anyway, the results came back perfectly normal, so no gestational diabetes. But being the person that I am, I always worry and panic...and it usually turns out to be nothing. I admit it!Anyway, last weekend my parents held a baby shower for me and it was so great. They rented a room, and it was the perfect size and setup for the group of people that we invited. Of course, it was a Dr. Seuss theme, and the cake was fantastic! Everything at the shower was perfect, and it was so nice to be able to chat with people I hadn't seen in a while. Boy do my parents take great care of us!                              

My husband and I :)

My grandparents and I :)

My aunt & I :)

We also shot my rifle for the first time since I got it for my birthday. After six shots, we decided that it was sighted in correctly. It was fun to go out there and shoot, but I was a little afraid it would scare Micah :) It didn't, of course. He is already a natural hunter. :)

I shot pretty well! 

Last week was nice. I was able to swim a great deal, lift weights, and go on long walks. I am so glad Stephanie is back because she introduced me to the world of Lush Cosmetics. We decided that it was important to enjoy life and relax a little, so we each bought a bath bomb! Then I discovered a bar that helps reduce/prevent stretch marks. This massage bar is called: Therapy, and I love it! The smell itself is very relaxing.I also had an appointment this week, finishing the last of my appointments every month, and changing it to every two weeks! I guess I am at the end of my second trimester, wow! Time has truly flown by!Conrad and I started the nursery this weekend, and I am so excited! It is coming along great. We haven't got the really big things, except for the glider, but we are trying to do all of the little things that take a lot of time. We painted all 26 letters of the alphabet in white, Micah's name in red, and Conrad painted a nightstand to fit the theme of the room: Dr. Seuss! Tomorrow we will do the bookshelves. 

What do you think so far?

How far along? 26 weeks & 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 19 pounds!
Maternity clothes? All of my bottoms, while I am still trying to fit in a lot of my tops still :)
Stretch marks? Nope, I am hoping, praying, crossing my fingers and toes, that they won't be too bad!
Sleep: Still crappy.
Best moment this week: Hearing our little kicker's heartbeat, and last week's baby shower!
Movement: He's very active.
Food cravings: Everything. Too bad. I hope soon that I won't want to eat SO MUCH!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing.
Have you started to show yet: Boy have I!
Leakage: Noooo.
Gender: Micah Avery!!!

 Labor Signs: Noooo. I hope not anytime soon. 

Belly Button in or out? Out. 
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: MOODY!
Weekly Wisdom: Every pregnancy is different, and nothing is really by the book!
Milestones: Approaching the third trimester! 

Week 25

Trying on dresses was never so difficult before!

I am three weeks away from the third trimester, can you believe it? In one sense it seems like it took forever to get here, in another it seems like time has flown by quickly. My first shower is tomorrow, and my mom is throwing it. It will be so much fun to catch up with old friends.
I have started something new this week in my pregnancy: swimming! I feel like a whole new person in the pool. I have been swimming since I was a baby, and once I became a teenager I worked as a lifeguard for a few years, but I haven't swam in about three years. Being pregnant, it seems like just walking around is tough with this extra weight that I am carrying, but in the pool I feel so weightless.
Micah has been kicking around in there a lot lately. The kicks don't hurt yet, which I am grateful for because I have heard it could get quite brutal. I am prepared for what is to come though.
I have been reading a variety of articles, like having an episiotomy, and all I can say is OUCH! And NO THANK YOU! And WHAT THE HECK DID I GET MYSELF INTO!? Haha...I guess it is all part of the process, but YIKES! There are just some things that I didn't want to know! My mom says that no one told her things, and she went into the delivery room unaware of everything that would occur, and she would have rather known what was coming. Not me, I would rather NOT know. I think these days the Internet makes it too easy to learn everything there is to know. On the other hand, you can also find a bunch of garbage so you have to decipher fact from fiction. That is why asking your doctor is always the best way to go when you are unsure of something.
I took Georgie on a hike a couple of days ago. It was a rather short hike, but it had a decent climb. I am always surprised at how "athletic" Georgie is. Conrad calls Georgie athletic. Well he climbs up rocks that are larger than he is with ease! He is something else, and he will probably be neglected a little bit once Micah is born. I will try to still get him to go on his two walks a day. If anyone wants to do any favors for me, that would be it: walk George!

Conrad and I have been getting together once a month with his friends from college (my friends now too, of course). We weren't really getting to see them very often because of our schedules, but now we have decided to make time to see each other. One of the couples are expecting any day now! I am so excited for the two of them. It will be fun to continue meeting throughout, and have play dates! There are so many people that I know who have little ones, or who are expecting!

• My sister-in-law- 16 weeks pregnant, with twins!!! She will be having a boy and a girl: Jasmine and Liam.
• Our friend, Alden, who had twins 8 months ago (Rylan and Neala)! 
• My friend, Christy, who just had Aiden early this year!
• Our friend, Ashley, who just had twins a few weeks ago (identical girls, Adalynn and Aliza).
• My cousin, Megan, will be having a baby boy, Cade Victor, in November! 
• My friend, Tory, who will be having a girl, Scarlett, in November!
• Our friend, Courtney, who is expecting baby Madison any day now!

Now that is a lot of friends with babies!

Last week's picture! Getting bigger :)

My new Vera Bradley diaper bag!

I guess I have "popped"
Please ignore the mess!

Also, I wanted to give a shout out to my wonderful parents. It is their 33rd Anniversary today! I can only hope Conrad and I do half as well as they did in life. :)

An easy-going pregnancy...

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope everyone has had a good week. I'm ready for the weekend to come! I always enjoy seeing Conrad more often.

So now that I am home, I have realized that people expect more of me. I am just now getting a taste of what it feels like to be a stay-at-home mom. Although I do like to help out, I just feel like people think I need things to do. Haha, that isn't to say that YOU shouldn't ask for help if you need it, and I know that I volunteer my help (which you should take me up on it if I do). I'm just saying that Conrad and I made the decision for me to stay home to take care of our new family. Being a stay-at-home mom means that I will take care of our baby, the house, and any errands that we need to do before the baby comes. I now received a glimpse of what some people think about stay-at-home-moms.

What have I done during summer break? I have prepared our registry, I have cleaned every week, grocery shopped, cooked dinner, baked, exercised, went on lunch dates, went on Starbucks dates, went on walks with friends, assisted in caring for some adorable twins, blogged, complained, had mood swings, watched Netflix and Hulu Plus, planned and threw our gender reveal party, and I am READY to start on our nursery (which will be quite the project). So there is plenty that I can do to keep myself busy, thank you very much!

Anyway, enough complaining, but I just wanted you all to know that I do well to keep myself plenty busy...and very soon I will not have any time for doing anything except caring for Micah, so I am enjoying my time of relaxation. I hear it is the only time I will be able to truly relax for a long long time.

My grandfather and I went up to the Pecos Wilderness to spend some quality time with Conrad's parents, and to go fishing. I wanted him to get away from home for a little while and he agreed to take a little mini-vacation. It was a fun trip and we made some memories.

I am excited to be starting a bible study pretty soon with a few moms from Annunciation (the school where I last worked). That will be a fun time for us to get together to talk about motherhood and God.

I am so glad that my beautiful BFF, Steph, is back in town. She and I have established a workout routine that has been going pretty well. This is what we have decided:
Mondays- Swimming
Tuesdays- Body Pump
Wednesdays- Hiking
Thursdays- Gym
Fridays- Body Pump
Weekends- What ever we want!
I am excited with the schedule and think that it will be good for us. She will also incorporate running into her routine, but I cannot keep up with that anymore.
We have also said that we should start volunteering once a week. I have been meaning to volunteer for a few years now!

The past two weeks I have been hiking with my friend, Cristina, and we have been taking our crazy pups! I bet you can't spot the baby bump!

How far along? 23.6 weeks!

Total weight gain: I've gained a total of 14 pounds at my last appointment, probably more now.

Maternity clothes?! Of course! They are my favorite (who would have thought!?) !

Stretch marks? No fresh ones to report. Just the same couple on my boobs!

Sleep: Not too great. They say good sleep is a thing of the past at this point. :/

Miss anything? I miss red wine and running.

Movement: OMG! He is going to be an Olympian! He does a lot of somersaults. When he hears Conrad's voice he gets very worked up (it is adorable)!

Food cravings: Not really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thank goodness!

Gender: A little boy: Micah Avery!

Labor signs: Thankfully not!

Symptoms: EMOTIONAL!

Belly button in or out? Oh boy is it coming out...every day it seems like it is pushing further and further out.

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody moody, but like my mom said, I have always been moody so I can't expect that to change when I am pregnant!

Looking forward to: Meeting the little guy...I still have a long way to go.