15 Weeks and feeling GREAT

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

When will you "show"? At 15 weeks of pregnancy your uterus is just popping up above the pubic bone. You are at a very in-between stage right now. You may not yet look pregnant to the world -- or you may have already popped out. There is a great variation in the time your pregnancy becomes visible. This usually occurs between 14 and 20 weeks. If this is your second or third pregnancy, you are probably "showing" sooner than a first-time mom because the muscles of your abdomen are a bit more lax, and the uterus tends to fall forward more easily because of the relaxation of the supporting ligaments.

WOOHOO good to hear!! Its weird because with Bella I showed VERY early and with this one I'm just now at the tail-end of the whole "Is she pregnant or just fat?" stage. I'm ready to pop!!! I love preggo belly:) So I'm the exception-showing later with a 2nd pregnancy, but finding that alot of the moms online are also having the same experience. I think maybe we are too busy with toddlers, running around and not consumed with eating for 2:)

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Baby's skin is very thin, and blood vessels can be seen underneath. The skin is covered with a fine, fuzzy hair called lanugo, which will not fall out until your baby nears full-term. The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day. This week marks a period of rapid growth, so get your rest!

Ya hear that??? I NEEEEED to rest:) So YES, I'll print this out and use it as evidence any dang time I wanna nap LOL

I PROMISE to post belly shots tonight!!! We had a crazy week last week tearing down shelves in the computer room. We only have one left to tear down. I've already got one completely sanded. Then we have to sand the walls (horrid painters before us left tons of drips), prep and then most likely paint on the Saturday that we leave for Eureka Springs so it can air out while we are gone. The room has already opened up alot-I HAVE to take some before and after shots.

Be sure to check out Bella's blog next week as we have TONS of stuff going on this week and lots of Kodak moments:) Friday we are going to the playgroup's potluck and then swimming. On Saturday we are going to the Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari- sounds redneck but its super fun and Bella loves the petting areas. Sunday we are going to a Naturals game-Dora is gonna be there!!! We are getting lawn seats by the playground this time so Bella can run around and have fun. I'm already dreaming of my nachoes!

July is a SUPER busy month for us! The weekend of the 12th we are going to Eureka Springs to celebrate our anniversary (Bella will have a slumber party with Nana). The next day Anthony will get here. Then I get to take him to B&N with playgroup and then to my OB appt that afternoon and he'll get to hear the heartbeat. Then BELLA'S 2nd BIRTHDAY!!! And her party that weekend. The next weekend I'm going on a Mama Trip to Branson and Ben is doing a day hike with the Boy Scouts so Bella will get to have a Nana day.

done rattling, will post pics later

UPDATED-Bella's Bday Wish List-UPDATED

You asked for it.... LOL In addition to the picture list below, anything Dora or Sponge Bob and books with flaps (the little peekaboo things you can flip open).

Bella is getting ready to move into her big girl room!!!

Dorinda Bedspread from Wal-Mart: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5499619

Dorinda Sheet Set from Wal-Mart: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5499623

Pink Rose Sheet Set: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8054332

Lilac Sheet Set: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5607642

Turtle Sandbox: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9864660

Don't worry about buying dolls-we'll get that part:)

Doll Play Set: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698927

Bella has one like this that has animals and she LOOOOOVES it!!!!

Leap Frog Magnetic Letter Set: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2233410

14 Weeks

WOOOO Feeling MUCH better-2nd trimester wonderfulness has definitely arrived (*knock on wood*)!!! Tons more energy and little to no morning sickness:) I'll post pics tonight.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

You open the refrigerator door, only to be greeted by the nauseating smell of garlic. But you LOVE garlic. Or rather, you did. Now all sorts of smells seem unappealing at best, and gut-wrenching at worst. In fact, nearly 85 percent of pregnant women have at least one food aversion. One explanation, according to researchers, is that food aversions peak when hormones are fluctuating. As you progress through the second trimester, and hormones stabilize, your aversions may disappear. And while aversions to coffee or alcohol may be your body's way of preventing you from consuming anything harmful to the baby, aversions to healthy foods should be treated differently. No, you don't have to force-feed yourself the detested item. Instead, find a palatable alternative that offers similar nutritional value.

You can ask Ben-I want to vomit on Sunday mornings when he drinks coffee at church. The smell of the coffee brewing doesn't bother me, its the coffee breath that gags me LOL

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby is now about three-and-a-half inches long and weighs about two ounces. His or her neck is complete, and your baby even has fingerprints. He or she is beginning to move around in the amniotic fluid, which, by the way, replenishes itself every three hours. Fetal movement, or "quickening," can occur as early as this week, so be alert for fluttering sensations in your belly. If you can't feel them, however, don't worry, they're more likely to occur between the 18th to 22nd week. In subsequent pregnancies, fetal movement usually is felt earlier.

The flutters have started this week! In the evenings it is sometimes more than fluttering. DEFINITELY feeling the stretching and growing going on!!!

Bella's Words & Allergy Update

Singulair seems to be doing the trick as far as cutting down on congestion and her cough. She is still sneezing and itching her nose/eyes quite a bit so we'll see.

We were at playgroup on Friday and started talking about the 2 year old well-check appointments and the different milestones that 2 year olds are suppose to have met that the doctors ask about. One was that they are suppose to be able to say 20 words or more. It made me think, "Does Bella say 20 words?" I honestly didn't think so and started to worry. She is completely able to communicate anything she wants/needs and is extremely receptive to communication (i.e., we can tell her to do something and she knows what to do-whether she actually DOES it or not depends on the stubborn factor of the day). SO I decided to make a list and we keep thinking of words randomly thru the day so its definitely not complete but its a LOT more than I ever thought and definitely over 20:

*In no specific order, I have preggo brain so I wrote them down as they came to me. These are only words that other people could actually discern-they aren't perfectly clear but easy to understand. Example: "Bella" usually comes out as "Bewwa" as it does for most kids her age because the L sound just ain't happening yet:)

Mama
Daddy
Bella
baby (she is obsessed with baby animals, and also loves to take Squirt's ultrasound pic and carry it around the house saying, "Ohhh baby" and kissing it LOL)
dirty
away (her form of saying something needs to be thrown away-lil miss tidy!!!)
bye
hello
hi
cat
dog
meow
night night
juice
ow
cheerio
mine (definitely one of the most used)
no (another most used)
me
thank you
please
bank (LOOOOVES to put change in her piggy bank)
keys
Dora
Diego
go
cheese
teeth
eye
banana
Nana
Papa
bear
horse
Bob
Sponge Bob
bubble
book
milk
more
shoe
potty
stinky (she is obsessed with smelling her horribly stinky feet)
water
slide
outside
choo choo (refers to trains AND trucks as choo choos)
duck
moo
baaa (what does a sheep say? and she usually SCREAMS "BAAAAA")
boo
apple
jump
bee (every bug is a bee)
butterfly (except a butterfly!)
fry (french fry)
hat
phone
num (candy)
dance

Mama's Turn

The belly entering the 2nd trimester.....

13 wks-definitely a change from 12 wks (below)

13 wks-I was making fun of Ben taking my picture and I end up looking drunk LOL Got me a lil Dunlops Disease going on but dangit these shorts are COMFY!!!!

Squirt's Kodak Moment

I got to see my sweet lil Squirt today!!! Yep, I'm already head over heels:) The U/S tech said this one is gonna be our snuggler because it kept rolling up into a ball. It was sucking its thumb and playing with its face.

Baby is inside the big black round thing-the bag:) (Sorry doing it elementary cuz for some reason some people don't see babies easily on U/S-I personally think its VERY obvious LOL) The bright white curve is the spine. Has SUPER long and skinny legs. Big ol tummy:) You can see its hand with thumb sticking out going towards the face.

awww my beautiful baby!!!! Close up shot of the face-you can see the hand going for the mouth:) And of course, all my babies are gonna have chipmunk cheeks LOL Also has a very definite chin.

The tech said everything looked great-no obvious markers for Downs or any Trisomies and is measuring perfectly on target:)

Allergies Schmallergies

BLAH sick of allergies and the darn rain that just makes it worse!!! Bella was started on Singulair yesterday so hopefully that will magically do the trick. So far just Zyrtec and Nasonex hasn't worked. We are to try the Singulair until the samples run out. If it works, then she'll be on it permanently. If not, then we try Sudal without the Zyrtec.

She doesn't act like she doesn't feel good-still has tons of energy and has actually been eating and sleeping again, but she has constant congestion which is now causing a cough. None of its contagious-no fever, no green/yellow gunk, just fun ol allergies. Poor baby, it was one thing I didn't want her to inherit-that and my asthma. But I guess when you have parents who both have allergies and asthma, you are cursed LOL