Lucy Mae: 6 Months

This has been my favorite age for Lucy Mae! (I know I feel like I say that every month, but this month she has definitely hit some big, fun milestones!) She is such a good eater and loves everything we feed her. She is getting to be great at sitting up on her own. And she is getting so mobile! She rolls and scoots all over the place which sometimes gets her into some predicaments. She is starting to learn now to play which is so fun! She LOVES peek-a-boo and "dump all the toys out of the basket."

This last month Lucy made the return trip from her first trip to Minnesota, went to her first movie on Mommy's birthday, had her first Easter and General Conference, moved to her own room and has just been so, so happy!

Lucy's Favorites:

• EATING! She LOVES it when we put her in her chair and bring out the food. 
• Rolling and playing on the floor
• Sitting up
• Singing songs
• Reading books
• Making dinosaur roars
• Seeing herself in mirrors

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites:

• Being left alone
• Sitting in her chair for too long
• Going down for naps

Things I Don't Want to Forget:

• Her dinosaur roar
• How happy and proud she is as she rolls around the floor
• Playing peek-a-boo (especially under the couch)
• How she sticks her tongue out when she's happy or excited

Milestones:

• 4/1: First Easter

Lucy Mae: 5 Months

**This post was written around her 5 month birthday, but for some reason it didn't get published!**

Lucy Mae just keeps getting more and more fun and more and more cute with each passing month! This last month brought Lucy's first camping trip, her second plane ride/first time to Minnesota, her first time meeting Maggie the dog and her first time eating real food! 

She is getting better at sleeping, usually only waking up once or twice a night to get her binky put back in her mouth. She is starting to roll more and is getting good at grabbing things with her hands. 

Lucy's Favorites:

• Bathtime
• Eating
• Riding in the stroller
• Her O-Ball
• Reading stories

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites:

• Being alone
• Getting stuck on her tummy (even though she does know how to roll back over!)

Things I Don't Want to Forget:

• Her cute giggle
• The way she does her excited dance (swaying forward and backward)

Milestones: 

• 2/16-18: First Camping Trip
• 3/1: First time eating food (Rice cereal)
• 3/10: First flight with just Mom!
• 3/10-18: First trip to Minnesota  

Lucy Mae: 4 Months

This is such a fun age for Miss Lucy Mae! She is so interactive and happy most of the time. She is getting so good at holding onto things and putting them in her mouth. She loves to snuggle with Mom and Dad as well as some of her stuffed animals like Peaches, Jerry and Rapunzel. Lucy loves her daddy, especially when they play helicopter.

Lucy has rolled over a few times! Mostly from back to stomach then from stomach to back. But she only will do it if the TV is on, specifically the Olympics. She is the slowest roller in the history of the world; it's more of a progression than a roll. But she prefers to get to where she wants to be by simply wiggling. She can spin herself a full 360 degrees on her blanket if she starts out far enough away from the coffee table. She also has started to be able to pull apart her play mat. She can lift the bar out of it's holder, so she might be too big for that anymore!

Lucy has great head control, likes to sit up on our laps and likes to observe what's going on around her. Her favorite things are her fists; they're constantly in her mouth. And Lucy holds the world record for the amount of drool that can come out of one's mouth I believe. She is constantly wearing a  wet shirt and has wet sleeves.

At her 4 month appointment she weighed 15 lbs 11.5 oz (gained 3 lbs 1.5 oz since December) and was in the 80th percentile. For height she's in the 90th percentile at 25.75" (which is 2 inches longer since December) and her head is 41 cm which is in the 70th percentile range.

Lucy Mae is definitely growing up and getting so big! She went through her 4 month sleep regression and it was rough on the whole family. But she seems to be doing better and will only occasionally wake up once or twice a week in the middle of the night and mostly just needs her binky put back in her mouth.

Lucy's Favorites:

• Diaper changes
• Wiggling
• O-Ball
• Snuggling
• Listening to Mom practice the ukulele

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites:

• Having her bottle run out
• Being cold
• Being alone

Things I Don't Want to Forget:

• The way she talks in the morning before getting up (along with her big, gummy smile when I get her out of her crib).
• The way she calms down and SMILES as soon as you lay her down to change her diaper.
• The way her arms stick straight out and are stiff while she's in the bathtub. 
• How she likes to be completely spread eagle when she's playing on the ground.
• How she arches her back to see the TV or the books on her changing table.
• Her cute laugh!

Milestones:

• 1/30 First (real) time rolling over from tummy to back
• 2/3 First real laugh
• 2/5 Grabbed toes
• 2/10 Rolled over from back to tummy (multiple times!)

Lucy Mae: 3 Months

Lucy Mae keeps getting more and more fun! She is getting to be so alert and can really focus on things like faces, books and toys. She also recognizes when I'm shaking her bottle to get it ready for her to eat! She can have "conversations" with people by cooing and squawking. Lucy is able to play for long stretches of time (30-45 minutes!) with her play mat and can listen to stories for anywhere from 10-30 minutes before she needs something else to do.

Lucy still loves to snuggle and when she gets ready for a nap, she loves to suck on her binky and fall asleep in my arms. When she's falling asleep is one of my favorite times because she is so calm and observant; just looking around at all the things to see as she slowly drifts off to sleep.

This last month has been a big month for Lucy. It included her first Christmas, her first New Year's (which she actually was almost awake for!) and her first flight/long vacation. She also got to meet Holly, Travis and her bestie Margo for the first time.

She is also getting on a fairly regular schedule. She will usually wake up between 6:00 and 7:00, sometimes even 8:00! She will eat, play for a bit and then be ready for a nap after being awake for 1-1 1/2 hours. She will nap for anywhere from 1-2 hours. Then she's up to eat and play again for about 2 hours. Lucy will usually take a pretty good nap in the afternoons for about 2-3 hours. She's awake again around 3:00 or 4:00 and will be up and playing until about 6:00 when we try to get her to take one more short nap, then she's up between 7:00 and 7:30. She gets ready for bed around 8:00 with jammies, vitamins, a bottle and some stories before she is swaddled and rocked to sleep. She is usually down for the night between 8:30 and 9:00, but some nights it's closer to 10:00 if she took a later evening nap.

Lucy's Favorites:

• Lucy loves playing with the rattle Gooma and Goompa got her for Christmas as well as her Rapunzel doll she got from Disney World. 
• Getting her diaper changed is still her favorite activity. 
• Bathtime is still fun, but she really loves sitting on the edge of the sink and putting her feet in the running water. 
• Story time is her jam! She can be screaming but as soon as I put her in story reading position and start reading she will usually calm right down. 

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites:

• Still doesn't like being hungry or disruptions to her eating. 
• She also isn't a fan of being on her tummy too long. She likes to do tummy time but once she is over it, she lets us know!
• Sacrament Meeting and Relief Society are rough. But she loves Sunday school!

Things I Don't Want to Forget:

• How much Lucy LOVED Disney World. She was such a champ and did fantastic sleeping in her stroller and the baby carrier. Lucy loved the rides she went on, especially It's A Small World, Peter Pan and Dumbo. 
• Meeting Rapunzel and Snow White! They both thought Lucy was the cutest thing. Lucy liked Rapunzel the best, but Snow White gave her a kiss and played peek-a-boo with Lucy using her cape. It was the cutest!
• How cute Lucy looked in her Cinderella ears. 
• How much Lucy was uninterested in Christmas festivities, haha. Maybe next year!

Milestones:

• 12/25 First Christmas
• 12/31 First New Years Eve
• 1/8 First flight
• 1/9-1/16 First long vacation (Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando)
• 1/9 Meeting Holly, Travis and Margo for the first time!

Lucy Mae: 2 Months

I thought I would be one of those moms who is so sad to see her baby grow up. And while I am sad a little bit, I also LOVE seeing Lucy grow up. I love how she is trying out new things and is geting to be more interactive and fun!

In the last month, Lucy has become more smiley intentionally and loves to coo, squawk and talk while she is awake. She is a wiggle worm and loves to be down on a blanket stretching out. During the night, Lucy has been able to turn 180 degrees so her head is at the complete opposite end of the crib! She also wiggles her way down to the other end of the crib and sometimes gets her feet stuck up above the crib edge. She doesn't like that too much 😂 Lucy can stay awake for longer periods of time during the day and can sleep through the night, even though she doesn't always do it. When I go pick her up in the night or in the morning after she's been sleeping, she gives me the biggest smile and it completely melts my heart!

Lucy's Favorites

• Reading stories. She has started to focus on the pictures and coo at the cute animals when I point them out :) She loves her Christmas board book and always calms down as soon as we start to read it. 
• Lucy still LOVES her changing table. If she's upset we go right there and she automatically smiles and calms down. She still loves getting her diaper changed. 
• Christmas lights! Lucy has discovered Christmas lights this season and she absolutely LOVES seeing them. We took her out to the Riverwoods for FHE and she loved looking at all of the lights. 
• Bath time always calms her down. She loves the sound of the faucet running and is happy as can be just sitting in her bath seat. 

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites

• Being hungry is still her least favorite thing
• Getting strapped in her car seat she still doesn't enjoy. 

Things I Don't Want to Forget

• Her grunts, coos, squawks and gummy smiles are absolutely my favorite! 
• The way she wiggles ALL. THE. TIME.
• Her cute chubby, rolly tummy and thighs!
• The way she looks at Christmas lights.
• The way she smiles when Mom or Dad pick her up from sleeping. 
• Her favorite sleeping position: snuggled with her face between the crook of your arm and armpit. 

Milestones

• 11/18 First babysitter
• 11/22-26 First trip
• 11/22 First trip to a National Park (Grand Canyon!)
• 11/25 First hike
• 12/5 First attempt sitting up by herself
• 12/8 Meeting Uncle Hunter for the first time
• 12/10 Blessing Day
• 12/13 First time getting nails cut

Lucy and her friend Emma. They're only 1 month apart!

Lucy Mae: 1 Month

I can't believe that Lucy Mae has been a part of our family for a whole month! In some ways it seems like she has always been a part of our family. But in other ways it seems like she was just born!

Lucy is such a good baby. She is super chill, is an amazing sleeper and a great eater (as seen by her chubby cheeks and rolly thighs!) Lucy Mae is a happy baby, unless she's hungry. And she lets us know when she is! She is very vocal about her hunger and thinks she is starving if a bottle isn't in her mouth right when she expects is. (She must get her hangry-ness from her mom ;)

Lucy's Favorites:

• Lucy LOVES being on her changing table. If she is ever upset as soon as you lay her on her changing table, she calms right down. 
• This girl also loves to wiggle. She is super squirmy and can move quite a ways from the spot you lay her down in. 
• Snuggling is one of her favorite activities. She loves being held! Currently her favorite positions are scrunched up on your chest/shoulder or being cradled while she puts her hand in your armpit and her face in your chest. It is pretty much the sweetest thing ever 
• Even though she has only had two, Lucy loves bath time. 
• Listening to stories at bedtime
• Her nightly vitamins

Lucy's Not-So-Favorites:

• Being hungry is pretty much the only reason Lucy cries. And boy does she have some lungs!
• Burping is the worst thing ever for her. Mostly because it interrupts her eating. 
• She also doesn't like getting strapped into her carseat or driving on 500 N. 

Things I Don't Want to Forget

• The way she sucks her favorite binky
• Holding my fingers while she eats
• Her hands blocking her face while trying to eat and her getting frustrated because she can't eat because her hands are in the way
• Her cute sounds! Coos and goos, grunts and snorts, and her nightly goat sounds
• The way she naps with her hands above her head
• Sticking her legs straight out while she eats and how they slowly relax and fall down the longer she eats
• Those chubby cheeks and rolly thighs
• Her big, beautiful eyes that look up at me while she's snuggled on my chest
• Her sweet gummy smiles
• The head butts she gives when she is being burped but is still hungry
• The way she wiggles and squirms while playing on her play mat
• Her major head dives when she is over burping and wants to get back in eating/snuggling mode

Milestones

• 10/16 First outing (We went to Walmart as a family to pick up formula)
• 10/17 First doctor appointment (2 day check-up, 2 week check up was on 10/27)
• 10/31 First Halloween (Lucy was the cutest pineapple!)
• 11/4 First bath
• 11/11 Rolling over from tummy to back (I'm pretty sure this was an accident though. I put her on her tummy for tummy time but her arm was stuck under her. She wasn't too happy about tummy time that day so she wiggled and flipped herself over onto her back. She did this twice back-to-back. But once I put her on her tummy and got her arms unstuck, she hasn't rolled over since.)

39 Week Update

I made it to my 39 week appointment and my doctor was kind of surprised to see me there. She was so sure I was going to deliver last week!

I had a good blood pressure today and haven't gained any weight over my last two appointments which is good news. I am still 80% effaced but have now dilated to 3 cm and the baby is sitting even lower (which I didn't even think was possible!) 

My doctor striped my membranes today in hopes of sending me into labor in the next day or two. It might be working! I have had my strongest contractions since I was at the doctor's office, but now I'm just waiting for them to be consistent and strong. 

If I don't have my baby this weekend though my doctor did schedule to have me induced on Tuesday since she is going out of town on Wednesday for a few days. She said that my baby is big enough (she's predicting 8 lbs!) and that she has been sitting for so low for so long that she's ready to come out, she just might need a little prodding. 

How far along? 39 weeks 

Size of baby? Pumpkin or Watermelon depending on which app I looked at. They also say that the baby is between 19 and 20 inches and 7-9 lbs.  

Maternity clothes? Maternity jeans and sweatpants are still my life.  

Stretch marks? More and more come every day. 

Exercise? I went to the Rec Center almost every day this last week to walk for 30-45 minutes in hopes of getting this baby out! 

Sleep? I'm still having mostly good nights with two solid 3 hour sleep sessions where I can easily fall back asleep in-between the sessions. I've also been able to squeeze in another 3 hour session from about 5:00 am-8:00 am. 

Movement? She was moving less this week and her movements weren't as strong. She was making her kick counts though so I wasn't too worried. 

Food cravings? Still lots of milk and cereal. I've added baby carrots and apples to my daily intake and the last few days I've been drinking lots and lots of pineapple juice in hopes of it starting labor. 

Food aversions? My heartburn has been a lot less this last week. I still take Tums before I go to bed most nights, but I usually don't have to take them in the middle of the night anymore.  

Milestones? No more prenatal appointments! Membranes got stripped! Dilated to a 3! Scheduled to be induced on Tuesday if nothing happens this weekend!

Week 38 Update

Since my last blog update, I've had 2 appointments (my 37 week last Thursday and my 38 week yesterday). Baby is growing and I'm progressing! Hopefully this baby will come out to meet her family and friends soon. 

At my 37 week appointment, I was still dilated to 2 cm but 80% effaced. Baby Girl's head was sitting even lower which is why I've been having increasing pain daily. I was measuring a little bit big, at 38 weeks. I found out that my doctor will be out of town on my actual due date, so I'm really hoping this baby comes early so my doctor can be the one who delivers. The day after my appointment I started having really strong contractions! They lasted for only 40 minutes so I didn't end up needing to go to the hospital. This was actually a good thing because Ben was up in Park City (without a personal car!) for a meeting for work. Luckily I had some friends who were standing by on-call to take me to the hospital if I needed to go :) 

But Tuesday of this week we actually DID go to the hospital! I had been having contractions all. day. long. And they kept getting closer and closer together. They hurt, but weren't as painful as the ones I had had on Friday. I decided to go anyway because my contractions were pretty consistent and were coming every 6-8 minutes for almost 2 hours. So we got to the hospital at about 9:00 pm and they checked me in, waited an hour, did another check, then sent me home since I hadn't progressed. I did have slightly high blood pressure at the hospital (which is crazy weird for me!) and Baby's heart rate was pretty high, but it was able to slow down to the normal range by the time we left. Now that we've done a little "trial" run to the hospital, we will definitely be ready when the baby is on her way!

At my 38 week appointment yesterday, I had dilated even more! I was at a little more than 2 1/2 cm, almost 3cm! Woohoo! Baby is still sitting super low and is ready to come out! I also continued to measure big, measuring at 40 weeks. The doctor seems very hopeful that the baby will come before her due date. She said to come back in next week if I'm still pregnant, but that she would probably see me at the hospital before then! 

On my way to my appointment, I was having extremely strong contractions for about 15-20 minutes as I was getting ready/going to my appointment. And a little bit after my appointment I had another round of extremely strong contractions that made me think I would be going to the hospital! But, they only lasted for 30 minutes. So hopefully over the next day or two, we can get those contractions to go for an hour and then continue until that baby comes!

How far along? 38 weeks 

Size of baby? Everything is so inaccurate now. We just have to wait and see! But she is basically taking up every available space.  

Maternity clothes? I got my maternity jeans from Zulilly and they are SO. COMFY. Easily my favorite pair of pants to wear right now. I'm so glad that I got them. 

Stretch marks? Lots of little ones appear basically every day but I'm not to concerned 

Exercise? I've still been super sore so it's hard to go walk just to walk. But my errands are taking much, much longer to accomplish so I count my walking while I'm grocery shopping or going to the store. I actually like it because it is so much easier to walk when I have a cart to lean on! But now that baby is so close to coming, it might motivate me to get through the soreness/pain and do some serious walking at the Rec Center. 

Sleep? I'm still having mostly good nights with two solid 3 hour sleep sessions where I can easily fall back asleep in-between the sessions. So this means I've been getting up earlier (around 5:30 or 6:00) a couple of days a week. If this happens, I usually take a 1-2 hour nap in the late morning or early afternoon so I can get a good 8-10 hours of sleep total each day. 

Movement? Still moving lots and lots! :) She is taking up so much room and is getting so big that any movement moves my entire body and feels super strong. She still likes to move right when I'm trying to fall asleep and first thing in the morning. Maybe she'll be a wiggly little girl!

Food cravings? Still lots of milk and cereal. I have been a little bit more hungry at dinner so I've been eating a little bit more then. 

Food aversions? Still having heartburn almost every night. So I take some Tums right before I go to bed (sometimes a little bit earlier too if I can feel it coming on). And often I'll take some more when I wake up in the middle of the night. 

Milestones? Still having once a week appointments. First real contractions. Did a "trial" run to the hospital. Having strong contractions. Hopefully Baby will be coming in the next week!

Week 36 Update

I still can't believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by! I can't believe we are only 4 weeks away from meeting our baby girl! It's pretty crazy.

Since my last update, things have been going very still still. My blood pressure at my last two appointments has been good and my weight gain has been good too.

Since I missed my last update (Week 35) here's what's been going on the last three weeks.
Week 34 I ended up walking a lot with Mary for an entire week. We would go walk for an hour at the Rec Center every day. It must have helped her because after doing that for a week she finally had her baby! It was also during this week that I started to get a lot of pelvic pain and pressure. Turns out it was my baby settling into place to get ready to come meet her family and friends! Week 34 was also the longest week of my pregnancy. Not quite sure why. Nothing crazy or different was happening that week, but it just seemed to never end!

Week 35 went by pretty quick and Ben and I were able to spend a couple evenings with the Bosens and their cute new baby. It was fun to talk to them and to snuggle such a new little girl! I had my last two-week appointments during this week and everything looked goo.

Week 36 seemed to go by quickly as well. It finally started to feel like fall so for the first time in a while, I haven't had to wake up in the middle of the night from being too hot! Our apartment is finally cooling off and I am so much more comfortable with the cooler temperatures.

At my appointment this week, my blood pressure was excellent again and my doctor was very surprised at how far "advanced" my baby is. When my doctor was doing my exam she was surprised to feel the baby's head so easily! She was also impressed that I was already dilated 2 cm since this is my first pregnancy. This is why I have been so sore and why it's been so hard for me to walk and just move in general. I definitely have the pregnant lady waddle down. But it isn't from being huge, just from being sore. I definitely look pregnant but I'm not nearly as big/round looking as most of my friends were at this time in their pregnancies. Thanks to my height, I have a lot more room for a baby to be :)

How far along? 36 weeks 

Size of baby? The food still isn't making sense. This week was a cantaloupe or a papaya.   But she is about 18.5-19 inches long and around 5.5 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Still rocking the baggy t-shirts and exercise capris and shorts while I'm around the house. Since it's cooled off, I have also added sweats to the mix. When I go out into the public, I wear my one pair of maternity pants/jeggings. I found another pair at DI that I'm going to start wearing and I have another pair coming in the mail from Zulily that I ordered a few weeks ago. 

Stretch marks? Lots of little ones appear basically every day but I'm not to concerned 

Exercise? Since I have been so sore, my exercise has been walking around the store while I'm shopping or walking down to Mary's apartment to hold her baby :) I also had a cold I got from Ben this week which didn't help my motivation. So hopefully next week I'll get back on track. 

Sleep? I'm getting into a pretty good routine, especially with the cooler weather. I usually wake up once between 1 and 3 to go to the bathroom then fall asleep pretty quickly. Then I wake up again between 4 and 6 to go to the bathroom again. About half the time I can fall back asleep until 8 and the other half of the time, I stay awake until 8 and then sleep for another hour or two after Ben leaves for work. I guess my body is training me to take care of a baby!

Movement? Lots of kicks, punches and head-butts lately. Wednesday and Thursday this week though she was moving a TON! Way more than she has been lately so that was fun :) She still likes to move right when I'm trying to fall asleep and first thing in the morning. 

Food cravings? Still lots of milk and smaller meals/snacks throughout the morning and into the early afternoon with not very much for dinner. 

Food aversions? Not really. Still have heartburn every night with varying degrees. I think I only had one really bad night this week though. So I'm trying to avoid eating too late or eating certain foods. 

Milestones? Down to once a week appointments. Doctor said baby probably won't go over due date; most likely a few days early (at least!). Baby in correct position to be born. My doctor predicts that as soon as I start having contractions my body will be able to get my baby out pretty quick!

Week 33 Update

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by! Yet, I am starting to get very impatient... I only have one more every-other-week appointment before I start going in every week!

At my most recent appointment, everything was going well! My blood pressure is doing great and has been nice and low throughout my last few appointments. At my last appointment I was measuring big, but at my appointment yesterday I was back on track with my measurements. I'm also doing really well with my weight gain.

This last week I started having Braxton Hicks Contractions over a few days. And I had the worst week and a half of sleep to date! Lots of waking up between 2 and 3 am and staying wide awake until about 5 when I would kind of fall back asleep until around 7 or 8.

How far along? 33 weeks 

Size of baby? The food still doesn't make sense. This week she is as big as celery, a honeydew melon, a pineapple or a cauliflower blossom. Again, these all seem to be different sizes to me. But based on the averages from my apps, she is about 18 inches and 4.5 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Still rocking the baggy t-shirts and exercise capris and shorts while I'm around the house. When I go out into the public, I wear one of the dresses I mentioned in my last update, a maxi skirt or I just started wearing some maternity jeggings I got when I first found out I was pregnant. They are sooo comfy! I'm hoping that the weather cools down a lot in the next week or so so I can keep wearing them.  

Stretch marks? I did finally get one on my stomach. It just appeared one day. 

Exercise? I'm usually just walking at the Rec Center nowadays. My friend Mary is having her baby any day so I've been flying solo with my exercise.   

Sleep? Ugg, I only had one night of GOOD sleep since my last update. And I'm pretty sure it was because I had gone so long without good sleep and that I took a Benadryl for my allergies.

Movement? She's a kicker! She is also starting to dig her hands and feet into my sides that is sometimes painful. But she is also moving in ways that tickle me too. It is so crazy how strong she is and how you can really see her move!

Food cravings? Still lots of milk and smaller meals/snacks throughout the morning and into the early afternoon with not very much for dinner. 

Food aversions? Not really. My heartburn has been acting up a lot this last week which was contributing to my lack of sleep I think. 

Milestones? Ben felt Baby move for the first time (Aug. 17th!) Final trip before baby comes (to Bryce Canyon) Braxton Hicks contractions have started

Week 31 Update

Nothing much has changed since my last update. The last two weeks I wake up at 3:45 am right on the dot every morning. But I have been able to fall back asleep pretty easily this last week (yay!). My allergies are still in full swing. I wake up with a very stuffy nose, itchy eyes and an extremely dry throat.

This baby is still kicking and is still super strong! Her most active times are right when I'm trying to go to bed (around 10:30 or 11:00), when I wake up in the middle of the night (between 3:30 and 4:00 am) and when I'm first awake in the morning (this has been anywhere from 5:00 am to 8:00 am depending on how well I slept the night before). She also is pretty active in the afternoon sometime between 2:00 and 4:00 and sometimes in the evenings around 8:00.

My doctor appointment went well today. I'm gaining weight just like I should, my blood pressure was excellent and I'm measuring a little bit big for how far along I should be. My doctor said not to worry and that we'll see how I measure at my next appointment and we'll go from there.

How far along? 31 weeks 

Size of baby? We are now to the point where the food hardly makes any sense. This week she is as big as an asparagus, a head of Romaine lettuce, a coconut or 4 navel oranges. None of those seem to be the same size to me... but from taking averages from the apps I use, she is about 16.5 inches long and about 3.5 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Some of my skirts are now getting a little tight around my tummy so I have been opting for mostly exercise pants and baggy t-shirts around the house. If I go out, I'm usually wearing this dress or this dress. 

Stretch marks? Still none that I can see!

Exercise? I'm still going to the Rec Center, usually I've been walking most days and doing Aqua Zumba once or twice a week.  

Sleep? I'm back to having a few really good nights in a row and then a couple of not so good nights. I usually wake up every morning right around 3:45 am and about half the time I fall easily back asleep and the other half of the time I stay awake until about 5:00 or 6:00 am before falling back asleep. 

Movement? She's still rocking in the movement department. Now, depending on how I sit/how she is situated inside me, you can sometimes see the movements through my stomach. It's kind of weird, but kind of cool at the same time. 

Food cravings? Not really. I'm still drinking a lot of milk. I've been having a daily afternoon snack of melted chocolate chips and peanut butter. And my stomach is definitely getting quite squished so I'm not eating a ton at once. I usually snack throughout the morning, have a normal lunch of leftovers, grilled cheese or Mac and cheese then I'm good until dinner where I only have a small serving of whatever we're eating. I have been finishing off my evenings with a granola bar or an Outshine popsicle. 

Food aversions? Not really. My heartburn hasn't been too bad these last few weeks and I'm hoping it's because I've adjusted my matching schedule a bit so I'm not eating so close to bed time. I'm also a lot more careful about how much I'm eating which really seems to help. 

Milestones? Measured big at the doctor's office. Celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by going to dinner (we're going on a trip in two weeks!). Bridger's wedding is tomorrow. Baby shower on Saturday! 

Week 29 Update

These last two weeks seemed to FLY by even though I haven't been doing a ton. My back felt significantly better these last two weeks. I've only had troubles the last few days but even then, it isn't as painful as it has been in the past. I think it helps that I'm going to Aqua Zumba a couple times a week. Being in the water is fantastic!

My allergies are kicking up again. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights were awful! I woke up around 3:00 or 3:30 and was wide awake until about 7:00. Some days I was able to sleep for a few more hours from 7:00-9:00 or 9:30 but not always. I'm pretty sure my waking up is caused by allergies since I wake up because I'm having a hard time breathing (either congestion or really dry throat or both), my eyes are super itchy and I'm always super, super hot! (But that is a normal state for me throughout this entire pregnancy.)

This last week or so, this baby girl has gotten STRONG! She is kicking and moving all the time and those movements are definitely getting a lot stronger. She can now move my Kindle or a book if I'm reading and it's resting on my stomach :) Ben still hasn't felt her move yet, but I think he will soon because her kicks are becoming a lot more pronounced now. 

How far along? 29 weeks 

Size of baby? Pineapple (16 inches, 2.5-3 pounds)

Maternity clothes? I haven't bought any new maternity clothes lately. And I'm hoping I won't for the rest of my pregnancy... I'm still preferring skirts and dresses and exercise pants with oversized t-shirts. 

Stretch marks? Still none that I can see!

Exercise? I'm still going with my friend Mary to the Rec Center a couple times a week and we've been doing more Aqua Zumba over the last few weeks. I also go with Ben once or twice a week and walk around the track while he does weights. 

Sleep? I was sleeping really, really well up until a few nights ago. This weekend I was able to get a few more nights of really good sleep and I'm hoping it will continue!

Movement? This girl still loves to move! She is getting so strong and can bump my Kindle or book that I'm reading when it's resting on my stomach. 

Food cravings? Not really. I have been eating a TON of cereal though. And I go through a ton of milk. Ever since we got home from Europe I've been drinking quite a bit of milk but the last few weeks I'm easily drinking a gallon a week on my own! 

Food aversions? Not really. But I've noticed that I'm really hungry when I wake up in the morning and I snack/eat throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. Usually around 1:00 or 2:00 I'm full and don't want to eat anything until at least 6:00 or 7:00. But I've noticed that when I eat later, I don't eat a ton, but I've been getting heartburn more often. I've also been feeling nauseous when I first wake up in the morning until I eat something. And even then, I don't feel too great until the afternoon. But no throwing up! 

Milestones? Baby is getting so strong! Passed my glucose test! Sleeping through (most) nights. 

Week 27 Update

Since my last post, I have slowly started to figure out my daily schedule, baby has continued to grow and we have finished up the last of our travels until after baby is born.

We celebrated the Fourth of July at Ben's parents and went to the Balloon Festival with Anna. We also went to Chick-fil-a on Cow Appreciation Day to get some free breakfast. The Davis Family Reunion was next on our activity list this last month in New Mexico. And we finally ended out my second trimester with a quick trip to St. George to see The Newsies at Tuacahn for Ben's 28th birthday. It has been so fun this last month celebrating some summer holidays and activities. It has been even more fun imagining these activities in the future with our little girl!

One not so great thing that happened this last month is that I got really bad food poisoning at our family reunion. We were in a slightly remote area that didn't have any medical facilities close by, so I sort of just rested the last day of our reunion and the day we were to come home, we stopped at the ER in Monticello so that I could get checked out. I was concerned about listeria and after calling the nurse line at my hospital, we decided that it was better to get checked out than for something bad to happen to our baby. So we stopped and were able to go right in (not many people in Monticello need to go to the ER on a Sunday morning apparently) and checked out. We were there for almost 3 hours and I got hooked up to a fetal monitoring machine (baby girl was fine the whole time) and I got hooked up to some IVs to get me rehydrated. After getting some blood tests done, my doctor determined that I did have a bacterial infection which could be listeria but there was no way to know for sure. He gave me a prescription for some antibiotics to take for the next week which are supposed to help. I'm feeling much better and I have heard the baby's heartbeat 3 times this week and each time the doctors say that she is doing well and sounds healthy :)

I'm officially into my last trimester! Which seems so crazy that it is going by this fast. I'm sure this last trimester might drag on (especially through the end of summer heat!) but I can't wait to meet our little one!

How far along? 27 weeks 

Size of baby? Cucumber or Lettuce (14.5 inches, 2 pounds)

Maternity clothes? I have two pairs of maternity shorts, but I don't love either one of them so I only wear them when I have to. I am mostly wearing exercise capris and skirts/dresses, none of which are maternity. I am still wearing mostly maternity shirts and bigger t-shirts. 

Stretch marks? Nope, but I am using a lot more lotion to help prevent them. 

Exercise? I go with my friend Mary to the Rec Center a couple times a week to go to a Barre class. She is also pregnant and is 6 weeks farther along than I am. It is fun to go with her so that we can do modified exercises together :) It is also the first time I've been to Barre and I'm really liking it! I like how it is very strength and flexibility focused which seems to be more up my alley the farther along I get. Cardio is definitely getting harder as this baby gets bigger!

Sleep? Oh, sleep. My nights of sleeping through the night are completely gone. It has been taking me a while to fall asleep every night (at least 30 minutes, but usually closer to at least an hour, sometimes more). And I also wake up for 1-3 hours each night before falling back asleep. Since this waking up is inevitable, I prefer if I wake up closer to 1 am or 2 am. That way I can fall back asleep by 4 am and still get another good 3 hours of sleep before I'm up for the day. If I wake up after 3 am, I usually only get 1-2 hours of additional sleep before I need to be up for the day. I would say around 3 times a week I also take an afternoon nap for anywhere from 30-90 minutes which are really helping. 

Movement? This girl loves to move! She seems to move all the time. She moves so much that I was concerned one weekend when I hardly felt her move at all! I called my doctor and they said it was probably fine, but that I could do a kick count to be sure. But since then she moves a lot, especially right when I'm going to sleep and when I wake up in the middle of the night, she is often kicking and wiggling. Ben hasn't been able to feel her yet but we're hoping he can soon!

Food cravings? Not really. I've been really loving Outshine fruit popsicles. They have a lot of fruit right in them and they have been lifesavers since it has been so hot in our apartment this last month. Since I've been sick though, I've been drinking a lot of Powerade and sticking to very bland food (toast, crackers, potatoes, plain pasta, etc.)

Food aversions? Not really. Foods some nights don't sound good, but I could still eat them. Most of the problem is that I get too full and then don't want to eat. 

Milestones? Baby still moving a TON. Wrapped up the last of our travels until baby comes. First time in the ER. End of second trimester!

Week 23 Update

I am definitely still loving this second trimester! I have felt so, so good. Even with our long 3 week trip through the British Isles, I was able to go, go, go for a lot longer than I was expecting to be able to. Our last few days in Europe were so miserably hot (compounded by the fact that Europe doesn't believe in air conditioning) then when we got home we are having almost 100 degree days which seems way too hot for June. Due to the heat (I'm assuming) my feet and ankles have been starting to swell like crazy. Even if I'm at home for most of the day, not running errands or anything, by the end of the day, they are still quite swollen. So when I am at home and can lay down, I try to keep them elevated as much as I can.

We find out the gender of our baby TODAY and I am so excited about it :) We went to the doctor's yesterday for a normal appointment and everything was great. We even heard hiccups when they were checking the heartbeat :) I switched doctors and I already like my new place a million times better than my old one.

How far along? 23 weeks 

Size of baby? Mango (8 inches, 1.2 pounds)

Maternity clothes? Since my last update I have still basically been living in skirts and stretchy jeans. During our trip to Europe, I ended up packing a pair of jeans that don't fit! So I only had 1 pair of jeans and 1 skies that I wore for our 3 weeks. It worked out ok, but now I never want to wear those jeans again. 

Stretch marks? Nope

Exercise? Since we were on vacation, I didn't really exercise because we were walking so much! Most days were between 15,000 and 20,000 steps with my top day hitting almost 25,000 steps. But now that I'm back home, I am working on getting into a good routine that includes walking at the Rec Center or going to Aqua Zumba. 

Sleep? Definitely not sleeping super well lately. Mostly because it has been so hot! When we were in Europe, especially on our cruise, I slept really well most nights because we had been so active during the day. But now that I'm back to a not as busy schedule, I'm finding it harder to sleep through the night. I still wake up 2-3 times but it is taking longer to fall asleep. I've also been waking up and just starting my day around 5:00 since I can't get back to sleep anyways. (Plus it is cooler in the morning and easier to do things around the house.)

Movement? Yes! The first movement was on my last day of school and I wasn't sure if it was actually the baby moving or not, but after these last few weeks I know that it for sure was! It must have been happy school was over :) Throughout our trip it started to move way, way more. It was especially active while we were riding trains, watching the evening show on our cruise and when we visited castles! About halfway through our trip I felt it have hiccups for the first time which was a really funny feeling. And when I was at the doctor's yesterday listening to the heartbeat, we could hear it having hiccups :)

Food cravings? Not really. There weren't many times on our trip where something sounded especially good. But the few times I did have cravings it was for Five Guys which we actually were able to eat at a few times. 

Food aversions? Not really an food aversions these last few weeks. Now that I'm back on a regular schedule though I'm curious to see if things start to sound bad. I'm planning on making a salad with dinner tonight so we will see if I can actually eat it. (Salad has been one of my biggest, and longest, food aversions this pregnancy)

Milestones? Baby moving a TON. Successfully had a nice trip to the British Isles. Switched doctors. Finding out TODAY what we are having :)

Week 17 Update

My second trimester really has been the best! I can't remember the last time I threw up. I am able to eat more of a variety of foods. And I'm not having nearly as many food aversions as I did in my first trimester! 

I have a LOT more energy which has made teaching much more enjoyable. I can now teach a normal day without feeling too tired and I can usually run a few errands after school a couple days a week without feeling exhausted. I also have been better the last few weeks at planning a menu and actually being able to eat what I planned! Ben has continued to be amazing with helping me with dinner and doing the dishes almost every night. He also continues to make me a smoothie for breakfast every day (which he has been doing for over 2 years!)

I have started to poke out over the last week or so. And it is definitely noticeable. I'm sticking with stretchy waisted skirts and pants as well as comfy maxi dresses and belly bands over my pre-pregnancy pants (if I have to wear them). I'm also starting to wear maternity shirts because I love how long they are!

One hard thing about this trimester is that I get cramps quite often from my growing baby. They are pretty constant and I get them almost every day. If I'm home, I try to just lay down as much as I can and that seems to help but when we are out and about or if I am teaching, they seem to be more painful. 

Starting around 14 weeks, I will have about 2 days a week to every other week where I am STARVING and eat for what seems like 2 days straight! Then I go back into eating smaller portions and snacking throughout the day. But for 2 days, I definitely feel like a teenaged boy with the amount of food I can consume!

We are gearing up for our Europe trip this summer to London and on a cruise around the British Isles. Everything is planned so far and I hopefully won't get too tired throughout our 3 week trip. I am also wrapping up my 3rd year of teaching and will be finished in a week and a half. 

We are planning on finding out the gender of our baby, but the clinic that I go to will not let you get an anatomy ultrasound before 20 weeks. And I will be 20 weeks 3 days after we leave on our trip. So, we won't be able to get that exciting news until we get home at the end of June. 

How far along? 17 weeks 

Size of baby? 5 inches (size of an onion) 6 ounces

Maternity clothes? I am still continuously wearing stretchy skirts and dresses as well as some elastic waisted non-maternity jeans from Old Navy that I am LOVING! I also have some belly bands that I wear with some work pants. And just this week I have started wearing maternity shirts because they are nice and long. 

Stretch marks? Nope

Exercise? I try to make sure I'm walking a lot more in my classroom, and starting last week, Ben and I have started going to the Rec Center 2-3 times a week to lift weights. 

Sleep? I have been sleeping GREAT until this last week. The last few nights I have had to wake up 2-3 times a night to readjust my sleeping position and then I have been waking up between 4:00 and 4:30 am wide awake and haven't been able to get back to sleep very well. 

Movement? Nothing yet, but I should in the next few weeks. 

Food cravings? Thick, chewy, chocolate chunk cookies have been on my craving list as well as Creamy Parmesan Pasta Roni. But more and more foods are starting to sound good. 

Food aversions? Still really against salad and pesto. I was totally against having leftovers for a few weeks, but now they are ok. 

Milestones? Well into my 2nd trimester. Finishing up the school year (done on May 26th). Finished planning our Europe trip that we go on in a few weeks. 

My First Trimester

Now that our Yellow Van Travels blog is out of it's first year and I'm into a routine with blogging over there, I now feel like I am ready to start blogging over here again on a (somewhat) regular basis.

To start out, I want to record how things are going in my pregnancy! After two rounds of infertility treatment without getting pregnant, we were planning on waiting to continue with treatment until the summer. But Heavenly Father had other plans for us! On February 7th we found out I was pregnant. We were both so excited and I wanted to tell everyone! It was so hard keeping it a secret for as long as we did. We told both of our families at the end of February and a few of our close friends in the weeks after. 

Overall I haven't been very sick throughout my pregnancy, and I am so grateful. In the beginning I was just so tired; I'd come home from work and be ready to go to bed. But over the last few weeks (right before we went on our trip to Washington D.C.) I started to get a lot more energy back which has been so great. 

I haven't been too sick. The first few weeks of my pregnancy I would be throw up a few times a week usually in the evenings. But right around week 10 I started getting sick in the morning if I didn't eat right away. Now I only get sick if I eat a lot of food after 6:30 or 7:00 at night or if I smell something bad (our garbage can and Cesar salad dressing are the two biggest culprits the last few weeks). 

I haven't had too many big cravings. But things that always sound good are mozzarella sticks (and almost anything that is salty and breaded), string cheese or cheese and crackers, applesauce, toast, mac and cheese (especially homemade!) and smoothies. I also am always wanting breads of all kinds and potatoes prepared in any way (baked is my favorite this week, but in the past fries and mashed have also been favorites). 

I seem to have more food aversions than cravings. Pesto, paninis, spicy foods, big chunks of meat, salad/any green veggies and Tomato Basil Wheat Thins (and lots of other things that are tomato based) are all off my eating list for a while. 

How far along? 13 weeks (as of April 13th)

Size of baby? 3 inches (size of a peach) .8 ounces

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I have ordered some shirts, 2 pairs of jeans and a swimming suit over the last few weeks. But my current pants are all feeling a bit too snug. I have 2 pairs of jeans that I can stand wearing, but for work I basically only wear stretchy skirts and dresses. When I get home from work (if I'm not going out again) I always go straight for exercise clothes or pajamas. 

Stretch marks? Not yet!

Exercise? I haven't really been exercising that much. But I'm hoping with my newfound energy that I can make it to the rec center a few times a week. 

Sleep? Most nights I sleep pretty well; usually once a week I wake up pretty frequently throughout the night. But almost every morning I wake up with some weird pain usually in my back or my arm from the weird sleeping positions I've been sleeping in. 

Movement? Nothing yet

Food cravings? This week the biggest cravings I've had are for homemade rolls and "Those Yummy Potatoes" (known to the rest of the Mormon world as Funeral Potatoes). 

Food aversions? Still really against salad and tomato based foods

Milestones? Almost out of my first trimester! Decided I'm not going back to teach in the fall. 2nd doctor appointment.