11 Weeks

Ok I just have to confess.  I have been feeling SUPER embarrassed lately because I felt like I was getting so fat!  Like in my weekly pictures, I've been wearing loose-ish t-shirts and stuff because I didn't want everyone to see how chubby I was getting.  I mentioned this to Jacob and he said, "Julie, you're PREGNANT!"  Which was a perfectly logical and obvious this to say, but I kind of hadn't put two and two together........blame it on the baby brain?  So anyway, he made me go and look at the picture of when I was 11 weeks with Jenna and I look practically the same.  Which made me feel a lot better.  I have NO idea why I was having such a hard time because I DEFINITELY didn't care last pregnancy.  Maybe because I now know what it's like to have to lose an extra 40 pounds...yikes, don't remind me.  Worth it though, totally worth it.  In any case, I'm embracing the bump this week!

How far along? 11 weeks already!  This is going by so fast!
Maternity clothes? Not yet
Sleep:  For the majority of the week I was tired as usual, but towards the end of the week I started having a lot more energy. Like...scrub the floors, clean the stovetop, whip up some muffins kind of energy.  Aaaand then I totally crashed. Still, second trimester must be close!
Best moment this week:  I don't know about best, but I know my worst moment was when I was CHASED by a SNAKE.  Like it legitimately and intentionally CHASED me!  It was small, but that didn't make it ANY less terrifying.  But I think I can definitely be an official Texan now. 
Miss Anything?  Jacob made some REALLY tasty looking cookie dough last weekend that I wish I could've dug into!  Also, I bought some amazing freshly squeezed orange juice that I was super excited about until I saw that it was unpasteurized.  Booooooooo.
Movement: Not yet, but it should happen soon, right??
Food cravings: Potatoes!  And tomatoes, which I don't normally like but have just sounded SO yummy this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I feel good!  I was even able to chop up some onions this week with no nausea and only a few tears :)
Have you started to show yet: See the paragraph at the top of the post. At the beginning of the week, I would've said no, but then I was reminded I was pregnant so...yes.  Plus, I think I really started to pop more this week.  Not in a cute way, in a fat looking way but you have to start somewhere! 
Gender Prediction: Girl...I've been breaking out like crazy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In...but the top started to pop out a little bit just today!  There's little ridge on the top that isn't normally there.  Maybe it will come all the way out this time!!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I wish I could say happy but I feel like I've been super moody this week!  I mean, not SUPER moody...I'd say 85% of the time I'm happy, but I'll be perfectly happy one second and seriously annoyed the next.  I need to rein that in next week!
Looking forward to: Getting another ultrasound this week!  We're doing the genetic pre-screening...not because it will change how we handle the pregnancy in any way, but because if there is something going on then we want to be prepared and mostly because our OB said you get a really detailed sonogram!  I made the appointment for Friday, which Jacob has off so he can be there AND it also happens to be his birthday.  Super fun!

Jenna 1.3

 Age: One year and three months (for the past month I experimented with saying that she was "14 months" and I just can't bring myself to do it anymore.  It requires way too much math and when does it end?! I mean, technically I'm 322 months, but I'm not going to go around introducing myself that way.  It's madness.)
Milestones:  Even more words!  She's added bye, bunny, book, water, and a plethora of animal sounds to her vocab.  She's also tried to copy some sounds from her favorite book, "Quick as a Cricket." She'lI bring the book over and go "tkatkaktaktka" which I've taken to mean "Quick as a Cricket"...she also tries to say "poodle" and "you've got ME!" which is the last page of the book...she'll even put her arms up in the air, like the kid in the picture.  She's also gotten pretty good at dancing...she has several different moves, including some bouncing, spins, twisting around, and arm waving.  It's pretty entertaining and Disney Pandora is pretty much constantly playing around here.
My Favorites: Watching how quickly she's learning!  One second, she's barely glanced at her plastic horse, and the next she's saying "neigh!" and waving it around.  And she's started picking up her backpack (or really any bag she can find,) slinging it over her shoulder, and waving and saying "bye!" It's so cute and when did she pick up on that?!
Her Favorites: Reading, her daddy, footballs, being outside, playing peek-a-boo...she'll stand behind a wall or crouch down behind my knees and then pop out with the biggest grin. It is SUPER cute!  She's also still hugging and kissing EVERYTHING, which I obviously love.
Surprises: She had a few weeks this month where her skin got SUPER red anytime we touched it!  It was so weird...we'd wipe her face down after eating and her whole face would be bright red.  I pretended like her toy dog was licking her and it left these bright red stripes down her arm.  It was the weirdest thing!  It eventually just stopped happening, which makes me happy, but I'll probably still ask her pediatrician about it this week because it was so crazy and I'm just so curious what the deal was!!
Other Notable Moments: Jenna and I went to the Rodeo with some friends and OH my gosh!  It was so cute!! They had this adorable little area where kids pretended to be farmers...they got a basket and got to go pick vegetables, feed some pretend chickens to get an egg from them, they could milk a "cow" (Jenna just wanted to pet it...even though it was made of plastic,) collect wool from sheep, and at the end sell their stuff at the "farmers market" and use the money to buy a snack.   It was so. stinkin'. cute.  Jenna loved walking around with her basket and putting her little items in it (just in time for Easter!!)  And they had a sand box that was actually filled with corn kernels which was brilliant because no mess!  And she loved it.  We also went to the zoo with the Hobbs family.  It was SO fun seeing the kids interact!  Jenna loved basically any exhibit that had glass she could stand right up against.  So basically...the meerkats and other little furry animals.  She also just had a lot of fun walking around some of the little play areas they have around the zoo.  The whole day was such a blast.
Looking Forward To... Easter!!!  The fall/winter holidays are obviously the most fun overall because it's several months of festivities...I mean basically all of October-December is a holiday.  BUT Easter is probably my absolute favorite individual holiday because it is such a celebration!  I mean, it's like the Super Bowl of Christianity.  Our church in Illinois would really do it up right with huge choirs and confetti cannons, but even just a hearty and enthusiastic "Up From the Grave He Arose" is enough for me.  There's just such a reason to celebrate!!!  Plus, after seeing how much Jenna loved carrying around that basket at the Rodeo, I'm super excited to set up a little egg hunt for her in our backyard!!

10 Weeks

How far along? 10 weeks...wow!! Am I really almost out of the first trimester?!  Doesn't it end around 11 or 12 or 13 weeks? Or 14?  Ok I need to Google this, but still...this pregnancy is flying by!!
Maternity clothes? Nada
Sleep:  Naps are pretty mandatory, plus I've had a cold this week so I have been eeeeextra tired.  I was a super lazy mommy this week.  Mostly I laid on the ground while Jenna played around me and yesterday we watched Frozen all afternoon.  Honestly though, I kind of like sick days because it means extra snuggles.
Best moment this week:  Going to the Rodeo with Jenna and some other mom friends!!  It was so fun, and I'm definitely going to talk more about it in Jenna's monthly update.  Pregnancy-wise, the best moment of the week was when we grilled out, because red meat.
Miss Anything?  Having a clean kitchen!  Napping whenever Jenna naps means I have zero work time which pretty much means my house is a disaster zone!  No regrets though.  Naps are excellent.
Movement: No, but I can't wait!
Food cravings: Red meat still!!  And french fries are also often on my mind.  I think I singlehandedly ate an entire bag of hash browns this week...
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm having to avoid strong smells, such as raw onions and the giant crock pot of pork and sauerkraut I made this week.  I normally really like sauerkraut but this week it just smelled rancid to me.  This was a huge bummer.
Have you started to show yet: Not yet, but I tried to do this exercise where you lay on your stomach, lift your legs, and kick (it's supposed to be great for love handles) but had to stop right away because I definitely felt a little extra pressure in between my hips.  Hooray for an expanding womb!
Gender Prediction: All of these cravings for red meat and potatoes?  I'm going to say boy. Specifically, Ron Swanson.  I'm fairly certain that I'm giving birth to Ron Swanson.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!  Well, as happy as you can be when you're not feeling well.  Let's maybe shoot for "content."
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a boy or girl!! It's agonizing!!  There are all these boxes of Jenna's old clothes under her crib.  Will I be bringing those out again?  Should I be looking at boy clothes?  What will my baby be??!! It's so exciting!

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks
Maternity clothes? None, everything is still fitting great!
Sleep:  Pretty normal, other than an extra nap or two during the day.  My OB said I can actually sleep on my stomach for a little while and that has made things SO much easier at night!
Best moment this week:  I have two this week.  First, I had an appointment with my OB.  I had another ultrasound and little baby J looked so cute!!! You could see his/her tiny little legs sticking up in the air and his/her cute little cheeks and teeny beeny arms. 

Again, the light spot inside of the dark spot.  The baby is on his/her back, and the legs are on the right side and the little arm is on the bottom. Can you see?

My other favorite part of this week was meeting the Hobbs family at the zoo!!  It was so fun seeing the kids interact with each other (they're best friends for sure!) and watching Jenna get excited about the animals.  She mostly liked the little furry ones, like the meerkats but my favorite was when we got to see the elephants getting a bath.  The baby elephant was completely loving life whenever he got sprayed with water.  It was adorable.

I feel obligated to say that the elephants have a LOT more space that this.  This is just where they get their baths

Just a couple of pregnant mamas and their youngest babies!

Miss Anything?  Pi day was this week (it was a big one...3/14/15!!) and I really wanted to make Pioneer Woman's French Silk Pie, but it's basically 75% raw egg so that was a no go.  However, I made a black bottom peanut butter mousse pie instead and was not disappointed!
Movement: Not yet, but sometimes I'm gassy and pretend like it's the baby kicking...
Food cravings: Red meat!! Nomnomnom
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not as much! I can eat chicken again, which is HUGE!!  I'm still a little queasy around really strong smells, like onions.  They're fine cooked, I just can't chop them.
Have you started to show yet: Not yet
Gender Prediction: A girl.  I don't know!  I keep going back and forth, I don't know!!!  {Ok, really honestly truly, I feel like it's a girl most of the time because overall I feel like my symptoms are very similar, but I don't want to get my mind too set on one thing and risk feeling sad when we find out the gender.  Because really honestly truly, I will be 100% thrilled with a boy or a girl, but I don't handle unmet expectations well so I'm trying not to have expectations!  So I'm going to waffle a lot on this question to try and protect myself mentally because this question feels like a minefield to me, but between me and you...it's a girl.}
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, I think?  This is probably a better question to ask my husband haha
Looking forward to: Spring Break next week!!! I love my job, but it is going to be really nice not to have anywhere to go on Tuesday and Thursday!

8 Weeks

How far along? 8 weeks
Maternity clothes? Nope
Sleep:  Pretty good, although the not sleeping on my stomach thing is starting to get rough...whenever I try to lay on my side with my legs bent, my left knee just aches!  I'm 26 years old and have a bum knee?? Lame. (LOL! Just realized what I wrote...no pun intended, but that was a good one!)
Best moment this week:  I'm just excited that it's March!  Spring is RIGHT around the corner!
Miss Anything?  Liking chicken...
Movement: No, but I'm excited for that!
Food cravings: Red meat and eggs.  Just give me a big, juicy, greasy cheeseburger with a side of scrambled eggs.  And bacon.  And maybe some sausage.  And some hash browns and toast, if you can swing it. Kgreatthanx.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Oh. baby. Yes. I definitely had a brief but intense chicken aversion this week.  Unfortunately, I literally planned and purchased an ENTIRE week's worth of meals where the main ingredient in every. single. dish was freaking. chicken.  Chicken salad, chicken cacciatore, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, tortilla soup (with chicken), and creamy chicken salsa verde tacos.  For real.  First of all, I clearly need to mix things up.  Second of all, I ate a LOT of scrambled eggs for dinner this week. Like...a LOT a lot.  But no complaints really.  Breakfast is good at any time of day!
Have you started to show yet: Not yet
Gender Prediction: A boy!  I was NOT this queasy with Jenna and I don't remember having any food aversions.  Not like this anyway.  I guess I can always look back at my old posts to verify that, I could just be having baby brain.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, except during dinner the other night...I took one bite of food and started full scale weeping because "the baby doesn't like chicken tacos."  After many hugs and "there there's" (where I'm sure Jacob was working really hard not to laugh) we backtracked and made me some scrambled eggs, which were delicious.
Looking forward to: Not being nauseated anymore!

7 Weeks

How far along? 7 weeks
Maternity clothes? Nope, still fitting into everything ok!
Sleep:  Lots of napping when Jenna naps and tired enough that I couldn't bring myself to pick out a cute outfit for the picture this week but still...lots of naps are a beautiful thing
Best moment this week:  Finding Blue Bell's I <3 Chocolate ice cream at HEB!!!! It's my favorite favorite seasonal flavor and I've been looking for it all through February! Those chocolate covered cake pieces in it are just mm mmm mmmmmmmm!!!!
Miss Anything?  No, I'm doing pretty well on that front.  I almost went to go buy a coffee (something I know is allowed but I mostly stay away from in the first trimester anyway) but by the time I got to Starbucks I decided I wasn't feeling it anymore and went on my merry way.  It probably saved me from a lot of unnecessary guilt anyway.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: This is terrible but...fast food!  We haven't really had fast food in a looong time (because we're broke, not because we're healthy...ha) but it is ALL I can think about right now!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I've definitely had to pop open a few ginger ales this week...not because of anything in particular, just general nausea
Have you started to show yet: Nope
Gender Prediction: When I was pregnant with Jenna, I dreamt she was a girl and then couldn't shake the feeling that she was.  I had a dream this week that Baby J was a boy, but I woke up and....it just felt really off.  I sat up and thought, "Hm...no, that doesn't feel right..." so I'm going with girl.  If I'm right, someone should probably get me a technicolor dream coat.  If I'm wrong, then...Son, it doesn't mean anything.  Your mother is just crazy and pregnant.
Labor Signs: None, thankfully :)
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!
Looking forward to: Showing! And just having everyone know.  It just feels really weird this time around to be pregnant and not telling anyone about it