20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks...the doctor said my baby is 13 oz and right on track growth-wise!

Maternity clothes? Not officially, although my regular t-shirts are starting to make me look really squat.  I really don't have that many cute summer clothes in general and then limiting things even more by being pregnant is starting to feel a liiiiiiittle rough.
Sleep:  Better!  I've been sleeping basically upright, which helps a lot with the congestion.  I did feel extra tired this week though after the Memorial Day flooding madness.  I still feel like I haven't fully caught up on sleep.
Best moment this week:  Getting to see Baby J!!  It just makes it all so much more real!  I don't know how much you can really tell this from an ultrasound, but I think she looks like Jenna!!

This one is Baby J at 20 weeks...

...and this is Jenna at 20 weeks. 

Don't you think they look alike??  I guess I haven't looked too closely at many other ultrasounds, but I feel like you can tell they're sisters!  And then there's this one of Baby J, which I DEFINITELY think looks like Jenna did as an infant:

Granted, it's just her nose and mouth, but STILL!

Miss Anything?  Nope.  We bought a bunch of yummy deli meats to make subs this week, but I toasted mine and they were sooo good!
Movement: Definitely!  I'm still feeling her really low, but maybe that's normal?  I have an OB appointment on Monday, so I'll ask.  I love that Jacob can feel her kicking too!
Food cravings: I've been eating bananas again, which is just a pregnant thing for me.  Mostly, I've just been wanting sweets but I'll have to try and eat more fruits and yogurt because somehow I don't think Oreos are great for the baby.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, I've been feeling great!
Have you started to show yet: Yes...I'm not going to lie, I REALLY don't feel that cute this time around.  I started working out again this week because I definitely slacked off during my sleepy first trimester and then because the weather outside is so beastly.  (Ugh. Houston.)  Hopefully I'll feel a little better about myself after getting a few workout videos in every week!
Gender: Definitely a girl!  I have photo confirmation with a little arrow pointing towards her business and everything.  I feel like that's a little indecent and those ultrasound shots will never see the light of day.  You're welcome, Baby J.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? A lot out, and I can push it all the way out really easily, which I do whenever Jacob is least expecting it lol
Wedding rings on or off? On!  Although sometimes I take it off for a little bit because my finger starts to feel a little hot and claustrophobic...
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I was an emotional wreck this week!  It all came to a head on Thursday, which just HAPPENED to be my last day of work and just HAPPENED to be Dan's last day of living with us.  Add to that being extra tired AND being stressed because I found out last minute that Jenna wasn't allowed to come with me to the ultrasound AND Jacob couldn't get off work AND oh yeah, being pregnant...it was rough.  I tried to keep it together because I didn't want to be the crazy crying pregnant lady but that ended up making me very morose and cranky.  I think my crowning moment was when Jacob and Dan were chatting in the kitchen about how they were sure we would see each other again soon for one thing or another and I very sullenly said, "Doubt it."  I gave myself a little bit of a time out after that.
Looking forward to: Visitors!!!  Our whole month of June is so jam-packed with fun and I can't WAIT!  Time has been moving sooooo slowly for me, so I can't believe it's almost finally here!!

19 Weeks

I know I'm a full week late posting, but between my birthday and Memorial Day and all of Houston (including our cars) flooding, I just could not get around to making my chalkboard.  In any case, better late than never!!  And I threw in another picture to make up for being so late. :)

How far along? 19 weeks

Maternity clothes? No, it's amazing!  What if I went my whole pregnancy like this?? Just kidding, I don't know if that would actually be a good thing...
Sleep:  Not great! That classic pregnancy congestion kicked in just enough to make me wake up in a complete panic several times a night because I wasn't getting enough air.  A humidifier has helped, but mostly I just have to sleep with my mouth open right now.  Super sexy.
Best moment this week:  My brother got engaged, which was pretty great.  Also, my birthday was on Saturday, which was very fun and relaxing.  BEST of all, when we were walking around the mall, Jenna HELD MY HAND!  Which is a HUGE deal because she HATES having her hand held, yet there I was...walking around the mall with her tiny little hand in mine.  It was the BEST birthday present ever!!
Miss Anything?  Nope,
Movement: Lots!! Jacob started to be able to feel the kicks on the outside, which is SO fun!!
Food cravings: None, I've been pretty blasé about food this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I feel great!
Have you started to show yet: Oh yes.
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Mostly out!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  This has been a pretty happy week, although I did have a few weepy moments.  
Looking forward to: Baby J's 20 week ultrasound!!  It's on Friday and I can't wait to get a get close look at my baby girl!  And have the gender confirmed again...I know the blood tests are like 99% accurate but I think I'll feel SURE she's a girl once we see the ultrasound! 

Jenna 1.5

Age: One year and five months
Milestones:  Overhand throwing!  She's pretty good at it, we have a lot of fun passing the ball back and forth, either rolling or throwing.  None other than that, but we brought her to a park and she started climbing around all the equipment which felt like a milestone!
My Favorites: Her faces!! Every day she cracks me up with her reactions to everything around her.  The other day, we were trying to feed her carrots but she was not having it.  Jacob put some taco meat on top and mixed the carrots in to try and get her to eat them...it worked for a little while but then she took a scoop with her spoon and only got a piece of carrot.  She stared at it, shook it off her spoon, and then TOTALLY stared me down with her eyes almost completely squinted and her mouth pursed up really small.  Her face sooo clearly said, "I can't believe you tricked me!! Don't. Do that. Ever. Again."  It was amazing.  I love her excited face too.  Although really, it's more of a whole body thing.  She gets total happy feet and she shakes her hands band and forth or pushes them under her chin.
Her Favorites: Rocking out in the car, putting keys in and out of locks, Frozen, her koalas ("kla-la"), taking naps, dancing around, snuggling up under blankets, FaceTiming with her cousin Asher, and coloring!  She really hasn't done that much of it...I had her draw with a pen in a card a couple of times, but that's it.  Still, she asks to color almost every day.  We definitely need to get her some crayons!  She also LOVES reading.  It's the first thing she does every morning and honestly how we spend most of our days.  At one point I was making dinner in the kitchen and things were suspiciously quiet in Jenna's room so I went in to peek at her...she just was reading.  She just sat quietly and read for a half hour.  It warmed my heart so much I actually got a little teary...I just really felt like she was such a kindred spirit.  
Surprises: How much her personality is coming out!!  She is so silly and loving and playful...she loves tickling us (a.k.a. saying "tickatickatickaticka" while putting her hand on our arm/leg/back/etc.,) she loves feeding me and making me drink water, she peeks around corners and under tables at us giggling the whole time, she picks all of the nuts off of banana nut muffins and says "ucky" each time, she imitates us if we're being silly, she pats her baby doll on the back and goes "shh shh shh shh," and she decisively greets everyone we pass in grocery stores and restaurants ("LELLO.")  She's such a little person!
Other Notable Moments: She's been clicking her tongue when she's really excited about something, like Jacob coming home or eating cottage cheese.  She also tried to change her own diaper.  Miss independence!

"Bi-per"

Looking Forward To: Her half birthday!  We decided to give her birthday presents on her half birthday instead of her real one since she was born so close to Christmas...we're getting her gymnastics lessons and some coloring books and I think a little Jenna-sized table for her to color at.  Either that or a little bookshelf because all her books are currently precariously stacked in a little basket.  I'm so excited!!!! It's going to be fun for mom AND baby!

"Peek!"

"Mom, stop trying to turn everything into a photo op."

Look at that face!!

18 Weeks

I'm going to kick off this post with some facts about pregnancy that also happen to sum up my week.

You know you're pregnant when...

      ...your belly needs its own pillow

      ...you pull a stomach muscle because you were laying on your side and sneezed

      ...you absolutely MUST wear a tank top under your t-shirts, otherwise the underside of your belly gets a nice little draft

      ...you can't tell the difference between pregnancy symptoms and the stomach flu.  Apparently.

And now you know a little more about pregnancy.  You're welcome for the education.

How far along? 18 weeks...baby is the size of a sweet potato!

Maternity clothes? Not yet! (double fist pump!!) Although, as stated above, it's imperative for me to layer long tank tops under everything due to belly updraft.
Sleep:  Sooooooo goooood.  I slept soooo soundly this week.  I don't why, I don't know how, but I absolutely loved it.  Sweet sweet week of thick and thorough unconsciousness.
Best moment this week:  Lots of time with friends that was centered around good food!  Between Mother's Day brunch, date night, and having various people over, it's been a red letter week.
Miss Anything?  Eating dough, a little bit but...honestly I really haven't been missing much!
Movement: Kicking like crazy!  Although all the kicks are really low.  Suuuuuper low...like, below where the actual baby bump is low.  Makes me wonder why I even have this bump after all, if the baby is apparently never even UP there! [from eating an entire package of Pinwheels singlehandedly? Maybe...]
Food cravings: Sweet things!  Well...I guess I can't really tell if I'm CRAVING sweet things or if I'm just always eating them because they're always around.  Darn my husband and his giant sweet tooth and his ultra fast metabolism.  And mostly...darn my compulsive baking and lack of self control...
Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! Thankfully, that weird heartburn/acidity went away and now that I think about it...the fact that last week began and ended by Jenna throwing up probably means I just had the flu.
Have you started to show yet: Yes!  
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still mostly out!  I've gotten a lot of people asking me about why I want my belly button to be an outie so badly...first, because it's funny that Jacob is so grossed out by it.  Second, because when else am I going to have an outie?! Third, I told this story during one of my blogs the last time around but...when I was a little kid, I had an outie. Then one day when I was around 6, I was sitting around playing with my belly button because why not?  And I accidentally pushed it in!!  It was so completely alarming and I was so afraid to tell my parents because I thought for SURE I would get in trouble and that it would probably pop back out eventually.  Well, it never did.  It took me until I was 25 to confess to my parents that I pushed in my own belly button (I didn't get in trouble...phew) and now at almost 27, it's my last chance for my belly button to pop out again.  I've been waiting 20 years for this to happen.  This is my moment.
Wedding rings on or off? On!!!! Oh please please please fit for my whole pregnancy!
Happy or Moody most of the time:  This was a happy week, for sure!
Looking forward to: We're hosting a parenting bible study on the book Entrusted this summer...it starts on Wednesday and I can't WAIT!   It's such a good book and I really want to dig into it this summer to make sure Jacob and I are equipped for some full-scale parenting.  I know what you're thinking...haven't you already been parenting?  And the answer to that is no.  It's pretty much just been about making sure Jenna stays alive, which we have been doing splendidly, I might add.  But now that she's mobile and getting opinions and a sister and stuff...it's bound to get more complicated.

17 Weeks

So, the good news is I am AMAZING at gaining weight.  By Wednesday, I had already gained three more pounds, which I attribute largely to all of the delicious peanut butter and bacon sandwiches I ate.  Not peanut butter sandwiches and bacon sandwiches...peanut butter/bacon sandwiches.  Don't judge me.  It probably wasn't EXACTLY the kind of high-protein snacks my OB meant for me to eat and I probably shouldn't have put on 3 pounds in a week and a half, but they were delicious and I have zero regrets and you should go make yourself a peanut butter/bacon sandwich.

The bad news is my stomach is AMAZING at producing acid, and from Thursday morning until...now, my stomach has been in absolute turmoil and I'm a little afraid to eat now.  The only thing I've been able to eat without my stomach feeling absolutely agonizingly painful is cereal.  If I drink lots of milk, I can eat things like bread too.  It's been fun.  I'm hoping this is temporary because cereal is boring...although, I love any excuse to drink more milk!

How far along? 17 weeks...the size of an onion!

Maternity clothes? None yet
Sleep:  Rrrrrrrrrrrough.  Very rough.  I've had to get up a couple times in the middle of the night to pee, but the WORST was that nausea/stomach acidity thing I had going on in the second half of the week.  I literally woke up in the middle of the night once because my stomach hurt so bad.  I couldn't tell if I was queasy or hungry or having heartburn or what, and I was too tired to find a solution so I just laid there for hours. Ugh. Ewww plus, I started grinding my teeth again.  That happened when I was pregnant with Jenna too, but at least I know I stop doing it once I'm not pregnant anymore!!!
Best moment this week:  Jacob set his alarm and woke up early on Saturday morning, JUST so that he could clean the kitchen for me before I woke up.  He is a total star.
Miss Anything?  Not having a super acidic stomach...
Movement: Yes!!! I'm pretty sure those little twitches are baby kicks.  I love it!
Food cravings: The first half of the week, it was basically anything chocolate and of course the peanut butter/bacon sandwiches.  The second half of the week however...I think I really went off the deep end.  The ONLY thing that I wanted to eat was a fruit and yogurt parfait from Espresso Royale.  Specifically.  The trouble is, Espresso Royale is in Champaign, IL while I am in Texas.  But I was so desperate...I just wanted to eat something that didn't make me want to completely die so I sent a pleading e-mail to the Espresso Royale company.  

For the record, I have not heard back yet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Apparently coffee, anything that is rich, has chocolate, has citrus, or is spicy.  And whatever else ups the acid level in your stomach.  Things that help me NOT be sick: sleeping upright, drinking tons of milk, and the essential oil mix my wonderful friend AK mixed up for me. 
Have you started to show yet: Well I would say yes, but at the church BUNCO night I mentioned to a few people that I was pregnant and they kept saying they couldn't tell!!  Which...I really have no good response to. "Well...I am."  or  "Yeah well, I'm trying to make my baby really skinny."  or maybe  "Thanks, it's because the baby is snuggled so closely with my organs that my stomach acid is hanging out in my esophagus and sometimes my mouth.  Nice to meet you, by the way." 
Gender: A little girl!!  Jacob and I have been trying to narrow down some names this week...so fun!!!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? It depends how I'm sitting or standing, but it's usually at least 50% out...sometimes almost all the way!
Wedding rings on or off? On! Hooray!
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, except for when my stomach was blugh
Looking forward to: I know this is a little further off, but June is going to be full of so many fun visits!!  I keep thinking about it and I absolutely can't WAIT!

16 Weeks

Well, something happened this week that I NEVER dreamed would happen...my doctor told me I need to really try to gain some more weight.  Yep.  Try. To GAIN.  Apparently I've only gained about 3 pounds this whole pregnancy!!  :-/ Now, to be fair, the first time they weighed me I was wearing jeans and boots and I've been wearing yoga pants and shorts for every weigh-in after that so...let's take that into account and add a few extra pounds on for that.  But still!!!  She said I should shoot for gaining 15 lbs. over the whole pregnancy and that she thinks I'll have a tough time doing that.  Um...15?!  Did I or did I not gain 40 POUNDS when I was pregnant with Jenna without batting an eye?!  My first thought was obviously...cha ching!!!  I can definitely do more high-protein snacks throughout the day!  Ice cream has protein, right?  I'm all over this!!  But then for most of the week I've actually been feeling really guilty.  I don't want my baby to be malnourished!  And I didn't really realize it but I think I've been struggling more with the idea of weight gain during this pregnancy than I ever thought I would.  I've NEVER been a "watch-what-you-eat" kind of girl, but I guess I subconsciously became that a little bit.  I mean I ate plenty at meals and obviously didn't hold back on the Easter candy or anything, but I would get hungry around 10 or around 3 and would tell myself to hold off until lunch/dinner.  I mean you only need an extra 300 calories a day and I was pretty sure I was eating enough at meals to fulfill that but I guess not.  Anyway, I'm snacking a lot more this week and drinking more milk.  I definitely want my baby to grow big and strong and really have no reason to be afraid to gain weight....I lost it the last time, I can lose it again!  And I love to snack so I'm really looking forward to that part!

How far along? 16 weeks...my baby can hear this week!!  Hello baby!!!!!!!

Maternity clothes? Still no!  I gotta say, this is very convenient.
Sleep:  Good, but I have had a few vivid dreams...I actually woke myself (and Jacob) up because I was laughing so hard in my sleep one night!  It was a suuuuuuuuper weird feeling, but the dream WAS really funny.  Stacy was wearing a pink and purple luchador mask and dancing around....you know what?  Maybe you had to be there.
Best moment this week:  Hearing Baby J's heartbeat!  I always love that!! Jenna and I also had a lot of fun with some friends at the zoo on Friday.  Jenna completely freaked when she saw the cheetahs...she's obsessed with cats right now and one walked right by the fence while we were there.  The first thing she said when she woke up from her nap afterwards was "RAWR!!"
Miss Anything?  Nope!  Jacob and Dan have been working on brewing their own beer, which you would think would mean I would want to at least try some, but it totally made the house smell like sweat.  They're denying it and blaming it on my crazy pregnancy nose, but I know what I smelled!!!!!!
Movement: I think I've been feeling her move!  Just little nudges here and there, but I'm pretty sure it was the baby!
Food cravings: DESSERT!  I'm finding EVERY excuse I can to bake...by the end of next week I'll have made about 6-7 different things in a 2 week period.  I wish I was exaggerating.  Also, burgers and fries!  We found a really yummy place this past weekend that wasn't too expensive...I'll definitely be back soon!!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!  Sometimes I feel a really vague queasiness after I eat, but it's really so slight it's hardly worth mentioning.
Have you started to show yet: Yep!  I think strangers should be able to tell I'm pregnant now!  Or at least they'll wonder enough that they'll want to say something but will still be too afraid to accidentally offend me if I'm simply chubby so they won't actually say anything in the end...
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? It's starting to pop out! 
Wedding rings on or off? Still on
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!
Looking forward to: More reasons to make dessert!  We have a ladies BUNCO night on Friday and a small brunch on Mother's Day and I'm bringing dessert for BOTH! (and naturally, I have to be the one that brings the dessert so that  I can leave a large portion of it at home to snack on before and after the event...nomnomnom)