Half Baked!

 

Along: 20 weeks!

Size: The baby is the size of a small cantaloupe and we found out today that he or she is weighing in at about 12 ounces, which is just a bit above average, and is roughly 6.5 inches from head to bottom. The baby is swallowing more these days, which is good practice for the digestive system and is starting to produce meconium. This will accumulate in the bowels and eventually pass during delivery or in his/her first diaper.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I weighed myself today at a friends house and I'm holding steady at about 5-6 pounds. I have a doctors appointment next week, so that will give my a true number.

Maternity Clothes: I haven't worn any yet, but I did have to bust out the hair tie trick while I was in Germany. My pants buttoned on their own, but it made a little extra room for all the food I was eating! 

Gender: I float back and forth, but most people seem to be calling Little Luda a boy. At our ultrasound today the baby's heartbeat was 156, so with that I'm going to stick with my instinct and say girl, but only time will tell!

Movement: I have felt so much more movement and even though Shawn wasn't the first to feel the Nugget, Ashley and Michelle had that honor while I was in Germany, I love that other people are started to get the experience as well! This little one is going to be so loved!

Sleep: We did a lot of walking last week while touring, so I was exhausted! I had several nights of a solid 8 hours of sleep, minus the pee breaks, which was greatly appreciated. Of course naps in the car were a must most days even with the good sleep! 

Cravings: Fruit and Ice cream! This week we ate a lot of meat and bread, which was delicious I might add, and all I wanted was strawberries and avocados! 

Symptoms: I had my first experience with swollen piggies! I feel asleep with my legs crossed on the airplane and when I woke up my toes on my right foot were huge (at least in my eyes). I was wearing my compression socks like a good mommy, so fortunately it just stayed around my toes. Hunger comes on fast, which is has been true of the entire pregnancy and I'm much more sleepy, but other than that I feel great! 

What I'm Thankful For: Old friendships that don't change! I've seen Ashley every couple of months here recently, but I haven't seen Michelle since she got married in November of 2011 and when we got together it was like nothing had changed. We laughed, reminisced, talked about life changes and just enjoyed being together with lifelong friends. I loved every minute of it!

Best Moment of the Week: Last week was amazing. I was able to spend time catching up with my two best friends from high school in picturesque GERMANY, so it's hard to pick a "best moment" from that perspective. However, when I got home last night Shawn felt our Nugget move in my tummy for the first time and seeing his face light up from that is something I will never forget!

Here are few highlights from our trip to Germany:

Our evening hot spot for dessert!

Flossenburg Castle Ruins

                                               

On top of Flossenburg Castle ruins

Cathedral in the courtyard of Prague Castle

Praha

Praha, Czech Republic: St. Charles Bridge

Loved Rothenburg, Germany!

Little Luda's going to be a world traveller!!

Little Luda and I are headed out on our first big adventure! We'll be catching a flight this evening with one of my best friends from high school, Ashley, to go and visit another best friend from high school, Michelle, in GERMANY!! Michelle's Husband serves in the Army and they have been stationed there for the last year. Ashley and I have loved looking at Michelle's photos documenting the amazing adventure that she is having there with her Husband. Earlier this summer Chris, Michelle's husband, was sent on deployment, so what perfect time it is to visit her! Plus I miss her like crazy and when the three of us get together it is always an adventure. Michelle and Chris are an amazing couple and the courage they display, Chris serving for our country and Michelle waiting patiently for his return is amazing.

Here's a picture of the three of us summer after senior year of high school:

Michelle, Me and Ashley

So although this isn't the typical baby update post, I thought I would include some weekend highlights and low lights as well as a Little Luda love. Have I mentioned how much I love this Nugget already?!? I'm starting to feel more frequent movement, which excites me because it means we are closer to the day that Shawn will feel the baby move. I've been sleeping pretty well so far this week even though no amount of sleep seems to be enough and I'm still rocking most of my pre-pregnancy clothes! As for cravings, the most recent addiction...lemonade! Maybe it's because I went to Chik-fil-a two days in a row this past weekend and since I am trying to have zero caffeine, this in itself has been a challenge for this coffee lover, I opted for the lemonade and now I'm hooked!

We had a busy weekend. Daddy (just typing that makes me smile) went camping with some friends from work, so I went home for the weekend to see my family and go to a bridal shower. However, before all the fun could start my car decided to breakdown in the middle of the road. I just love when this happens, at least that's what everyone honking at me and throwing their arms in the air as they drove by must have thought. Make note, no one wants to break down in the middle of the road! The good thing is that God has a sense of humor and I broke down right in front of a car repair shop. After a jump from a friendly by-stander and a push from him and a few cops, my car ended up at the repair shop where I got a new battery and was on my way. Of course the fixing didn't last long and lights starting popping on again, but I made it to my parents and the little blue car and going to get some tender loving care this week, while I'm away. I read the following scripture the day after my car decided to throw a fit. I thought it was perfect timing!

"Moreover let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and hardship produce patience and unswerving endurance." -Romans 5:3

Once I got home, the weekend went by way too fast. My Dad had Vanilla Bean ice cream waiting for me when I got home, which is the only vanilla worth eating and I spent the evening with him and my brother. On Saturday, I made my first official yard sale purchase for the Nugget and then the real fun started when my Mom and I went to finish up registering for baby gear! Shawn and I had already knocked out Target, so we spent the afternoon at BuyBuyBaby. The amount of baby stuff they have to offer is overwhelming and pricey, but I think we had a successful registering experience. Now I'm ready to have our shower, so I can get everything ready for Little Luda's arrival. I can't believe we are almost half way there!

Saturday evening, I went to a Bridal shower for my dear friend, Brittany, soon-to-be Mrs. Garrett! I am so excited for the two of them to join together in marriage! Shawn is actually a groomsman in the wedding and even though I can't be there, the wedding is this Saturday and Little Luda and I will still be in Germany, I know that it is going to be a beautiful day celebrating two wonderful people! I can't wait to see what God has in store for them as they begin this exciting journey as Husband and Wife! Here are a few shots I was able to take while at the Bridal Shower:

On Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing my cousin, Skylar, baptized. Watching her make her proclamation of faith in Christ was such an awesome experience. She was baptized in the same church that I was baptized in 15 years ago and it brought back all the memories of the day I prayed to accept Christ with my Daddy.

Needless to to say it was a busy weekend filled with highs and lows, but despite it all I am reminded of God's goodness and His greatness. He is bigger than any bump in the road, like a sick car, and most importantly He loves us, despite of us, He loves us.

Happy Tuesday!
See you when Little Luda and I get back from our European travels!
Germany here we come!

How long does a Sweet Potato grow? 18 WEEKS!

Let's see if we can do this at 40 weeks!

Along: 18 weeks!

Size: Little Luda is the size of a Sweet Potato coming in at 5.6 in long and weighing 6.7 oz. Many of the baby's bones are starting to harden and among the first is the inner ear, which is why our Nugget might be able to hear sounds such as my heart beating or my tummy growling.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: My guess would be that I've gained a total of 5 pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. They'd like me to gain 1 pound a week from here on out, so we'll see how that goes!

Maternity Clothes: I'm sure I'm going to have to get a wardrobe of maternity clothes eventually, but for now I'm still able to wear most of my normal clothes. My mom did buy me a maternity top while I was at home over the holiday. I'm thinking that if I slowly collect the wardrobe it will be fully stocked for when it's time to bust it out.

Gender: It's a SURPRISE!! I love playing the guessing game and despite my baby boy dreams, I'm still thinking that I have a little girl growing in my belly!

Movement: Still feeling the flutters here and there, waiting for the big time movement to start.

Sleep: I started putting a pillow on my side to try and keep me from rolling onto my belly and it seems to be helping. I was able to have a few nights with at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, so I'm thankful for that!

Cravings: This week my favorites our BBQ chips, strawberries, cold milk (chocolate or white) and french fries. (We made a fast food run last night and it was glorious. I got a milkshake to dip my fries in, which is what I normally would do and I couldn't even get half way through the milk shake. It was too sweet and I just wanted the salty, fried goodness.)

Symptoms: I'm feeling more achy after long nights at work and exercise and I've started to get cramps in my legs during the night. The heartburn continues, but it's nothing a few tums can't handle and I've developed some round ligament pain. Other than that I really can't complain. I know that every symptom is just a sign of a healthy growing baby and I love it!

What I'm Thankful For: This may seem silly, but I'm thankful that I'm loving my new body. As my body grows and as the baby grows, I feel pretty. It might help that I have a sweet Hubby who also loves my growing bump.

Best Moment of the Week: We've decided on a baby boy and baby girl name...although we aren't going to share them! We've had a baby girl name picked out for a while, but the boy name has been much more difficult. Here's to hoping that I don't change my mind for the 100th time!

Red, White and Blue

Yesterday I was able to spend some time with my parents in Fredericksburg for the holiday. I love getting to spend time with my them, especially when there isn't a schedule involved and we can just hang out. Yesterday evening, we drove out to Sparta, Virginia to visit with family. We picked crabs and shot off fireworks (the good kind that you get at South of the Boarder on the way home from Florida...shhhh), which was the perfect way to spend the 4th of July.

With that being said, thank you to the men and women serving for our country and their families. The courage each of you displays on a daily basis, whether you're the one fighting or the one waiting patiently at home, is not measurable. 

Happy Friday and God Bless!

Pickin' crabs.

Cory.

Looks like the crab wanted payback!

Red, White and Delicious!

Love it when my Uncle really gets to laughing!

Dad, Mom, Aunt Julia and Uncle Stan

Me and Mel...you can see a bit of my bump!

Onions, Funyuns

Along: 17 weeks! Well technically 16 weeks 6 days. I'm posting a day early since I'm heading back to Fredericksburg to celebrate the holiday with family.

Size: This week Little Luda is the size of an onion. The nugget is a massive 5.9 ounces and is 5.1 inches long. Little Luda has mastered some simple reflexes such as swallowing, sucking and blinking. He or She may even have a bout of the hiccups. The baby is also starting to form fat under his/her skin which will prepare our little one for the temperature change from inside my womb to the outside world. Seeing as Little Luda will be arriving in December, lets hope he or she has a little extra chunk!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: We went to the doctor this morning and the verdict is...4 pounds! The NP said that was fine, so I'm ok with that.

Maternity Clothes: Still making my normal clothes work. I did try on a pair of jeans the other day, just to see if they still fit and as of now, everything is still working with my bump! I'm sure the day that I won't be able to zip up my paints is coming, but until then I'll keep rocking what I got in my closet.

Gender: ???

Movement: I've had a few flutters this week, which is exciting, but I'm looking forward to really feeling this Nugget move! While at our appointment this morning, the NP had a hard time keeping the Doppler on the baby's heartbeat because Little Luda was moving around so much. Looks like once I start feeling the movement, it's going to be a lot of it!   

Sleep: This is definitely a hit or miss for me. I'm able to fall asleep/back to sleep pretty easily, but I wake up often, mostly to pee or to roll over because I have maneuvered myself to my tummy. I move so much in my sleep and I always feel really guilty when I end up on my tummy. The good thing is that this week, I've had several days off from work, so I have been able to take plenty of power naps, which I love.

Cravings: My favorites this week have been avocados, oranges and egg and cheese sandwiches.

Symptoms: Heartburn and exhaustion.

What I'm Thankful For: I feel like there is so much going on for Shawn and I between having the baby and buying our town home that we forget to be still. The Lord has done so much for us and even through the bumps in the road, I know that He is faithful. So I decided to add this "category" to the blog. I'm going to keep it simple this week and because of my pregnancy "symptoms" I'm going to say that I am thankful for power naps and tums! I asked Shawn if he wanted to participate with writing this part of the blog, so his response was friendships. Since our lease ends in July and our town home will not be ready until early October, we have amazing friends, Zach and Nicole, that are allowing us to live in their basement during the in between time. With that being said, they have been working so hard to get the basement ready for our expected move in and we couldn't be more blessed that they are opening their home to us. We also are lucky to have another couple, Tom and Liz, who are journeying through pregnancy and becoming parents along side us, Liz is 5 weeks ahead of me. The two of them have been such good friends to me and Shawn and we are so thankful that God has put them in our lives! 

Best Moment of the Week: This week has been great! Busy, but great. I was able to have a stretch of days off from work which gave me time to spend with family and friends. On Saturday Shawn played softball in the afternoon with our Church softball team. He has so much fun out there, and I'm proud to say that the team finished 3rd in the tournament this year! Much improved from previous years. Here are a few shots from the game.

Keith, Shawn's brother has been a loyal fan throughout the season.

Nicole up to bat.

Shawn, getting ready for the pitch.

Then, that evening, I was able to go on a photo walk with people from our Sunday School class. We have friend, Jason, who takes amazing photographs, so he agreed to give us a little tutorial on portraits. Here are few shots from that evening.

Some close up photography.

Working on my portrait skills. I have to enhance my skills as much as I can before the baby comes!

Heather

Jason, the photographer himself.

Natalie

Liz, throwing up the 21! She was just over 21 weeks when we took this picture.

Me and Liz, modelling our bumps! (Photo by Heather)

And last, but certainly not least, we took my Dad to a Nationals game for Father's Day on Monday night. The Nationals won and it was $1 hot dog day, so we were happy campers.

It turned out to be a great night for baseball.

Al and Jason. LOVE Jason's facial expression in this one! ; )

Mom and Dad

Jason, Al, Katie, Mom, Dad, Shawn and Seth

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July!

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

Galatians 5:13