Active!

I believe we have a very active one on board. During the day I feel little flutters and gentle movements periodically. After eating dinner and relaxing in the evenings is when Little One wakes up and wants to dance. Last night we were watching the news and I felt a good jab that startled me. I put my hand on my belly and it kicked again and I felt it move on the outside! I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination so I grabbed Garrett's hand and put it in the same place. A moment later Baby kicked again and I looked over and asked if he felt it. Simultaneously he looked over and asked if that was the baby. It made me really happy that he could feel it, and he liked it too. I was surprised to be able to feel it from the outside already. I looked up a forum online and many women start feeling it from the outside about this time. Baby stopped wiggling for a few minutes and then started up again. Then stopped, then started. Again, we'd put our hands on it. I think it was shying away from the little bit of pressure of our hands and didn't feel it again from the outside. I could still feel it inside. I'm starting to anticipate when it's going to give a jab. It feels like it's doing gentle rolls and somersaults and then, pow! Roll, twist, pow! Baby hadn't moved much for a few days so it was good to feel it more active. Ha, I'm not I'll be saying that in the coming months but for now it's cool. I'll feel better after seeing our amazing creation on ultrasound. Baby should be about 5.5 inches crown to rump, and close to 8 inches with legs.

We had a busy weekend. Friday night we watched The Blind Side. Great movie! Saturday I worked at KCA (Klondike Canine Academy) with the dogs and went home and made brownies. A group of girls and I went over to a friend's house for girls' night. I cut up fresh pineapple and watermelon. Laura, the host, made delicious lasagna and we all basically talked and ate for 5 hours. Well, at least I ate most of the time. But it was mostly healthy snacks. I only had 1/2 a brownie along with the fruit and mexican layer dip. Sunday we got up early and started working on landscaping outside. I worked on weeding the beds and Garrett removed the big dead bushes. Just before we moved in to the house the seller said a bug attacked a couple of them. She sprayed them and tried to get the bugs away but the bugs won. By noon I had to stop because I was too hot. I took a break every 30 minutes but it was just too warm. We had lunch and Garrett went back out and mowed. We need to go a garden center and pick out a few new shrubs to fill in the empty spots. We both have Monday off next week so hopefully we can get more accomplished. Garrett plans to put in vents on the roof of the garage and hopefully I can work on organizing inside.

Last Wednesday morning we had a few shallow holes in our yard. One was about 2 feet in diameter and we figured it was a coyote or dog. Well, we spoke with Neighbor Frank this weekend and he said he'd had a pig get out of its pen. It meandered over to our place, then back to his yard. He called a friend after finding it and they were able to corner it and get it back into the pen. The pigs are full-sized and not very nice apparently. Hopefully we won't step outside with Huntley and be surprised by a giant pig that weighs three times Huntley's weight.

Yesterday I was standing at the sink getting dinner ready when I saw our first Hummingbird! I was so excited. I've had the feeder out for two weeks and hadn't seen anything. I didn't see it again but am hopeful we will have some visitors. We also have a Robin with two babies in the nest just outside our front living room window. They are fun to watch.

Everyone stay cool during these warm days. Have a good week!

Update

A quick update, I have been feeling what I believe to be the baby moving almost daily since my last post. The last two nights after light exercising and then relaxing, there have been a few little pokes within a couple of minutes. I also felt it during the day yesterday, sitting in the lab at work. I've had two comments today from people saying "Wow, Chris! You look pregnant!" My response, laughing, "I wonder why" and "you're right." I will clarify that these people DO know I'm pregnant, otherwise they'd be in big trouble. I'm wearing a maternity shirt today that must accentuate the growing belly. I woke up feeling bigger and didn't want to wear anything fitted. My shirt is princess cut with gathering under the bust and then has a tie on the back. It is free flowing so makes me appear a bit bigger and screams, "Look at my Bellay!" I just wanted to wear something loose and comfy today. It's funny to see/hear how what I wear makes me look bigger or smaller. I'm having fun with it. It's nice to be showing now. It's like saying "look what I'm creating!" I'm so thankful and fortunate to have the capability of experiencing such an amazing process.

Hello Baby!

We are now 4 months/16 weeks. Monday night Garrett and I were sitting on the couch watching a bit of tv. I was a bit slouched with a pillow behind my back when I felt the baby move!! It felt like a little jab in the front of my belly. When people would describe feeling movement as a gas bubble, I thought "What?" I couldn't imagine it, until now. That's exactly what it felt like but instead of being deeper in my body, it was right out in front. It was soooo cool! I turned and looked at Garrett after thinking about it for a moment, and still surprised I said "I think I just felt our baby move!" He smiled and rubbed the belly. I haven't felt it since but am really excited and hoping to feel it again soon. I've tried using the heart monitor a few times with no luck. Baby is around 5 inches long and according to what I've read will be going through a growth spurt from now on. Hopefully we'll be able to hear it soon. In 3 weeks we'll be going in for the ultrasound. I can hardly wait! I think about it at least 3 times an hour.


Shirts that I bought only a few weeks ago are getting snug! They weren't maternity shirts, just shirts from Kohl's that were hip length princess cut. Another shirt that I'd bought a month ago was too big at first, now fits. The great thing about being pregnant right now is maternity clothes for summer are probably less expensive than winter maternity tops. AND I won't have to buy a big winter coat! I figured I may as well find good deals on clothes so I can be comfortable and cute throughout the 40 weeks and also because we hope to have another child in the distant future (don't get too excited). My cousin is getting married in June so I plan to go to the maternity store in our mall to buy a dress. I went in there few weeks ago and they had really cute dresses for around $30. Surely I'll be able to wear it at least a couple of times before Fall. Although by then I will be bigger and may want to wear something cooler. Anyway, I'd like to have a cute dress for the wedding so by golly I'm going to find one.


As far as cravings go, pizza still always sounds and is very good. Over the past week I've been craving smoothies and ice cream and milk shakes. We stopped at Steak n Shake last weekend and I had (I was good) a junior milk shake. It was oh so tasty. We went to Sam's and I bought a bag of Yoplait Smoothie mix. It has fruit and yogurt chunks and then you add milk. Quite yummy.


Our jobs have been keeping us busy as well as yard work and gardening. We planted tomato, jalapeno, watermelon and cantaloupe starts this week and hope the billions of rabbits around our house won't get through the fence we put up. The asparagus is in full swing and I've been enjoying some and taking the rest to work. On Tuesday morning I brought some in and the entire WalMart bag of it was gone in 1.5 hours. I am happy that's it's not going to waste.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

148!

The baby's heart rate was holding strong yesterday at 148! I've come to the conclusion that the doctor doesn't hold the doppler in place long enough. I find myself hardly breathing because I'm listening so carefully. And, it's breathtaking. I'd like to just sit and listen for a bit. My Mom bought me a heart rate monitor which says it works best at the end of the second trimester. I've still tried, hoping to hear the little one.

Today I feel exhausted. I was falling asleep this morning while Garrett drove us into town for work. I plan to take Huntley for a walk, eat dinner, watch NCIS and go to bed. I might, only might, empty the dishwasher and do a little laundry. We'll see. For now, I'm going to pick up my wonderful husband and head for home. Did I mention I will probably include eating Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream into my evening? It's good but I wish it were Central Dairy.

Take care!