21 weeks pregnant!

Baby Growth: This week, Baby P learns a very important lesson: how to have sleep/wake cycles. These cycles will be much like they are when she is born. Right now, her skin is still very translucent. Her brain is also beginning another period of rapid growth. Her weight gain should slow just a little bit as brain function and heart function become the main thing that his body is focusing on in the next few weeks. She also has a lot of little “details” now – toenails, eyelashes, and eyebrows! She is about 11 inches long right now and weighs between 12-13 oz. 

 

My Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good all around except for that same pesky pain on my upper right side. Which my sister said she heard it could be nerve pain that might last the entire pregnancy! Yikes! I still get back pain throughout the day and especially at the end of day. Yesterday, my stomack was hurting really bad and it was extremely tight throughout the afternoon. It kind of started freaking me out (I worry way too much, way too fast), but I laid down when I got home from work and it went away. So hopefully it was just something random that didn't mean anything.

Weight:  I go to the Doctor this Friday so we will see how much more I've gained! Last time, I was at +10 pounds. But after looking at my pictures this week, I'm feeling pretty big so it wouldn't surprise me if I have gained a good bit more.

Belly Pictures:  I'm honestly not extremely happy with these, just because I feel like I look a lot bigger than I am right now. I guess I'm so harsh on myself anytime I gain weight so I just feel "chunky" right now :) So here they are...taken by my wonderful favorite photographers, Wild at Hart Photography!

 

 

 

My favorite is this one :)

 

And here is the belly at 21 weeks, obviously taken while Momma was relaxing on the couch!

 

 

 

Gender: Still all girl! And she finally has a name now! She will be Kynslie Mary Paulk! So excited we have finally decided on a name becuase there were several we really liked and had a hard time narrowing it down! We both really liked Kynslie for a long time and Mary was Merlin's mom's name so we knew we wanted that as her middle name from day one.  :)

Maternity Clothes: I'm on the hunt for some good maternity jeans because I know I will need some as it starts gettting cooler in the next few months. I bought a few new skirts, that actually weren't maternity but they fit great and so comfy!

Movement: I can definitely feel her moving all the time now! Its such an awesome feeling! I feel her rolling around during the day some but her kicks really pick up when I relax at night and am laying in the bed. I can usually see some of her kicks too when I'm laying down.


Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good! I'm still getting up once a night to potty and I flip flop sides every so often but I  still wake up feeling pretty refreshed unless I stay up too late :)

What I Miss: Being able to control my weight gain based on what I eat. I know weight gain is good for the baby but it is so hard to let go and just put it on when I've spent my whole life attempting to be a certain size!

 

What I’m Looking Forward To: Finishing the nursery! It has kinda been at a standstill for the last week or so because Merlin is so swamped with work, school, and studying. So, we still have the accent wall to finish and then start working on the next project, refinishing the dresser! I'm just so ready for it all to come together and get all the furniture in so it feels more like her nursery! Also looking forward to our appointment Friday and getting to see our baby girl again!

Cravings: Nothing really in particular this week. I did treat myself to a Chickfila cookies and cream milkshake because it was so hot and I was craving something cold! And it was A-MAZING! It's been so long since I've had one and it was just as good as I remembered!

 

Best Moment of the Week: Deciding on her name!!! Feels so good that we can actually call her "Kynslie" and not "Baby" all the time! I also loved being able to spend time with the family at Addy's birthday party and photo shoot fun with the photog and assistant! :)

Shout out to my crafty sista for this cute idea for our name reveal and making the banner!

 

 

My Concerns or Questions: I don't have any real concerns about her right now, but I am starting to research and try to figure out what we are going to do when I go back to work once she's born. I'm only planning to only take 6 weeks (unfortunately, thats what we will be able to afford) so we are trying to find someone in their home or that can come into our home and watch her from about Feb-July, when she's about 8 weeks til about 6 months. Thankfully, my  mom is retiring at the end of July so she will be keeping her full time after that! But it makes me nervous trying to find someone we can trust when she is so teeny tiny. I feel like I'm going to be a wreck leaving her any way I look at it! So, if anyone knows a trustworthy nanny, please let me know! :)

Goals for the Week: Pick out a color that we are going to paint the dresser! I want it to be pink to put against one of the grey walls but I'm just trying to decide how soft or bright of a pink I want to use! And hopefully make some more progress on the nursery!

20 weeks pregnant!

So...once again, I'm behind on my updates but atleast this time it's only a day! This week marked the halfway part in my pregnancy, yay! Kinda crazy because it seems like we were just finding out we were expecting! It has been a crazy week to say the least. After getting a brand new laptop a couple weeks ago, our air conditioner decided to go out twice in one week, our sink started leaking, and our printer has now stopped working...we are getting to know the phrase "when it rains, it pours" all too well! We are just continuing to pray that God will provide everything we need for this baby and I'm trying not to stress about anything because I know it will only be harmful to her!

 

 

Baby Growth: Baby P is about 10 inches long from her head to her feet which is about the length of a carrot. She also should weigh about 10.5 oz.  She’s been able to hiccup for about 4 weeks now, but it’s becoming more common and I may even start to feel it soon. Right now, Baby P is averaging about 18 hours per day of sleep and 6 hours per day of awake time.

This picture still measures crown to rump - which is why the length is different than what I posted above.

My Symptoms:

Overall, feeling pretty good. I do still have this random pain right below where my bra hits and it hurts really bad. It's not an internal pain, but outside on my skin. It seems to be where my stomach has not poked out at the top yet, but at the line where it starts to pop out toward the bottom. So its like my skin dents in a little and by the end of the day, the only thing that feels comfortable is me strecthing completely out or holding up my boob, haha. My energy level is still pretty good, which is a good thing becuase my schedule at work has gotten busier!

 

 

Weight: Haven't weighed this week, but I go back to the Doctor next Friday for our 22 week visit and we will see then. So as of right now, its still 10 pounds total.

Belly Pictures:

 

 

 

 

Gender: She's still all girl! And we are getting closer to finally having her name picked out, yay!

Maternity Clothes: I'm still able to wear most of my scrubs, regular shirts, and dresses.  But pants definitely have to be maternity! I really need to invest in some maternity shorts because none of mine fit anymore and it gets so hot wearing capris and sometimes I just don't feel like dressing up in skirts and dresses!

 

Movement: It is finally getting so much stronger! I feel her alot during the day and mostly at night, when I get home from work and lay down and rest. I can feel movement outside of my belly now and have even been able to see it a couple of times! Merlin finally felt her last week and I was so excited! But now, most of the time when I tell him she's moving and he sits and looks for a while, she stops moving! It's such an amazing feeling being able to feel her move around, definitely my favorite part of pregnancy so far!  

 

 

Sleep: My sleep is finally much better than it was! I think that pregnancy pillow has been a life saver! I still get up once a night to pee but I'm able to go back to bed pretty quickly.


What I Miss: Being able to get dressed quickly in whatever I want. I seem to go through about 5 outfits now before being pleased with the way I look in it!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery finished! Merlin started painting it this weekend (after we FINALLY got our AC fixed and it was cool enough in the house to do it) but he still has the accent wall to get done, which is the one I'm most excited about! We are doing three of the walls grey and the accent wall in white with pink chevron!!! (thats the plan, if we can pull it off, haha) I picked out some of her fabric this weekend too so I'm just really looking forward to everything coming together!

 

Here is a sneak preview of Daddy hard at work in her room!

 

 
I'm also looking forward to this weekend and spending time with all my family at my Addy bug's birthday party, can't believe she is turning 4! Where has the time gone???

Cravings: Nothing in particular this week, I'm just wanting to eat ALL the time!

Best Moment of the Week: Merlin getting to feel her kick! Well, technichally this happened at week 19, but since I had already updated, I'll still let it count this week!  I've been wanting him to be able to feel her like I can, so I was so excited and so was he!

My Concerns or Questions: Nothing really! Everything has been going great so far! We will get another ultrasound when we go next week since last time she was so low and all bunched up and we didn't get any good pictures of her. So, I'm just anxious to see her again and know she's developing normally like she should!

Goals for the Week: Getting the nursery painting finished so we can get the crib in there and start working on her bedding! We are also refinishing the dresser we bought and painting it a fun color, like pink! So I want to get started on that project this week too!

I'm back! 19 weeks pregnant!

I'm back....FINALLY!!!! I got so far behind on my blog becuase our computer decided to crash a few weeks ago and we had to wait it out a little while before we took the plunge to spend the money on a new one. We finally bought one so I can get back on track! So, I'm now 19 weeks pregnant and here is how it has been going the last few weeks!

Baby Growth:The baby is now about 8 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 8.5 oz. The baby is concentrating on brain growth and hair may be developing at this point. The baby is also starting to get covered in vernix – it’s basically a cheesy substance that covers the baby. This substance helps with delivery and protects the baby from all the water in the womb. Baby is now drinking lots and lots of amniotic fluid. Right now – the baby averages sleeping about 18 hours per day and is awake for about 6 hours a day.

My Symptoms: I am feeling a million times better than the first trimester! I don't have any more nausea and have my energy back...for the most part. I get pretty worn out at the end of the day and want to do nothing but relax on the couch when I get home from work! I have been getting pretty intense back pain during the day, mostly from lunch on, but it almost feels better to stand and work than to sit down. I've been laying back on a heating pad when I get home from work and that definitely helps with the pain!

I still have random mood swings and cry over things that are ridiculous and not even worth it and can't even explain why. Once again, poor Merlin, but he has been great at being supportive and letting me cry it out when I need to!

Weight: We had our doctor's appointment last week and I had gained 3 more pounds, so I've gained a total of 10 so far. The doctor seemed pleased with this weight gain so far, so that made me feel better!

Belly Pictures: Since I've been so far behind, here our my pictures from 18 and 19 weeks!

Gender: The doctor confirmed at our ultrasound last week that is defintiely still all girl! yay!

Maternity Clothes: Still able to fit into most of my shirts and dresses, but definitely have to wear all maternity for jeans, capris, or shorts!

Movement: I can feel her SO much more now and I definitely know what is her and whats not now! It's honestly the most amazing feeling in the world and makes me feel so great to know she is doing ok! The feelings are still pretty light, like a thump or a rolling feeling every now and then but it's definitely still there. I'm so ready for Merlin to be able to feel her from the outside!

Sleep: This has gotten much better since I've started using my sister's maternity pillow. I sleep facing it with it between my legs and then another pillow underneath my back. I still wake up a good bit becuase I'm uncomfortable and readjust, but it's still better than it was.

What I Miss: Honestly, I'm missing wine! I haven't really thought too much about it lately but then a few night ago, Merlin had a glass with dinnner and I wanted one so bad!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery painted so we can get our furniture in it! We were so blessed and found a friend of a friend that is selling their crib, mattress, changing table and dresser all for $250!!!! It's only 2 years old and still in great condition so we just may have to touch it up a little and it saves us so much money! We are SO thankful and we get to pick it up Friday! Yay!

Cravings: This is so incredibly random but a few days ago I craved an egg and cheese bagel like it was nobody's business! I detoured on my way to one of my patient's houses that day to go see if Metro Bagel was still open (I haven't been in years so thought I would at least try) but they aren't open anymore! I was totally let down but I did buy some blueberry bagels for the house this week, yumm! :)

Best Moment of the Week: Well, technically, this was last week but since I missed my update, I'll still use it! Our ultrasound last week! I just love being able to see our sweet baby girl! Although she was so incredibly low and curled up in a small ball so we werent' able to get any good pictures of her so the doctor said he would do another ultrasound next month so we could get a better view of her! But he told us she is developing completely normal and all her organs are just the way they should be right now!

We also finally picked out our paint colors this week so I can't wait for Merlin to get started on it!

My Concerns or Questions: Nothing right now because the doctor told use everything looked great with her last week!

Goals for the week: Get the nursery painted so we can have somewhere to put all her furniture on Friday! And start hunting around for fabric for her bedding and curtains!