26 & 27 weeks

I'm finally getting caught up on posting my weekly photos!

This was taken in Hawaii. No chalkboard this week, but I think the sand and scenery made up for the lack of consistency!

I made it to 27 weeks! I can't believe I am in the 3rd trimester already!

Due date: October 18, 2013

How far along: 27 weeks

Baby is as big as: a head of cauliflower (16 in, 2.5 lbs)

Gender: Unknown

Movement: " I like to move it, move it!"

Symptoms: Minus a few aches and pains, I'm still feeling pretty good. I've got the acid reflux issue under control (for now) and I'm sleeping better at night (for now).

Cravings: I've been really into fruit and veggie smoothies.

Looking forward to: I go to the doctor next week. I have to take the glucose test, but I'm still excited that I get to hear the heartbeat again! After this appointment, I start going to the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe it's time for the 2 week visits...

Best moment(s) of the week:
- Being in Hawaii for 10 days. This was such a relaxing and beautiful trip. I'm so glad we went, especially since we probably won't get that opportunity for a long time!
- Getting home from Hawaii (haha). Even though it was a great trip, I am so glad to be home! Hawaii is wonderful, but the traveling was not. When we got home on Tuesday, my poor feet were super swollen and I was exhausted. There is really nothing like your own bed!

Project nursery: I haven't really done anything in there for a while. We have all the furniture, except the chair. We haven't put anything on the walls...and I'm not sure we will. I'm not much of a decorator and I don't really know what to put up. I'm sure I'll find something I like...and if not, I'm sure the baby won't notice ;)

24 & 25 weeks

Due Date: October 18, 2013

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby is as big as: an eggplant (9.2 in, 2 lbs)

Gender: unknown

Movement: Baby Whitlock is kicking away! I mostly feel him/her kick in the morning and at night (when I am mostly relaxed). Dustin has been able to feel the baby move too!

Symptoms: Back pain, trouble getting comfortable at night, and the newest symptom: ACID REFLUX! Thank the Lord for Zantac! Even with the symptoms I've had, I feel like things have been pretty great! These symptoms can be annoying and inconvenient, but I know it will be worth it...and it won't be like this forever and will go away!

Cravings/aversions: nothing new

Looking forward to: Our Babymoon to Hawaii! We leaving tomorrow morning and will be there for 10 days. The only thing I am not looking forward to it the traveling and long plane rides. I plan on getting up every 30 min-1 hour. Which shouldn't be a problem since I usually have to make a bathroom break that often anyway!

Best moment(s) of the week:
-Dustin went out of town for a very long weekend and it was great to have him back this week.
-I got to see a lot of family this week. I went to BR to visit my parents and then I got to see Dustin's family on the 4th of July.
-I ordered a baby book last week!
-I went to the doctor and my check up went great. I got to hear the heartbeat again and everything seems to be measuring correctly and the baby is on track.

Other updates:
- I signed up for classes at the hospital. It's crazy to think that I only have 15 more weeks until my due date! I kind of panicked a little when I was look at the calendar and realized that there isn't much time! But it also made me very excited! I can't wait to meet Baby Whitlock!

21, 22, & 23 weeks!

Here are my weekly pictures from the past 3 weeks! I know I haven't been updating much, I just feel like I'm writing the same thing over and over. Which I guess is a good thing and proves that the 2nd trimester is bliss.

The past few weeks have been wonderful! I'm feeling great, for the most part, and am enjoying the summer and all the time I've been able to spend with Dustin, family, and friends. Here are some updates from my pregnancy journal:

Due date: October 18, 2013

How far along: 23 weeks and 3 days

Baby is as big as: an ear of corn (by the way, this is so confusing...so many websites say different things! That's why my weekly pictures don't always say a fruit. I'm just so unsure! The baby must be the length of an ear of corn)

Gender: Unknown. I had a another dream last week that we were having a girl. I love hearing every one's predictions!

Movement: The baby is getting stronger and stronger. The other day, I looked down at my belly and actually SAW him/her move!

Symptoms: Back pain, sleeplessness (due to not being able to get comfortable), and weight gain (haha)

Cravings: Chocolate milk

Aversions: Shrimp and sometimes chicken

Looking forward to: I am going to the doctor this week for a check-up. I always look forward to these!

Best moment this week(s):
- Feeling/seeing the baby move
- Ordering the glider
- Brandi showed me how to bathe a baby! She has been so helpful along with all of the other new mothers I know. I am trying to soak up every bit of information I can before the little one gets here. Luckily, I have such great family and friends that are willing to share everything they know, even the very personal stuff. I know there is only so much people can tell me and that I'm just going to have to experience motherhood and figure out what works best for us, but it sure does help to have people who are willing to share their experience (good and bad).

Worst moment:
- I went to the dentist...bad decision! My gums have been a little sensitive, but the cleaning was horrible! The hygienist kept apologizing because she knew it was killing me. I don't ever like going to the dentist, but that was by far the worst experience I have had. I almost started crying in the chair! Note to self: don't ever go to the dentist while pregnant!

Project nursery: We ordered a glider! It is the same glider that Temple has in the nursery. It was very comfortable and I think it will last a very long time. We had to order it so I'm not sure when it will come in. We pretty much have all the furniture for the baby's room, except a book shelf. Dustin is planning on building one for me.

Other: I am still exercising pretty regularly. I have had a lot more energy, but the heat is killing me. This past week, instead of walking outside, I went to Temple and used the elliptical and did upper body weights. Also, I started doing Prenatal Pilate's. It was much harder than I thought it would be, but I'm sure it will pay off later on in my pregnancy when I don't have as much energy. It also makes me feel great!

19 & 20 weeks

 19 weeks

 20 weeks

How far along: 20 weeks and 3 days

Gender: Unknown

Movement: I started feeling some movement this week! The kicks are very subtle, but it is such an amazing feeling! So far, this is the best part of pregnancy!

Symptoms: Back pain and some nausea, which I believe is caused by my blood sugar getting too low. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty great!

Cravings: Fruit, milk, pretty much healthy foods. I've been eating pretty well during this pregnancy, but I think seeing the baby during the 4D ultrasound made everything so real and has made me want to make sure this little sweet pea is getting all the right vitamins and minerals!

Aversions: Meat - specifically chicken. It just grosses me out.

Looking forward to:
~ Registering with Brandi in Monroe this week. I am so thankful she agreed to help me!

Fun Baby Fact:
~ Boy or girl, the baby's reproductive organs are almost fully formed!

Best moments of the week:
~ Seeing the baby on the 4D ultrasound - and we got a DVD! Now we can watch our baby wiggle and open and close it's mouth any time we want!
~ Feeling the baby move. I can't even describe what an amazing feeling it was when I realized the baby was moving.
~ People noticing I'm pregnant, and not just putting on extra pounds. Maternity clothes are awesome! They make you look pregnant and not just thick around the waist.
~ Painting Baby Whitlock's room. Dustin worked so hard this week and it is finished! The color is called Herb Cornucopia by Valspar. See photo below.
~ After the my ultrasound appointment I went to Target and bought a few baby items. I'll post a photo of some of those items.

I love the way the paint color turned out. It was much more of a challenge than I thought. The baby clothes are just so cute! I love the little ducks! Now I know they have blue on them, and the baby could be a girl, but is there really a "rule" that girls can't wear blue? So for all you baby clothes critics out there...get over it! haha I also bought some towels and a little hat and mittens. I just couldn't resist!

18 weeks

I finally made it to the last week of school! Hooray!!!!

Not much has changed since last week, so this will be a short entry. The only update is that I got my diaper bag in the mail. I am so excited about this purchase! I'm already carrying it as my purse and can't wait to add in those baby essentials in October. Here is a picture:

It's a Petunia Pickle Bottom Bag. The pouch in the front zips open on both sides and has a detachable changing pad! It also has a ton of pockets, is well made, and durable. I'm not sure what the fabric is called but it is the kind that can be simply wiped clean. Very cool!

Right now, all I'm really thinking about it getting everything in my classroom packed up. I wasn't really sure how I would feel about moving out of my classroom...will it be a sad moment? Will I start to regret my decision? Will pregnancy hormones make me overly emotional? I'm happy to say that I am not experiencing any of those feelings. I'm going to miss the classroom, but what I'm gaining is so much sweeter. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and I can't wait!

17 weeks!

How far along: 17 weeks and 3 days - 2nd trimester - only 22 weeks and 4 days to go!

Gender: Unknown until birth

Movement: I know this little peanut is twisting, kicking, and punching but I still have not felt any movement yet. This is probably what I'm looking forward to the most.

Symptoms: I'm getting over my sinus problems, but I'm still a little stuffy. Other than that, the only pregnancy symptom I have is an ever increasing waist!

Craving: I'm not really craving anything...boring, right?

Looking forward to:
- feeling the baby move
- our next ultrasound will be in a few weeks and it is what they called "the big" ultrasound. I can't wait to see our little one moving and to see him/her up close! Hopefully, he/she won't be camera shy...

Weekly development:
- Baby can yawn and hiccup!
- Baby's nervous system is maturing rapidly at this time.
- Nerves are forming more complex connections and the nerves in the brain are specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, and hearing.

Random updates:
- I purchased my first baby item today: The Diaper Bag. It will probably come in later this week and I'll post a picture next week.
- No progress on the nursery...
- Only 7 more school days left. I can do anything for 7 days...

And last, but not the least:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mommas out there! Especially my mom! Thanks for everything you have done for me and continue to do! Hope your day is wonderful.

16 weeks

Well, I have been sick. Apparently pregnancy just kills your immune system and I have ended up with a sinus infection. I started feeling bad earlier in the week and just thought with extra fluid and Vitamin C I could shake it. However, by Wednesday or Thursday it just seemed to be getting worse and worse. I went to my check up with my OB and she told me that if it got any worse, to call her and she would get me on some antibiotics. Up until that point I had not taken any medicine because I never get sick and never need any medicine. So on my way home from the doctor I stocked up on the few medications I could take, but I guess it was too late and I got worse through the night. I didn't sleep at all Thursday night and can't ever remember a time when I felt that miserable. Poor Dustin didn't know what to do. In the 3+ years we have been married, I have never been sick like that. Here and there I might get a little under the weather, but never like this. This was a first for him too! I ended up staying in bed ALL day Friday and most of the day Saturday. Today I'm feeling a lot better, but I can barely breathe and I've kind of lost my voice. Hopefully I will be even better tomorrow so I can teach.

The rest of my appointment went well. I got to see Baby Whitlock again and he/she looks great. The baby's little hand was up by his/her head and I could see its little fingers. I also got to hear that little heartbeat! I've never enjoyed going to the doctor as much as I have these past few visits. It's just a relief to see that everything is OK in there! I know that I'll feel better once I feel the baby move, but I'm not really expecting to feel anything for a while...but it sure would be nice to have some proof that I'm pregnant other than my clothes getting tighter and tighter and the 3-4 week appointments.

Other than my sinus infection, I have been feeling pretty good. No serious symptoms or problems. I've been a little more emotional this week, but I'm not sure if that has been from the exhaustion from being sick or the hormones!

I still haven't done much to prepare for Baby Whitlock's arrival. I did get my copy of Baby Wise this week and started reading. So far, it's pretty informative. I'm sure it will come in handy when we bring the baby home and try to get him/her on a schedule. Like I said before, I'm not really in a hurry to do anything in the nursery since I'll be home all summer and will have plenty of time to get all of that ready. And again, I'm a pretty laid back person and I'm just not really concerned about all of that. Once school is out, I'll have more time to focus on all of that stuff. We only have a few more weeks left of school and I am excited to say that my sweet sister-in-law, Brandi, has agreed to go with me to register. I have a list of things that I need but with so many choices and brands...I don't have a clue! So it will be nice to have someone to help me get what I need and to know what the best options are. God has truly blessed me with a loving family and I am so thankful for them! I mean, how many people have a sister-in-law that would be willing to give up an afternoon to help her clueless sister-in-law? Or how many people have a father-in-law who will bring them soup and Gatorade when they are sick? Awesome, right?

Well, that's all for this week. Sorry for the random and scattered post...I guess I had a lot on my mind. Have a wonderful week!