25 Weeks

I promise I will post a picture as soon as I can get Mike to take one for me!   

• How far along?  25 weeks

• Total Weight Gain: 15.3 pounds
• Maternity Clothes? need more bottoms!  This belly is starting to hang low!
• Stretch marks? None that are new since pregnancy.
• Sleep: I think I spoke too soon when I said last week that I don't get up in the middle of the night.  It definitely has begun again!  Also new this week is adding another pillow to raise my head.  I've had a few nights waking up to a panicky feeling because I couldn't breathe.
• Best moment this week:  Feeling baby kick/punch from the outside more
• Miss Anything? sleep
• Movement?  Much
• Food Cravings: Halloween candy is out already.  Need I say more?
• Anything make you queasy and sick? Eggs, scrambled.  Blegh.
• Gender Prediction: definitely not a fair questions.  Back to boy this week.
• Labor Signs: no Braxton Hick's this past week.  All clear.
• Symptoms:  Sciatica.  I've always had issues, but has definitely flared up.  Thank goodness for twice monthly massages.  My awesome therapist really worked on my piriformus muscles and IT bands yesterday.  It was a very good hurt!
• Belly Button in or out? in, but stretching.
• Wedding rings on or off? on
• Happy or Moody? Happy
• Looking forward to this week: possibly heading to the great Minnesota get-together, the State Fair.

Cowboy Up

Very excited! Just ordered Mike and I new cowboy boots. Why would I be so excited for this you ask? Because in our belly pic shoot in a few weeks I plan for both of us to wear them and find some cute baby cowboy boots for a foot shot of all three! How adorable will that be??! Instead of the typical shot of just normal footwear, do it western style in fall, gorgeous!

Ideas for Maternity Pictures

Here is a collage of ideas I'm looking at for maternity pictures in 7 weeks.

Top #2

Top #1

Thinking of adding black leggings with Top #1 and riding style boots. Probably wear jeans if it were Top #2 and with the Military Style jacket.
 

Or wear the long sleeve under this

This would be under the above sweater

 







 Thinking of taking a few pictures with pumpkins, laying down in leaves or walking through autumn colored trees with Mike.  Walking through a field with colored trees in the backdrop. Laying on the ground with a little pumpkin/gourd on my belly.  Trying to come up with a few other ideas.  Also have been working on ideas for newborn pictures!

Nursery Idea

Since we do not know what the gender of the baby is, I was going for an ocean theme and found Finding Nemo bedding at Babies R Us!  Perfect!  So the plan is to move forward with ocean colors with bright pops.  Looking for a rocking material for the drapes for the babies room.  I was thinking of doing the walls in a rich ocean bottom blue color and finding orange drapes to make the windows pop.  Orange like the color of the clown fish in the movie.

I found a lamp and decals to use!  So excited!  I was hoping to find a sandy bottom border decal as well. I figured even though this is a theme, it's something that could extend well into childhood before we may have to make a switch to something more teenager like!

 

Picture at 20 weeks

 I promise to try to get weekly pictures taken now with the help of my dear husband Mike!

24 Weeks

• How far along?  24 weeks
• Total Weight Gain: 14 pounds
• Maternity Clothes? bottoms definitely.  Few maternity tops.  Changing seasons, so may need to pick up a few key items like leggings!  I've heard glorious things about maternity leggings!
• Stretch marks? None that are new since pregnancy.
• Sleep: comes and goes.  No longer up in the middle of the night to pee, that stopped for now after first trimester. I do toss and turn every hour due to low back pain and hip pain.
• Best moment this week: Feeling much more movement!  Felt hiccups for the first time!
• Miss Anything? sounds selfish, but I miss alcohol! Summer has been rough avoiding ice cold Shandys, margaritas, mojitos, etc.
• Movement?  Lots!
• Food Cravings: fruit and sweets.  Cannot stand anything very salty.
• Anything make you queasy and sick? Not anymore.  Brushing my teeth, browning meat and mexican food used to make me gag.
• Gender Prediction: this changes week to week!  Thought girl initially for many Old Wives Tale reasoning....then boy for awhile...now girl again!
• Labor Signs: thankfully NO.  Am having some Braxton Hicks here and there, but nothing regular or for very long.
• Symptoms:  some minor swelling on the inside of my ankles on a day I cannot get my feet up for a little bit.
• Belly Button in or out? in, but stretching.
• Wedding rings on or off? on
• Happy or Moody? Happy most of the time.  Moodiness comes when I'm exhausted or watching something sappy.
• Looking forward to: Maternity pictures on October 7th with Maren Delaney Photography!  And fall decorating :)