24 Weeks

This week was a good one, even if my emotions were in the dumps. When I was 9 weeks pregnant I made a post about things they never tell you and I'm tempted to do another one, now that I'm further along. However, this one would be all about the emotional side of things. Here's a shortened version of what would be in that blog post. 

I always imagined that being pregnant and having that baby bump would make me so happy. I thought I would relish in the fact that the world was able to see that I was growing a human being inside of me. I thought my mind would know the difference between being fat and being pregnant. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's not what happened. When I look in the mirror I see a huge gross belly that, if I wasn't pregnant, I would be working night and day to make it go away. I worry about what I'm eating because I don't want to gain too much weight and actually be fat, but at the same time I worry that I won't eat enough for Piper to be healthy. That being said I want you all to know that I am eating. I eat whenever I'm hungry and I try to maintain a balanced diet. 

I hate when people make comments to me about my growing middle section and have been tempted to skip out on church or other social activities because I don't want anyone to mention it. I post pictures and updates about it on social media sites so that these comments can be made there and not to me in person. I'm a total freak. I know. I won't let anyone touch my stomach except for my husband and the only reason he's allowed to is because she's his daughter and I don't want to take that experience away from him. Everyone else must back off though. I won't even let my mom touch my stomach. Seriously. I even bought a shirt that says "can't touch this" across the belly. 

Okay, rant over. Now on to other things.

How far along: 24 weeks!

Gender: A sweet baby girl! We are so excited to be adding a princess to our family!

Maternity clothes: I can still wear my jeans. I am only 6 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight and my belly is kind of high so I'm thinking that's why. However, they aren't comfortable. I never was a fan of wearing jeans. So I mostly wear dresses, skirts, or these flowy pants I found at Target! I think they are called palazzos or something to that effect. Anyways, they are big and flowy and feel like pajamas, but they aren't so I am allowed to wear them in public. I love them. 

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: It is still in, but very shallow. 

Sleep: I think Piper heard me taking delight in the fact that I didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to pee because I have had to do that every single night this week. She's a stinker! I have also increased my water intake by like double what I was drinking before...so that probably plays a factor. 

Best moment this week: I got to visit my kids yesterday! That was a wonderful little treat. Most of my students are in summer school right now so I was able to go see them and spend a little bit of time catching up with my old co-workers. It was so fun to see those cute kids. I sure did miss them. 

Worst moment this week: Cleaning. I was cleaning up my house in anticipation of my aunt and uncle coming and I went into a crazy nesting attack. You've probably heard that pregnant women do that. Well it happened to me. I vacuumed everything, baseboards, blinds, the crevices. Seriously. While doing my little bit of cleaning I picked up a board of wood that Caleb had brought home from work to put it outside. Well, turns out that this particular piece of wood has a little metal shard on it that decided to stick into my skin like a splinter. I bled a lot. For a splinter. It hurt like crazy and I ended up not even getting it all out so I had to soak my finger in white vinegar to get the rest of it. It hurt. So. Bad. 

Miss anything: Sleeping in my stomach. Also, I have forgotten what it feels like to feel normal. I'm not sure that will ever happen to me again. Oh, and I would like to be able to stand for more than 10 minutes without feeling like I'm going to faint...what's up with that? 

Movement: A little more this week than last. When she does move it's more like she's twirling instead of kicking. We may have a dance on our hands!

Cravings: Still no. Maybe I'll never get them. This better not mean that Piper's a picky eater. 

Queasy or sick: Not this week! I am SO grateful to be over that part of the pregnancy. 

Looking forward to: Date night this weekend :) Tomorrow my husband and I are going to do a session at the temple and then on Saturday we are going to go see the Wizard of Oz at Tuachan! We got a really good deal on the tickets so we splurged a little and are going to have the pre-show dinner there as well :) I am very very excited! But I know that watching the show will make me sad that I'm not in a show because that's what always happens. Maybe one day I'll find my way back on stage. 

Extra: Here's the registry link. http://www.target.com/GiftRegistrySearchViewCmd?registryType=BB&jsRequest=true&catalogId=10051&status=completePage&cumulativeTime=-1&listId=GXCHgkyVBN9G_dcj-V7vUQ&noOfPings=&registryFirstName=Rebekah&langId=-1&segmentGrpName=-1&storeId=10151&registryLastName=Hackett Just copy and past that huge thing in...or press here.

Just a little comparison for ya. 

23 Weeks

Sometimes I don't even feel pregnant...well, most times actually. I feel fat, but that's all. I don't feel Piper move very often, even though everyone says I should this far along, but she's very small so she still has a lot of room to move around. I can still sleep regularly and I'm not swelling up or anything. Everytime I read one of my pregnancy apps and it talks about all these discomforts of pregnancy I worry because I don't have them...so that must mean there's something wrong with me, right? I know, I know, nothing's wrong and I should be grateful to have this so easy! The worst problems I have are headaches and getting sick if I don't eat in decent time intervals. This week I'm going to work on gratitude for an easy pregnancy...it may never happen again. 

Also, I have been asked about a registry a couple of times in the past week, so I finished it up (I think) and here's the link. (Just press the word "link" and it will take you there). I didn't register for clothes and such, but please, if you want to send me some adorable girly outfits, FEEL FREE! We are also decorating her nursery with a princess theme (of course) so if you want to send some princess decorations our way we won't complain :) 

 

How far along: 23 weeks! We are into our 6th month now! It feels surreal. 

Gender: A sweet baby girl! We are so excited to be adding a princess to our family!

Maternity clothes: I bought a pair of maternity pants and a super cute dress this past weekend from Motherhood. Man, that store is expensive! But I had a gift card from my mom, so that brought the price down considerably. That being said, I can still button my jeans. The pants in this weeks picture are buttoned and a size three. My mom reminds me everyday that there's something very wrong with that...maybe my belly is just really high...

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: It's in, but I'm not holding out hope for much longer. It's gotten very shallow. 

Sleep: Pretty much the same as last week. I have a hard time falling asleep because I'm not tired, but once I get to sleep I'm good. I'll wake up around 7:30 because I have to go pee and then I just get started with my day. I enjoy the fact that I can still sleep through the night. 

Best moment this week: Getting some temporary medical assistance! I have been working on that since we got pregnant and this week it finally happened! I was a little embarrassed about the fact that I am now relying on the government to help me pay for this pregnancy, but as my little sister reminded me, I actually pay my taxes and work hard so that I won't be on government assistance my whole life, so the government owes me. lol Thanks to all of you too! Your money is paying for my baby! :) Oh, also last night when Caleb read Goodnight Moon to Piper. That has got to be the MOST adorable thing he's ever done. 

Worst moment this week: Nothing bad really happened this week...Well, they did cut Caleb's hours at work, but just half an hour every day. So hopefully that won't be too big of a deal. 

Miss anything: Laying on my stomach and not feeling like a fatso. 

Movement: A little. I know my doctor said that she's still really tiny for how far along she is so she has lots of room, but I wish I could feel her more. Maybe I'll have to start eating some fattening foods so I can feel some more of her. 

Cravings: Not really. However, when I want something I blame it on a craving...even though both Caleb and I know that I don't actually crave it, it just sounds good. For example, last week we were talking about Chik-fil-a lemonade and how good it is, so I told him I was calling pregnancy craving and we went and got some. Did you know that you can buy it in a gallon??? Well, you can. It's only $10 and it's beyond worth it. 

Queasy or sick: A little bit the other day because I didn't eat enough. 

Looking forward to: The 4th of July! My husband has the day off :) Also, on Monday my Aunt Tammi is coming to visit! 

Please Excuse the Interruption...

It's been awhile since I posted something other than baby stuff, so I'm taking a few minutes to tell you a sappy story. 

I recently heard the song "I Don't Dance" by Lee Brice and it reminded me of this wonderful little moment Caleb and I had on our honeymoon. 

We were in Las Vegas, walking the strip, and we went through the Bellagio Hotel. As we were walking through it we stumbled upon this little concert. It was just a small stage set up in one of the many wings of the hotel. There were about twenty people sitting around listening to the singer. Caleb and I stopped to listen, just to take a little break from all the walking. 

The guy started to sing a slow song, I don't remember what song it was or if I even knew it. I looked at Caleb and told him we should start dancing. He laughed and replied, "I don't dance." With a little more pestering he finally agreed. I'll admit, I got really nervous when he agreed to it! I didn't think he would and I wasn't so sure I wanted to make a spectacle of myself in front of all these random people. I think I may have even told him I had changed my mind, but we got up and did it anyways. 

So there we were, just the two of us, dancing. It felt like there was no one else around. I just snuggled up close to my cute new husband and danced. When the song was over, I half expected to look up and see that other couples had taken a hint from us and joined in, but nobody had, we were still all alone up there! 

I will never forget that sweet moment. I am beyond grateful that Caleb and I are able to push one another out of our comfort zones and that we can grow together. That's how you know you married a good one. 

22 Weeks

Piper's taste buds are forming this week! That must be why I really want to eat now! She is FINALLY realizing that food is our friend!  The bad news is all she wants are sweets and I don't want to eat a ton of sweets because it's not healthy for either one of us. Eating those sweets must have helped though because I am now two pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight! And, because I am now over my pre-pregnancy weight I will not be letting all of you know how much I am gaining from here on out. 

How far along: 22 weeks!

Gender: A sweet baby girl! We are so excited to be adding a princess to our family!

Maternity clothes: I can still button my jeans, but I don't. I need to go buy some maternity clothes, but I don't want to get pants and such until I'm much bigger. Is that dumb? I know nothing about maternity pants...are they supposed to fit throughout different stages of pregnancy? I feel like that's a stupid question...

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: It's still in, but not for long! 

Sleep: Pretty normal. The only difficult part has been falling asleep. I am just not tired. Weird.

Best moment this week: Our doctor appointment. Even though we sat there waiting for an hour only to meet with the doctor for 3 minutes...But we got to hear our baby's heartbeat! I love hearing that. He also said that I am right on track with weight and size and that I carry my sweet little girl really well! 

Worst moment this week: Being bored. Now that I'm not working I am incredibly bored throughout the day. I also ran out of books to read right as we had to take the car to the shop so I couldn't go to the library.

Miss anything: Laying on my stomach. 

Movement: A little bit! My doctor said I should be able to feel a little, but Piper still has a lot of room to move around and in a few weeks I will be able to feel her a whole lot more. 

Cravings: I guess...they aren't like crazy cravings where I have to have it, but sweets are always a good thing :)

Queasy or sick: Nope! Thank heavens. 

Looking forward to: The weekend. Always the weekend. When I get my hubby to myself and I don't have to send him to work it's always a good day!

21 Weeks

I can't believe we are now more than halfway there. This week has been full of ups and downs. But I have total faith that the Lord is in charge and is doing what's best for my family. Also, I talked to my thyroid doctor today and she said that my most recent blood work came back completely normal. Yay! I am also one pound away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm supposed to have gained like 15 pounds...oh well. 

 

How far along: 21 weeks!

Gender: A sweet baby girl! We are so excited to be adding a princess to our family!

Maternity clothes: I'm still able to wear and button my jeans...but I don't really want to. They are tight. 

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: It's still in, but not for long! 

Sleep: Sleeping has been find. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Best moment this week: My little brother coming home. I know that may be weird to you, but he needed to come home and get his anxiety issues under control. I am so proud of the choice he made to come home and get some help and then go back out to the West Indies. Oh, and buying a car. That was a really great moment. 

Worst moment this week: Ya know, I don't think that I can pinpoint a 'worst' moment. There was some emotional turmoil...worrying about my brother's well-being, but it was a good week. 

Miss anything: Laying on my stomach. 

Movement: I think so. I guess I don't really know what it's supposed to feel like. But this morning Caleb and I felt a few things that felt like a baby kicking...I think. lol 

Cravings: No, again. Is it possible to go your entire pregnancy without any cravings? Because that would suck. 

Queasy or sick: Nope! Thank heavens. 

Looking forward to: The weekend. I have been busy this week so I need some R&R.

20 Weeks

The bump continues to grow! I am still not up to my pre-pregnancy weight...2 pounds to go! This morning in my pregnancy app it said that I should have gained 10-13 pounds by now...Oh well. I'll get there. This week has been really emotional, and being pregnant has certainly not helped. I'm so grateful for this sweet baby! She is going to be such a lifesaver in our family as we miss our brother/son. Read on for more!

How far along: 20 weeks!!! We are halfway there! That seems so crazy to me! We are almost done with our fifth month! It's going by really fast...but I'm also not uncomfortable so that might be why. 

Gender: A sweet baby girl! We are so excited to be adding a princess to our family!

Maternity clothes: I can still wear my jeans and button them too, but by the end of the day I'm ready to be in my pajamas. I have one pair of maternity pants that I did wear this week and those were very comfy, although having elastic all the way up my stomach was a little annoying. I guess I'll have to go shopping for some bigger clothes pretty soon. 

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: Still in. 

Sleep: Sleeping this week was awful, but not because of being pregnant. 

Best moment this week: Sending my brother off on his mission. It's so hard and I miss him like crazy, but I'm crazy proud that he's serving the Lord and is making this sacrifice. 

Worst moment this week: Sending my brother off on his mission. It was bittersweet. That's why it's both the best and the worst moment. Also, my husband being out of town Monday and Tuesday. That's the longest we've been apart since we started dating. It was difficult and sleeping Monday night  without him was pretty much impossible. It'd be nice if I never had to do that again. 

Miss anything: Laying on my stomach. 

Movement: I think so. At least my mom says what I'm feeling is movement! 

Cravings: No, again. Is it possible to go your entire pregnancy without any cravings? Because that would suck. 

Queasy or sick: Nope! Thank heavens. 

Looking forward to: Seeing our best friends, the Tobler's! It will be such a nice little visit considering all the emotions this week. 

19 Weeks

As you can see I have a bump! It really poked out this week. I'm starting to get my appetite back, which is great! I'm still not back to my pre-pregnancy weight...three pounds to go! Hopefully I will gain that back soon! I got an ultrasound on my thyroid last Friday. The technician wasn't allowed to tell us anything but she said the radiologist would look at it, which would take around 24-48 hours, and then it would be sent to my thyroid doctor. It's been almost a week and I still haven't heard back from my doctor, so I'm taking that as a good sign that my thyroid isn't dangerously affecting me. That being said...I would like to know the results so hopefully I hear from the doctor soon. 

How far along: 19 weeks

Gender: We will know tomorrow! Holy cow I'm so excited! One more day!!!! Be sure to watch my Facebook page tomorrow afternoon/evening for that announcement! 

Maternity clothes: Nope! I'm still wearing (and buttoning) my own size three jeans. I'm going to relish in that because I think my time in a size three is swiftly coming to an end. 

Stretch marks: Nope.

Belly button in or out: Still in. 

Sleep: Great! I am sleeping through the night still and have figured out if I go to the bathroom right before I go to sleep and don't drink water afterwards I can go all night without having to pee. Hopefully that lasts a long time.

Best moment this week: Eating lunch with my husband twice this week. Now that I'm not working I have the opportunity to eat lunch with him! It's great!!!

Worst moment this week: Tripping into the door...I was hurrying out of my room and tripped on the blanket that was hanging from my bed and fell into the door. My face caught my fall and really busted up the inside of my lip...It's like a quarter size owie inside my mouth. No bueno. 

Miss anything: Not feeling fat...I know, it's just the baby, but I can't help but feel fat. 

Movement: No...still. I keep thinking maybe I felt the baby, but so far no definite movement. 

Cravings: Not really. I have been wanting food, but not like I have to have it right now kind of things. 

Queasy or sick: Yes, from heat exhaustion and not eating.

Looking forward to: Tomorrow! Finally finding out the gender and being able to see our little wiggle worm again, probably for the last time before he/she is born! Also, I'm looking forward to later today when my Grammy gets here!!!!!!!