22 weeks

How far along: 22 weeks.

General feeling: Good! My energy level is finally back up - a week ago, I was still crashing and taking three hour naps. It feels awesome to be able to get a long work out in after a workday and still have motivation to do housework. 

Boy or girl? Boy

Weight gain: 9+ pounds. According to thebump.com, I'm suppose to be gaining 1/2 pound a week, so it's probably closer to 10 pounds now.
Maternity clothes: Non-maternity tops still fit fine and haven't gotten stretched out yet. I ordered a few pairs of maternity pants, but some of the belly panel things are still too big, so I'm rocking the better fitting pair and also still wearing my old pants with a belly band and hair tie. And, knit skirts are a lifesaver for work days.

Innie or outie belly button: Innie, but becoming wider and shallower by the day.

Rings on or off: On.
Movement: Every single day, and Trevor thinks he might have felt it one night too. I use to think it was silly when women said feeling their baby move was the best feeling in the world, but it absolutely is. I can pretty much set my watch to this little guy's movements in the evening.

Cravings: Nothing crazy.

Sleep: Off and on, some nights where I'm out like a light and then some where I toss and turn and I'm wide awake at 4:30.

Best moment of this week: Feeling movement every day.

Looking forward to: Feeling movement every day. Ha. And cooler weather. It hasn't been too warm of a summer here in Michigan, which I love (this morning when we left for work, it was a whopping 50 degrees), but I cannot wait for fall weather to get here. I love jeans and sweatshirt weather.

Linked up on: lifeoffaithblog, ourtableforseven, realhousemoms

love list

1. cat print - I have loved using Minted in the past to order business cards and notebooks, but I never knew until last week that they carry prints as well.  I'm super picky about artwork, but I was still able to load up my wishlist with different pieces.  I love this cat one since it reminds me of my cat, and I know exactly where I would put this in our house. 

2. swaddle blanket - The hot air balloon print is the sweetest thing.

3. mama bear shirt - Baby bear and bear cub are nicknames that we've already called our little boy, so when I saw this shirt, I thought it was perfect.  I love supporting Etsy stores, and this store also has baby bear and papa bear shirts. 

4. dinosaur - shopping for little boys in decided harder than shopping for little girls.  There are so many dolls and tea sets available for girls, but this stuffed dino is perfect for a little guy.  And I love his buck teeth.

5. diy teepee - Even before we were having a kid, I always wanted one of those play teepees.  Except I didn't want to pay so much for one when I figured I could make one for a lot less.  Here's a DIY version that only cost $22.  It's now on my to-do list.

6. Homemade Pantry - Favorite cook book ever.  I almost had to replace my library's copy because I read through it so much. I've always tried to be conscious of what is in my food and what I feed my family (except when I really, really just want a package of Gushers).  I want to try to make my own poptarts and granola bars instead of buying them as much as possible.  There is a recipe for homemade cheese, but cheese and canning are the two kitchen things that still intimidate me too much...

21 weeks

too bad there isn't a regulation size pomegranate... 

baby Baldwin is also the size of a fanny pack right now too.

How far along: 21 weeks. As I talked about here, the due date was wiggled since our little guy was looking so big on the ultrasound, so it's nice to finally be doing a week update. And, because of the due date wiggling, the half way mark totally snuck up on me!

General feeling: Good, I just feel like I'm not getting enough sleep and I can't figure out how to get my legs to stop cramping up. I went crazy earlier this week and decided to wash all the baby clothes we have so far... I tried to talk Trevor into installing the car seat already, but he just looked at me like I was a madwoman. 

Boy or girl? Little baby boy.

Weight gain: nine pounds
Maternity clothes: Just belly banding and using a hair elastic-ing it for right now, which is working out fine and makes it easy to continue using a lot of my clothes. I ordered a few pairs of maternity pants from thredup, ($30 for 3 pairs of pants- whoo hoo!), and I figure those might be easier to wear than my normal dress pants. Those are hard, because with the weird button and hook-and-eye setup, there's no easy place to use a hair elastic to help hold them up.

Innie or outie belly button: Innie, but not by much.

Rings on or off: On.
Movement: We've got a wiggler on our hands. I feel the most movement in the evening, and I keep making Trevor put his hands on my belly, but he has yet to feel anything. 

Cravings: Nothing crazy, just tomatoes and carbs all the time.

Sleep: Don't get me started here. I have no idea how I'm going to sleep for the next 4 1/2 months. My OB told me to start sleeping on my left side as much as I could, and I didn't think it would be so hard. My hips hurt half way through the night from staying only on my left side (even with using a body pillow). I keep wanting to roll onto my belly, which was my go-to sleep position, and that's no longer comfortable. Argh.

Best moment of this week: Having a long birthday weekend this past week and spending so much time with family. Even though I've been feeling movement for about a month now, it still makes me smile the biggest, goofiest smile whenever I feel a kick or poke.

Looking forward to: Meeting this little guy! And for some reason, I've got a major jones-ing for Thanksgiving food. Normally once my birthday passes, I'm ready for fall to come, but I'm already antsy for the holidays to get here.

Linked up on: lifeoffaithblog, ourtableforseven, whitelightsonwednesday

half baked

instagram

When I had my ultrasound a few weeks ago and my OB appointment after that, they told me my due date was five days earlier than I thought it was (remember this post when I had to wait forever to do a week update).  So this Tuesday, I'll be 21 weeks instead being 20 weeks this past Sunday.  So I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  It's nice to be able to say I'm half way through, but it's also a little frustrating... It still seems like December is so far way. 

19 weeks

How far along: 19 weeks

General feeling: Good! Tired from lots of video editing over the past couple of days. I'm having a few cramps, but I sure it's just the little guy needing more room.

Boy or girl? Boy! 

Weight gain: plus six pounds-ish? I have no idea.
Maternity clothes: Belly band for the win.

Innie or outie belly button:  still, but getting shallower. 

Rings on or off: On.
Movement: Multiple times a day. I feel movement most when I'm sitting down, and I've felt little wiggles along with a few big kicks.

Cravings: Nothing crazy.

Sleep: Good, just feeling like I'm not getting enough.

Best moment of this week: Finding out we're having a boy and watching him move around during the ultrasound on Tuesday. We have a video of him punching and kicking, and it feels like Trevor and I watch it a few times a day.

Looking forward to: Napping, whenever I can get it. 

Linked up on: lifeoffaithblog.com

gender reveal party ideas

Even though we aren't having a gender reveal party, I loved looking at ideas for parties and how to announce to friends and family.  Here are a few of my favorites ideas.

1. These are gender reveal confetti push pops.  How fun is that?  These would be so awesome to use (especially if there are little kids that would be an older sibling- they'd have so much fun), and a lot less stress than trying to bake something.

2. I think it'd be great to display something with your predictions about the gender.  My sister and I seriously spent an hour or two looking over old wives tales predictions the day before my ultrasound. 

3. For a lot of parties, I have no clue what to put on the menu (Pinterest always seems to save me).  For a gender reveal party, you could either display what you've been craving so far in the pregnancy, or you could use those cravings to build the menu.  Ha, mine would have been bowls and bowls of chips and salsa.

4. Even though layer cakes with colored frosting in the middle is adorable and works great, I'm so scared of making layer cakes (I tried to make one once- the layers weren't flat so it kept wanting to tip over).  Making cupcakes and filling the center with colored frosting is 100 times easier and just as cute. 

I can't wait to share the gender of our little peanut in our 19 week update!

finding out...

Tomorrow morning, I have an ultrasound to find out the gender. Trevor and I are so antsy, and we'll be over-the-moon excited just to simply see a healthy, wiggly baby.  I am seriously counting down the hours till the appointment and I have a feeling I'll sleep just like a little kid before Christmas. 

I have a pretty strong feeling as to whether it's a boy or a girl, but I'm not going shopping or planning for anything until I know for certain.  Since I don't know yet, I just look at everything. :)

all items from carters.com

18 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks
General feeling: Ugh, we've all been sick here this week (even our poor cat). So besides feeling like I'm coughing up a lung, feeling okay. On a totally different note, my belly button is suddenly looking very different. It's always been a really compact innie, but over the past week or so, it's kind of expanded (no turkey timer yet) and I can see right to the bottom. It's never been cleaner. 

Weight gain: up six pounds from pre-preg weight
Maternity clothes: I can still fit into most everything, but my belly band is a life saver (and wardrobe saver).
Movement: Now that I know what movement feels like, I'm aware of it a few times a day. I don't get a lot of kicks or distinct pokes, but a feeling similar to a fish swimming around inside.

Cravings: Nothing crazy. 

Sleep: When Trevor and I weren't coughing hard enough to wake each other up, pretty good.

Best moment of this week: Feeling movement all the time! And (not baby related) finally finishing putting up gold polka dots on our bedroom wall. I'm so happy with how the polka dots look and so relieved to finally be done with that project!

Looking forward to: Ultrasound on Tuesday! We're finding out if it's a little boy or a little girl, and I'm just really excited for Trevor to be able to be there to see the little guy!

Linked up at: hannahsjoyfullife.com

non-maternity clothes that still work

Right now I'm in a tricky place when I go shopping for clothing.  I'm not exactly big enough just yet to need to shop in maternity, but I'm a little bit too round to shop for a new pair of skinny jeans.  And honestly, I cringe at the idea of spending a ton a money on a maternity wardrobe that will only be worn a few months before it's packed away.  Whenever I walk through a store lately, I try to keep my eyes open for cute clothes that would work for my growing belly and would still be wearable next year post-belly (without looking like a tent).

1. striped sleeveless dress- this dress is loose enough that it could still be worn over a growing bump. I'd put a belt (I wear my gold glitter belt with everything) above the baby bump to make it stand out more. 

2. stripe crew tee- I love stripes. I've seriously bought every striped baby onesie I've come across. And I love yellow. And comfy things. This tee comes in a few other great summer colors, but I think the bright yellow is the best. 

3. pom pom tank- the embroidery on the shoulders of this loose tank makes it dressier than the knit ones I seem to live in lately. And it has pom poms on the straps. It's darling.

4. fold over waistband leggings- anything with a fold down waistband is a win right now. The waistband is low enough when folded down to fit under a bump. When I wear the waistband up and unfolded, it hits me right around my natural waist (which doesn't seem to exist anymore). Trevor thinks it's weird when I wear the waistband up (only under tee shirts and everything, not over things...), but it's actually really comfy to have something "hugging" my belly right now.

5. full circle skirt- I need this. I use to wear pencil skirts to work all the time, but needless to say, that's not happening very often anymore. And even though I have a belly band, I cringe at the idea of putting on dress pants (or anything that's not cozy and knit). This is knit and I love the color and the way it falls. It could work far into the pregnancy, because even if it's worn with a large bump, that waterfall hem trend has been going on for years.

6. draped dress- The draping of this dress is ideal to either hide a first trimester bloat-bump or to highlight a growing bump. 

linked up on: myriadmusings.net, acreativeprincess.blogspot.com, twothirtyfivedesigns.com, sixsistersstuff.com