Baby Update: 17 weeks

Baby H is now 5 inches long and the size of a turnip! I, myself had to look up what a turnip looked like but here it is:

New this week: Holy tummy! From week 16 to week 17, my stomach rounded out and grew a whole inch (yes, I'm measuring my waist circumference)! Sitting/laying certain ways has become uncomfortable but I'm really happy about that because I can finally feel the baby growing.

How I'm feeling: Great. I have a lot more energy during the days and am so happy to actually feel like doing things again around the house again. They say that the second trimester is the best, and I definitely understand why!

Food: Peanut butter has been a pretty consistent craving for me throughout this whole pregnancy but I REALLY love it when it's mixed with banana! Now that the weather has been nicer, I'm back to my one-a-day peanut butter/banana smoothies. They are so good with almond milk and a few ice cubes.

Clothing situation: Work clothes are starting to become a problem. I really need to invest in work maternity clothes but I'm still trying to drag out my work dresses before making the plunge. I have about 5 that I rotate through so as long as I don't see the same people twice a week, I'm still good.

Movement: I felt the baby move on Sunday!! I woke up to a fluttering around 8am and tried to feel it again, but it had stopped. The feeling was like butterfly kisses but I'm sure it was the baby. So cool!

What I miss: White wine. Mmmmmm.

Most looking forward to: We have an appointment this Friday and I cannot wait to hear the baby's heartbeat again. I'm seriously counting down the days this week!

16 Weeks

Baby H is about 4.5 inches long now and still the size of a large avocado. The next four weeks are a very exciting time for our little pumpkin - he/she will double in weight before we see him/her again on our 20 week "anatomy scan". We decided to find out the gender, which was a very tough decision, but we're so excited to know if we're expecting a little cheerleader or a little football player (pee wee football; let's be serious...Kevin and I don't exactly have the structure to produce an NFL hopeful).

Highlights of the week: Our birthdays were this week! Mine is May 1 and Kevin's is May 2. Facebook, phone calls, and texts made us feel very loved this week. We were able to enjoy a wonderful dinner in NYC with Kevin's Dad on Thursday night and yesterday we had a great family bbq with my Mom, Dad, Sister, Marc and Kevin to celebrate. My dad's Birthday is May 5th so we had three birthdays to celebrate and it was a lot of fun. Here are a few pics from the bbq:

New this week: Bump alert! This was the week where I definitely started showing.

How I'm feeling: Great! Tons of energy during the day (not so much past 8pm) and I even stayed out past 11pm three times this week. That's a real accomplishment for me during this pregnancy.

Food: Yum! I look forward to all meals now but you still can't convince me to have a plain piece of chicken. For some reason, I just can't eat it plain. Mixed into a salad, taco or casserole however, is fine. Wonder if that strange avoidance will remain?

Clothing situation: Maternity jeans are amazing. I invested in a pair this week and they've made me very happy.

Movement: Still nothing!

What I miss: Oh sushi. That might be my "first meal" after delivery! I long for a Spicy Bad Girl roll from Illuzion in Hoboken, NJ.

Most looking forward to: Our 20 week "anatomy scan" where we'll find out the gender!!

Baby Update: 15 Weeks!

15 weeks down, 25 to go! The baby is the size of an Avocado this week. The legs are growing faster than the arms and Baby H is a total of 4 inches long.

Highlights of the week: We finally picked a bedroom that we want to make the nursery and had recessed lights put in. We're not ready to start decorating it yet, but the lights made us feel like we were at least getting started on something very exciting for the baby.

New this week: I'm back baby! I have so much energy again and a lot of foods that disgusted me before are tasting delicious.

How I'm feeling: Good during the day (as long as I eat every few hours) and tired at night. If I don't get a nap in the afternoon, I'm always passing out by 9pm every night.

Food: I'm back to enjoying meats this week - not 100% but I can at least stomach them in my foods instead of picking them out of everything, like I did in the first trimester.

Clothing situation: Work clothes are getting difficult. None of my work pants fit so I'm trying to get the most out of my dresses before buying any maternity work clothes. Once the summer hits, I think it'll be easier to create outfits but with the chilly weather in NJ still, it's been a little hard.

Movement: Still nothing!

What I miss: Sleeping through the night without getting up to pee 2-3 times.

Most looking forward to: Our 20 week "anatomy scan" where we'll find out the gender!!

A Very Baby Weekend

We had so much fun this weekend visiting our best friends and their newborn babies! It's amazing to watch your friends go through the 9 months of pregnancy and then see them be such amazing parents to something so small. Congratulations again to our friends Larissa & Mike Winter who welcomed baby Joey into the world on April 18th:

And Hilarie & Neil Hirannet who welcomed baby Lily on April 10th!

Baby Update: 14 Weeks

Baby Update: I'm 14 weeks and the baby is the size of a lemon!! Baby H. can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and suck it's thumb.

Highlights of the week: Some of our very best friends, Larissa & Mike, welcomed their new little boy, Joseph ("Joey") into the world! It was amazing meeting him and visiting them on the day that he was born. We can't wait to add a little friend for Joey in October!!

New this week:This week (week 13 going into 14) lifted some of my food aversions that I've been having the last 12 or so weeks. I am finally enjoying decaf coffee again and I discovered decaf lattes from Starbucks that make my work meetings so much better. Meat is still a big turnoff for me, but I read that this is pretty common for pregnant ladies.

How I'm feeling:Great! Now that I look forward to eating full meals and am not feeling sick all day, I'm loving being pregnant. My little belly is definitely starting show so the excitement is absolutely setting in. I'll start posting belly pictures around 16 weeks.

Food:Still a lot of bland foods: bananas, bagels, granola and grapefruits have been my go-to foods. My name of the game in the first trimester was to "eat what you can" because of how nauseous I was; so for this next trimester, I'm really trying to eat super healthy and incorporate healthier choices wherever possible.

Clothing situation:Black yoga pants with a tight-fitted shirt is my favorite outfit but I also invested in two pair of maternity leggings that rock my world. I bought two belly bands for my jeans and work pants - these are pretty amazing at stretching out the time in between the "I can't button my pants" phase and buying all new Maternity Clothes phase. I'm getting really excited for the summer so that cloth dresses can become my best friend.

Movement:Nothing yet (besides an expanding/tight tummy), but I'm getting really excited to feel the first "flutters" that I've heard so much about.

What I miss:Sushi and lunch meat.

Most looking forward to:The entire 2nd trimester. I've heard so many great things about how you feel and look during this time so a few more days and I'll be there to experience it on my own!

Baby Holland!!

The news is out! We're expecting! Baby Holland is due October 23, 2012 and we couldn't be any happier. We were so excited for the 12 week mark to hit so we could finally start telling people. I'm planning on using this blog for baby updates so check back often for news and updates on how big the baby is getting!!

Back splash is done

The back splash is finally finished - big thanks to my dad for working so hard on it and teaching Kevin and I how to tile along the way. This project really means a lot to us because we did it with our own hands. I still can't believe this is our kitchen!