Week 22: the growing belly

This week has been nice and quiet. We're settling into our new home, unpacking and getting familiar with the area. The dogs seem to be settling in as well and getting back on a routine which is nice. We have lots of ideas for decorating but it's really not a priority at this point. After work I typically just want to relax on the couch and watch our favorite shows. We've also been enjoying the thunderstorms - they put the Cali ones to shame. Luckily for us we both love rain and thunder, although the lightning can be a little overwhelming and scary.

A couple days ago I put on a sweater and realized how much my stomach has grown since the last time we took a picture of it. Time flies and the bump grows quickly. I finally got around to taking some photos of the belly and the inside of the house. Enjoy!

Front view of the belly. Marco says, "It looks like Zoe is riding a bike". Strange, that one. haha

Side view (22weeks 4 days)

Our master suite. Lots of decorating needed but it's already my favorite room in the house. The light was left by the original owners and the bed is courtesy of our good friend Bev. I will eventually put up the draping on the four poster bed.

Our lovely 5 piece bathroom with walk in closet. The bath comes in handy for all the soreness I've felt lately. There's also a stand up shower not pictured here.

How far along: 22 weeks 6 days (Papaya: 8in, 1.2lbs)

Symptoms: With the exception of last night/this morning symptoms have been minimal this week. I'm having some numbness/soreness in my right arm and jaw. No matter how much I tried to stretch it out or reposition it was irritiating me where I couldn't fall asleep. I dozed in and out but the entire family must have felt it because Marco was having a hard time sleeping and the dogs were restless as well. Finally around 3am Marco and I went downstairs, made some tea and watched some TV. I finally fell asleep around 4:30am on the couch. I've also been experiencing some nausea again. The pain in my arm and jaw have gone away this morning but the nausea is still pestering. It probably doesn't help that I'm exhausted. Thank God it's Friday!! Other than that, I'm still recovering from the move and feeling a little sore. I need to start stretching more. Besides that, feeling good and hungry often. If it weren't for this growing belly I wouldn't think I was actually pregnant. :)

Aversions: nothing really this week. Mushrooms still don't sounds great but I think I would still eat them. Especially if they were sauteed nicely.
 

Cravings: milk and chocolate.

Wedding Rings: on
 

Belly button: still in
 

Sleep: On my right side.
 

Excited for: Dr appointment in a couple weeks and making it to my third trimester. Can't believe how quickly time is flying.
 

Missing: laying on my stomach. I usually lay with the dogs on the floor and it's been difficult trying to position myself properly. Not to mention the getting up part. Lots of rolling and grunting to get up these days. haha Probably pretty entertaining for anyone watching me.
 

Movement: Daily. I started using the kick counter on an app I have. She did 10 kicks in 16minutes on Thursday and it should get progressively more frequent as she gets bigger. She's actually kicking now as I type this! :)
 

Exercise: moving and up and down the stairs all throughout the day. We also take short walks to the mailbox daily. On Sunday, for Mother's Day, we're taking my mom to the Denver aquarium for brunch and then walking around the aquarium after. Should be a nice day!

Week 21: lots of moving and shaking



The big thing this week has been getting the keys to our new place and finally moving in! OMG have I been sore but I paced myself and rested when I needed. Still my muscles ache and my feet have swollen up a few times. Time to take advantage of our big tub! Pictures of the tub and more to come.

 

View from the dining room. Our beautiful model Marco is laying in the family room. Off in the far left is the living room and to the right where the white door is you'll find a half bath and office. Upstairs you can see the guest room entry and full bathroom. To the left of the guest room is our master suite (not pictured) and to the right of the bathroom at the end of the hall will be Zoe's room!

 

Here is a picture of the family room with fire place and built in storage as well as the dining room. We are in love with the vaulted ceilings and open windows.

 

We met a few of our neighbors and they seem so nice and fun. The ones to our right are huge USC fans so we have already bonded and are making plans for this upcoming football season. The ones across the way from us are from Miami (where Marco's Dad lives) and the husband is Nicaraguan so Marco and him have already bonded over their culture. We also have FBI, a cop and a music teacher on our block. Lots of diversity and protection! :) We're feeling very blessed by this move and so thankful for God's plans for us.

 

Last Sunday Marco, my mom and I took a tour of Sky Ridge Medical Center, where I will be giving birth. I feel so much more at ease about the process after hearing all the amenities and technology they have to offer myself, the baby and visitors. Although, the experience became more real for me as we stood in the labor and delivery room talking about the different options and possibilities for birth. haha. While Marco and I will be the only ones in the labor and delivery room we welcome any family and friends to be there after Zoe is born in the post-pardum room. They have great accommodations for visitors with free Wi-Fi all throughout the hospital, a Starbucks, cafeteria, waiting rooms and it's about 5 minutes away from restaurants as as well Park Meadows Mall for any in-between time that you might be waiting. :)

 

Other than that Zoe has been moving a lot and reminding me constantly that she's in there. It's an amazing feeling and the movements are getting stronger by the day it seems. We will slowly be setting up her nursery and getting prepped for her big arrival. It's hard to believe I'm already 5 1/2 months pregnant. I'll take a belly shot for next week's blog post. Sorry, haven't had time this week.

 

How far along: 21 weeks 6 days (size of a Spaghetti Squash: 8 in, 1lb)

Symptoms: Itchy belly, swollen feet, back hurts and some more ligament pulling around my abdomen.

Aversions: mushrooms
 

Cravings: milk, ice cream, nothing too crazy this week.

Wedding Rings: on
 

Belly button: In but slowly making it's way out.
 

Sleep: Finally got our king size bed back. Now that I'm able to stretch out again I've been comfortable and pretty much sleeping through the night. The right side seems to be preferred even though my body pillow is on the left.
 

Excited for: Tricia Mae visiting in July, the baby shower and seeing my stomach move from her kicks
 

Missing: not having to think about what foods I can/can't eat. Can't a girl just have deli meat without wondering if she's going to get Listeria?!
 

Movement: Daily. The placenta must have moved because I can feel her consistently. There is more of a pattern to her movements now. Usually around 8am, then around lunch time before I eat and around 10pm as I'm winding down for bed.
 

Exercise: moving and up and down the stairs all throughout the day. We also take short walks to the mailbox daily.

Week 20: half way to meeting our little one!!

This has been a week of exciting/fun new developments! The big one...

MARCO FELT ZOE MOVE!!!!!

  

We were just sitting on the couch when I felt her moving. I placed my hands on my stomach to see if I could feel her externally yet and sure enough I felt the little kick or jab. I told Marco and he immediately put his hand right where mine was. We sat for a few seconds in silence and all of a sudden I felt it and looked up at Marco. His face lit up and he gasped, "I felt her! Oh my God!" He was so happy and just thought it was the craziest thing he'd ever been apart of. It was a really amazing moment and I'll never forget it!

Second...On Wednesday we went to our 20 week doctor's appointment. We did the ultrasound which is more detailed than the past ones. They go through all limbs, organs and facial features to make sure everything is developing as it should. Zoe is measuring 20 weeks 6 days (14oz) but I'm still on track for the same delivery date (still 20 weeks 4 days). HALF WAY THERE! All heart chambers and arteries are functioning and placed properly, the kidneys were at their proper size and placement, the tech got a great shot of her brain which has the proper amount of fluid and mass, her spine was forming properly as well as the skin folds over the vertibrae, we saw all hands, arms, legs and feet, no cleft lip, her bladder was full and the skeletal struncture of her head and face all looked perfect! The Doctor went over the results with us, we heard the heart beat (160bpm - nice and strong) and my vitals were all in the normal range. So far my weight is on track (gained a total of 7lbs so far) and we meet again in four weeks! We left the office happy parents-to-be with a strawberry bite size laffy taffy in hand! :)

Week 20 Day 4 - her hand is over her eyes. Drama queen in the making!

My Zoe necklace from Origami Owl. Marco and I hand picked the charms together. I will wear the necklace and give to Zoe when she's older.

How far along: 20 weeks 6 days (size of a Banana: 7 in, 13oz)

Symptoms: Itchy belly, feet hurt sooner than normal, going to the bathroom often again.

Aversions: mushrooms

Cravings: milk, cupcakes, cereal, cupcakes, salads with ranch dressing & cupcakes.

Wedding Rings: on

Belly button: In

Sleep: On my side but becoming more uncomfortable. Wake up in the middle of the night and not sleeping as soundly. Poked Marco in the eye once this week. Oops haha. Can't wait to get our king sized bed back!

Excited for: getting the keys to our new house next week and feeling her kick more.

Missing: French berry lemonade with sparkling wine. Marco used to make these for me every so often and for some reason this week I was reminded of them and wish I could have one.

Movement: Daily. The placenta is on the front wall so that pads the movements often. I still feel her on the sides and lower stomach though.

Exercise: walking the dogs, taking the stairs where ever we go. The weather is getting nicer (supposed to be in the high 70s this weekend) so we will be exercising more.



Week 19: Zoe's first home

This week has been very exciting as we signed a 2 year lease for the house we wanted. It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a walkout basement, porch, deck and big backyard with 2 car garage and laundry/mudroom. We get the keys on May 1st and will officially move in May 4th. It's located in South Aurora, 5 minutes from Southlands Mall (outdoor shopping and dining) and about 15 minutes from my mom's house. For anyone wondering or worrying, this is about 25 minutes from where the movie theater shooting happened. Aurora is a very large and spreadout city (think Anaheim).

Front of our new home. (Photo courtesy of Property Alliance)

We can finally call a place "home" and begin decorating Zoe's bedroom plus we now have lots of room for guests! We will send out a change of address notification to everyone ASAP. Marco and I are still hopeful we can visit CA sometime in May but with this move happening a little sooner than expected we might have to delay it. We will keep everyone updated.

View of the deck and walk out basement from the backyard. (Photo courtesy of Property Alliance)

Lastly, my blood work came back from the last Dr's appointment. It checked for any spinal issues and deficiencies in the placenta. All came back normal! Next Wednesday is our 20 week ultrasound. This one is an important one. It checks the development and growth of all limbs, organs etc. It takes about 45 minutes and then I meet with the doctor after for routine check up. I'll update you next week :)

Baby bump. Didn't realize how much it's grown until now. <3

How far along: 19 weeks 6 days (size of a Mango: 6.5 in, 10oz)

Symptoms: Itching. My belly, arms and legs are itchy!!! It seems to start up right when I'm wanting to go to bed. Lots of ligament pains and have been feeling a little nauseous this week.

Aversions: the meat department in the grocery store. Uhhggg last night I had to quickly waddle my way out of there. It probably doesn't help that we ate a ton of meat from a great bbq place before we went shopping.

Cravings: milk, iced decaf coffee, ice cream (always B&J's Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch)...I think there's a pattern forming.

Wedding Rings: on

Belly button: In but I can tell it's getting bigger. Marco predicts it's going to become an outy in the next few weeks. haha

Sleep: finding that I'm waking up on my back again but my back hurts now when I do that.

Excited for: moving into our new house on May 4th and beginning to set up Zoe's room. Also, our 20 week ultrasound!

Missing: when wearing a sweatshirt didn't make me look fat. haha

Movement: Daily. Starting to feel her more and more through out the day. Last night Mumford & Sons "I Will Wait" came on the radio and she started moving. Little girl already has great taste in music! :)

Exercise: walked the entire store of Ikea and taking the dogs for a walk tomorrow since the weather is nice. Need to stretch!

Our Registry Information

 

Here are the links to our registry information for those who wish to see! We can't wait to visit with everyone for our July co-ed baby shower! :)

 

 

Click on the hyper link below:

 

Babies R Us Registry

Target Registry

 

 

Thank you and love you all!!!

Week 18: our little mover and shaker

I finally felt her move where I was sure of what I was feeling!! On Saturday, 4/6 (exactly 18 weeks) I had sat down for the first time that day after running around doing errands. Within 5 minutes of sitting I felt something like if a knuckle was pushing or nudging me (it was probably her foot). It lasted off and on for a few minutes. Since then her movements can be felt daily at small increments of time. Sometimes it feels like maybe she's kicking and other times it feels like little popcorn pops. We can't feel it on the outside yet but look forward to the time when it's consistent and Marco can finally feel what I feel.

Besides that this week has been pretty standard. We did finish our registry at Target over the weekend. I have added a separate post of registry information for those who wish to see it. We registered for a tour of the birth center at Sky Ridge Memorial Center, where I will be giving birth. We're also beginning the process of looking into rental homes for a possible June/July move in date. Time seems to be flying by!

The little bump <3

How far along: 18 weeks 4 days (size of a mango 6in, .5 lbs)

 

Symptoms: My sciatic nerve is still bugging me. Other than that my energy is up, I'm able to eat pretty much anything now and I'm feeling good.

 

Aversions: haven't noticed anything this week.

 

Cravings: orange juice, milk, iced decaf coffee

 

Wedding Rings: on

 

Sleep: sleeping on my side and hogging the bed more than usual. haha

 

Excited for: finding our own home, seeing my bump grow and our 20 week dr apt.

Missing: my comfy jeans

 

Movement: daily for a few minutes off and on. She seems like a kicker! :)

 

Exercise: none this week :/

Week 17: flying with my baby

Zoe and I have been in Chandler, AZ this week for some job training. Oddly enough I'll be covering for a co-worker going out on maternity leave at the beginning of May through July. This was my first flight ever being pregnant so needless to say I was nervous and concerned about every little thing from hauling my bags by myself, to the full body scanners at security, to how long I was supposed to sit down on the flight vs. walking around, to my normal motion sickness (can't take anything except B6 vitamins), to altitude and everything in between. Let's just say I prayed often, drank lots of water and tried to sleep as much as possible. The flight was quick and painless though and we landed safely.

This week has been quite nice especially working with someone that is a few months ahead of me. She's given me a lot of advice and stories of things I can look forward to. We both fatigue easily so we understand when the other just needs to sit or take a breather. As soon as I'm off work I go straight to my hotel which is less than a mile away and crawl into bed or take a nice warm bath. :)

I go home tomorrow so once again I'll be concerned for my little Zoe and will be praying often. Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers our way. :) This weekend Marco and I will be finishing our baby registry. We had a great time last weekend at Babies R Us going through all the different brands, products and clothing. We did our absolute best to make sure we didn't go crazy but it was a very long process. A few hours into it we took a break and went for some Jamba Juice and then went back to registering. It was a lot of fun though and can't wait to celebrate our little one with everyone at our shower and then to finally see Zoe in her nursery, stroller, bassinet, etc. If you are interested in taking a look at what we currently have we've included a link below. We will be making some changes shortly though as we will finish the registry at Target this weekend.

Zoe's Babies R Us Registry

How far along: 17 weeks 5 days (size of a sweet potato 5.5in, 5oz)

Symptoms: still feeling the ligament "pains" (it's really just stretching and pulling to make room for the growing babay). I've been exhausted at night and early morning but fine during the day. I get fatigued or winded easily, starting to shift my weight back a little to accommodate the growing bump. My sciatic nerve has been especially sore. 

Aversions: nothing much this week

Cravings: fruit, orange juice, ice cream

Wedding Rings: on

Sleep: been sleeping on my right side all night. Sleeping through the night - it helps that I have a bed to myself and there are no dogs moving around. I love hotel beds!

Excited for: finding our own home in CO, seeing my bump grow and our 20 week dr apt.

Movement: I actually do think I felt her last night for a few seconds. They felt like bubbles. I was laying in bed before I went to sleep watching TV. It was only a few seconds and I wasn't sure at the time but looking back it's very possible it was her. I can't wait until her movements are more consistent. :)

Exercise: All the walking I did in the airport was a huge workout. I am still sore.