July 10th - 22 weeks and feeling better

 

In the last couple weeks, we've done absolutely nothing to prepare the nursery while I recover from being sick.  The walls are still uneven, and they still aren't completely painted.  I'm hoping we can get that finished this weekend but we'll see!  Last week, Peanut went to his first 4th of July parade in Avery County and it was fantastic.  He kicked a lot when the emergency vehicles drove by with their sirens blaring so I'm thinking he had a good time.  

He's been kicking a lot lately, and even though it could be felt on the outside since Father's Day (his little present to Dad), now you can SEE him on the outside.  It's awesome!  He's kicking as high as an inch above my navel, and they get stronger every day.  I can sit and watch it for hours.  I'm thinking in a few weeks his movement is gonna go from cute to painful so I'm savoring it now :)

Mom had a grand total of 3 visits to the hospital in the last couple of weeks with complications from... food poisoning.  Who knew it could be so troublesome?  The silver lining to all of that was we got to see our little Peanut on ultrasound twice.  During the first scan, Mom wasn't feeling well at all and had just concluded a 30 minute full abdominal scan so Peanut was not amused.  By the time we got to see him, the little guy had both of his hands over his ears as if to say "Make it stop!"  Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of this because the printer was broken.  The second time, he was more comfortable.  He is getting so big and his facial features are becoming easier to see - it's been amazing to get glimpses of him along the way.

During our visit with the Turners last weekend, Peanut got another gift he will regret when he is 16 - an ADORABLE onesie with a Peanut on it and a hat to match.  He is never going to live this name down.  I can't wait until he's big enough for this little outfit.  I'm taking pictures and showing them to all of his future girlfriends.  We did come up with a real boy name last week but won't tell anyone until he's here.  I'm in love with this name and so thrilled that Dad agreed to it!  Dad picked the middle name and the whole package is very nice.  He will have a strong name to live up to.

So things are going well and Mom is trying to enjoy the last part of the second trimester.  The rumor is that the 3rd isn't all it's cracked up to be.  We've got about another month to go before the 3rd trimester countdown begins!  I can't believe it.  However, the belly is a constant reminder that we're in the second half of this thing - check this bad boy out:

I call this one "The Jolly Green Giant"

We're halfway there!

June 16th: 18.5 weeks

What a handsome little man! This is our guy at 18.5 weeks, getting bigger and stronger and more interesting to look at. Our anatomy scan went well with everything in its place, and he decided to flash his goods once more, confirming yet again that he is all boy. The techs and the doctor think this is funny every time because Peanut is so proud. He wiggled and danced throughout the ultrasound, despite Mom's best attempt at avoiding sugary food the night before. This is completely normal however. He moves non-stop which does not look good for us when he gets here. We will most definitely have our hands full.

Pregnancy has gone fairly well until week 19. Mom got into some bad food which landed her in the hospital for 2 days, re-hydrating and recovering from a wicked case of food poisoning. Peanut was fine, but not so happy throughout the ordeal. He bounced back rather nicely and Mom is still recovering a week later. At the doctor's appointment this morning, Mom was officially put on bedrest for the rest of the week in order to recover completely. Aside from that, everything else looks pretty good. Weight gain at 20.5 weeks is a staggering 15 pounds, however in a month it has stayed the same. Despite this, my pants keep getting tighter as Peanut grows outward.

So we're officially halfway done cooking the little guy and it won't be long until he is on the outside. Construction started on the nursery last week and is a definite work in progress. We hung an awesome fan and got the four walls painted a beautiful baby blue and white. We are hoping to paint a geometric pattern onto an accent wall and still figuring out (2 weeks later) how to make the math work out, as all four of our 50-year old walls are settled, slanted and curved. Stay tuned for the results on that one. We started window shopping for furniture and decorations but haven't bought anything big yet. Peanut's wardrobe is getting bigger as clearance items come up and Mom and Dad bought him his very own bouncer last weekend. At this rate, he'll have everything he needs by the time he's here. It won't be long until November!