16 weeks:)

Hello 4 months!How Far Along: 16 weeks! 4 months!

Size of baby: About the size of an avocado! (thanks, BabyCenter.com!)

Milestones: Baby has started growing toenails! Love it:) (thanks again, BabyCenter.com!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't have a scale but I would guess 5-6 pounds....

Maternity Clothes: Yes for the tops. Still working the BeBand with my normal jeans still and some 'normal' pants with elastic waist:) I finally caved and ordered some maternity workout shorts and pants; the shorts I've been wearing are getting tight and I have to wear them REALLY low (cue LONG tank tops!) - I can't wait for them to come!

Gender: Don't know yet...I set my ultrasound up for the first week of May this morning!

Movement: YES! I've been noticing little 'flutterings' or mini jabs in the evening when I relax and put my feet up:) Hip hip hooray!

Sleep: Once I fall asleep it's decent; I've been having trouble falling asleep (which is a bummer when you feel soooo tired!)

What I miss: Not much:)

Cravings: Well I overdid my salad craving last week and ate a LOT of salad...now the thought of salad is the total opposite of a craving; oops. I have been craving Subway flatbread sandwiches - good thing they have $2 subs this month!

Symptoms: Tired. Baby Belly. Crazy Dreams. Losing Vocabulary. :)

Best Moment This Week: Starting the feel the baby move:)

What I'm Looking Forward To: Wearing some of the new clothes I found tonight at a thrift store! They're non-maternity but a size up from what I normally wear...and super cute for showing off my bump!

Energy Burst

I'm still waiting for mine:)

When I was pregnant with Ethan and then Judah I seem to remember an energy burst in the 2nd trimester....so far no luck with this one!

BUT... I no longer have ALL DAY morning sickness! HOORAY! I guess being tired isn't too shabby compared to that:)

I'm still taking 1hr-3hr naps a day (depending if Joe's home and if I need to tend to my other little guys..) and somehow I'm STILL tired at the end of the day. I tell myself my body is so busy growing our little babe it's using up all it's energy - sounds about right, right?

So for now, I will continue with my daily naps. Good thing I love to sleep:)

15 weeks!

How Far Along: 15 weeks!

Size of baby: about the size of an APPLE (thanks, BabyCenter.com!)

Milestones: Baby can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, baby is likely to move away from the beam. (thanks again, BabyCenter.com!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I had an appointment today and according to the office scale I'm up 5 lbs! (Granted my appointment was first thing in the morning...I'm still claiming 5 lbs though!)

Maternity Clothes: I caved and unpacked my maternity clothes last weekend; I washed them all but am only wearing the tops. I'm still rocking the BeBand with my normal pants (when not in sweats of course!)

Gender: Don't know yet...ultrasound will be the first week of May!

Movement: Still waiting.... when my midwife was listening to the heartbeat she said the baby was moving around a lot! :) So hopefully soon!

Sleep: Not too shabby...crazy dreams still but I can handle that:) I still nap almost everyday too!

What I miss: Not much:)

Cravings: Recently: good grapes (not the watery kind), salads, good brats and steak...mmmm good thing we have steak planned for dinner tomorrow!

Symptoms: my growing bump (and growing other places...whoa!); my nausea is pretty much gone (fingers crossed); SLEEPY! *still waiting for my 2nd trimester burst of energy!

Best Moment This Week: Hearing the heartbeat of our little babe this morning!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Setting up our ultrasound! And eventually going shopping for SUMMER maternity clothes! I wore long sleeve and 3/4 sleeve with both my pregnancies (worked in A/C for one and delivered the other in Dec.) so I need to add a few 'summer-y' pieces to my collection - hooray for shopping! Now if only I could get over my $10 rule...*I have a self-imposed rule that I will not spend more than $10 on a single item of clothing; let's see if I can stick to it with in-season maternity wear*

Map

We were given a wonderful floor-sized puzzle of America and Ethan LOVES it! We've done it a few times for 'school' and I decided to document it this time:)I put together the edges for him and then he followed the 'map' (ie: the box) to figure out where to put each state!

He always starts with Texas; the 'boot' state as he refers to it and works his way east...

Checking his 'map' frequently to see where each state goes - I LOVE watching his brain process!

After he fills in the east coast Ethan moves over to the west coast - quite the system!

Finished with the west coast and filling in the mid-west...he saved Minnesota for last! (I'm sure it was pure coincidence though..)

Ethan with his completed puzzle! We pull this out every few weeks for school and talk about the states and the pictures on the states:)

OF COURSE if Ethan's doing a puzzle...Judah has to do one too:) Always wants to be like his older brother!

Transition

I call the time between finding out your pregnant and the time you're fitting well into those maternity clothes "Transition Time". My last 2 pregnancy I managed through "Transition Time" by wearing pants the next size (or 2) up and sweats. It worked I guess...but I really didn't like the super-baggy butt/thighs and extra length with wearing up sizes. I always felt frumpy but didn't think I had any other options.

UNTIL....

I discovered the BeBand! I had heard about them in the past but never thoughts much about them (who knows why) BUT then a friend from college used one with her pregnancy (thanks Sarah!) and I thought to myself, "if it works for her - I bet it would work for me!"

And it totally does. :)

I did research on how to wear it (I know, I'm a dork.) and this is what I landed on: I step into it, pull it up over my tummy, pull up my jeans on top of the lower portion of Band, then fold upper portion of Band over unbuttoned/partially unzipped jeans. TMI? You decide. *I figured if there's any newly prego or maybe prego in the future readers I'd save them some time figuring out how to work it!*

All that to say I'm LOVING my BeBand! I don't know how long I'll be able to rock it (with my quickly growing bump) but I know I've gotten great use out of it the past few months!

p.s. I am sooo excited for my appointment with my midwife next week:)

14 weeks!

How Far Along: 14 weeks!

Size of baby: about the size of a lemon (thanks, BabyCenter.com!)

Milestones: My baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! (thanks again, BabyCenter.com)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: We don't have a scale at our house so I'll guess on this one...I would guess 4-5 lbs (I was up 2 lbs at my 10 week visit). I have an appointment next week so I guess we'll find out then!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I bought a BellaBand this time around and am LOVING it! I can wear *most* of my pre-pregnancy jeans with the band:) I'm in the next size up shirts or empire waist shirts. Disclaimer: As much as I love the BellaBand and LOVE my sweats more; as soon as I am home the jeans are off and the sweats are on.

Gender: Don't know yet...Ultrasound will happen during the 1st week of May!

Movement: Not yet - hopefully soon though!!

Sleep: Give or take depending on the night; some nights I fall right asleep and others I toss and turn. CRAZY dreams though...whoa.

What I miss: Not a whole lot! I love my bump and I love that my clothes are getting small! I definitely DON'T miss the ALL DAY nausea from my first trimester - I may feel sick in the morning before I eat but I can handle that:)

Cravings: hmmm...they vary day to day. Most recent: Cinnamon Ice Cream (which my wonderful hubby surprised me with!), a good cheeseburger, spinach salad.

Symptoms: MY BUMP:) Little nausea in the morning sometimes (which I am sooo fine with since it's not all day anymore!!), super tired and just starting today: round ligament pain (ouch)

Best Moment This Week: Starting the SECOND TRIMESTER!! Woo-hoo!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Hearing the precious heartbeat again next week! I could listen to that thump-thump all day!

Waking Up Slowly

Ethan has this super cute habit in the morning. Every.single.morning (literally every) he gets up - comes out of his room and lays on the living room floor. He peeks his cute little head over at me and says: "Mommy, I'm waking up slowly." ok bud:)

Since he does this every.single.morning I figure I should document it with some pictures! Sadly, the flash was on and after two pictures he was done 'waking up' :)He tucks his legs under him, curls his head in and just lays there! Too Cute. It reminds me of what a baby looks like in the womb:) I hope he doesn't outgrow this adorable tradition any time soon! It's such a sweet way to see him wake up:)