19 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

19 Weeks

How big is baby:
The size of a large mango

Maternity Clothes:

I got so many new clothes for Christmas.  I purchased 13 tops; my Mom got 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of black pants, and 2 sweaters; and Brandon's Mom got me 3 different tops!

Weight Gain Alert!
134 lbs
Gained this week:  2 lbs
Total Weight Gain:  11 lbs

Movement:

Yes!  Ellie has been moving in my belly.  Brandon was able to feel her kick on Saturday night.

Food Cravings:

If I see it I want it.

Food Aversions:

There's not a whole lot that I don't like right now other than the usual stuff.

Gender:

*GIRL*

Symptoms:
Fatigue, out of breath feeling, frequent urination, increased appetite, moodiness, weepiness, clumsy, pregnancy brain, food cravings when I see different things

What do I miss:
Nothing!

Best moment of the week:
Finding out that The Sneak is a girl and feeling her kick!

What am I looking forward to:
Feeling Ellie kick more!

Milestones:
Feeling Baby Ellie kick for the first time.

"Baby is now covered in vernix caseosa, which protects the skin from the amniotic fluid.  Ellie would look all wrinkly without this stuff!  Most of it should shed prior to delivery, unless she comes sooner than expected."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate

Our Baby Girl

Elliana "Ellie" Joy is right on track, measuring 18w6d (yesterday)

When they called us back for the ultrasound, the lady told me that she would only take me first for about 15 minutes.  I wasn't very comfortable with this, but I left Brandon in the waiting room.  I didn't see anything on the screen, but she poked and prodded my belly with the wand.  Elliana was not wanting to cooperate fully with her, so she had to keep poking my tummy everywhere.  (This was not too comfortable with a full bladder!) During the 15 minutes, she was looking at the anatomy making sure everything measured appropriately.  After she had finished, she went out to the waiting room to get Brandon.  I already knew that I would NOT be able to wait any longer to find out The Sneak's gender.  I felt like a kid on Christmas morning!

When the lady walked up to Brandon, she told him that we were having a little girl!  He said that he started giggling, and even laughed walking into the room.  I told him right then that I wouldn't be able to wait to find out.  Of course, he already knew this (he knows me better than anyone).

He had previously taken pictures on his iPad to use in telling me the gender.  This is what he showed me

We have bought MANY superhero baby shirts since we were married.  I guess I'll be making lots and lots of hair bows to match all of the boyish shirts we've purchased.

I was so shocked!  I immediately started apologizing to Elliana for calling her a boy.  We were both on cloud nine after that.  I called Dad in the waiting room and I'm sure everyone in a mile radius heard him shouting with joy.  (When I asked Dad on Thursday what he thought the gender was, he said girl.  He wanted us to have a little girl, hoping she'd look like me.)  Brandon called his brother first, but  made him promise to NOT tell Sheri before I could call her.  The rest of the day passed by so quickly!  We were both glued to our phones, sharing our joyous news.

We went to J Alexander's to eat lunch, and then headed over to Buy Buy Baby just to look.  Of course, we oohed and aahed over all of the cute little girl clothes.  We browsed around looking at different cribs, and then I showed Brandon the stroller/carseat duo I had my eye on.  We ended up purchasing the carseat and stroller combo because they usually don't have it in stores anymore.  I was disappointed that I didn't have any coupons with me, but they assured me that we could return with the receipt and coupon for the price difference.

I don't want Ellie to be a pink girl.  I have always LOVED this color green, and I thought it wasn't too gender specific.

After our shopping excursion we headed to Tuscaloosa to see my Mom and Stepdad to share the news with them.  As you know, my husband is a BIG Bama fan, so he picked out a cute little outfit to have my Mom unwrap.  She was so excited when she opened it up.  Funnily enough, she had too purchased another little Alabama girl outfit that she gave us.  My little sister was super duper excited!  She has wanted us to have a little girl early on.  She is going to be so much help to us.  She LOVES babies, and I just know that she'll have so much fun with Ellie.

Today I'm still in shock!  This pregnancy has been such a blessing from day one, but now it feels so real, knowing that we'll have a little girl in May.

It's a .....................................

Girl

Elliana "Ellie" Joy 

Boyington

edd May 25, 2013

It's Finally Here!

Anatomy Scan at 10:30am!

Surprisingly enough, I was able to get through yesterday at work.  I made sure to keep busy all day long so the day would pass quickly.  The store is still in chaos mode from Christmas, so we were able to get some organization started.  Plus, we're gearing up for Valentine's Day now!

I'm so excited, because I purchased some more maternity shirts at Ross.  On my lunch break yesterday, I was able to find 13 different tops for $126 total (with tax).  Shopping hasn't been as much fun recently because it's hard to find things that fit.  When I realized that Ross had a small maternity rack I was thrilled.  Now I have enough items to get me through the next couple of months at work.  I'll still need to find some sun dresses as Summer approaches, but I've got more than enough items to work with for now.

Vivid dreams are common with pregnancy, but mine have been extra crazy for the past two weeks.  During the heat of Christmas, I was dreaming about PANDORA jewelry and wrapping gifts every night.  No lie- I would wake up in the middle of the night looking for gifts I had wrapped in my dreams.
I kept dreaming about the appointment today last night.  I woke up at 4:30 am for my early morning trip to the potty, and then couldn't go back to sleep.  (If I get up, my mind starts to wake up and then I'm either thirsty or hungry.)  But this morning was different...I think my back woke me up.  I'm having a lot of trouble getting comfortable during the night.  Again, I've always slept on my stomach, so I'm still adjusting to lying on my side.  I'm trying to work with my body pillow and batman pillow, but I get so hot.  I do have to admit here that my husband is amazing.  It was 4:30 am, and me and the baby were hungry.  Sneakers got up and brought me a glass of chocolate milk and I was able to go back to sleep after about 30 minutes of watching Family Guy in bed.

I'm still feeling the baby move around during the day.  I know Brandon's ready to feel The Sneak kick.

I will post about the gender as soon as we have told our friends and family.  We've got so many people to tell, and I would be devastated if anyone close to us found out from any other source than us.  My plan is to announce here by tomorrow or Sunday.  We're headed to Tuscaloosa tonight to eat dinner with my Mom and Stepdad (and little brother and sister) to share the news with them in person.  I just can't wait.  Today is our Christmas, getting to know if there's a little boy or girl growing in my tummy!

Tomorrow's the Day!

We find out if The Sneak is a boy or girl tomorrow! 
I am so excited.  When I scheduled this appointment in November it seemed so far away.  I cannot believe that we just have to make it through one more day to find out if our precious little one is Brayden or Elliana.

18 weeks 5 days

Speaking of names... our boy name is Brayden Scott, after my hubby who is named Brandon Scott.  Our girl name is Elliana Joy.  The Hebrew meaning for Elliana is "The Lord responded."  The middle name is after our friend Joy and her daughter.  If The Sneak ends up being a girl, I'm sure some people will call her Ellie.  (I love the nickname Ellie, but I would prefer to use her real name because of it's meaning.)  Brandon and I both see ourselves calling our little one The Sneak for years to come, regardless of the gender.  We like silly nicknames!

I still feel like there's a Brayden in my tummy.  Most of the girls who are due along side me have had crazy issues with sickness and they're all carrying girls.  I just have a gut feeling that it's a boy, but I could be wrong.  I mean, there's a 50% chance I'm right-and a 50% chance that I'm wrong!  Brandon and I will both be super excited nonetheless.  Tomorrow is going to be SUCH an exciting day!

18 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

18 Weeks
Entering the 5th month of pregnancy!  

How big is baby:

The size of a sweet potato

Maternity Clothes:
Maternity clothes are awesome!  I'm now on the lookout for cute maternity shirts with lots of growing room for the rest of the pregnancy.
Over the summer, Rachel gave me some of her gently used and outgrown bras.  They have been great, but now I've resorted to wearing a sports bra.  I've never had a lot upstairs so to speak, but I think I'll be more voluptuous as this pregnancy progresses.

Weight Gain Alert! 
132 lbs today
(I thought I had gained more weight this week, but I must have lost the additional pound)
Gained this week: 1 lb

Total Weight Gain: 9 lbs

Movement:
I'm definitely feeling something!

Food Cravings:
I'm always hungry!  

Food Aversions:
There's not anything that grosses me out right now (other than the usual stuff).

Gender:
Only 6 more days and we find out!

Symptoms:
Hot flashes!, frequent urination (even at nighttime), slight energy boost, increased appetite, pregnancy brain, clumsy and stumbling a lot, varicose veins, drooling, widened belly button.
The headaches have lessened, and the acid reflux seems to be controlled by Prilosec.

What do I miss:
Being off on Sundays to take my nap.  I'm ready to have a few consecutive days off from work.

Best moment of the week:
Knowing without hesitation that I've felt The Sneak moving around in my tummy.

What am I looking forward to:
Our anatomy scan next week, Christmas, and Christmas being over (I only say that because I've been working like crazy).

Milestones:
Feeling the baby move!

"Baby is filling out nicely and getting large enough that I might be feeling twists, rolls, kicks, and punches inside my belly.  Another set of skills baby is mastering now is yawning and hiccuping.  The Sneak is truly one-of-a-kind with unique fingerprints."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate

Feeling The Sneak

Over the past two days, I've definitely felt the baby moving.  For so long I've only felt the sensations for a few seconds and then it's gone.  On Monday and yesterday, it lasted longer.  It was the coolest feeling ever! I haven't felt anything yet today, but I'm sure The Sneak won't disappoint.

In other Sneak related news...  my belly officially feels pregnant.  When I move (especially when I bend over) my stomach feels different.  It actually feels like I'm carrying a small melon.  According to the books, my uterus is now the size of a cantaloupe, so I guess what I'm feeling is normal.  I can also feel the top of my uterus, and it isn't too far below my belly button anymore.  I cannot imagine how much bigger I'll be in the coming weeks!

I've always slept on my stomach and my belly now makes that impossible.  Also, when I get comfortable on my side, I have to use a pillow for my belly.  Up until this week, I've been able to sleep on my side without any pillows.  It almost feels like my entire stomach is being squished and moved to the side if I sleep without any pillow support now.

It's weird how all of this just snuck up on me.  My stomach finally feels and really looks pregnant.  The baby is moving and I can feel it.  And I'm pretty sure I gained 2 lbs this week.

Here's two profile shots of me today.  You'll have to excuse the bathroom mirror picture-Brandon is out of town until tonight.  (Yes- I stayed all by myself last night!)

17w4d
Flowy non-maternity shirt with maternity pants

17w4d

Sneak Stuff

Brandon and I went to Target yesterday after church.  I had seen this precious bib set on a friend's blog and just had to have it for The Sneak.  It was just too sentimental to pass up.

The Sneak has definitely been worth the wait.  I try not to remember what it was like all the months that we desperately longed to be pregnant.  It still stings.  It's so much easier to see the big picture now, but for 26 months, we were in the trenches wondering if we'd ever be blessed with our own baby.  We'll never forget what we went through, and feel so blessed to be pregnant.  I can honestly say now that it was all worth the wait.

I've talked about Rachel many times before on my blog.  With me in the picture is her sister, Katie.  When I moved in with my Dad in 9th grade, Katie was the first person that I met at school.  She was so sweet and made sure that I felt like I felt in.  We are now both pregnant and due on the same day!

I had been struggling to find the perfect Christmas ornament to represent the baby this year.  It's easy to find ones for "baby's first Christmas," but I wanted something while we were pregnant.

Here's both of us with our bellies.  We're pretty sure she's having a girl and I'm having a boy.  And we're both carrying appropriately (boy vs girl) as well.  She finds out the gender this week!  (Darn my busy work schedule!)

Katie found me the perfect ornament!  The words read  "Be Merry!  Your special gift will be here soon."  

17 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

17 Weeks
Last week in the fourth month of pregnancy!

How big is baby:

The size of an onion

Maternity Clothes:

Duh!  I cannot wait to go out and buy some more shirts after Christmas.  My pants and Be Band have been a lifesaver.

Weight Gain Alert!
131 lbs on Friday
Gained this week: 1 lb
Total Weight Gain:  8 lbs

Movement:
I think I'm feeling the baby move in my quiet moments, but I'm not entirely sure because this is all so new to me.  I can definitely feel something when I'm lying still with a full bladder.  My nurse said that I should start feeling some definite movements within the coming weeks-so exciting!

Food Cravings:
Pink Lemonade, Cookies and other holiday goodies.
Our sweet vendors and customers keep sending lots of sweets to the store.  I cannot control myself!

Food Aversions:
I'm getting better.  In the past week I've eaten Moe's and Chick-fil-A which have both been no-no's in weeks past.  

Gender:
** BSB or EJB **
Less than 2 weeks until we find out!
I've had customers and other people just look at me and say that it's a boy.
I'm carrying low and eating a LOT.
Heart rate was 155 bpm on Tuesday.
I think that I'm carrying a boy as well now.
It really doesn't matter to us what The Sneak is.  We're just excited to find out!  

Symptoms:
Acid reflux is finally relieved from Prilosec!  PTL!
Frequent urination (during the day and night), increased thirst, increased appetite, food cravings for sweets, headaches, breast changes!, rounder belly, ligament pain (felt abs separating), 

What do I miss:
Being able to bend over without feeling like I'm crushing the baby in my stomach.  I'll just try to keep from dropping things this week-no more "bend and snap"!

Best moment of the week:
Listening to the baby's heartbeat at our last appointment and getting an early Christmas present from Brandon.

What am I looking forward to:

The end of the holidays.  This Mommy is exhausted and needs a break!  Plus I'm ready to find out the gender of our precious little one.

Milestones:
I feel like every day is a milestone accomplishment, after fearing that we would never be pregnant.

"Body fat is beginning to form, but baby is still skinny, with skin that is practically translucent.  One important skill baby is sharpening now is sucking and swallowing to get ready to eat when outside of the womb."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate

Here's a few pictures from last night--16w6d

With our pretty Christmas tree at work.
The girls (LC) say that I look a little bit bigger each day now!

After a LONG day at work

I was so excited that I was able to wear a nice skirt to work.  I did have to use a rubber band to keep it fastened because the skirt wouldn't even zip!

Brandon's Fertility Testimony

Our pastor asked Brandon to speak at church this past Sunday.  Terry talked about Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist.  (He read scripture from Luke 1:5-25.)  At many points throughout  his sermon, Terry continued to talk about how Zechariah and Elizabeth must have felt, not being able to conceive children.  In their time, it was shameful for a woman to have no children.  Throughout the message, Brandon and I revisited many emotions that we had felt along the way in our journey to conceive.  For two years, there was much disappointment, anger, denial, and every other negative emotion.  We received so much "unwanted advice" from everyone!  He and I both struggled so much to keep moving forward, but Brandon always stayed strong for me.  He was always positive and hopeful that we would become parents.

Here is a video of his message from the early service on December 9, 2012.  I was so proud to see my husband speaking before our faith family about what God has done for us.  "This is not the end for us."  

"If you're not putting your faith in God, please do."  He has already done so much for us.

Appointment: 16 Weeks 3 Days

We met Dr. Radbill at our 16 weeks appointment today.  Our doctor's office has two locations, one at Brookwood and one in Alabaster.  It was a nice break not having to drive so far today for an appointment.  The nurse sat down with me and went over all of my labs from the first visit.  She also asked me how I had been feeling, and I mentioned my headaches and acid reflux issues.  They led me to another room and a different nurse came in to let me listen to the heartbeat.  The Sneak's heart rate was at 155 bpm today.  She let us listen for a while, and then told us that the baby was moving around!  Dr. Radbill came in and felt my belly and said that everything is right on track.  He said that my headaches were just a common pregnancy occurrence, and that I could begin taking Prilosec daily for my acid reflux.

Brandon was thrilled to mention that this appointment was by far the quickest one we've ever had.  Our next appointment is scheduled with Dr. Radbill on December 28 to find out the gender.  I cannot wait to know, even though I'm pretty sure that it's a boy.

On the day of our anatomy scan, my plan is for the ultrasound tech to only tell Brandon the gender.  Then we will go eat lunch somewhere and he can tell me.  *We had originally planned for ART to call Brandon with the results of our pregnancy test so he could tell me (good news or bad), but we had already known for five days that we were pregnant.  I wish that we could find out before Christmas, but my work schedule is just too busy.  At least I'll be able to enjoy the news more since I'll have some time off!  I cannot wait to know for sure, we are so excited!

Sunday Pictures

Over the weekend, our sweet friend from church took some more pictures for us.  Shannon has done an amazing job helping us document our pregnancy.  I cannot wait to have her take a few more shots once we know the gender!

He put his hand on my tummy in almost every picture we took!  He's just a little bit excited that I'm looking more pregnant as each day passes.

We took the pictures down the street from our house.  So far, we've taken engagement pictures, wedding and bridal pictures, and baby announcement pictures all in the same place.

I cannot believe how quickly I've grown.  We keep looking back at my weekly progression pictures and it's as if my tummy just popped (along with my booty).

I'm pretty sure that I won't be one of those small women at the end of my pregnancy.  My weight gain continues to be steady and controlled, but my bump (and rump) is very pronounced.    

When I was a little girl, I can remember stuffing a pillow under my shirt to pretend to be pregnant.  I've always wanted to be a Mommy.  Yes, I've written about some of the crazy pregnancy symptoms, but it's all been worth it.  It's truly a miracle that our precious child is nestled safely in my tummy.

16 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

16 Weeks
(wrapping up the 4th month)

How big is baby:

The size of an avocado

Maternity Clothes:

The BeBand is awesome!  Now I just need to look into purchasing more shirts that completely cover my stomach.

Weight Gain Alert! 
130 lbs on Wednesday
Gained This Week:  1 lb
Total Weight Gain:  7 lbs

Movement:

So far, only when I have a full bladder, but I'm looking forward to the coming weeks and being able to feel more.

Food Cravings:

Cheerios, Tums (for my never-ending reflux), and whatever else I get my hands on.

Food Aversions:

Fast Food and I'm over my BBQ obsession

Gender:

We will know before the end of the year, but that's all I'm saying!

Symptoms:

Acid reflux, frequent urination, heightened sense of smell, headaches, fatigue, back aches, LIGAMENT PAIN-I have it more often than not, breast changes, rounder belly, forgetfulness- "pregnancy brain"
I still feel tender from my PIO injections and it's been four weeks!

What do I miss:
Shirts long enough to cover my tummy.

Best moment of the week:
Having people touch my belly and meeting newly pregnant friends for dinner.

What am I looking forward to:
Our appointment with Dr. Radbill next week and hearing baby's heartbeat again. 

Milestones:
We're wrapping up the 4th month of pregnancy.  It amazes me how quickly everything happens.  I'm trying to enjoy this pregnancy, but I cannot wait to hold our precious baby in our arms.  Plus most of the yucky pregnancy side effects are getting to me.

"Baby now weighs three to five ounces!  The bones that are now in place in the ears mean that The Sneak can hear our voices.  How cool is that?!?  The tiny muscles are strengthening, and baby can straighten out a little more.  Eyes are working and making movements, even perceiving light although the eyelids are sealed."  from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate

Headaches...

After looking at my calendar yesterday, I realized that I've been having headaches for over five days.  My plate is overfilled enough, and having headaches has been slowing me down.  I called Dr. Mac's office to speak with a nurse.  This is the FIRST time that I've called.  Things have been pretty quiet with Baby Sneakers, and it's been awesome!  Unlike calling the fertility clinic, they actually placed me on hold and then a real live nurse picked up the phone.  It was so much different than calling up to ART, leaving a message with all of my identifying info and waiting for a response.  They called me in a Rx for Esgic.  To my demise, the pharmacy did not have the medicine, and Brandon waited 45 minutes for nothing.  I did ask my pharmacy friend (who is also pregnant) if this medicine sounded safe.  It's a Class C drug, meaning that no studies exist to support if the drug is harmful or not in pregnancy.  Maybe it was a good thing that they didn't have the medicine?  I assume that they'll call today and see what else to give me.  As of right now my head feels alright, but I can tell that the headache is coming.

I'm definitely within the guidelines for a safe amount of caffeine each day.  I promise to cut back more after the holidays are over!  Even when I take two Tylenol, I still feel the pressure in my head.  The nurse said it could just be hormonal.  I'm praying that it all subsides and I can make it through each day without feeling like a zombie.

Happy Weekend everyone!  Enjoy it for me because we've started extending our hours at work and I have no idea when I'll get any rest this weekend.

Retail and the Pregnant Woman

On Monday I wrote about busyness.  I'm still feeling very stressed about the holidays, but it soon will pass.  Only 18 more days to go and it will be over.  See, Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays.  When you work retail, that notion goes out the window-especially when you work in a jewelry store!

Some days I have no idea how I will make it to closing.  My feet/ankles are swelling each day.  And between the ligament pain and daily headaches...  It's been a long holiday season for me already.  I've truly wanted to limit my caffeine, but I cannot right now.  I think I'll get a better handle on it once January arrives.  My mantra is to take it all one day at a time.  If I don't, I'll never make it.  All of the girls at work are great, and they can tell when I'm tired.  They've all been so good to take care of me.  So I'm sure that I can handle 18 (working 15) more days of crazy-busyness at work.  I mean, I endured many cycles TTC with stimulation drugs, and IVF with OHSS...what's 15 more days crazy of Christmas shoppers?  =)

Busy!

Have I mentioned that the Holidays are a busy time for me at work?  It's been crazy,  I'm already exhausted, and we still have 21 more days to go.

Brandon's mother is driving from North Carolina this Friday, and is staying with us through the weekend.  On Sunday, we are having our Christmas with her.  I'm not finished Christmas shopping yet, and am feeling slightly overwhelmed because I have no idea how/when to finish.  (I did complete over half of my list for the family I'm buying for through Road to Bethlehem on Saturday night with Rachel's help).  I must delegate and have Brandon help me finish.

Yesterday, we drove to the Galleria in search of more maternity pants.  I purchased a BeBand from Target and two pair of dress pants from the maternity section in Macy's.  After that, Brandon treated me to lunch at J Alexander's.  This morning while getting dressed, I was reminded that I need more long shirts.  My bump isn't large, but it is causing my shirts to not cover enough belly!  I'm wearing the BeBand with a pair of khaki slacks and it's so comfortable.  It's also nice that people won't be able to see where I don't have my pants buttoned.

Black really is slimming! 

The ligament pain is not comfortable, but I know my belly is growing and stretching to accommodate baby.  When I lay down on the couch each night, my throat burns with acid reflux!  If my bladder is full, I can occasionally feel a jab from The Sneak.  Also, if my bladder is full and I cough or sneeze... well, it's funny!  Pregnancy is agreeing with me for the most part minus some of the unpleasant issues.  BUT I was super lucky to have no morning sickness through the first trimester, and it's definitely worth having some uncomfortable stuff to be carrying my precious baby.

In this picture you can barely see my bump.