19...almost halfway!

Tomorrow marks 19 weeks according to the midwife! Another busy week as Janae's wedding approaches. We had a co-ed party (shower) for her and Matt on Saturday and on Sunday celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of Ryan's great-uncle and aunt Larry and Leila. At the party Ryan felt the baby kick for the first time...it was also our first day trying to feel from the 'outside'! This morning both Ryan and I were able to feel Baby B kicking from the 'outside'- a first for me! What a crazy experience...and I haven't even been trying to feel it from the outside because I didn't think I was big enough/ far enough along to feel it. Thanks to all my pregnant and recently pregnant friends for telling me to start trying:)!

This last week I also got to spend a couple of days watching my friend's twins, Allie and Kara. Their big brother Trevor has a heart defect and went to Children's Hospital to have his heart worked on. All three are the sweetest kids and I hope I get more chances to 'borrow' them...just no more heart surgeries! If you want, you can check out their blog too- or if you know someone who has a child with a heart defect send them their way: http://www.trevorsexcellentadventure.blogspot.com/.

Only 2.5 more days of school for Ryan and 6.5 more days for Sarah! Now we just need some summer weather to show up and we'll be all set!

18 weeks

Another eventful week! Wrapped up my "regular" subbing and got started in "my" classroom for the rest of the year! I'm covering a maternity leave for a 6th grade Language Arts/Social Studies class at my favorite middle school. It's only 14 school days, but its still nice to know where I'm going every day in advance!

Baby B is moving around lots, what a weird and fascinating feeling! The baby bump is more pronounced but still not as obvious as I look forward to! Can't wait for the day a stranger asks me when I'm due:)

Found a bassinet on craigslist this week as well- practically brand new for $20!! The shopping will need to take a hiatus however as June will be particularly spendy...we're planning to convert our office space into Baby B's bedroom this week! In addition, June 26 is the wedding event of the year and I still need to get my dress altered and find shoes (among many many other things!)

Memorial Day weekend was fairly uneventful out here in Washington...it was RAINY and cold, more like our November or January weather:( I had been hoping to tackle the weeds that are growing....well, like weeds in our backyard but that will have to wait for a drier weekend...or until school is out and I have family in town to help:) (haha, I know, I'm SO funny!)

17 weeks

Since our midwife is using November 3rd (a Wednesday) as my due date, I'm switching to Wednesdays for updates! This has been a very busy week- we had our semi-annual neighborhood garage sale and we now have a very decent start on neutral baby clothes for very little money. We also found the jogging stroller we wanted on craigslist and were lucky to be the first responders! Grandpa and Grandma Imholt were very generous in purchasing Baby B's mode of transportation...don't worry, I'm sure we'll say thank-you everytime we use it! We also got a carseat and two bases along with a double electric breast pump from the family Janae (Sarah's sister) nannies for. Unfortunately the car seat is red and the stroller is orange...not the prettiest combination but worth it to save a couple hundred bucks:) Thanks to amazon.com we're trying out a baby gate...we got the "extra tall" version and although we like the look are not so sure on the height- going to try it at the bottom of the stairs and see if that is any better. But the extra height when you're going up the stairs makes it very hard, if you're say, carrying a baby in a carseat! (We found this out yesterday when Jessica and Pax came home...it's quite handy having an 11 month-old to practice on!!)

I'm pretty sure what I've been feeling and continue to feel are tiny little baby kicks and I'm definitely "thickening" up around the middle. I've decided I'm looking forward to the first time a complete stranger asks me when I'm due- I think it will finally feel real then. Right now I could just be a "thick" person... or fat, depending on your word choice:)

16 weeks for real?

Saw the midwife today...she's putting the due date at November 3, which would make today my true 16 week mark. But since I've gotten into a good routine and have time to do updates and pics on Sundays, I think I'll just stick with Halloween:) Besides, it doesn't matter to Baby B what day I do my updates, he/she is going to pick whatever day they want to for a birthday!

Baby's heartbeat was strong. My blood pressure and weight are good (I've gained 6lbs total). No protein or glucose to worry about. We go back in a month. It was fun to hear the heartbeat and kicks again. (Much louder and stronger 4 weeks later!) Ryan still hasn't heard the heartbeat but he should be able to make the next appointment (school will be out!).

16 weeks

What a busy week we just survived! I've been house-sitting for some friends in Lake Stevens for 2 weeks. It's so nice to be back in my own bed:) Today was Janae's bridal shower (my sister). It was lots of fun and turned out great...but things like that wear me out fast! Subbing this week has been busy with the state MSP (Measurement of Student Progress) testing...and I work everyday this coming week and we'll be doing two more days of testing. I bought a Buggy Bag this week off craigslist, I got a great deal on it and I love the gender-neutral bright colors. I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for deals this summer! We're loving our new roommates (Jessica and Pax) and having a baby in the house is getting us even more excited for our own. (Pax is about 11 months and just plain wonderful!)

I still think I'm feeling movement...but since this is my first time around, maybe I'm wrong. This morning I rolled over on my tummy and it was the first time I felt a firm bump in the way- that was kind of neat. If you know me well, you can tell I'm gaining weight and have a small baby bump...if you don't know me, I just kind of look like I need to watch what I eat and get to the gym more:) Our next appointment is Wednesday, looking forward to checking in with our mid-wife, this still isn't feeling "real" yet.

15 weeks and BUSY

What a busy week! We had new roommates move in to our two spare bedrooms. Jessica and Pax are the daughter and grandson of some friends of ours at church and we're super excited to be helping them out while they help us out! I've been house-sitting in Lake Stevens for some friends who are in England for a wedding and work is picking up, like it always does at the end of the year. Our friend's daughter Ashlynn turned 1 and Ryan's friends from college welcomed their first child, Sienna. Plus we celebrated Mother's day with two soon-to-be grandma's and enjoyed some beautiful spring weather.

Nothing too exciting or new with the pregnancy this week. Still feeling occasional movement but not really showing much. I'm starting to look forward to looking pregnant but trying not to hurry it along by eating too much:) (This week was a VERY hungry week!)

14 weeks and movement

14 weeks! I'm going to try and wear a similar outfit each picture until the baby bumb gets really obvious:) These are still my regular jeans...and on days when I'm not too gasy I can even keep them buttoned while sitting! Ah, the joys of pregnancy:)

I'm pretty sure I've started feeling movement this week, although I woudn't quite say it feels like butterflies (since I've never swallowed live butterflies). It does however feel like something inside of me is moving AND it feels different than gas.

I've finally been able to get back to the gym this week. I've been swimming and spinning (bicycling) and need to start some weights into the rotation. This weekend I bought a new swimsuit that I'm hoping will last through the whole pregnancy...or at the very least through summer. I'm planning on participating in the Fat Salmon 3 mile swim in July (http://www.fatsalmon.org/) and the Swim For Life 2.5 mile swim in August (http://www.psbc.org/news_archive/swim2010.htm). Not sure if running will make it back into the mix (although I'm getting the itch) but it would be nice to throw in a sprint triathlon before I get too big (or it gets too hot).