Seventeen

Baby M is now the size of an onion! Growing at rapid speed, Baby M now weighs around 5.9 ounces and is 5.1 inches long. His/her cartilage is now turning to bone and he/she is getting some meat on those bones (just in time for winter!) Everything I have been reading keeps assuring me that sooner than later I will feel the baby moving, but alas, I’m still waaaaaaaaaiting... Any day now Baby M...

Life has been pretty boring here lately. The highlight of this past week was that Bryant & I went out to eat at 183 Lanes...the bowling alley in town (in case you didn’t know). Now, I’m not complaining, it’s just very different from how we used to spend our evenings before moving to Stockton and before Baby M. Hopefully we will find some time to get out of town sooner than later, I think we both could use a date night! I would love to go to Denver this winter...but mostly I want to go so I can drink spiked hot chocolate and sit in a hot tub with snow on the ground at a ski resort...and since I can’t have alcohol, sit in hot tubs, or ski anytime soon, maybe we’ll wait until next winter when Baby M can enjoy it too! :)

Bryant made his first solo baby purchase this past week, he bought Baby M a Jayhawk Pillow Pet! It’s hilariously cute and it was very sweet of him. He also bought a new football, just in case Baby M wants to play some catch when he/she makes his/her debut... Gee, I wonder if he’s hoping that Baby M is a “he.”

This morning I had a massive nose bleed that lasted for around 30 minutes. I was trying to get ready for work and literally had to re-shower after I finally got the bleeding to stop. I think I had mentioned in a previous blog that I had some nose bleeding over the past few weeks (which apparently is normal in the 2nd trimester) but what happened this morning was out of control. I actually called Dr. Hodny's office as I was getting worried about the length of time the nose bleed lasted and the amount of blood. His nurse seemed worried at first but told me that as long as it was not associated with a headache that it should be okay, but if it happens again, I need to go to the hospital right away. Let's hope this was a one time kinda thing!

The next doctor's appointment is in TWO WEEKS from today! We are so so SO excited - I can't believe we're actually going to know what we're having in approximately 337 hours!!!! :) I seriously need to find something to keep me busy over the next 2 weeks or I might go crazy!

Until next week,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

Sweet 16

At 16 weeks Baby M is the size of an avocado. I am starting to get confused by the fruit chart, because last week Baby M was the size of an orange - which I'm positive is bigger than an avocado...oh well, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, fruit comparisons are irrelevant! :) Either way, Baby M is around 4.6 inches long and 3.5 ounces. Oddly enough, this seems huge!

Word on the street is that at 16 weeks Baby M is now able to listen to our voices - guess we should start paying a little more attention to the content of our conversations! :) Baby M is also growing eye lashes, eye brows and hair. He/she has also begun to form taste buds. Baby M, you are welcome in advance for the large quantities of ice cream and Butterfingers that I have been consuming.

The second trimester has been going as well as can be expected. I have had a few headaches recently (although this could just be sinus issues or weather) and I have had a few nosebleeds. Apparently pregnant nosebleeds are normal...although annoying and gross. I have noticed that I feel slightly out of breath after doing simple tasks and am attributing this to pregnancy...which again is apparently normal as my insides and lungs are starting to get crowded. I definitely have a noticeable "swelling" in my abdomen and I am really starting to feel pregnant. Speaking of feeling pregnant, I still haven't felt Baby M kick - but I am so anxious for when I do! I try to lay very still every night before bed and wait for it, but nothing yet. Don't worry - you will be the first to know when I do...well after I tell Baby M's daddy of course! :)

Speaking of Baby M's daddy...Baby M doesn't know how lucky he/she is! Seriously, Bryant has been the BEST soon-to-be daddy ever. He has been working very hard on Baby M's room lately and now we have all the furniture put together, the closet organizer in and the new blinds are installed! He has also been taking great care of me and keeping me happy...which I am the first to admit is not an easy task! I am especially thankful for the ice cream that he not only gets for me, but adds awesome toppings to (like left-over Butterfingers from Halloween!)

Speaking of how lucky Baby M is, last week we received our car set and stroller travel system, thanks to Grandma Berland! I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not when I blogged about Baby M's furniture, but that was a gift from Grandma Muir! Seriously... Luckiest. Baby. Ever. Here is a picture of the travel system, it is neutral so it will be great for a boy or a girl.



Lots of love,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

Suger & Spice or Puppy Dog Tails?

Only 3 weeks and 2 days until we find out whether we will be shopping for blue or pink! :)

I know everybody says when they're pregnant that they don't care if they have a boy or girl, as long as it's healthy, but come on...isn't there at least one time you've thought it would be more fun to have one than the other???!!!

I have always said that it doesn't matter to me whether it's a boy or girl, because eventually I would like to have one of each anyways (even though I have secretly been hoping that I would get a girl first!) I mean obviously I want nothing more than a healthy baby, but I can't pretend I don't just melt when I see baby girl clothes! On top of that, I have just had a "feeling" from the beginning that we are having a little girl. AND everyone in our immediate family has had a girl first...my mom, sister, brother, Ruthie and Whitney. But now...

....Now, I'm beginning to feel differently. I now am convinced that we are having a boy. Why the change? I have no idea - it's just a feeling. The other day I was getting my hair cut and there was a little boy in the salon who was also getting his hair cut. I have no idea why, but as I was watching him I almost started crying. **Hello hormones** He was the cutest thing and I think it finally hit me that I really do want a little boy just as much as I want a little girl. I don't know why this thought has been escaping me, especially since I have 2 nephews who I am obsessed with! (And can you imagine anything cuter than a little Bryant?!?!?) Also, recently when I talk about Baby M I have noticed that I keep saying "he."

Obviously there is still a 50% chance that I am wrong, but I suppose we'll find out in just a few short weeks (PLEASE let the weeks be short!) Either way, I know that both Bryant & I will be over the moon excited and we will continue to pray that Baby M is as healthy as can be! :)

Speaking of a little Bryant... Today, Belly was very disappointed that he didn't get to go with Bryant to the farm. As Bryant was leaving and was explaining to Belly's sad little face that he would be back soon and that Belly would get to stay home and cuddle with me I saw our future... Someday Bryant will be heading out to the farm to work on motorcycles or to hunt and he will have to explain to Baby M that he/she can't go with him, but will have to stay at home with momma instead. I'm sure there will be tears shed and it will seem like the end of the world, but I really can't wait for those days. Baby M, I am just so excited to be your momma that I even look forward to the times when your heart is broken and instead of going to the farm, you stay home with me on Saturday mornings and cuddle! And I'm sure that your daddy is more than excited for the days when you are big enough to go to the farm with him! :)

Orange You Glad We're at 15 Weeks?!

You may have already figured this one out, but at 15 weeks Baby M is the size of a navel orange! This weekly update actually made me a little hungry...mmmm oranges! :) Looks like I'll need to make a trip to the grocery store soon to get some citrus.



According to the many weekly updates I get, our little poppy seed baby is currently around 4 inches (crown to rump) and 2.5 ounces...AND his/her legs out-measure his/her arms now. Hello normal proportions! :) Although if Baby M is anything like its momma it will be lucky if its legs are much longer than its arms... Sorry Baby M, but the odds that you are tall are against you...

I have noticed that there are alot of early 2nd trimester mommas on pregnancy websites that are talking about feeling the baby start to move. Many are saying they have already been feeling their babies move as early as 14 weeks! We haven't been so lucky in this house and we're still waiting for that first movement. However, most books I've read said that it's likely to be anywhere between 16 and 22 weeks...so I suppose I won't hold my breath anytime soon. I actually thought I felt movement last week, but haven't felt anything since, so I'll chalk that up to stomach grumbling! Dang.

I am trying to learn to sleep on my side, but seem to wake up on my back most mornings. I can no longer comfortably sleep on my stomach anymore...and learning to sleep in a different position has been difficult for me. I have been feeling pretty great lately - still a little tired, but I am over the sinus infection and haven't felt nauseous in several weeks. I am supposed to be getting a flu shot this coming week as well...lets hope I don't have a bad reaction to it. (I've never had a flu shot before.)

I have been wearing the belly band with my jeans more recently. I can still get my jeans buttoned but it is definitely not comfortable for very long... My works pants are still fitting fine, but my shirts are starting to seem short. Looks like I will need to start looking for some maternity tops soon. As of now I haven't gained any weight, but am about 3 or 4 pounds less than when I started...not sure how this is possible since I was only nauseous, (didn't actually throw up much) and feel like I'm still eating about the same, but Dr. Hodny didn't seem worried and I'm not going to complain!

We are celebrating Halloween this weekend with a party at the Hilbrinks! Bryant is going to be a doctor and I am going to be an x-ray patient. (It's really a skeleton, but x-ray patient goes better with Bryant's costume.) Here is my costume... (FYI: This is NOT me in the picture - my bump is nowhere near that size!)



Shaun, Whitney & Lyla are also in town this weekend! It seems like we haven't seen them forever, so we are VERY happy to have them around for a few days. Lyla is the cutest cookie monster you've ever seen! :) We are looking forward to handing out candy in Stockton this year since we will know most of the kids that will be stopping by. This is much better than handing out candy in a town where we didn't know anybody! :)

We are going to try to start taking weekly "bump" pictures - now that I'm starting to actually get a bump...so stay tuned for future pictures! :)

Happy Halloween,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

Welcome to the Second Trimester

Clearly I'm behind by a few weeks...

For a quick "fruit recap" Baby M went from the size of a lime in Week 11 - to a plum in Week 12 - to a peach in Week 13 - to the size of a LEMON in Week 14...which is where we are now! Baby M is currently around 3.5 inches and 1.5 ounces. (Obviously the fruit comparison has more to do with length than weight, since a lemon definitely weighs more than 1.5 ounces.) During this week Baby M is busy doubling his/her weight from last week and is likely sucking his/her thumb and wiggling its toes! Baby M is also getting lots of lanugo (peach-fuzz like hair) all over his/her body which helps keep our little poppy seed baby warm.

The past few weeks have been fairly tame for both Bryant & I - work, sleep, work, sleep, etc. This past week I haven't felt very good - I think that my annual sinus infection has arrived. Unfortunately I can't take any antibiotics, so it looks like Mucinex and nasal spray will have to get me through this one. I have not had much of an appetite this week, but know that I need to eat something - so I'm sticking with ice cream (I need more calcium, right?!) Great way to start off my 2nd trimester. Ugh.

Yesterday I had my 2nd doctor appointment, which was the first time I was able to meet the actual doctor, Dr. Hodny. I loved him and am very happy to have a doctor that I am comfortable with. He was very thorough and sat around long enough for me to ask him all the questions I wanted to. While at the appointment I got to hear Baby M's heartbeat again, which was 156. This time was a little different because while we were trying to hear the heartbeat we kept hearing this weird bubble sound - I thought it was my stomach growling, but the nurse told me that it is actually our little poppy seed baby moving around! She then went on to tell me that Baby M is VERY active and that I could probably expect to feel some movement sooner than later...CANNOT WAIT! :) Dr. Hodny said that everything looked/sounded perfect and we scheduled our next appointment for November 28...this is a MAJOR date because we will also get to do the sonogram! YEAAAAAA for finding out if this little poppy seed is a boy or a girl!!!! :)

In other big news we ordered furniture and are starting to put the baby room together. Ahhhhh! So far Bryant has put together the dresser and changing table and they couldn't be more perfect! Hopefully we'll get the crib put together soon...I'm dying to see it finished! :) Here is what the finished product will look like.



Bryant keeps promising he will be the next to blog...so keep your fingers crossed! :)

Love & Babies,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

11 Weeks

At 11 weeks, Baby M is now the size of a lime! I definitely can tell that I am approaching the end of the first trimester, because I am starting to feel like I have a little energy back (I don't feel like the walking dead) and I also haven't felt nauseous for the last week or so!

In my last post I mentioned that I was having some "round ligament pain" and apparently it is getting worse. :( Anybody who knows me knows that if I sneeze once, I'm going to sneeze a hundred times...well turns out that whenever I sneeze that pain in my stomach is AWFUL! (Like make you fall down on the floor and cry awful.) And because I can't stop sneezing once I start, the pain seems to go on forever. Luckily I have figured out that if I'm able to bend over while sneezing it doesn't hurt quite as bad...a little awkward, but WAY less pain. Hopefully I'll never have to do this in court...

I forgot to mention in my last post that when we had our first doctor's appointment our doctor told us the OFFICIAL DUE DATE is: April 21, 2012! :) Also, our next doctor's appointment is scheduled for October 21st - when I will be 14 weeks.

Best Sound in the World

So while I complained in an earlier blog that time just seemed to be crawling by, all the sudden it seems like time is flying! Life is pretty busy right now with work and what seems like non-stop traveling, and I just can’t seem to keep up with blogging on a weekly basis. Excuses, excuses! :)

Anyways, so at 10 weeks Baby M is the size of a large prune. Weighing in at a whopping .14 ounces and 1.2 inches long! :) While I still don’t look pregnant, my jeans are definitely starting to get a little tight...although they were getting a little tight before I was ever pregnant! haha. I have been having some “round ligament pain” which is basically due to my ligaments and muscles stretching...it basically feels like I have been doing tons of sit-ups, which, I haven’t...hence the tight jeans! All of my dress pants are still fitting good for work, so I’m not moving up to maternity clothes just yet, but I will probably start using the belly band on my jeans before too long.

Towards the end of the 10th week we had our first doctor’s appointment - to be exact it was on September 28, 2011. Bryant was able to join Baby M & I...which we were very happy about! :) The appointment went pretty quick and was with our doctor’s nurse. (We didn’t actually get to meet our doctor just yet.) She went over basic information and because I had already done blood testing and a pelvic exam when I went to the ER at 6 weeks I didn’t have to re-do any of that.

In BIG news, we were able to hear Baby M’s heartbeat at our appointment! It was pretty amazing...and SO loud. The heart rate was 161, which according to an old wive’s tale means it’s a girl... On the other hand, according to the Chinese calendar we are having a boy... Guess we will just have to wait a few more weeks to figure it out! How on earth did I get this impatient???

In other big news, on the following Friday I was (finally) sworn in to the Kansas Bar - which means that I am officially official!