The Gender Reveal (& other fun info)! [21 weeks]

To jump straight to Gender Reveal Party details, scroll stright through the 21 week update.  :-)

How far along: 21 weeks / 1st week of the 6th month

How big is baby: 10.5(ish) inches long (length of a full-sized carrot) 

Maternity clothes:  I bought some shirts at a big Old Navy sale, and was also given a large box of maternity clothes from my friend/coworker Charlotte.  I've been wearing some of those, but I have *yet* to get the much-needed maternity pants.  So the belly band and rubber-bands have been getting quite a bit of use (and also bottoms with elastic).

Sleep:  I've been sleeping through the night without getting up, which is AWESOME in itself!  (Though Nic tells me I toss and turn so much that he often thinks I'm awake.)  BUT I've also been having some pregnancy dreams.  I was actually quite a vivid dreamer pre-pregnancy (we're talking 2-3 per night that I could still remember in the morning), so dreaming in itself isn't all that strange.  What IS strange, though, is dreaming that I'm taking tumbling classes while pregnant and feeling scared that I'm going to fall on my stomach.  It's kind of fun to be thinking about little baby in my dreams.  :)

Gender:  This is the exciting part!  We had our Gender Reveal Party last week Monday (see end of post for party details), and it was AWESOME!  Through the party, everyone was able to find out that IT'S A GIRL!!!   Hurray, no more keeping secrets!  And her name is...

AUDRA KAYTE WILLIAMS!

How we picked the name:  Audra:  Nic and I both really like the name Audra.  It's been on our list since we first started thinking of having kids and talking about names.  Truth be told, though, I just couldn't decide.  I knew I liked Audra, but was it the one?  What about Kinley?  And Danika?  And Alyson (Ally)?  How do you decide on a name to last a LIFETIME?  Then, after we'd been talking about names for a while, the talk in the kitchen happened.  Nic and I were both in there, just standing (I think waiting on the microwave) and he did something that confirmed her name for me.  Out of excitement, I hugged him and said something like, "Babe, I'm so excited to be a little family with you!"  And he said, "Yea, just you, me, and (points to my belly) Audra."  That was the first time he called our baby by name with such conviction and intent... not as a suggestion, but as a statement.  My heart melted inside me.  Yes, that was it, no more wondering.  Her name is Audra.
      It's fun to think of baby Audra (which is what we call her), toddler Audra, elementary-aged Audra, middle and high school aged Audra... college-aged Audra (Lord help us), adult Audra, Mom Audra, and old lady Audra... it's a name that we feel can withstand centuries. We think it will fit her perfectly.  Right now as I type these words, I'm wondering how many times in my life I'll type the name Audra.  It doesn't flow freely from my fingertips YET but I know it will eventually.  :)
Kayte:  My mom's middle name is Kay, which she also gave to me.  I always knew I wanted to keep the 'Kay' tradition but I also wanted to put a spin on it and make it my own.  I thought of a lot of different options: Kaycey (after my brother's middle name Casey), Kaylee, Kayla, etc.  But the one I REALLY liked best was KAYTE.  Something about it is so feminine and cute, and now elegant (thanks to Kate Middleton); I just LOVE that name!  In fact, I thought of Kate for a first name, but decided it would fit more perfectly as a middle name with Audra to carry on the tradition.  And so it is.  :)

Movement:  About 3 days after my last post, I was laying on my stomach on our bed, playing on the computer.  I felt a little rumble, which demanded my attention.  At first I thought it might be gas (let's be real, it happens).  But then, I felt it again.  Each time, it was for only a few seconds, but I knew it was different from what I'd ever felt before.  The next day I felt it again, but only once.  For about half a week there, I was feeling it only once a day for just a few seconds.  Then toward the end of that week I would feel it twice or three times.  Now this week, I feel her multiple times throughout the day, but each time it's only fore a few seconds.  Almost like she's just shifting position to get comfortable and that's it.  I wish she would keep moving!  I know as she continues to get stronger I'll feel her more often and for longer periods of time.  It's the coolest thing for me!  Before I was pregnant, I'd always ask my pregnant friends what it felt like.  Some have described it "like a floppy fish" and some say "like a butterfly fluttering its wings."  For me, I guess the closest one would be the floppy fish.  Not like a little goldfish, that's too small.  More like a long fish you'd catch in a lake.  It just moves around so you can feel it in your whole stomach (well, uterus).  I know that's kind of weird to think about (because Audra will DEFINITELY be cuter than a fish) (yet will possibly come out equally slimy), but it's the best I can do.    

Belly-button:  Still an innie.  Is it weird to say I kind of like the look of it when it's stretched tight over my stomach?  Now if only I can make it look that tight AFTER being pregnant...

Exercise:  My goal of 3-4 times in one week was not met.  But 2 times in one week was!  Better that than nothing.  :)  Yesterday when we got to CrossFit, I put on my heart rate monitor and went to warm up.  I was surprised to see that my heart rate was already 155 before even beginning!  I tell you, I guess growing a baby and giving it blood and oxygen and nutrients and HOUSING it really does require a lot of work from your body, and particularly your heart.  It didn't make me not work out or anything, it's just shocking for me to see; I'm not used to it.  It WOULD explain the being more out of breath lately and how it's generally harder to breathe even when I'm just sitting in a booth at Cattle Barron eating my salad and NOT working out.  The CrossFit Mom workouts that were TOO easy in the beginning are just perfect right now.  I can complete the Advanced workouts and get a small sweat going, when before I felt like "What was the point in even coming? This was too easy." 

What I'm loving:  LIFE pretty much!  I love:  1) knowing the gender and calling her AUDRA!,  2) that we found a doula I think I'll love, 3) Nic being happy and excited for Officer Training (see next post), 4) the kids, particularly my "hardest" class being such a joy to teach lately, 5) feeling her move, 6) the fact that Nic put in his two weeks and they were actually happy for him and his future (HUGE relief for him), 7) all the travel plans we've made (also mentioned in next post), 8) registering for baby stuff!, 9) our sweet families and friends that are so eager to be there for us and help, what a blessing!, and 10)  being HEALTHY right now!  I've got so much to be thankful for, and I really am just one happy girl right now.

What I'm NOT loving:  1) the fact that breathing is getting harder, 2) people I don't know putting their hands on my belly... not cool..., 3) the lack of exercise happening despite the great desire within me, 4) that Nic is leaving exactly one month from today (see next post), 5) the HOURS of grading ahead of me this weekend, 6) Nic still working nights (but only for two more weeks!), 7) feeling hungry all the time even though I KNOW I just ate and can't possibly need more food, 8) how much all this cute baby stuff costs, 9) the lack of motivation to do house work, 10) having 3 months and 3 weeks to meet AUDRA.

What I miss:  My husband!  Our schedules were so opposite last week:  I had SMART board training right after school (which is when we usually have dinner together before he goes into work), then he had a staff meeting after he got off at 7 AM (preventing the 30 minutes we have together before I go to work).  It was about a 48 hour period that I didn't get to see him, yet he was in the house and one point and so was I.  It pretty much SUCKED.  I know I'll (obviously) go much longer without seeing him after he leaves for Officer Training, but that'll be different:  at least I'll know he's out of town.  It was no fun having him so close but yet not here.  :(  Thankfully he doesn't work too many more days until he's finished at the hospital here.  It will be nice to go to bed at night with him a few more times before he leaves.



The Gender Reveal Party! 
Hosted by:  Erin Vaubel (whom Nic met in nursing school) and also Lindsey Harkey (also a friend from Nic's nursing school) helped a lot.

Party Details:


Cast Your Vote:  I got a cheap chalkboard from Hobby Lobby and partiers put a mark for their prediction.  More people thought boy!

 
"What do the Old Wives Tales say?" Game:  I found this idea on another blog, and it worked out perfectly!  See the link for the Old Wives Tales we used.  (FYI- the Old Wives said it would be a BOY!)

Guess the arrival date:  This was one of Erin (the host)'s ideas.  She had a small chalkboard and people wrote when they thought the baby would arrive, judging from our due date of June 4.  These pics are of Erin and Lindsey, since they helped so much & it was Erin's idea.
These are also great photos to see one other thing we asked of guests:  wear blue or pink to cast your prediction. 

Food:  I had a "rainbow" cupcake theme in mind, and I think it turned out pretty cute!  To drink, we had the classic sherbert-ginger ale punch (but we also added ice cream to make it creamier).  We also had a counter of my cravings... just because I thought it was a cute idea and I didn't want all of the sweets to give people a sugar coma.

The Big Reveal:  Erin and Lindsey did a REALLY awesome job making the cake.  A few days before the party, Erin and I met to party plan- at which time I told her the gender.  She told Lindsey to get some cake assistance, but the two of them and Nic and I (well, and our doctor and ultrasound tech) were the only ones that knew!  After we played the Old Wives Tale game, everyone gathered around the cake/cupcake table (we took off the punch bowl) and Nic and I cut right in!  The grandparents and Nic's sister's reaction was priceless.  SO FUN to have everyone find out at once!

 The icing completely covered the inside, which reveals the gender...

 Excited to tell everyone...

 The cake was pink!  IT'S A GIRL!

So there you have it!  All the fun details of how we told everyone we're having a sweet little GIRL!

Sorry this post was so long, but I hope it found you well!

I've Just Begun Havin' My Fun (yeah) [19 weeks]

So much is happening at once, it's hard to keep up with it all!  I read my friends blogs and see all of their pregnancy updates and I feel shameful!  I have been SO NOT on the ball with this!  ...and I SO wanted to be!  So here's the first update (of hopefully many):  the good, the bad, and the ugly.

How far along:  0-19 weeks (this update should be interesting with so much to cover!)    

How big is baby:  Obviously started as a twinkle in Nic's eye, and is now anywhere between 6.5-9 inches!  Wowza!!!  Tuesday's ultrasound informed us that baby is around 10 oz right now!    

Weight gain/loss: Not exactly sure about this one... I think prob around 7 right now.  I do know for sure (thanks to the appt today) that I gained 2 lbs within the last month.

Stretch marks: None yet!  Which is amazing since my boobs feel ginormous and are itchy all the time!  I put Vitamin E oil on the high stretch zones (when I remember, which is about 2-3 times per week)... I hear it works out pretty well!     

Maternity clothes: Around weeks 16-17 I noticed it was harder to button my jeans.  Maybe it was the baby, maybe it was all the delicious homemade food my mother-in-law made for all of us.  ...regardless, things were getting a bit tight in there.  At that point I started leaving them unbuttoned and using a rubber band or hair tie, looping it through the hole and around the button to give me some extra room.  That's still what I'm doing now, though, truth be told-- I can barely ZIP them now.  I think here in the next few weeks I'm going to have to get some maternity pants.  Lucky for me, I have quite a few long shirts that completely hide the button/zipper area, so I've been getting away with it. 

-ALSO- my mother in law bought me a belly band, which has really come in handy.  I'm able to leave the pants unzipped & unbuttoned (though I still like to use the rubber band or hair tie to keep them from hanging open) and I can cover up that area with the belly band, which looks like a shirt (for times when I don't have a long enough shirt) and also smooths out any muffin-toppage that may be happening.  (Not that it does.  ...I'm so sorry for that horrible image in your head I may have just created.)  The band has been EXTREMELY helpful.     

Sleep: In the beginning, I was waking up SERIOUSLY 2-3 times a night to pee.  I am not exaggerating!  I found it hard to go back to sleep as well, because... well, a baby is EXCITING!  Around 14 weeks, we got brand new furniture (so the little wiggle worm can have our old stuff), along with a Tempurpedic mattress.  I kid you not, my bathroom usage has cut from 3 to 1 and sometimes zero!  I'm pretty confident that this is due to the fact that this new mattress puts less stress on my body, and therefore my little one isn't pushing as hard on my bladder.  I'm finding it easier to go back to sleep now, too, which is nice.  :)

Week 18 I had a pretty nasty upper respiratory infection, which left me super drained and made it hard to sleep (coughing, phlem, wheezing, the whole fun thing).  Since that's been over, sleep has been blissful.     

Diet/Cravings:  Well, in the beginning I couldn't get enough tater tots!  ...with ranch dressing!  Yummmm!  Then there was a while when I would eat whole pineapples by myself.  Now, I'm pretty much just craving nutritious food.  We had been eating a really well-rounded diet for months before getting pregnant, and after we found out I just ate whatever I wanted because I wanted it SO BADLY.  I started to feel the sluggish effects of not eating healthy (or is that just called being pregnant?!?), so I've started trying go back to our old ways.  So far, so good!  I feel better about what I'm taking in, knowing it's good for me AND BABY!

Gender:  At first, we wanted to wait.  Then I decided the new mom in me wanted to know for planning purposes.  Nic still didn't want to know.  And he made it VERY clear that he didn't want to make a big party out of it. 

~WELL~ We found out  the gender on Tuesday and will be revealing to friends and family on Monday!  The original plan was to just have a dinner and cut into a gender cake.  Then I started thinking about how week nights are bad for a lot of people since their kids have sports, meetings, etc... so then we made it a Saturday thing.  Then decided people shouldn't have to pay for dinner, so now it's just a little 2 hour shindig.  So far [today is Thursday] we've got about 20 people total who'll be there (including us).  We'll have a table full of tots, pineapple, and cheese (of course) for my cravings, also a table for the cake and other nicely colored sweets.  Pics and updates on the gender reveal in next post.  :)

Movement: At our 16 week appointment, the MD said I should feel it any time.  She also said, don't be alarmed if I don't because some don't feel it until after their 20th week.  There are times I think I feel it, but then I talk myself into thinking it's gas or me being hungry.  I just can't tell!  So, I'm going to say no... but when I do, you'll know all about it!

 

Belly-button:  I believe one of my childhood friends had a sister who used to tell me my belly button was like a black hole:  it never ended.  And I have to say, I think I agree.  Who knows how far that thing goes in there?  You need a flashlight to even get an idea of the depth of this anomaly.  I hear that eventually in pregnancy, all innies become outies... but I'm having my doubts about whether mine actually will or not.  Again, I'll keep you updated!

 

Exercise:  I've done CrossFit Mom the whole time.  There were about 3 weeks there (15-18) that Nic's family was in town and we were quite busy with Christmas stuff, so I didn't work out.  And I missed it.  When I did manage to workout in the 1st trimester, it was usually only 2 times/week, which was quite a change from my normal pre-pregnancy 4-5x/wk.  Then those 3 weeks of ZERO working out made me pretty sad and gross feeling (and remember, that's the same time the pants stopped buttoning... didn't make me feel so great).  This week I did two workouts, and I'm hoping next week I can get up to 3 and eventually keep it at 3 or 4.  The workouts are meant for preggo ladies, and I have to say- I love it!  At first, the low intensity was a shock to my hard-working CrossFitting system.  But now, it's JUST what the doctor ordered!  (And yes, she has OKed these workouts!)  

I've noticed things that used to be extremely easy are getting harder and harder (like just trying to lift the bar above my head).  The effects of this are elevated heart rate, which I keep track of on the monitor I wear.  I take VERY frequent breaks to let my heart rate drop and then resume activity.  It's usually in the 150s to high 160s as I'm working out but 170s make me nervous... mostly b/c every time it's that high I'm also getting to be out of breath. I mostly just listen to my body and when I feel like I'm pushing it too hard, I slow down or stop all together to get a big breather.  There has been a lot of new research about working out and pregnancy and I find it all very fascinating.  I have no plans to quit any time soon!  :)     

What I'm loving: Actually looking pregnant!  People are starting to comment on my belly.  It's nice to be out of that stage when the kids say, "Miss, you look fat!" (and yes, they have seriously said that) to the stage when they say "Miss, I can tell you have a baby in there!"  But of course, adults are noticing now too.  The in-between stage made me feel awkward, but I feel like enough people have assured me that it looks like a baby bump and not a fat bump.  So I.am.happy.  :-P      

What I'm not loving: Keeping the gender a secret right now!  I am such a spiller of exciting news!!    (You will know it whether you wanted to or not!  One year, I even ruined Nic's surprise I had planned for him... I wanted to whisk him away & not tell him where we were going, but before we even left town I presented him with the concert tickets.  Sigh.  This is the way I roll.)  Tomorrow I can FINALLY tell my parents [b/c they'll be on a cruise during the reveal] but Monday is still SO FAR away!!!     

What I miss:  BEER!  MARGARITAS!  Hot chocolate with BAILEY'S!  I'm making myself sound like an alcoholic here, but trust me, I'm far from it.  I just enjoy being an adult and partaking in very delicious, very RELAXING adult beverages.  For now I am settling with smelling Nic's beer (or his beer-breath, if that's all I've got.  I just realized that probably sounds disgusting to you.  But oh that sweet smell...)     

Sickness and Symptoms:  The very first thing I noticed was my boobs hurting.  That's actually what convinced me to take the tests.  After that, I was nauseous during the rest of the 1st trimester.  I never had to befriend the porcelain throne, but man did I feel like hurling on some kids sometimes.  (I even told one particularly annoying kid to leave me alone before I puked on him.  ...probably not my best teacher moment...)  I was really sleepy (which is strange for me b/c I'm normally a night person), and went to bed around 7:30 or 8.  Around week 14, I started feeling those round ligaments stretching.  To me, it felt like stabbing sharp pains in my lower abdomen.  But they'd be gone as soon as they came.  Oh, and since the beginning (and I read that it would be this way throughout), my skin has been quite a bit more oily... which makes me break out more, and can really be noticed in my hair if I'm extra grungy and decide not to shower (which I would never do...).  That's just lead to staying on top of washing my face and showering, since all of those things help rid me of the oils.  So far so good!  (And I'm also becoming a very huge fan of spay-in shampoo for Saturdays... [I mean, um, never mind, I wouldn't need it since I'm showering all the time...].)  Oh yea, and pretty much anything cute with a baby makes me cry.  Or anything cute in general.  But that's all the more reason for Nic to laugh at me.  ;)     

So there you have it!  The next one should be significantly shorter since I'll have less ground to cover.  I have to say, it's been quite uneventful as far as sickness, pains and negative side-effects are concerned.  And VERY eventful as far as excitement and planning are concerned!  I am loving every minute of this pregnancy business!  And most of all, I cannot WAIT to meet our baby!!!