27 Weeks

27w, 1d: Baby T is the size of a rutabaga - about 2.5 pounds and almost 15 inches long!

How far along? 27w, 1d
Total weight gain: +9

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Unfortunately, yes!

Sleep: Ehh... not so great lately.  I can't seem to get comfortable and I'm waking up to pee at least once or twice a night.

Best moment this week: Christmas!  Spending the holiday with our families was great! Plus, my hubby continues to feel the baby, which he loves!
 Miss Anything? We were at a wedding Friday night, and I definitely missed the champagne!   
Movement: Tons of kicks and punches all day and night!  They're getting stronger too!  
  Food cravings: Cookies... so many cookies!  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Friday, I ate a bacon-wrapped scallop, and struggled to get it down. 

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender prediction: Toss up... can't decide!
Symptoms: Constant back pain and fatigue. 

Belly Button in or out? Still in but getting shallow. 

Wedding rings on or off? On  
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and excited.  
Looking forward to: 2013!  The nursery is almost done too, now we just need everything to put in it! 

26 Weeks

26 weeks: Baby T is 14 inches long head to heel and weighs two pounds; about the size of a head of lettuce!

How far along? 26w
Total weight gain: +9... YIKES!!!  I was pretty shocked to see I gained 9 pounds in the month and a week in between appointments!
Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Unfortunately, yes!

Sleep: Pretty decent!

Best moment this week: So many!  Hearing our baby's heartbeat on Tuesday at our 25 week checkup.  Celebrating two awesome years of marriage with my hubby!  Passing my glucose screening test!  And, finally, my hubby felt the baby move!  He got kicked in the cheek!  
Miss Anything? So many things!  
Movement: All the time!  
Food cravings: Gingerbread cookies, mango salsa, beef tenderloin, Christmas cookies, Thanksgiving dinner, again!  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! 

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender prediction: Thinking maybe boy...
Symptoms: Constant back pain.  I've also been tired lately, but that's because I'm anemic. 

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  

Wedding rings on or off? On  
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and excited.  
Looking forward to: Christmas!  Only 3 more days!  Getting the nursery ready... starting the painting this week! 

Our Second Anniversary

Today, Mark and I are celebrating our second wedding anniversary.  

 

  Two years ago today, we were spending the day with our close friends and family and enjoying our first night as Mr. & Mrs.  The past two years have flown by, and I can honestly say I know the meaning of "time flies when you're having fun."  There is no one in the world I'd rather spend my life with; I wake up every day thankful that I am married to my best friend. 

This year is obviously a special anniversary for us - our last anniversary just the two of us... in three and a half short months, we'll become parents.  I know Mark is going to make an AMAZING dad, and I can't wait to see what else life has in store for us in the years to come!

Cheers to many, many more years of happiness!

 

25 Weeks

25 weeks: Baby T is 13.6 inches long and over a pound and a half; about the size of a head of cauliflower!

How far along? 25w
Total weight gain: +4, but we'll find out the official count on Tuesday
Maternity clothes? Jeans, leggings, shirts.

Stretch marks? One or two... :(

Sleep: Not too bad

Best moment this week: When my hubby brought home earplugs... he snores so loud!
Miss Anything? Lots of things...
Movement: All the time!
Food cravings: Gingerbread cookies, mango salsa, beef tenderloin
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! 

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender prediction: Still undecided, but I'll be happy either way!
Symptoms: Back pain. Leg cramps. Itchy skin.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and content.
Looking forward to: Christmas!  Our first snow... hoping for a white Christmas, but I don't think that will happen.  Decorating the nursery - hubby will start painting after Christmas!

My Favorite Time of Year

Hi all!  I haven't done a mid-week post in a while, and I thought I'd write one about my favorite time of year... Christmas!

Cute ornament from my mom and sister!

Ever since I was little, I've always loved Christmas.  My parents did a lot to make it a special time for us growing up, and that's probably why I love it so much.  My mom always went all out decorating, and it's something I've enjoyed doing in my own home as well!  When we were younger, we lived very close to our grandparents, and I can remember getting up on Christmas morning, and opening our stockings while waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to come over and watch us open presents.  Once we moved farther away, it wasn't so easy for them to come over so quickly, so they started spending the night on Christmas Eve.  We started out having a big meal on Christmas Eve with our aunt, uncle and cousins, but eventually, the adults decided it made more sense to have one big meal on Christmas and do something a little more relaxed on Christmas Eve.  Every year, I remember the days leading up to Christmas Eve as a frenzy of activities... baking, shopping, and wrapping presents.  Christmas Eve, we would spend the whole day preparing appetizers and doing last minute baking.  We'd just spend the night watching Christmas movies by the fire, hanging out with our cousins, and opening one present!  The adults all hung out and talked, and it was one of my favorite days of the year. 

It looks like Santa already visited!

Snowman in the cranberry tree forest!

As we grew up, we continued the tradition as best as we could, but eventually, it dwindled down to just my immediate family hanging out, watching movies and playing games.  It was always lots of fun!  Things have changed a lot in the last few years, and now hubby and I spend Christmas Eve with his family... a tradition all their own they've enjoyed for many years too. It's always sad when old traditions change, but that means that new ones are beginning, which is nice.

I can't wait to start our own traditions with our little family.  I'm already so excited for next Christmas with Little Baby T!  There are a few things that I already know I want to do... Elf on the Shelf, special Christmas Eve PJs, 25 Days of Christmas books, and new Christmas morning traditions.   I can't wait to spoil our little one, and I definitely can't wait to make their Christmases as awesome as mine were growing up!

24 Weeks

24w, 1d: Baby T is the size of a cantaloupe!

How far along? 24w, 1d
Total weight gain: +4
Maternity clothes? Some shirts and leggings.  I bought a pair of maternity jeans yesterday.

Stretch marks? One or two... :(

Sleep: Not too bad, but not uninterrupted either.

Best moment this week: Buying momma and baby's new (used) car!
Miss Anything? Champagne.  I really love champagne.
Movement: Baby is moving all the time now, but still stops when daddy tries to feel!
Food cravings: Gingerbread cookies, Christmas Crunch cereal, pomegranates
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not at all.

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender prediction: I'm undecided at the moment.
Symptoms: Back pain. Raging appetite.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and content.
Looking forward to: Christmas!  The first time daddy feels the baby kick (hopefully any day now!) Painting the guest room and nursery. 

Happy December

Happy December!  I hope you all are enjoying this month so far!  It's definitely one of my favorite months of the year.  We've had some pretty great weather so far, and took full advantage last Saturday.  

My hubby and I spent Saturday at the Christmas tree farm driving around trying to find the perfect tree!  There were a few false starts, but we eventually found it! And here it is, our 2012 family tree:

You can't really tell from the picture, but the main colors on the tree are red and gold.  I've got a few more pics of some of our other decorations:

Gerald, aka Jerry the Giraffe is a festive guy

Sam the Snowman likes to greet visitors

Tree in the den, with all our sentimental ornaments, complete with candy canes, of course!

Trees in the dining room.  I really wanted these for the fireplace, but they didn't work out.

Table settings

Our stockings... one more will be added next year!

   As you can tell, I love decorating!  It drives Mark crazy how much I want to spend on decorations, but he obliges me, because I really don't spend money on myself!

Is anyone sick of Christmas music yet?  I can never get tired of hearing "Jingle Bells" or "Here Comes Santa Claus".  I literally listen to the same music from the beginning of November until Christmas day.  Again, another thing that drives my hubby crazy, but he indulges me.  I have a few favorite albums, ranging from classics like Nat King Cole to popular artists like Michael Buble.  I love Amy Grant's holiday album, and you can NEVER go wrong with Kenny G!  We've got the NOW! That's What I Call Christmas album too, but my favorite playlist is one I've built up over the years.  Here are some of my favorites from that list:

Baby it's Cold Outside - Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone (Elf soundtrack)

Grownup Christmas Wish - Kelly Clarkson

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Sixpence None the Richer (Grey's Anatomy, Season 2)

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - The Chipmunk's 

Do You Hear What I Hear - Carrie Underwood

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Run Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry (Home Alone soundtrack)

Christmas Canon - Trans Siberian Orchestra

Mistletoe - Colby Caillat

Winter Song - Sara Bareilles

Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song) - Bing Crosby 

The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch - How the Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack

Last Christmas - Glee cast (way better than the Wham version)    

I am partial to Christmas Canon, since it's the song I walked down the aisle to at our wedding.  As soon as I heard it, I knew that was going to be the song.  But in general, I love my playlist; there are lots of great songs I've stumbled upon over the years and added to, and every year, I look forward to finding new ones to add.         

23 Weeks

23 weeks: Baby is the size of a grapefruit, weighing over a pound and close to 12 inches long!

 How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain: +2
Maternity clothes? A few shirts, but mostly still leggings.

Stretch marks? None.  

Sleep: This past week was rough for me.  I woke up to pee at least twice every night, and the dog has been a nightmare lately.  And I had my first leg cramp this week too.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby kick from the outside a lot this week!
Miss Anything? Lunch meat!!
Movement: Lots of movement!  I feel it mainly when I'm trying to fall asleep, but anytime I'm still, baby goes crazy.  Plus I even feel it now when I bend over, or somehow end up on my stomach in bed... baby doesn't like it!
Food cravings: Still Thanksgiving dinner!  And gingerbread cookies, which I haven't been able to find yet!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, and I'm loving it!

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender prediction: This week, I'm on Team Pink.
Symptoms: Back pain.  Round ligament pain.  Leg cramps.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  I had to take my belly button ring out though!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and content.
Looking forward to: Christmas!  We're cutting down our tree today, Griswold-style!  I can't wait.  Decorating the nursery, which we will be starting next month!  Wow... next month will be 2013, the year our baby is born!  Crazy how quickly time flies.