21 Weeks

I am now half way through my pregnancy which is hard to believe as the months have flown by! We shall see if the second half of the pregnancy will go by as fast. Other than time going by much too quickly I have been enjoying my vacation from work and also I'm so happy to say that I am all done with my classes. I will not be taking any classes next semester, instead I will be focusing on myself and baby:) 

As for how I have been feeling; I have been feeling pretty good overall, my feet get really hot and sore after standing for long periods of time, and I get small dizzy spells every so often. As for physical changes; no stretch marks yet however my belly button has gotten very strange!! It is basically flat with the rest of my belly now, making it look huge as you can see from the picture of my belly I have posted, lol. Also you will notice I have taken out my belly ring as it was beginning to bother me, feeling itchy and kinda looking as if it could pop out at any moment because of how huge I am getting haha. As for cravings, I am wanting to eat way too many Christmas cookies and ice cream, lol! 

In other news baby is kicking a lot, its really exciting being able to have that connection now. He seems to move the most at night time but his movements are still so light that it is hard to tell if he is kicking at all when your on the run. They say that by week 28 is when kicks get a lot stronger and that is also when you being counting movements. Fun! Fun! 

Anyway to end off Sal and I (oh and baby too!) would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Take care!

Being pregnant has inspired me to take my art to a different level where I can explore what it means to be pregnant. Being pregnant has made me take a deeper look into myself and the connection I have with mind and body. I find that all too often many of us are not connected to our bodies and the every day changes we go through. However while pregnant it is almost impossible not to recognize your bodies demands and changes as you now have a new life growing inside of you. This new awareness of body and mind also makes me think a lot about beauty and the definitions that society claims on it compared to my own feelings of what beauty is or can be.

The pictures above are of a piece I completed while taking a 3D Art class this last semester (which just ended this past Monday). It is a sculpture carved out of plaster of a woman's torso while pregnant. Although 3D art is not my thing I still enjoyed making this piece and learning the process of using plaster. 

It's a Boy!!

Today I had my 20 week ultrasound and found out that we are having a boy!! I was completely surprised as I was positive it was going to be a girl. Of course we are so happy, and it is so nice to finally know the sex of the baby! I can't wait to get out to buy things for our little boy now!!

19 Weeks

Here I am at 19 weeks pregnant in my pj's about to get into bed (great time to take a picture of oneself, lol, but hey what is a busy gal to do). My belly is getting so much rounder, so fast, its very exciting!! Other than getting bigger Sal and I are very excited for this coming Wednesday. We will be having our 20 week ultrasound where hopefully we will find out the baby's gender! I will be sure to post all the updates on Wednesday evening so be sure check in! 

How Our Baby is Growing at 19 Weeks: Researchers suggest that at 19 weeks your baby may be able to hear your voice. Sal and I have been very excited about this as we have been waiting for this moment for a long time! Even though we have already been talking to baby, now it just makes us feel like he or she really may be able to hear us now! I can't wait to start reading books to baby as I believe reading can never be started too early!! hehe. If anyone has any baby books to suggest, leave a comment, I always love hearing about new books! Also baby now weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. His or her arms and legs are now in right proportion to each other and the rest of it's body.

Our New House!

Hi everyone! As I am sure most of you all know Sal and I are now first time home owners!! We are both very excited and happy to have finally bought our very own home! We moved in last weekend (November 30th) and so have been quite busy getting settled in. We are still in the unpacking, cleaning and organizing stage as we have had to take things a bit slowly since I am in the middle of finals at school and so am not available very much and don't want to add on any more stress than I already have. Even though the house is not yet in order or fully unpacked we both wanted to post pictures anyway so that family and friends that can't be here with us could see where we are at. We hope you all enjoy the pictures and will be able to come for a visit some time in the near future!

17 Weeks

Here is my belly picture at 17 weeks, I find that I have grown a lot since last week which is kinda insane but very exciting! I've been feeling pretty good lately, my nails are growing like crazy and I can actually stay up till 10 p.m. now which is amazing considering I couldn't stay up past 8 p.m. only a few weeks ago! Other than that I've been feeling a bit off balance, stumbling in places I normally never would and in general simply feeling a bit more clumsy than usual. 

How Our Baby is Growing at 17 Weeks: The baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. The baby now weighs 5 ounces and is about 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby can now also move his or her joints, and his or her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Life at 16 weeks

Today being veteran's day I had the day off work however I kept myself very busy. First I met with a doula to see if we would be a good match. I liked her a lot, especially since she is closer to my age than most doulas which are usually in their late 40's. However I have a few more doulas to meet so I won't be making my choice just yet. 

After meeting with the doula I had my second OB visit where I was weighed and found out that I have gained 4 pounds!! I was actually excited about this...definitely the first time I have been happy about gaining weight! lol. I then got to listen to the baby's heart beat and my doctor told me that the heart beat sounded like one of a girl!! Keep in mind this is not a science just a pregnancy myth. We will have to wait 4 more weeks to find out the actual gender of the baby. 

How Our Baby is Growing at 16 Weeks: According to all the books and websites I have been reading I should be getting ready for the baby to have a growth spurt in the next few weeks. The baby will be doubling in weight and will be adding inches to his or hers length. Right now the baby is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 ounces. Also I should soon be able to feel baby moving around!! They say that earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. As the weeks go on these movements will grow stronger and I will be able to feel them much more frequently. 

2nd Trimester!

I am now officially in my second trimester (aka 14 week/4 months) and I simply can't believe that I am already here! It seems as though just yesterday I was finding out that I was actually pregnant. Anyway other than time flying by I have been feeling a lot better lately. My nausea is completely gone now and I am slowly starting to feel more energetic. The only slight discomfort has been some lower abdominal cramping which my doctor told me was nothing to worry about as it is due to my uterus growing. With my uterus growing I was starting to find that when I would sit down my jeans would dig into my stomach which was quiet unpleasant and painful. So last weekend Sal and I made a trip to Motherhood (a maternity clothing store) and I got a bunch of new pants that I absolutely adore as they are the comfiest pants I have ever owned! I seriously don't understand how I never new this secret before or why woman don't simply wear maternity pants all the time!! haha! Anyway all in all I am happy to be showing a bit more now and can't wait till I've got a huge belly!! 

How Our Baby is Growing at 14 weeks: Our baby is now able to squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his or her thumb! From head to bottom, our baby measures 3 1/2 inches (about the size of a lemon) and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

OB Visit

On Thursday October 16th I had an OB appointment where I was weight, given a PAP smear, a breast exam, and was told the results of my blood work were all clear. However the best part of the exam was getting to hear my baby's heart beat for the first time. Using a doppler machine we got to hear it's little heart racing away. My doctor told me that it was beating strong and fast all indications of a very healthy baby. My next appointment is in 4 weeks and my next ultrasound in about 9 weeks where we should be able to find out the baby's sex! 

Now in my 13th week (since my due date has been moved up to April 24th) of pregnancy this will be my last week in the first trimester. I can't believe how fast all of this is going by! Things I look forward to in the second trimester are: having more energy, aka not having to go to bed at 8 p.m.!! Getting rid of what nausea I do have left (hopefully this one happens for me!), being able to feel my uterus grow, and beginning to show a bit more of a round belly rather than what seems to resemble the reminiscence of a large lunch, lol. 

New Ultrasound - 11 weeks and 6 days

Today I had my second ultrasound but this time my first abdominal ultrasound. This ultrasound was worlds different from the last. I got to see the baby moving its hands and feet, turning on its side and back, and could see its spine and just many more details than last time of course! I so wish I had an ultrasound machine here at the house so that I could watch my baby all day long! Its just so amazing that something so small has so much life and will come to be my son or daughter, creation is simply amazing! I also had a screening done for birth defects and all my numbers were great so nothing to be worried about there. Also they have moved the due date to April 24th which is also my own birthday, no gift could ever compare to that!

How our baby is growing at 11 weeks: Now just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost full formed. The hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under the gums, and some of the bones are beginning to harden. Baby is also very busy kicking and stretching however I will not be able to feel any of these movements for another month or two.

As for symptoms I have been experiencing fatigue, burping, some abdominal cramping, some anxiety here there, and a little trouble sleeping but all in all I feel great especially since my nausea has subsided a lot. Tomorrow I have a OB/GYN appointment with my regular doctor and I will be sure to blog about that so be sure to check in for updates!

My 11 Week Belly

So I hadn't taken any pictures of my belly since I was 6 weeks since I wasn't seeing too many changes however now being at 11 weeks I thought it would be nice to take a picture and turns out my tum actually is a bit rounder! Very exciting!! Although that could be due to the fact that I took this picture after eating all those freshly baked cookies I made haha. 

Other than getting a bit rounder I also have been having less nausea which has been nothing short from amazing! With less nausea I am feeling more energetic and I'm able to think a lot more clearly. However not all signs of nausea are gone. I still get sick at around 7 p.m. every night but anything is better than all day nausea! 

Cravings

So I've been getting a lot of questions about cravings lately and to answer all of your questions, no I have not been craving pickles and ice cream or chocolate with olives. This is not to say that I haven't been having any cravings at all, just not weird ones! The one thing I have been craving the most which is to me very out of the ordinary is meat. Being a vegetarian this is not a pleasant craving to have. However I strongly believe that your body knows best and so if I'm craving meat and haven't in years this is a pretty obvious sign to me that a lil someone inside of me is needing some protein. So yes I have indulged in meat a few times lately and no guilt was involved as I know it was for the best. This past Friday however it was not meat I was craving it was oatmeal raisin cookies so I got straight to work and baked some of the most delicious cookies I have ever tasted. I even took a picture to share with all of your since I cannot share my actual baking--although I most certainly would if I could. 

Baby Names

Here is a list of both boys and girls names that we like so far along with their individual meanings. Let us know what you think of these names or any other suggestions you may have for us. 

Boys:

Owen - Young warrior

River - River

Kane - Easter sky

Quinn - Descendant of Conn

Kai - Ocean

Sequoia - Giant Redwood Tree

Rylan - From the Rye Land

Kaden (Kayden) - Fighter

Girls:

Ariella - Lion of God

Aurelia - Golden

Adela - Noble

Ayana - Innocent

Oceana - Ocean; Greek - God of the ocean

Violet - a plant with purplish blue flowers

Kindle - Set fire

Zoey - Life

The First Ultrasound

Today was Sal and I's very first ultrasound experience and it was amazing! I am still early in my pregnancy so they preformed an internal ultrasound where we could see the baby, its heartbeat and fluid sack. Being able to see the baby's heartbeat was the best part. The heart beats at about 150 times per minute now (twice as fast as my own heartbeat!) and seeing that tiny heart beat away just makes you realize what a wonder it is to have a life growing inside of you! They also determined by measuring that I am 7 weeks and 5 days pregnant making my due date April 30th. However at my next ultrasound they will be able to measure with more accuracy and therefore my due date is subject to change.

Fun Fact: This week the baby is about the size of a blueberry, thats to say about 10,000 times bigger that it was at conception. This week the growth is concentrated on the head, developing new brain cells at the rate of 100 cells per minute. The mouth and tongue are also forming as well as his or her arm and leg buds.

My belly

During the pregnancy I will be taking pictures of my tummy once a month to keep track of my "tummy growth". As I am sure that by the end of these 9 months I will marvel at all the physical changes that my body will undergo especially my belly!

This first photo of my tum is at 6 weeks so basicaly the normal me. Although it may be just a tad puffier than normal since my visit to Canada led me to eat a few too many poutines! haha. 

Weight:125

Height:5'5"

Tum:30"

Check in again next month for another belly pic!

My Ego is Prego!

The film Juno is one of Sal and I's favorite movies so we felt it would be a good idea to upload one of our favorite scenes from the film since my ego is indeed prego, haha. In this scene Juno, the main character, is trying her third pregnancy test and the corner store clerk isn't letting her off too easy. The lines are absolutely hilarious and witty. We hope that you all enjoy the clip and if you haven't yet seen the film make sure you do sometime soon!

A positive test and my first prenatal visit

Yesterday morning, August 25, 2008 I felt the need to take a pregnancy test. Sal and I had actually bought a pregnancy test the night before as he also was beginning to think it was time for me to take one. Being the first one out of bed I silently went into the bathroom and soon was faced with two blue lines indicating that I was indeed pregnant. However as much as I wanted to go running up to Sal telling him the great news I also knew how great it would be if I surprised him with something special later on. I also I felt the need for a little more confirmation on the chance that the test was inaccurate. So after Sal was off to work I decided to take the second test that had come with the one we had bought the night before. This test was also positive. At this point I called my OBGYN to see if I could see her and lucky for me she had an opening at 3:20 p.m. 

The time between when I called to make the appointment up in till I actually got to see my doctor felt like the longest hours of my life! I was so excited and my mind was flooding with millions of questions yet I had no one to talk to about it since I did not want to announce anything until I knew for sure. So finally when I did get to see my doctor she told me that yes I was positively pregnant and I was so excited to tell Sal, our parents and friends. 

My doctor informed me that I am about 5 weeks along in my pregnancy and scheduled my next appointment for September 16th at 1:40 p.m. for my very first ultrasound. All of this is still very surreal to both Sal and I. We are overwhelmed with excitement, joy and the fact that in about 9 months we will be parents! 

This site was an inspiration from our friends Caleb and Courtney who had their first child April 27th 2008. We loved so much the idea of having this blog to stay in touch and keeping family and friends up to date with our pregnancy. Especially with the majority of our family and friends living on all sides of the world this will serve as a great tool. I will do my best to keep the blog updated with pictures and postings so feel free to check in anytime you want. I hope you can all enjoy this site:)