28 Weeks - Eggplant!

Still slacking! Sorry!

How far along? 28 weeks -  Eggplant! 
Weight gain/loss: Up 6 lbs total 
Maternity clothes? Just tops 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Is a luxury right now. Prepping for motherhood I guess...
Best moment this week? Feeling baby kick away all week. I just love it!
Food cravings: Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. And crab. I want crabcakes. 
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? Has been changing a lot lately! A few nights ago it was almost an outie! Depends on where baby is and if I am lying down. 
Movement? She's gonna be a lil soccer player...I can tell....
What I miss? Sleep. Guess I better get used to it! 
What I'm looking forward to: My shower - Sept 24th! :)

And a bump shot! :)

25 Weeks - Eggplant!

I've been slacking! Too busy sleeping/napping and trying to keep up with the house :)

How far along? 25 weeks - Eggplant! 
Weight gain/loss: Up 3 lbs total 
Maternity clothes? Just tops, some bottoms are getting tighter... 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Blah.  Need more. Up every hour or two. 
Best moment this week? DH felt Ashley kick last night! I felt her for the first time from the outside a few days ago, but last night she was kicking away! 
Food cravings: Candy. 
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? Still looking funky, changing every day. 
Movement? Ton of movement! And I'm loving it! It was so nice to have Jim feel her kick, I think it makes it more real now! 
What I miss? Sleep. Guess I better get used to it! 
What I'm looking forward to: November. lol 

22 Weeks - Papaya!

How far along? 22 weeks - Papaya! 
Weight gain/loss: Up 1 lb again 
Maternity clothes? Just tops, shorts/jeans still ok, hoping to not have to buy any maternity bottoms! 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Feel like I need more and more, by 1 or 2 pm I'm zoning out and wishing for a nap.  
Best moment this week? Going to the OB and getting our anatomy scan results and the results from the intergrated test - both awesome! 1 in 50,000 chance for Downs, baby's heart looks great, and she's measuring 4 days ahead! Go baby, go! :) 
Food cravings: Sugar.  
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? Still looking funky, changing every day. 
Movement? More and more, especially during the day. Now I can notice it standing up or sitting, and a lot more when I'm lying down. 
What I miss? Sleep. Guess I better get used to it! 
What I'm looking forward to: DH & I were talking about how the dogs are going to take to the baby. I've had my nephew over this week and they LOVE him, so looking forward to them meeting our baby girl! 


And here's a lil bump shot while I'm at it, taken in the work bathroom, and I feel like crap today so excuse my  appearance! 

21 Weeks - Banana!

How far along? 21 weeks - Banana! 
Weight gain/loss: Up 1 lb 
Maternity clothes? Just tops, shorts are still very loose 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Heartburn has been ruining sleep for me, even with my script of Zantac and tums every few hours :( 
Best moment this week? Think I finally felt her kick from the outside. DH still hasn't though. 
Food cravings: Candy! Sweets! Anything sugary. 
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? In - looks funky right now, getting a little stretched, you can see both the top and bottom of my old belly button ring holes. 
Movement? Lots of kicks, mostly at night. 
What I miss? Sleep, I've been moody and emotional without it! 
What I'm looking forward to: Heading out after work today to buy some more baby items! 

20 weeks - Cantaloupe!! Half Baked!!

How far along? 20 weeks - Cantaloupe!! 
Weight gain/loss: No change
Maternity clothes? Just tops
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Better, hubby bought me the Boppy pregnancy pillow, I love it! 
Best moment this week? Hitting 20 weeks! Half baked!! 
Food cravings: Candy! 
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? In - but some definite changes are happening! 
Movement? Lots of kicks, but hubs hasn't felt it yet. 
What I miss? Booze - again. 
What I'm looking forward to: Buying more baby stuff! I'm having so much fun shopping! :)

Newborn Diapers - Check!

So I've been a little bit obsessed with cloth diapers. I'm surfing the net every day in search of deals, reviews, etc. So far I've bought quite a bit for 19 weeks, I think anyways.

For newborn diapers, I think I'm all set. Here is my list so far:

36 Cotton Babies Indian Prefolds (already prepped, yep its early)
Rockin Green Classic Detergent - Bare Naked Babies
2 Snappi's
1 13 Gallon  Hefty Trash Can with lid
2 Planet Wise Pail Liners
1 Medium Planet Wise wet bag
1 Small Planet Wise Wet Bag
36 Etsy Seller Cloth flannel wipes (Buying 36 more this week)
2 - 8oz Mist Spray Bottles for wipes
2 - 8oz Pump Bottles for wipes
4 - Extra Small Thirsties diaper covers
4 - Newborn Bummis Super Whisper Wrap diaper covers

I'm hoping to be able to wash every other day with the 36 diapers for the newborn stage. Here is a pic of just the diapers & covers.

I love fluff!! Still working on our one size stash, so far its 9 BumGenius 4.0 snaps. Hoping for some more BumGenius, Blueberrys, Rumparooz, and a Flip travel set for when we're on the road. :)

19 weeks - Mango!

How far along? 19 weeks - Mango! 
Weight gain/loss: Up one on my scale
Maternity clothes? Finally wearing some maternity tops from Old Navy - Comfy! 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Better! Although I wake up with my back sore, I have been sleeping better.   
Best moment this week? Getting to see Ashley again at the anatomy scan :)
Food cravings: Sweets - gimme ice cream! 
Gender: Baby Girl - Ashley! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Lots of kicks, especially when I lie down or sneeze. 
What I miss? Booze. 
What I'm looking forward to: Being 20 weeks - half baked! 

18 weeks - Sweet Potato!

Got busy and skipped Week 17 - oops! 

How far along? 18 weeks - Sweet Potato! 

Weight gain/loss: Down 3 lbs 
Maternity clothes? My mom bought me a few shirts from Old Navy, just starting to wear them now. Belly is showing now, but I don't think strangers will notice,  because I'm a big girl as it is. 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Getting a little better! Slept through the night the past 2 nights without having to get up to pee! 
Best moment this week? Finding out we are having a precious baby girl! And seeing my mom's reaction that her name will be Ashley Kathleen - Kathleen is her middle name. :) 
Food cravings: queso cheese and tortilla chips 
Gender: Its a GIRL!!!! Yayyy!!! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Been feeling more and more kicks, mostly when I lie down at night. 
What I miss? Sleep & sangria. 
What I'm looking forward to: We go for our anatomy scan tomorrow morning, can't wait to see our peanut again, and get a second opinion on the sex, just in case of course! :) 

16 Weeks - Avocado!

How far along? 16 weeks - Avacado

Weight gain/loss: Up one pound 
Maternity clothes? Pants are getting tighter! Still haven't bought any...
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? I need more of it! Been getting up at least 3-4 times a night, sometimes more. 
Best moment this week? Feeling what I think was little kicks a few nights ago! 
Food cravings: Pickles from restaurants, the homemade kind :) 
Gender: Can't wait to find out - 11 days away!
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? I think I felt a few little teeny kicks a few nights ago, it was so cool!! 
What I miss? Sleep. 
What I'm looking forward to: June 18th - Gender determination ultrasound! I can't wait to pick out all the bedding and nursery stuff! :) 

15 Weeks - Naval Orange!!

How far along? 15 weeks - Naval Orange
Weight gain/loss: Same as last week 
Maternity clothes? Pants are getting tighter! Still haven't bought any...
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Not so great. A few nights I slept ok, but others I have to get up to pee a lot so sleep is not so good.  
Best moment this week? Taking belly pictures (although I'm still all chub, not really baby) with my sister! 
Food cravings: Pickles from restaurants, the homemade kind :) 
Gender: Can't wait to find out - 18 days away!
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? I've felt a few twitches, still not sure if its baby or gas! 
What I miss? Sleep, and being able to have a few drinks. 
What I'm looking forward to: June 18th - Gender determination ultrasound. It feels like an eternity away! 

14 Weeks - Lemon!

How far along? 14 weeks - Lemon! 
Weight gain/loss: Lost 2 lbs 
Maternity clothes? Pants are getting tighter! Still haven't bought any...
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Missing my sleep big time. Getting up 4-6 times a night to pee, and bad lightning crotch = Sleepy Nikki 
Best moment this week? Seeing our LO on the screen moving all around! Arms were waving like crazy! 
Food cravings: I had my first real HAVE to have it craving. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I made it at 9:30 at night, and it was SOOOO good. ;)
Gender: Can't wait to find out - 25 days away!
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? I have felt a few twitches, not sure if it the baby or just weird twitches. 
What I miss? Sleep. 
What I'm looking forward to: Our appointment at an ultrasound studio June 18th with my parents and DH's parents to find out what the baby is! And then we'll also have our anatomy scan at or right after our next OB appointment - June 20th. 
Milestones: Seeing baby moving on the ultrasound, makes it so real!

13 Weeks - Peach! Hello 2nd Trimester!

How far along? 12 weeks - Plum!
Weight gain/loss: Same as last week, no gain no loss
Maternity clothes? Pants are getting tighter! Still haven't bought any...
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, t joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? I miss a good night's sleep. I've been waking a number of times each night to use the little girl's room. 
Best moment this week? Scheduling our gender ultrasound! 
Food cravings: Nothing 
Gender: Can't wait to find out 1 month from today! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Nothing yet
What I miss? Sleep. - I'll keep this. 
What I'm looking forward to: Our OB appointment next Monday to schedule our anatomy scan! 
Milestones: 2nd Tri!! Woohoo!! 

Gender Determination Ultrasound Set!!!!

On June 18th at 11AM, we'll **hopefully** be able to find out if we are going to be Team Pink or Team Blue! 37 days away...hoping Baby D won't be shy! We are going to this place called What's Kickin. We took my sister here, its amazing! A nice sized room, comfy table for me, 2 couches for family, and a big screen on the wall! We are going to have my Mom and Dad, possibly my stepdad, and DH's mom and dad come. I am so excited! Can't come soon enough... :)

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks - Plum!
Weight gain/loss: Same as last week, no gain no loss
Maternity clothes? Soon...time to go shopping! 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, t joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Not so great, waking up a lot to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. 
Best moment this week? Getting a new picture at our NT scan, and watching DH's face watching LO move. I didn't get to see it though :(
Food cravings: No cravings, appetite is ok. Little bit of nausea here and there, but mostly ok. 
Gender: Can't wait to find out, 4 weeks hopefully! Holy moly!
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Nothing yet
What I miss? Sleep. 
What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex, we'll hopefully be going to an ultrasound studio with all our family and finding out together! (As long as LO cooperates! 
Milestones: NT scan - done! Nurse said "everything looks good" and I had the blood work done, so hopefully at my next appointment we can go over the results :)

Heard the Heartbeat Last Night! :)

Last night before going to bed I laid down and tried once again to find the heartbeat on my Sonoline B doppler. I have had it for 2 weeks but hadn't had any luck in finding it yet. I didn't worry, because my doctor doesn't even try until 12 weeks. I actually used regular body lotion instead of the gel. I lotioned up my belly and then put a little on the doppler itself. It took a good 5 minutes of poking around, but I finally found it! I cried! I yelled for DH to come listen, but by the time he got there I lost it. I laid there for a few more minutes and found it again, and took a little video of it. It was hard to take the video, and hold the doppler at the same time so its kind of a horrible video, but you can hear it. The second half you can hear it a lot better than the first half. So amazing!!

How far along? 11 weeks - Lime!
Weight gain/loss: Same as last week, no gain no loss
Maternity clothes? Soon I think, jeans getting tighter, at the end of the day I usually have to unbutton them. 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, t joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? I've been waking usually twice a night to use the bathroom, so sleep hasn't been that great. 
Best moment this week? At my OB appointment last Monday I had to fill out birth certificate and hospital info, that was crazy to think about!
Food cravings: No real cravings, but happy to have a little appetite back. 
Gender: Can't wait to find out, 5 weeks hopefully! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Too early still, soon I hope!
What I miss? I was missing sangria a little when we went out to dinner one night. But so worth missing it!
What I'm looking forward to: Our NT scan is scheduled for next Monday, hope it all goes well!
Milestones: Not fitting comfortably into my pants, I haven't' gained any weight and I'm not bloated, so it must be my uterus expanding! I can hope, right?

Baby Bargains: A Must Read!

Registering and shopping for baby can be so overwhelming. I am so glad I took the advice of other Bumpie's and ordered Baby Bargains. It is so worth the $12! The book covers everything from furniture to car seats to breast pumps. They let you  know what you do and don't need. It gives some basic info about the manufacturer and models of items, and gives them a grade from A - F.

We recently started looking at baby gear and furniture. I started off by looking at sites like Babies R Us and Amazon, checking reviews and ratings from those sites. That is all fine and dandy, but this book really breaks down what the best product is, and even gives you options for those of us on a lower budget.  We had some furniture picked out, just going by looks, and this book changed my mind. I did not realize the manufacturer of the furniture DH &  I fell in love with had such a bad rep. Issues in the past like lead paint, poor hardware resulting in recalls - all scary stuff. We have decided to go with another manufacturer that got great reviews, but is more expensive. To us, the expense is worth it to keep our future LO safe!

Definitely buy this book! So worth it. The book is very up to date (this edition having just been published April 21, 2011) And covers most of the items that are currently in store. Happy reading!

Double Digits Baby! 10 Weeks

How far along? 10 weeks - Prune! 
Weight gain/loss: Down 3 lbs, morning sickness sucks!  
Maternity clothes? Not yet, jeans actually fitting a little better, bloat is going down and I've lost a little weight. 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, t joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Ok other than waking every few hours to go to the bathroom 
Best moment this week? Hard to think of one this week,  its been a rough week! Just hitting 10 weeks I guess? 
Food cravings: Nothing. 
Gender: Can't wait to find out, 6 or 7 weeks hopefully! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Too early for that 
What I miss? Being able to eat normal and keep it down. - I'll keep this. Again. 
What I'm looking forward to: We should be getting a call from the OB's office to schedule our NT scan very soon!
Milestones: Double digits! :)

9 Weeks - Goodbye Embryo, Hello Fetus! :) And another ultrasound picture!

How far along? 9weeks - Green Olive! 
Weight gain/loss: None, same as last week.  
Maternity clothes? Jeans are getting tight, bella band has been used at home but not at work, enjoying wearing some sweats when I get home from work and on the weekends :)
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, t joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Ok, been waking up in the middle of the night to pee
Best moment this week? Having my mom go with me to the RE's office to see LO again, she got to hear the heartbeat and choked up, and even got her own little picture :)
Food cravings: Preggie pops. Morning sickness is yucky. 
Gender: Can't wait to find out! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Too early for that 
What I miss? Being able to eat normal and keep it down. - I'll keep this. 
What I'm looking forward to: Next Monday's 2nd OB appointment, and being 12 weeks and keeping food down!
Milestones: Saw the heartbeat again and LO actually looked like a baby instead of a little blob! :)

Here is our ultrasound pic from last Thursday, LO is upside down, and you can see the umbilical cord and the head :)

8 weeks

How far along? 8 weeks - Raspberry! 
Weight gain/loss: Lost 2 more pounds - thank you morning sickness. Ugh. 
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but getting close
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Normal
Best moment this week? First OB appointment 
Food cravings: Nothing - morning sickness sucks!
Gender: Can't wait to find out! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Too early for that 
What I miss? Being able to eat normal and keep it down. 
What I'm looking forward to: Thursday is another ultrasound to check on the cysts, and to see baby again!
Milestones: First OB appointment 

First OB Appointment

I am so excited, tomorrow is our first OB appointment! I've gone to this doctor for a few years now, and absolutely love him! My friend recommended him to me a few years ago, and I'm so glad I gave him a shot. His office is nice and close, he is literally 50 seconds from the hospital I'm planning on delivering at, and he is so funny and makes me so at ease. I'm hoping he will at least use the doppler so we can hear the heartbeat again. Hopefully all is well with our little peanut!!

1st Belly Shot

Ok, well since the November 2011 bumpies started a belly shot weekly post, I guess I'll suck it up and put this up here. Not really a baby belly shot, more of a fat and bloat shot, but oh well! Please excuse the messy room and DH snoozin in the back. This was week 6.

How far along? 7weeks - Blueberry! 
Weight gain/loss: Lost another pound 
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I did test out my Bellaband last night! 
Stretch marks? I've had some for years, the joys of my fair Irish skin...
Sleep? Not so great the last few nights, few times woke up soaked in sweat and freezing, and nausea doesn't help either. 
Best moment this week? Seeing out little peanut on the ultrasound! Amazing!
Food cravings: Pizza & candy
Gender: Can't wait to find out! 
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Too early for that 
What I miss? We went to Olive Garden, and boy did that sangria look good...
What I'm looking forward to: First OB appointment is next Monday, and then next Thursday is another ultrasound :)
Milestones: Seeing the heartbeat on the ultrasound, so special!