24 Week Update

Hanging In There

How far along: 24 weeks or 6 months in normal people time. (See: Excuse Me, What? The Guide to Pregnancy in Weeks and Months)

Total weight gain: I am 130 lbs so I have gained a total of 18 lbs. I am trying not to weigh myself too much, but I am continuing to go to the gym and am slowly building up my muscle mass. I wish I could work out harder, but I'm definitely feeling way more pregnant lately and it is limiting what I can do.

Maternity clothes: Yes and no. I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy workout clothes throughout the week, but I wear normal maternity clothes on the weekends to run errands or hang out with the family. I am about to have to switch to workout maternity soon because my belly has doubled in a matter of weeks!

Stretch marks: Still none, but with how much my belly has grown in such a short amount of time, I predict that I will have some in the next couple months. 

Sleep: I am falling asleep easily, but my back hurts so much that staying asleep is hard. Unfortunately, I toss and turn trying to find a comfortable position all night long. (Plus, James gives me less than a foot of room on the bed.)

Best moment this week:  Two Saturdays ago my mom, Reagan, Dugan, Emily, Lila, James, and I went and decorated pumpkins at the library which was totally fun. Also, James and I went and looked at houses last week because we are moving soon, so that was exciting. 

Reagan enjoying Dugan's shoulders

James making me in paper pumpkin form



Emily

My mom and Lila

My Annabelle and Reagan pumpkin puppets on a stick

Miss Anything: I miss being able to get up without back pain, my hands not stinging when I try to grasp stuff, and being able to work out full force.

Movement: I feel her at midnight (without fail), 6-7 am, and throughout the day randomly! 

Food cravings: WATER, Corn Flakes, various Cheerios, chicken salad, pasta salad, and side salads with ranch (extra cold). 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I'm as right as rain.

Have you started to show yet: Oh my goodness, in the past two weeks I have grown so much and just in the past week I have been told,
"You're looking extra pregnant"
"Wow, big baby"
"You can totally tell now". 
I am just so tiny that she has nowhere to go and grow, but out out OUT! The "cute" stage has officially ended for me and the "you're about to pop" stage has commenced, but unfortunately, no, I'm not "about to pop"  and as much as I'd like to be done, I need her to grow until she's ready and healthy. I can sacrifice a few more months for our baby girl.

24w1d (today) 

Two Mondays ago

Gender: Still a girl... I hope. :)

Name: Annabelle Emli (pronounced Em-lee)

Anna- James' sister's name is Anna and my grandma's middle name is Ann.

Belle- My great grandma's name is Claudia Belle.

Em- My cousin's name is Emily.

Li- My other cousin, Emily's sister name is Lila.

Labor Signs: Thank the good Lord, no.
Symptoms: Burning and tingling from the back of my calves down to my ankles, slightly swollen ankles and feet, newly developed Carpel Tunnel (very painful), still suffering from sciatic pains, frequent urination, and a slight increase in appetite.

Belly Button in or out: I know I've been convinced that it won't pop at all, but the top of my belly button is starting to stick out a little bit, so I don't know now. We'll see.

Wedding rings on or off: I had to take one of my three bands off, but I'm holding out as long as I can. 

Happy or moody most of the time: I have noticed that I am getting frustrated much easier lately. I think it's because I am more uncomfortable and in constant pain so it's taking a toll on my attitude, but I'm still always nice to people even when I don't want to be. Everyone deserves respect. 

Looking forward to: Well, I'm looking forward to more house hunting, but because we're buying, we are being picky so it's also a pain in the neck. Looking at houses is fun, finding the right ones to look at is not.

So folks, there you have it, there it is, my 24 week update. I can't believe how big I have gotten in such a short amount of time, but at least I know she's growing, right? Things are happening rapidly so I may start a weekly update from here on out, but maybe not, we'll see how it goes. Until next time, goodnight and sweet dreams. :)

Pedernales Falls State Park- Johnson City, Tx

What I Wouldn't Give...

 To go back to this magical land of beauty and adventure! Since becoming pregnant, we just haven't had the chance to go camping like we usually do with the hiking, the climbing, and the roughing it. Between my sciatica pain, my newly developed carpel tunnel, and my bulging belly, there's no way I can go camping and actually enjoy myself and my very thoughtful husband doesn't want to go without me because let's be honest, I'm just a ball of fun! :) We love experiencing things like that together and it really strengthens our relationship. Him and I alone in nature, it just does something to us. :) 

 Well anyways, I was going through some old pictures and found these from January 2014. This and Pace Bend Park were my favorite trips so far that we have made together, I mean, the adventure and freedom I felt was like no other and I just really love climbing huge boulders. It's a challenge that I gladly accept. 

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Awkwardly having someone take our picture.

Do you think he's ready?

The very beginning of the trail.

The view was great, I wished my picture would have come out better.

Beautiful day outside.

I love any running water I find. I just think it's so neat what nature has to offer us.

"James, I don't know what to do with my arms."

Living life on the edge.

Like I said, I'm fascinated by water.

Just a side view on the trail.

Clear skies.

The beauty of it all is overwhelming. I appreciate that we got to experience this.

Building our home.

Our fortress of solitude.

I love camping with him, he takes care of everything.

"I LOVE NATURE!!"

Hey good looking.

I like to climb.

I also like to explore.

We found a hidden waterfall and hung out down there for a while.

Just some more rocks.

Venturing down to the river.

A secluded river that he and I were the only ones present at.

I seriously felt like a woodland creature, the only noises we us and the water. 

Our water filtration system.

So serene.

It was SUCH a beautiful, sunny, clear, happy day.

Pondering life.

I found the biggest skipping rock I'd ever seen.

Home sweet home.

 If I could choose to go anywhere again, I would want to go back here. We had the best spot, the best access to the river, the best access to rocks for climbing and it was all around the best camping trip I'd ever been on. I wish we would have gotten to go at least one more time before getting pregnant, but hey, what can you do? At least I get the best present out of this all, right?  Maybe we can bring the kids when they're older and hope they enjoy it as much as we did. 

 Until next time, goodbye Pedernales Falls. You have left us with some amazing memories that we will not soon forget. :) 

Excuse Me, What? The Guide to Pregnancy in Weeks and Months

I'm How Far Along?!

Hello Ladies and Gents,

 
 When James leaves for work at 5:45 am every morning, I always wake up and can't fall back asleep so I scroll through some birth boards I follow online and came across some Pregnancy Timelines that just absolutely confused the heck out of me. Apparently I am considered 6 months pregnant at 22 weeks. A normal person would consider 22 weeks, 5 and 1/2 months pregnant, but right when you get pregnant you are already considered 2 weeks pregnant. Weird, right? And not to mention that in a normal timeline you are pregnant for 40 weeks which translates to 10 months, but in "Prego World", it's still only considered 9 months. SO CONFUSING!
  If you're like me, relatively normal, then you count months in groups of four weeks, right? Now, I know I'm no left brained mathematician, but this just struck me as ridiculous. You can't confuse and already bad-at-math...er ON TOP of having pregnancy brain because things just get confusing more so than they already are.

  Anyways, I found some timelines to help with the confusion and if someone asks me on the street how far along I am, I am going to ask them if they go by pregnancy rules or normal people rules because I just want to be clear. lol

 So without further ado, here are the "Weird World of Pregnancy's Timeline Rules".

This is the most informative and accurate in my opinion.

Add caption

I like having pictures of the growing belly, but I'm nowhere near as big as she is at 6 months.



 Did any of you know that this is how things were in the weird world of pregnancy? I feel like they should teach some of this in school or something so when the time comes for you to have your bundle of joy, you know what the heck is happening and aren't just aimlessly roaming around claiming to be a certain month, when in fact you are not. So I guess when people ask, I'm 6 months pregnant and looking dang good if I do say so myself. :)
 I hope this helped you understand what's happening a little more and as I come across more weird information, I'll share it with you because pregnancy is turning out to be stranger than I thought it would be and there are so many confusing aspects to it that I have never even thought of before.  I hope we as a community can learn and grow together because let's face it, we could all use a little support, right?
 Well, have a fantastic day ladies and gentlemen. I am about to go DO WERK at the gym here in 45 minutes and enjoy the rest of this BEAUTIFUL weather we are having at the park with my little red-headed bundle of fun. :) See you next time. :)))

   

22 Weeks Update

Week 22

 

Hello World,
   How is everyone doing on this fine Monday? Today is turning out to feel like an extreme lazy day even though I've already gotten up, made breakfast for RJ and I, went to the gym, came home and made lunch, AAAAND RJ is down for a nap. Not to mention I still have 4 loads of laundry to put away and even with all of that accomplished at noon, I still feel it's a lazy day because of the weather. It started out in the mid 80's and relatively sunny, but the sky has just gotten darker and darker. Now it's thundering, lightening, raining cats and dogs, and has dropped 6 whole degrees making it low to mid 70's and it's just going to continue to drop lower and lower. Welcome to Texas where you go from summer to stormy winter all in one day. :) Does the weather effect your level of energy or is it just me? When it's sunny and bright I feel like I can take on the world, but when it's all dreary and rainy, I feel like curling up in bed and napping all day. Even with it storming outside as I type, I'm still in high spirits and emotionally feel wonderful and happy. 
  Well, I guess I will just get on to the update!

How far along: 22 weeks 1 day or 5 and a half months in normal people time. (See: Excuse Me, What? The Guide to Pregnancy in Weeks and Months)

Total weight gain: This morning I was 127 so I am up 15 lbs. This is a sore spot for me as I have never been over 117 my whole life and that was at my heaviest. Now I usually sit between 110 and 115 and being 4'11, I can definitely feel the extra weight right now. I also have to take into consideration the extra muscle I have begun to re-build at the gym as of lately. In January 2014, I started losing a ton of muscle that slowly turned into cellulite when I became a full time stay-at-home mom and lost my gym membership, but about a month ago (September 2014) James reactivated my membership for me and I have been going up to 6x/week and no less than 3. Even my doctor noticed how trim I've become and said I am right on point with my weight gain and completely healthy so I like to think that because muscle weighs more than fat, that is part of the weight I am gaining. Like I said, I've had body image issues for years and this is kind of irritating it. Has anyone else gone through this before? Any helpful advice?

Maternity clothes: Yes and no. I am still wearing all my old workout clothes during the week. On the weekends though, I don't go to the gym, I spend time with my family and that's when I wear maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No. I think the cremes are working.

Sleep: I am still sleeping really well and the chiropractor has helped out TREMENDOUSLY!

Best moment this week:  Getting to see my mom's family at my cousin Emily's 13th birthday party, taking RJ to the pumpkin patch with Wuwu, my mom, and James, and getting to see RJ's great aunt and her family when we dropped off her dresser. I love family time. Oh and going to see "Gone Girl" with James. SUCH A GOOD MOVIE!!!



"tees"

He really liked sitting there.

Miss Anything: I miss my feet not hurting and I really miss not having to pee every 20-30 minutes. It gets tricky when I'm trying to watch a movie. lol

Movement: I only feel her after I eat, when I have a full bladder, or at night when I'm laying down. Other than that, I don't feel her much. :(

Food cravings: Milk, water, peanut butter, salad, and cookies. My mouth waters over those 5 things. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: People's body odor at the gym and James' gas. He has intense gas ALL THE TIME!

I know this MUST be what I look like at the gym. lol

Have you started to show yet: Yes. Some days more than others depending on my sodium intake and what I wear. Although, today at the gym the fitness manager introduced himself (because I went twice today) and he couldn't tell I was pregnant, so maybe I just look fat. lol

22w1d





Gender: A perfect, sweet baby girl.

Name: Annabelle Emli (pronounced Em-lee) Arnett.

Anna- James' sister's name is Anna and my grandma's middle name is Ann.

Belle- My great grandma's name is Claudia Belle.

Em- My cousin's name is Emily.

Li- My other cousin, Emily's sister name is Lila.

Labor Signs: No, thank goodness.

Symptoms: Sciatica pain, mild face and chest acne, swollen feet and fingers (depending on my sodium intake) and frequent urination. (3-4 time/hour depending on how much water I drink)

Belly Button in or out: Still in, but you can see my scars where my top and bottom belly button rings got ripped out way more than before.

Wedding rings on or off: My fingers scream at me, but I love wearing my wedding rings, they're so pretty.

My wedding rings squeezing the life out of my bloated finger.
(We went and saw "Gone Girl" and I ate too much popcorn)

Happy or moody most of the time: Definitely mostly happy, I am only moody about 5% of the time. 

Looking forward to: This coming Saturday Lila, my mom, Wuwu, and I are taking RJ to the library to decorate pumpkins and October 20th I have my next doctor appointment. :)