IT'S A.... (Gender Reveal and Week 20 Pregnancy and Picture Update)

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

    I am overjoyed and excited to announce that we are expecting our little Annabelle Emli Arnett February 15, 2015! :)))

We caught her sucking her thumb. :)

I love my due date because Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday and my mom's birthday is just 5 days later. I know that due dates are only an outline of when she (ahhh, I love calling her a she and not an it anymore) is supposed to come, but sometimes they happen on time, right?

Honestly, I couldn't be happier with the date although, I did try to tailor make when we were going to have a baby. James and I got married in April and I wanted to get pregnant in June or July because I love the month of April so much, I wanted an April baby (thank goodness James was on the same page), but the big man upstairs had other plans for us and I ended up pregnant in May.

I am truly thankful that God is in control and already had something mapped out for us because if we as humans made our own decisions all the time, the world might be so much more chaotic than it already is.

Take for instance, me.

 I kept flip flopping back and forth about wanting a boy or a girl. I only wanted a boy so he would look like me and be my little momma's boy, also so RJ would have a close-in-age pal to play with. On the other hand, I SO SO SO badly wanted a girl because of how close my mom and I are and I want that same mother daughter relationship. Also, who doesn't love the idea of having a little them running around?

Of course I would have been happy with either, but I was so relieved to hear "She's a girl" at the doctor's office and I cried a couple times that day while I was running my errands.

Hormones!

Oh, and my husband!!

 He is so excited to have a little girl, which is a big relief to me. 
He told me that he's nervous to have a girl because he's scared he'll love her too much and he already knows how to be a dad to a boy, but a girl is a complete different story. :)

James makes me melt when he feels my belly and kisses it, talking to our daughter, telling her how much he loves her and her mommy.

He told me the other day he already feels so close and connected to her and nothing makes me love him more than hearing how much he already loves our unborn baby.

She's already got him wrapped around her little finger.
UH OH, DADDY'S GIRL ALERT!!!
Oh geez....what am I in for?!

Well anyways, on to the update!!

Her perfect little profile.

Week 20:


How far along: 20 weeks or 5 months in normal people time. (See: Excuse Me, What? The Guide to Pregnancy in Weeks and Months)



Total weight gain: At my gender scan last Thursday I was 121, so I'm up 9 lbs.

Maternity clothes? I have two pairs of maternity leggings, a pair of maternity shorts, and a few tops, but I found some AMAZING stretchy Merona shirts at Target on sale for $3 each that I am wearing the crap out of. Other than that, I still wear my normal clothes.

Stretch marks? Not one. :)

Sleep: I am sleeping so much more soundly lately, but sciatica pain is KILLING me.

Best moment this week:  Finding out what our little angel was and getting to reveal it at RJ's 2nd birthday party September 27, 2014 and getting to spend ALL weekend with James.

Miss Anything? Even though I see him everyday, I miss my husband. He works such long hours. I also miss my back not hurting at night.

Movement: I feel her every now and then, mainly after I eat something sweet.

Food cravings: Still sandwiches and the salad from Cheddar's. Honestly, I crave all kinds of salads now including egg and chicken. There is just something about the cold/lightness of them that my body craves. I am blessed to crave those healthy things, but I'm pretty sure it's cancelled out by my INTENSE cravings for cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. As if I already wasn't sweet enough. ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick: RJ poopy diapers and people's B.O. at the gym. I have to switch machines if they come use one next to me. lol

Have you started to show yet?: Some days I feel like I stick out like crazy, other days not so much. I always take my belly pics right after I eat so all my pictures look super preggo, but then people see me in person and can't believe how tiny I still am for how far into the pregnancy I am. Just last week at my mom's job people were asking me where the baby was and got all bug eyed when I told them how far along I was. It took me by surprise, but I am a really short, tiny person so I imagine our baby will also be a teensy girl. :) I don't know, I guess it depends on what I wear and eat.

Gender: A sweet baby girl.

Name: Annabelle Emli (pronounced Em-lee) Arnett. Our name is customized and stitched together with family names.

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.

In conclusion, Annabelle Emli has a TON of meaning and it is very near and dear to our hearts.

Labor Signs: Heck No!!!

Symptoms: Sciatica pain, mild acne, and itchy skin due to growing.

Belly Button in or out? Like I said, I don't think this thing is going to pop out at all the entire pregnancy.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, but I take them off at night to sleep.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I have a lot of happy sass going on. :) I'm usually always in a good mood, but I have my moments of sass, fire, and sadness. 

Looking forward to: My anatomy scan happening this Wednesday October 1, 2014. (RJ's actual 2nd birthday!) and going to the chiropractor to fix the sciatica pain.

In celebration of making it all the way to 20 weeks, I've decided it's time to string all my pictures together and see how far I've come body wise.

(I can't believe I ever had body issues, I looked great! I wish I was as fat as I was when I thought I was fat.)



This is how I looked when it all started.

Started feeling sick around 6 weeks and could only stomach junk. You can see I started to put on some weight.

I remember feeling SUPER bloated in this picture and then we went and ate some wings. lol Great way to stop the bloating, right?



Ugh, I remember this is when I started feeling better from being SO SO SO SO SICK and tired. Here I am bloated as all get out thinking I was "showing". lol

My nerves were on HIGH and everything got on them around this time..

The bloating went down and I started feeling better, still moody though.

This week I got a full face of acne, thanks Annabelle!

This week I started back at the gym because weight was not distributing in cute places and I regained almost all of my energy back.

I started showing to where people noticed this week! Yay, Mommy doesn't just look fat anymore and the gym has helped my mood and self-esteem TREMENDOUSLY!



At 19 weeks I went to the gym 6 days this week and I have never felt more energized or happy! This was my best week yet.

20 weeks 2 days and I have my complete sense of humor and goofiness back! Someone rubbed my belly this week and more eyes are on you Annabelle!  



And here we are today after a big meal. I should really start taking morning pictures. lol

 I'm so proud to be Annabelle's mommy and James and I are already so in love with and feel so connected to her! I feel she is the reason I was put here on this Earth, I was supposed to be her mommy and I can't wait to meet her, kiss her little toes, and nibble her little ears. I already can't stop looking at her ultrasound pictures and unfortunately I can already tell I'm one of THOSE moms if you know what I mean.

 I can't get over how happy I am! I love life to the fullest and I'm just so.incredibly.happy! I wish you all the best and I hope you have amazing days. :)