23 Week Stats

How far along? 23 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain: 5 lbs. But in all honesty, I haven't been accurately weighed since my last appointment. Even if I did step on our scale regularly, who's to know how accurate it is. I'll update weight gain again after my appoinment on the 16th (which by the way is our 3rd anniversary!).

Maternity clothes? yep. You should have seen me ridiculously squeezed into a non-maternity outfit the other day... not.cute. Not planning on trying to pull that off again until April (unless I'm just hanging around the house... in such cases, I try to save what actually looks good for going out).

Sleep: besides the strange dreams, not bad! I had a dream that I was subbing for the school where I taught third grade and the new teacher quit that day... I was begging for my job back, but "just until the baby comes."

Best moment this week: Watching my stomach move. Riley apparently thinks she's going to be playing football later in life and has decided to start practicing early... I'm getting kicked as a type. I LOVE IT! It's so reassuring.

Movement: see above

Gender: GIRL (does this really need to be included each time I update?? Probably not, but just in case someone new stops by, I'll keep it.)

Belly Button in or out? Still in. Though it definitely looks different than before.

What I miss: Am I allowed to be totally honest and say my flat stomach?? I don't mind having a baby belly, but it is taking some getting used to.

What I am looking forward to: We're working on making some changes to our house (replacing some flooring, making our porch part of the house.); it will be very nice to have those things finished! I'm also looking forward to working on Riley's room some more.

Weekly Wisdom: Researching items for baby is more work than I could have ever imagined! There are mixed reviews on virtually everything! I'm just thankful for friends who have "been there, done that" when it comes to all the baby stuff... I find them very helpful!

Milestones: I started a baby registry at Babies R Us. I haven't finished it yet, but at least it's a start!

Monday's are my "work around the house" days, so I haven't had a shower yet... Perhaps after I shower and change I'll post a new belly pic. It's weird... I felt like I looked smaller this morning. Perhaps a picture to compare will prove me wrong.

One final note: Went to the cardiologist on Friday to see if pregnancy is putting any strains on my heart. Thankfully, everything checked out great. Unless there are other complications (not heart related), I'm fine for a vaginal delivery! I was really praying that due to my atrial fib I wasn't automatically going to have to have a c-section. The cardiologist did say that it's likely I'll go into a-fib during delivery. The thought of that really scares me. If you would, please join David and me in praying that doesn't happen.

Taco Bell Order

Christopher (my brother, for those who don't know) would appreciate these guys' ability to keep things "funky and fresh."  Pause music at the bottom of my blog before watching the video.  

Home Tweet Home

I just ordered Riley Grace's first toy.  David and I saw it at Pottery Barn last week, but we wanted to see if it would go on sale.  Saw that it was today, so we went ahead and bought it for her room.  The little birds even tweet.  

21 Week Belly Picture

I didn't realize how tired I looked!  This is before my Sunday afternoon nap :)

20/21 Week Stats

It's a GIRL!  

Here's a picture of our little Riley Grace.  

How far along? 20 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: 5 lbs.  I was told I'm actually a little bit behind in the weight-gain department.  Like my mom said, better to be behind and play catch up then be ahead and have to watch what I eat like a hawk.  

Maternity clothes?  yep.  There are a few skirts I can wear that aren't maternity, but those are few and far between.

Sleep: good, unless I'm having crazy dreams (which is often)

Best moment this week: the gender ultrasound!  It's a girl!  Most of you already know from FB, but for those of you who don't, she's looking perfect, measuring right on schedule, and not at all shy to show us she's a girl!

Movement: Kicks are happening daily now.  David and I were even able to feel them one day.  I have an anterior placenta (sounds like TMI) so that "muffles" the movement more than usual.  It was weird to see something 9.5 inches long wiggling all around in my "belly," and not being able to feel it.  

Gender: GIRL!

Belly Button in or out? In.  I hope it stays that way

What I miss: looking skinnier than my husband.  He was getting ready for work this morning and he just looked so thin!  I told him that, and then realized, it's probably because of my ever-expanding waistline.  I don't mind having a baby bump, but it's weird that he's thinner through the middle.  

What I am looking forward to: Working on the nursery.  It already looks so cute, but we're far from finished. MEETING THIS BABY! 

Weekly Wisdom: I don't have any today.  

Milestones: Finding out the gender and naming our little girl:  She's Riley Grace!  I'm also half 

And here are some pictures of the nursery so far:  

"Big" Ultrasound Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. is our anatomy scan!  Needless to say, we're really looking forward to finding out if Baby Brown is a boy or a girl.  The general consensus still seems to be girl; consequently, I still kind of think boy.  I'll be totally happy with either, though.  

Since we've been holding out on any shopping until we find out the gender, we're taking some time after my appointment tomorrow to shop for a few things!  We ordered the crib and dresser, so we're hoping to pick that up tomorrow, as well!  

Pray that everything looks good and the baby's given a clean "bill of health."  

The nursery has been painted, so I'll have to post pictures of that soon!  

"Our Kids Will Never..."

Fine.  I'll admit it.  David and I have had about two hundred "Our kids will never dothat!" conversations throughout the course of our marriage.  Imagine their increase in frequency since we found out that in just a few short months we're going to bring home a little person of our own.  I'm sure we've never said that about anything your kids do.  It's more the temper tantrum in the middle of the checkout line at Publix, pull your pants down in front of a crowd type of thing.  (Side note:  I wonder how many parents looked at me as a kid and said, "My kids will never do what that girl is doing"? Frightening thought.)

We've also had some of the "We'll never do that to our kids!"  talks, too.  

Are we normal? Does everyone do this? If so, what are the things you said you or your kids would "never do"?  Do you (or your kids) do them?  Did you find that your kids were more prone to do the things you said they'd "never" do (God does have a sense of humor, doesn't He?)?  I would love to hear your answers!  

All that being said, there were a few things my parents did that I said I would not emulate. Call me a liar, but I've changed my mind about many of those things.  The parents God blessed me with actually did have a little bit more wisdom than I gave them credit for... who would have guessed?

And for your daily laugh, here is a look back at David's and my childhood:

My Target Experience

I had to return something to Target today.  After "unshopping," I checked out the maternity section without high hopes.  There were a few cute things, so I went into the dressing room to try them on only to find that maternity dresses are ridiculously short and scandalously low-cut. I took three dresses in with me, and when I handed them back to the "attendant" on my way out, she said, "You don't want any of them?"  I just smiled politely and said that they didn't fit right. Well, then I got a little ways away and she said, "You do know these are maternity, right?  That might be why they didn't fit."  I told her that I was pregnant.  With this reply, I got this shocked look from the dear elderly lady that seemed to say, "You naughty girl." Apparently what some have told me is true:  When I'm not wearing makeup and my hair is in a ponytail I look like I'm in high school.  

Now, I'm glad this lady has morals.  If I were in high school, it would obviously be a lousy situation and one that wouldn't be pleasing to my Savior.  However, I'm not!  I've graduated from college, been married almost three years, and we were planning on having a baby.  

So, on top of the shirt that reminds people that my stomach is off limits, I guess I also need to have one that says, "I'm older than I look and I am happily married!"  just for those days where I didn't have time to fix my hair and put on makeup.  

16 Week Stats

On some pregnancy blogs that I like to read, the mothers-to-be fill out these "surveys" periodically (generally weekly or after appointments, I guess). I think it will be neat for me to keep a record of the pregnancy this way, so guess what! You get to enjoy the ride, too. I'll try to post weekly or every-other-weekly belly shots as well as an updated version of what's below.

How far along? 16 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain: 2 lbs. I was actually down a pound at today's appointment!! Guess what, dear readers! That bump is all baby! I was so afraid that I was going to go in today and they were going to tell me I'd gained 7 lbs. (who knows where I came up with that number!).
Maternity clothes? a few tops and one or two skirts. My mom tells me that it's "time" to take the plunge and even took me shopping in honor of the occasion. I've been enjoying my new clothes.
Sleep: not too bad. It's definitely improved in the past couple weeks.
Best moment this week: scheduling our gender scan. November 16th. We're considering finding out sooner (yes, I know people used to have to wait 9 months, but we do have our reasons).
Movement: I'm feeling the "flutters."
Gender: we don't know yet. It seems the general consensus is "girl," which makes me think "BOY!"
Belly Button in or out? In. TMI, or what??
What I miss: Caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper! David's parents are coming down in a couple weeks and I think I'm going to have them bring me some caffeine-free Dr. Pepper. I don't know why it's available in AL and not in FL.
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender, deciding on a name (only if it's a boy), ordering bedding, getting started on the nursery. MEETING THIS BABY!
Weekly Wisdom: Unless you ask or are related, do not touch a pregnant woman's stomach! Just because it sticks out doesn't mean that it belongs in the petting zoo. I think the next time someone does this, I'm going to rub his or her stomach back.
Milestones: movement; David got to hear the heartbeat for the first time today. We both had pretty huge smiles on our faces when we left the doctor's office today!

Lists: Daily Life, Christian Walk

Although I haven't mentioned it in a while, I'm a huge fan of lists.  While I don't always accomplish what's on my list, I'm totally sold that lists help me accomplish far more than I would have otherwise.  In fact, after I write this post, I'm going to go make out a detailed list for the rest of my day.  I know I can squeeze mopping the kitchen floor, folding a couple loads of laundry, and other things between piano lessons.  

Until Sunday, I'd never thought of making lists to make sure I'm meeting goals in my walk with the Lord.  In fact, I never really thought of setting goals other than reading my Bible through in a year (call me dense or stupid, I know...).  Then, David mentioned it on Sunday and I had the proverbial light bulb go off in my head.  Why had I never thought of that?  So I started thinking (stand back, everyone... it can be dangerous). Why not set a goal of how long I'll pray each day?  Why not set a goal of how many tracts I'll pass out in a week?  Why not set a goal to read my Bible more next week than I did this week?  It's really not deep, I know; but to me it was a real, "Why haven't I thought of this before?" moment!  

So, in case you're like me and don't carry good ideas over from your day-to-day life to your Christian walk, start thinking of ways you can do that.  If there's something that really helps you accomplish your daily goals, why not try to transfer that over to your walk with the Lord and see if it can help you meet those much more important goals!  

Clipart from fundraw.com