BABY LUCAS: WEEK 24

24 weeks! I say this every week, but it's crazy how fast time is going. The first 8 weeks were miserable waiting for our first doctor's appointment and finding out the gender and now we find ourselves saying, "Weren't we just at the doctors?!"

We had our 24 week appointment and I've gained 4 pounds in the past month, so total weight gain is around 14 pounds. 

Little man was showing off his spunk when we were listening to his heart rate - he kept kicking the Doppler machine! Heart rate was between 140 and 150 bpm.

The midwife says it sounds like I've been having some sciatic pain - which basically feels like I strained a muscle in my tail bone - it's common in pregnancies and she gave me a chiropractors information and told me to look up some exercises to help. I'm still doing spin class once a week and hope that adding in some swimming will also help.

I made my appointment for my glucose test (week 27) and after our next appointment we go to the doctors office every 2 weeks. Can you believe it?! I got the cards to three pediatricians in the area so I will be calling and making appointments to visit each office and ask if they have a lactation consultant on-call available. 

Still need to figure out if I want to go to 4 days a week after I come back from maternity and figure out daycare - the most dreaded item on my to-do list!

We were running off to a wedding on Sunday (first day of our 24 weeks) so we quickly drew on the chalkboard. 

Brent and Nooshin's wedding was on Kent Island and gorgeous! I squeezed into an old dress and we headed towards the bay. The weather was perfect! We stopped and grabbed a drink at Hemingway's before the wedding.

I finished potting the plants on the deck and Chris is now officially in heaven... or paradise. We plan on getting some string lights for the deck to complete our little space. It looks like he may need a papa bear lounge also since mine is so cozy :)

Monday we headed to the pool for our first official pool day of the summer at Merritt. I need to invest in a maternity bathing suit (not what anyone wants to spend their money on!) so I can tan this bump! 

Still no extra stretch marks... my nips are becoming a little National Geographic, but I heard that they go back to normal-ish after you are done breastfeeding.

Monday we had Nikki, JR, Rory, Kelly and Albert over for dinner and crabs. It was so nice and out! Rory let me test drive her in our stroller which was so much fun, I can't wait til Ben is here so I can push him around town.

I've been crafting for our garden themed baby shower. I finished making 45 feet of flag banners for the room, grabbed some blue and mint ribbon, put together a few of the above flowers and rolled the silverware up pretty! It's so hard for me to sit back and not help! I feel so fortunate to have a handful of people helping out with favors, decorations, food and more.

Little man decided to throw a party for his Aunt Lauren and I felt him kick on my left side for the first time on her birthday! He is now kicking immediately after I drink or eat something he likes. The boy knows what he likes :-)

How handsome is our papa bear?? SO lucky to have this cutie <3

I'll keep updating the post as the week continues :)

BABY LUCAS: WEEK 23

Holy moly... time is flying! Baby Ben is the size of an ear of corn this week, almost 11 and a half inches long and weighs over a pound! 

The sounds that he experiences in my belly, he will be able to recognize when he is here. He can also tell when I am dancing, which I thought was pretty cool.

This week we painted the nursery and hung the shelves for his books. I am working on putting up the star decals on the window wall (not sure that will get completed this week) and am excited to start looking for nursery decor and artwork. 

I picked up a few little things off of our registry last week and our bottle warmer was delivered on Monday. Spoiler alert... it works! I also grabbed what I hope is all of the clothes he will need for the first 6 months. I'm sure I'll see things here or there, but it feels good for me to know that I can check that off the list. I even have a pumpkin picking outfit for him, because I am SOOO looking forward to taking him on lots of fall walks, to the farmers market on Sundays and to pick pumpkins and sip hot apple cider at the farm.

Chris found out that through his work, he gets 12 weeks of FMLA time and between the week that they pay him and all of his personal/sick time he can stay home with me for the 3 months and get paid fully! He's still deciding on how much time to take off, but his work is really flexible during the late fall and winter months so he will be around a ton.

I'm really excited to get to spend extra time together as a new family --- to be home, take long walks, create new memories and have my best friend by my side. Oh, and the naps. I am looking forward to the naps that I will now definitely be able to take having an extra body home with Ben!

This week I also signed Chris and me up for our hospital delivery tour in late July and a breastfeeding class in late August. I also plan on signing us up for the child care class at the hospital sometime in August.


I caught the first, super-small kick/belly movement on video Wednesday morning. I was so excited to have proof of his wiggling that I woke Chris up to show him. No shock that it was on my right side since that's where I always feel him most. Chris also felt him for the first time this week! I knew it couldn't be long after catching it on video!

BABY LUCAS: WEEK 22

Ben is the size of a spaghetti squash or papaya this week. He is about 11 inches long and about an ounce shy of 1 pound. Although, my belly feels so much heavier than that :)

Week 22 started out with Mother's Day.

 I was so overwhelmed by all of the messages, cards and gifts I received as a momma-to-be. I am extremely grateful every day to have such a loving husband, but Mother's Day and every day of my pregnancy I am reminded just how lucky I am to share my life and this journey with Chris.

I received lots of texts and love from friends, cards, gorgeous flowers and handmade gifts - including a flower pot with a butterfly made from Rory's footprints. I felt like the luckiest girl around to have such an amazing "village" of people.

It feels like summer is starting early - with temps reaching the 90s earlier in the week. My ankles, feet and hands have began to swell - luckily it hasn't been bothering me. I've just been noticing the physical change.

Workouts this week have included walking and spin class. I started back up with spin last week and so far, so good!

I weighed myself on day 5 of this week and I've gained 2 pounds since my last doctors appointment - so I'm probably right around the 10 pound mark.

Still loving on watermelon and sweet potatoes this week. I haven't really been in the mood to make dinner, so crock pot sweet potatoes or my moms cooking is perfect :)

I've been singing sweet country songs to the babe. I can't wait to kiss his sweet, chubby cheeks!

I've now mastered part of his schedule. He kicks regularly around 8:10P and right before bed around 10-10:30 (these two times are consistent every day for the past two weeks). I sleep throughout the night so I'm not sure if he is awake and wiggling then. I occasionally feel him first thing in the morning and around 10:15A and sometimes on my way home around 5:10P.  I feel him now towards the center of my stomach and still on my right side. Chris still hasn't been able to feel a kick on the outside!

Crazy dreams are now beginning!

I actually had a dream on Tuesday night about holding him for the first time and all I can remember was me kissing his sweet lips and him giggling. Nikki and Rory have been in a lot of my dreams. In most, we are just hanging out or she is helping me with advice, which is very the "norm" for us so I know she is going to be an amazing Aunt to him.

Thursday night I had another crazy dream where I was at the doctors for my 24 week check up and they said he was looking great and was positioned perfect. I think they asked me if I wanted to see him and I said yes and somehow he was magically handed to me. I remember looking at him with this perfect head of dark hair and thinking to myself - I knew he'd have lots of dark hair. I was snuggling with him and they said alright, he has to go back now. I handed him back to the nurse and she took him into the next room and the next thing I know he was sneaking back to the room because he didn't want to leave me. I told him he wasn't done growing yet, so he needed to go with the nurse. As much as I wanted to be with him, I knew he wasn't ready yet.

BABY LUCAS: WEEK 21

21 weeks and Baby Ben is the length of a large carrot!

Lower back pain has started (Sunday and Monday I had it pretty bad, but then it went away!) and sleep is becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. I find myself tossing and turning throughout the night. It's going to be a long 4+ months :) Sitting or bending over in particular sparked the pain. I read exercise should help so I'm going to try and do nightly stretches to help prevent that from becoming a common thing.

We started the week checking out the Sykesville wine festival. I picked up a few candles and two new dresses from Gypsy Sisters where Sydni (my makeup artist) works. Her and her sister are pregnant and due a week and two weeks ahead of me and were rocking the dresses. I wore them to my sister's graduation and Mother's Day brunch.

The bump goes in waves. Some days I don't look too pregnant, and then other days you can see how he has grown (see below - 21 weeks, 3 days).

I've been loving on watermelon and sweet potatoes this week. In fact, I think my first craving I've had is watermelon. Once I ate all of the watermelon, I was so sad and couldn't stop thinking about it!

Baby Ben loves to move around after dinner - and some days that is the only time I get to feel him! I'm still only feeling him on my right side. Waiting patiently to feel him on my left :)

I think my nesting is starting to kick in because I had the urge to wash the inside of my car. All I could think of was not wanting to bring him home from the hospital with hair and glitter stuck to him!

On Friday we drove to Ohio to see our girl graduate from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Aunt Lauren is officially a doctor!

Saturday we started off the day at Tasi for brunch on Saturday, then went to Lauren's award ceremony where she received three awards - one being in the top 25% of her class. She's pretty awesome. 

My sweet hubby buckling my shoes so I wouldn't flash anyone.

 
Lauren and I at her awards ceremony!

We had an early dinner and then wrapped up the night at her hooding ceremony. :)

See ya later, 21 weeks! You were exceptionally good to me :)