25 Weeks - Vacation Pics!

   I was sooo over my fake smile this week, so this is what you get!

September 24th was our 1 year wedding anniversary already!  Can't believe how fast it went!  We were able to get away for a few days to Door County and it was great!!  It was really nice to get away after a not-so-great week last week.  It was really slow paced and relaxing which is what we both needed.  Lots of walking around, checking out shops, doing touristy things, eating and RELAXING.  It was also our Babymoon!  Probably our last trip, baby-free!  Here's most of the pics we took;

First night - Fish Boil at the White Gull Inn.  They put on quite a show boiling the fish, so that was cool to watch.  Dan only sort of enjoyed the actual eating of the fish, but it was still a good time, and included Door County cherry pie and ice cream for dessert!  YUM!

Second day, from left - accidental pic of the ground, but also Cave Point, Dano and I at Cave Point, Dano and I down by the water at Cave Point, being a stalker of TWO weddings that were happing there!
There was a fall harvest festival going on at one of the orchards there, so we checked that out.  Dano sampled some free beer and wine, we picked our own apples, and got some yummy treats from the store.  Notice the middle pic how happy Dan is that I was photographing him picking apples :)

Anniversary before dinner pic; not sure what's with Dan's face...this was the night I had my long awaited glass of red wine!!  It was DE-LICOUS!  The whole time we were there, I felt like I had to hide my belly so people didn't think I was a hussy, lol.  THEN, our food ended up taking forever to come out, so the waitress brought us each another glass of wine!!  Dan and I just looked at each other and laughed, I took a few sips and passed it over to him.  We also went to a tavern on Monday night for the Packer game (which we won't talk about!!) and at first I was drinking water, then I thought I'd be fun and get a sprite mixed with cranberry.  So I asked Dan to order me one while I ran to the bathroom.  When I got back, it was sitting there and I took a HUGE sip...it was actually a VODKA cranberry!!  Soo unfortunately, baby had quite the weekend :/  Obviously I passed it over to Dan after that, but yikes!  Dan even said when he ordered it he said "special request for the pregnant lady" to the bartender, but he was kind of an idiot and was doing shots all night with the customers, soo maybe that was the problem.

Biking day, from top left, then bottom left; 1st stop at a lookout point, lighthouse stop, Eagle Bluff lookout, seriously worst picture of a person ever, our seagull friend while we ate lunch, another lookout, view from the top of Eagle Tower (12 flights of stairs in the middle of our ride!), Eagle Tower sign, Dan's awesome helmet hair at the end.  

We rented a tandem bike (yes the double bike you are thinking of!).  It was pretty hilarious and fun.  Unfortunately by the time we got back from our over 10 mile ride through Peninsula State Park, I was so beat I forgot to ask to have our picture taken on it :(  I'm so bummed!  I told Dan we looked like a circus, between the bike, our helmets and my giant belly; we were certainly a sight!  Everyone kept asking us how riding that thing was, and honestly it wasn't bad, the stronger person rides in front, so that meant I was stuck in the back, which was a little scary at times.  I couldn't really see much in front of us, so I had to rely on Dan to let me know what was coming up...and to do the braking, steering, and gear shifting, which he does NOT know how to do!  There were times we were going down hills that I was so scared it was making me sick!  We were surrounded by trees and I had no idea how long or steep the hill was! Also, going up any sort of hill is almost impossible, we had to get off and walk up a few.  The ride did not help my already horrendous cough and I think is part of why I am having some major pain in my left ribs!  I think I seriously pulled a muscle from coughing so hard, and bumping and breathing hard on the bike just aggrevated it, I have been in a LOT of pain ever since :(

Sunset from Sunset Beach in Fish Creek - so pretty!

School House Beach on Washington Island - we took a ferry over to Washington Island and took a "train" (an open air tram pulled by a pickup truck, haha!) tour of the Island.  It was SO. WINDY. that day!!!!!!

Our traditional last day of vacation sad face, waiting for the the famous stuffed french toast at White Gull Inn for breakfast.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!  Not really much pregnancy news other than my cough which has taken on new levels of horrible.  And the new pain in my upper left side, presumably from coughing so hard.  The belly is definitely starting to make life more difficult; bending over is a task and literally rolling out of bed to get up.  AND, coffee is officially back on the menu!  All of sudden one morning in Door County, I woke up and wanted coffee!  It was delicious and didn't make me nauseous at all, yay!

Also, as my anniversary present, Dano got me a new ring for my wedding finger!!!!  It's soo pretty, and the stone in it is a garnet; the birth stone for January when the baby is due!  How stinkin' cute is he!?!  So I'm no longer an un-wed preggo lady :)

24+ Weeks

How far along? 24weeks 1day.  Had to put something about the Pack on the board since they were playing the day I took the pic.  And...it worked!  They won that night!!  :)

Maternity clothes? Ugh, I'm over this question, YES I bought more ok!  It's really hard to make shirts appropriate over this belly, and if they aren't now, they're going to be even worse later!  So I got a few more shirts, and a dress.  And I got some AWESOME boots that I have been looking for, for at least 2 years since I was at a Little Big Town concert and one of the singers was wearing them!  YES!  They are amazing and will be worn TONS with leggings soon!!

Exercising: Eh, walked, but not as much.

Stretch marks? Still nope.

Sleep: Really feeling exhausted lately.  I have had a cold and especially a huge cough for weeks now, so by the end of the day I am completely wiped out.  But then I go to bed and am up a million times peeing, not being able to fall back asleep, waking up because of painful thumbs or sleeping hands, and then there's Clyde...

Best WORST moment this week: Again with the worst :(  Almost 2 months to the day since we lost our cousin Mary, grandma passed away :(  She had a stroke awhile ago and has pretty much been going down hill since.  They think she had more strokes over the last few weeks and barely knew who we were anymore and was just extremely uncomfortable.  Cliche as it is, she's in a better place and is with grandpa.  I was really hoping she'd stick around to be a great-grandmother, but that didn't happen. She did know I was pregnant and understood when she was still somewhat ok, so it's really unfortunate she couldn't make it to meet this little one.  She was a wonderful lady and I have been told so by everyone who knew her giving me their condolences.  She will surely be missed :(

Grandma, grandpa, and me.

Grandma, grandpa, and my dad!

As far as a best moment, Dan and I are still going to make it to Door County to celebrate our anniversary.  We pushed the days back a little and did a lot of rearranging, but it's going to work out.  It will definitely feel good to get away after all this :(  And Dano is on vacation til October 3rd!!!  So I have plenty of projects lined up for him :)

Also the glider and ottoman came and they are SO cute and comfy.  Of course the boo-boo had to test it out and he definitely approved.  He's been living in the chair!

Aaaaand....our first cloth diaper arrived!!!  And it is just the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!  It's a pocket diaper, which I don't actually plan on using a lot of, but the pattern was just too cute!!  (and that right there is why cloth diapers can be dangerous :) )  BUT I know I will still use it, and it can be stuffed with extra inserts or prefolds when baby sleeps longer at night.  Plus it's "one size", meaning it should fit her from birth til potty training...we'll see bout that.

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? I don't think anything this week.

Movement: Yup, tons!  One night Dan and I were sitting on the couch both looking at the laptop, and my belly started fluttering!  It was crazy!  He saw it too.  I dunno what she was doin in there!!  And the day my grandma died, she was having a party in there...maybe from my stress and being upset, or maybe she was trying to cheer me up :/

Food cravings: Sweets, fruit, and cereal!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, tuna, and cold cuts/subs :(  booo!  But I have been drinking Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes with no issues, yay!  

Have you started to show yet: Yup, and still lovin' it!

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? In and yucky.  I don't like how it looks.  I never wanted it to pop (and still don't) but somehow it being in and my belly being large, make it look weird and give my belly a funny shape sometimes.  And it's now really really red.

Wedding rings on or off? Off :(  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but sad this week and a lot of random crying spells (even before grandma).  I had my doctor's appointment on Friday and did my glucose test (which I have heard nothing on, sooo I'm assuming that means I passed...?), I was feeling HORRIBLE from this cold and cough, then I had to drink the glucose crap, then there was a new nurse training or doing her rotation or something, and that was SUPER annoying, then I gained another 7 pounds (have no idea how) then I asked the doc if I should get a flu shot and she said "YES, we'll give you one today!", which I was NOT mentally prepared for.  (I hate hate hate hate HATE shots, ever since I got one in each arm when I was 12 or 13 and almost passed out.)  Then they draw my blood, then forget about me in the waiting room before my flu shot, then I get the flu shot (which was HORRIBLE!!!  It's not the pain, there really isn't any, it's the needle going straight in, like where is that going???  Then pushing the fluid in and FEELING it, where is THAT going?!?  EW EW EW then your arm being sore after).  So after going through all that and being there for an hour and thinking about how much weight I've gained and still will gain, I started crying on the way home, which only made my cough worse which only made me feel worse.  By the time I got home I was a blubbering mess, and poor Dano didn't know what was going on or what to do.

Looking forward to: Door County and indulging in a glass of red wine!!!  Don't judge me, I'm doin it!

Not loving: This cold and cough!!!  I have been coughing for weeks!  And it's the type of cough that just takes over your entire body and you have no control over, it's not even me coughing, I cannot control it!  Other than the cold and cough (which I'm not sure are pregnancy related) and some heartburn/reflux here and there, I'm not sure I would even know I am pregnant lately!  Ok, I guess there's the peeing, not sleeping, crying, big old belly, and baby kicks to remind me...but overall, I still feel really great most of the time!

Thanks for reading!
~Michelle

23+ Weeks

I'll try to keep it shorter this week, I just realized I never even shared the pics from our 19 week ultrasound!!!  So I've included them at the end for your viewing pleasure :)

How far along? 23weeks 2days....all of a sudden the weeks are escaping me!!  How are they going so fast?!  Waiting for the bump, gender, and movement took FOREVER, and now that all those milestones have been reached, time is flyin!

Maternity clothes? Got a side-ruched long-sleeved tee and another belt that I plan to wear often above my belly to give me a "waist", ha.  I also bought my "skinny" jeans...and spent ALOT more than I planned :(  Damn Motherhood Maternity!!

Exercising: Did ok with the walking again and yoga.

Stretch marks? Nope, been examining it everyday hoping not to find one!

Sleep: Same as always; up a lot to pee, hands falling asleep and thumbs hurting.  And already over side-only sleeping :(

Best moment this week: Hmm not sure there was one...not that it was a bad week, just uneventful. I guess brunch with the family and Dan being able to go into work at 4am instead of 12am!  Yes, that was a good thing!

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? I don't think anything this week!

Movement: Still a lot, and starting to notice more patterns to her movement too.  She also likes to start kicking every time I get up to pee at night; practicing for those midnight wakings already!

Food cravings: Still sweets, sweets, sweets and lots of fruit, especially apples!  I've been eating like 2 or 3 a day!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Same as usual, but I decided it was time to overcome my coffee aversion for a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte!!!  My favorite at my favorite time of year!  I had one already and it was DE-licous!  

Have you started to show yet: Yup!  I just love my belly!  I love purposely putting on tight shirts and having my belly poke out!  When I do look at maternity stuff, I look for form fitting things that show off the belly, rather than "tent-like" things that just make me look like a house!  It's such a nice change to just have a big smooth belly that I don't have to worry about sucking in, rather than one that is full of rolls and bumps and lumps that I have to try to keep sucked in with a tighter shirt on.

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? Still in, and definitely looks odd.  I have a pretty sad scar from a belly button piercing growing out (3 times) so that doesn't help how things look around it.

Wedding rings on or off? Off :(  Been wearing them around my neck even though I think it looks a little goofy.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but had some emotional days this week.  Had a few crying spells.  One in front of Dan while we were eating dinner, and I had NO idea why.  Those are always fun.

Looking forward to: Door County for our 1 year anniversary!!!  We are both SO excited to have some time off and just get away!!  I guess it's our "babymoon" too :)  Everyone says (and I knew it would happen) the first year goes SO fast!  But I cannot believe it!!  I can't believe it's almost been a WHOLE year since our wedding!!!  Also we are going to be purchasing more furniture for the nursery and registering soon!

  

Not loving: Don't think I really have any complaints this week!  Feeling all around pretty great!  Have some minor acid reflux here and there, but nothing I can't handle.  And I had one day where food was just making me ILL!  I was starving most of the day, but just couldn't put my finger on what I wanted!  I hardly ate anything that day cuz I was just over food.  I also am starting to feel exhaustion returning...I seem to be a bit ahead in trimesters as far as my symptoms; my "morning" sickness cleared up weeks before the second trimester, and now I'm getting exhausted and possibly "sick" again before I actually hit the 3rd!  Does this mean she's going to come early?!? ;)

Baby girl's beautiful profile!

Potty shot ;)

Knees curled up, laying face down

Baby feet!  It's a little blurry because she wouldn't stop kicking :)

And just for fun, what I see almost anytime I leave the house :)  He watches me back out the driveway like "I cannot believe you're leaving me, where could you be going?!"

Thanks for reading!

~Michelle

22+ Weeks

Ok, so I need to start this off with saying that I read through some of my blog entries, and I feel like the way I write is very odd!  Not that I was ever a great writer, but I felt I could get things into words (that made sense) very easily.  Now things seem to be a big jumble!  I blame it on pregnancy brain, so try to stick with me ;)

How far along? 22weeks 1day

Maternity clothes? Nothing new, but shirts that fit (and look appropriate) over my belly are getting hard to come by.  I realized I will need some "skinny" maternity jeans, which sounds hilarious.  But in fall and winter, the only thing I ever wear on weekends is jeans tucked into boots, and you can really only do that with "skinny" jeans.  So trying on "skinny" jeans should be all kinds of fun with the way I look right now!

Exercising: YES!  We did pretty good this week!  Yoga and went for some long walks AND went on 2 bike rides...ok, ok one of them was a ride to the ice cream shop, but hey at least we burned calories riding there and back!  And man oh man did bike riding hurt my BUTT!!!  I don't remember it being so painful when I was a kid riding my bike everyday all day!  The first day hurt, but was manageable, the second day, it was still SO sore from the first, I had to stand up and ride most of the time!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Hasn't been too bad lately, some hips hurting here and there and my hands always seem to be asleep or my thumbs hurt whenever I wake up, which is a lot for pee.  So that's kind of odd, maybe from sleeping only on my sides and therefore doing weird things with my arms...?  Or maybe just random coincidence a few nights in a row!

Best moment this week: A lot happened this week!  We got our bathtub and surround redone finally, we got our kitchen table delivered, Dan finished painting the nursery (which I'll get into sometime) AND I ordered the first nursery purchase!!  This gorgeous glider and a matching ottoman!

I said I was going to try to not go so girly with things because I know larger purchases should stay gender neutral, but this was just TOO cute to pass up!!  I figured, I'll be able to use it in a blue or green room with a boy later...right?!  Or maybe by the second kid, I won't care as much...haha, right.   OORR, it actually would go quite well in our bedroom too!  Though Dan would never let me put this in our room and buy a second one for the next kid!  Oh, well, I love it, that's all that matters!

I guess I'll finally explain the paint situation.  We had bought 4 sample sizes to try out on the walls and decided on 2. I wanted to do a gray-ish-pink/light pink theme.  Well Dano went out and got them and got almost the whole room done one day while I was at work.  But when I got home, I could hardly tell which wall was "pink" and which one was "gray" :(  the colors look almost exactly the same.  Even though when we tried the samples they looked clearly different!  You can see the most difference at night in artificial light (which you can see below), but during the day in sunlight, it's not as obvious.  In fact in the picture, it doesn't look gray at ALL.  I know Dan will not agree to repaint the "gray" walls, which are really the problem.  So I think we're stuck with it.  I'm still trying to come up with solutions, but otherwise, we'll just leave it and have other gray accessories in the room (like the awesome chair!)

I'm also working on some really cool artwork and other things for the nursery that I'll be excited to show you!  I guess we should get around to getting a crib sometime soon!  That might be a little more important than artwork!

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? Actually it was the week before, but I was really REALLY missing an ice cold brew on a Friday night!!  Like more than usual!  Dan was in the county softball playoffs and went to the championship game on Friday night (pause for reaction) and all I wanted to do was sit in the stands and get just a LITTLE bit tipsy!!  Dan always tells me "oh just have a sip!"  But it's not the "sips" I miss, it's the tossing a few back and getting just a little bit intoxicated that I miss....yikes does that make me sound like an alcoholic?!  Haha.  But I'm over it now, it was just that one night that it hit me really hard.  I'm now looking forward to my glass of red wine I've decided to have over our anniversary!

Movement: Tons!  She still likes to play the game where I feel lots of movement, so then I quick grab daddy's hand to feel, and she stops.  Little stinker already!  It's crazy how much she must move around in there!  One minute I feel her low, then I feel her high, then on the right side, then on the left, constantly moving!

Food cravings: Still loving cereal and sweets.  I also really wanted waffles one day!  So I made myself some blueberry waffles in my waffle maker!  Yum!  Then later in the same day, I made some key lime cupcakes...whoops...I guess you can say I'm still craving sweets!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Same as usual, but have been drinking iced coffee regularly. 

Have you started to show yet: Yup!

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? Still in, some days it looks more shallow than others.  It hasn't been hurting as much or at all, so that's good news!  I don't think that sucker is going to pop, which is also good news.

Wedding rings on or off? Off :(  I've been wearing this ginormous square "diamond" cheap-o one I got at the State Fair one year!  Boooo!  I love my ring so much!!!  It looks a little silly on a chain around my neck; even Dan told me it looked a little weird and he never has an opinion of how things look!  But I've started to do it anyway.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy happy!

Looking forward to: It's sort of a looking forward to/NOT looking forward to; my glucose test in a week and a half!  Yikes!  I am TERRIFIED of getting gestational diabetes.  I don't really think I have any reasons to think I'd be at risk, but I'm still just hoping I pass.  I've never been good at modifying my eating habits (no matter how hard I try sometimes) and doing it while preggo and craving sugar, does NOT seem like fun!  Also I haven't heard good things about the sugar drink you have to drink before hand or the gallons of blood they draw from you, UGH!

  

Not loving: For once I can say this week has been relatively quiet with symptoms!  The belly button hurting and horrible acid reflux are GONE!  It was like they lasted a week or 2 and then completely went away!  This is what I mean about things changing daily!  (Disclaimer: I wrote that one day, and came back a few days later to finish the blog, and in those few days I did have more acid reflux :( but nothing too terrible)  I'm sure I'm not out of the woods yet with either, but they haven't bothered me lately.  However, I recall mentioning a couple weeks ago how wonderful my skin has been, well cross that off the list; breakout city this week :(  Again, how do things change so drastically from one day to the next?

Thanks for reading!

~Michelle