Week 20 bumpdate

How far along: 20.5 Weeks

Baby Size: According to my app, the way of measuring changes this week and they are measured all the way to the toes, not just to the rump.  About the size of a carrot!
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 7 pounds gain.  Looks like it's getting to that time.  Though, I still need to get back to walking.

Maternity clothes: I still need to get more maternity clothes.  I need to find a good place to find them secondhand.
 
Stretch marks: I'm getting little ones on my hips.

 
Sleep:  I still very much love to sleep.  I still wake up some nights to go potty.  Though lately I have been itchy at bedtime, but I'm hoping it's just winter dryness.

Gender: Princesses!  This still concerns me...

Best moment this week: We told our families about the little munchkins!  Even Facebook found out this week!
 
Looking forward to: Some of the baby shopping and celebrating with our friends and family at showers.
 
What I miss:  I'm back to missing pop.

Movement:  They still move around a lot while I'm at work, but they are getting more active all the time.  I actually had one of them kick my hand while it was on my belly.  I did not get the hint and take my hand away though.  I'm already antagonizing them. 

Food cravings:  Still nothing, really...
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just high sodium content.
  Labor Signs: Definitely not!

Symptoms: My belly is definitely growing!  
 
Belly Button in or out? All the way out!
 
Rings on or off? Still on!

Mood: Happy and excited since we got to share with our families!  Almost every single person had a great first reaction.  It was so great to be able to share with everyone!

Christmas gifts!

This is the photo that we gave to each of our parents.

Baby reveal, round two!

So today was Second Christmas and therefore the baby reveal to my family.  This morning before church we gave my parents their gift.  They opened the photo and my mommy was so very excited, and my dad took a minute, but he was quite happy, too.

Then we went to church and, as it turns out, it is the celebration of the holy family, so the whole thing was about family.  It worked out perfectly!  I spent the mass in the choir loft, where I fit best, and Dale joined me.

After mass we went home and made breakfast and waited for everyone to show up for Second Christmas.  As they slowly piled in, the framed picture sat in a rather unobtrusive spot in the living room.  We were just waiting for one of the new visitors to notice the picture and say something and nobody did!  Of course this was killing my sister, niece and I, but my mom kept telling us to be patient.

Finally mom got fed up, grabbed the picture mumbling about how none of her family is observant, and handed the picture to my sister, Shelly.  She then ordered Lori to look at it too.  They checked it out for a second and then Shelly asked "who are the Andersons?"  Someone answered "...um... Dale."  Then the pieces clicked and they both got huge smiles!

They had to pass out congratulatory hugs and all their excitement.  They are all so very excited for me!  We got to tell a majority of the family this weekend.  With only one exception, everyone was immediately excited and happy for us.  The exception is pretty set in old-fashioned ways, but slowly coming around to see the happiness.   

Weekend visiting in Ohio

This weekend, I got to visit with a few people before doing the full reveal for Second Christmas.

I visited with Jessey and told her that I'd be catching up to her two girls in one shot.  She was so very happy (and a little concerned for my sanity in the near future) but it was so much fun to share with her.  She also sent me away with a full bag of little girl clothes and a promise that we could have Cayla's bed the next time we stop in to visit.

We stopped in to see my sister Jodi.  She was quietly excited, but also in the middle of some birthday celebrations for her little boy who just turned thirteen!  Sadly, we couldn't stay too long due to allergies to the doggies in the house, but it was still so great to see her!

We even told a family member at dinner!  We went out to my cousin's work to visit.  She lives kinda far away, so it was cool to see her.  And her fiancee even came up to grab a bite before he had to work, so I got to visit both of them!  Of course, with their wedding scheduled just weeks after my due date, I felt it would be helpful to warn them there might be some crying children in the back...  I also made sure to point out that my sister will be picking out the most adorable dresses for the wedding.

I was overwhelmed with all of the excitement for my little munchkins.  They will always be surrounded by love.  That is all a mommy could ever hope or dream to have for their little ones.  

Baby reveal round one!

Merry Christmas!  

For Christmas, Dale's family found out that there are two little ones on the way.  There was excitement all around.  It has been so hard to keep this secret, but so worth it to be able to tell everyone in the same day!

On Christmas morning Dale and I went over to his parents house to open gifts.  We started with stockings and then continued with the gifts Santa had put under the tree.  It was hard to concentrate on opening gifts when I knew what was coming, but we both seemed to pull it off.  We waited until we were done with Santa's gifts before giving out our gifts.

The reveal was twofold for his parents.  First, his mom opened an ornament.  On one side it read "Only great mother..." and on the reverse "...become Grand mothers."  When his mom opened that she was talking.  Then she stopped, re-read the ornament, her jaw dropped and her brain stopped.  Then her brain went into overdrive and she started exclaiming in excitement.

When that excitement was over, she opened a framed photo with a photo of each of the girls with a caption that read "Meet the newest Andersons!  Coming Spring 2014!"  Mom just about yelled "Twins?!?"  We both just nodded and laughed.  For the whole night she couldn't get over the twins part of the whole thing.  

In the evening, more family members started to wander in for Christmas dinner. For some of them it took a little time to figure it out, but everyone was so excited!  When the cousins came over Cort even started jumping up and down from all her excitement, lol!

Sadly, we couldn't tell everyone in person, so a few phone calls were made.  Dale's sister called shortly after mom opened her gifts, so mom handed the phone to Dale.  Dale led with "Merry Christmas, Stacy, or should I say, Merry Christmas Aunt Stacy!"  It took her a little bit to process that, so she pretty much flipped when Dale told her that her nieces would be here in the springtime and emphasized the plural of nieces.

Overall it was an amazing (and exhausting) day!  There was so much excitement and I was very relieved to see that the news was met with so much excitement and so little trepidation.  Honestly, I was a bit worried.  Now to conquer my family in a few more days.  I can't wait!

Week 19 bumpdate

How far along: 19 Weeks

Baby Size: 5.5-6 inches inches (about the size of a mango this week)
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 5 pounds gain.  These two kinda snuck up on me.  But I still thing I'm doing just fine.

Maternity clothes: Just bought my first maternity clothes yesterday!  It was just a couple shirts and a belly band.  This belly band contraption pretty much holds up my pants so I can walk around with them undone.  Interesting thought... I like it.  I'll let you know when I try it.
 
Stretch marks: Not that I can tell, but my body is definitely growing fast.

Sleep:Very little issues here.  Though I would like more sleep (always!) I sleep very soundly when I have the chance.

Gender: Baby girls on the way!

Best moment this week: It's a bit of a toss-up between my first maternity clothes and feeling these crazy kids moving around.

 
Looking forward to: Telling the parents!  We will tell Dale's family in a couple days and my family in about a week!
 
What I miss:  Being able to eat without two more opinions chiming in.  :P

Movement:  They still move around a lot while I'm at work, but they are getting more active at home.  I love when Dale can feel them.

Food cravings:  It's not really craving as much as missing eating what I want and knowing what will upset my tummy.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Food with a high salt content and eating too quickly.
 
Labor Signs: Far from it!

Symptoms: I'm growing... mostly in the middle...  
 
Belly Button in or out? It's popped out and attempting to see the entire world!
 
Rings on or off? On.  Definitely still on.

Mood: Happy and excited but with a little anxiety this week.

   

Week 18 bumpdate

 
How far along: 18 Weeks

Baby Size: 5-5.8 inches (about the size of a bell pepper!)
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 3 pounds gain.

Maternity clothes: I should be, but I haven't had the time to go shopping.  Maybe next weekend?
 
Stretch marks: Nope!  Though, I was worried for a little bit there.

Sleep: Like a baby!  (Yes, I think I'm funny)  As long as work allows the time, I generally sleep well.  I have found that I sleep much more soundly when Dale is there.

Gender: Found out that we will have two little ladies!  Girls!  (I don't know what to do with girls... lol!)

Best moment this week: Finding out the gender of my babies!  Now we will be able to really move forward in our planning.

 
Looking forward to: Telling the parents!  We will tell Dale's parents in just under two weeks, and we'll tell my parents in just over two weeks.
 
What I miss: Soda pop

Movement:  They move around a lot while I'm at work.  It's probably due to my higher stress level at work.

Food cravings: I don't really crave anything.  Every now and then, I really want something, but it's just a random thing and it usually goes away once I've eaten.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.  Just lately coughing too hard sometimes will trigger the lovely gag reflex.
 
Labor Signs: Far from it!

Symptoms: I'm growing... mostly in the middle...  
 
Belly Button in or out? In, but just barely.  Working on popping out!
 
Rings on or off? On.  And I still worry that it will fall off when my hands get cold.

Mood: Mostly upbeat, but work has been wearing me down this week.

   

And the babies are...

Girls!!

I'm a little let down as I was hoping for boys, but this is still exciting! I've never been a girly girl, so I figure my daughters won't be very frilly. We will spend plenty of time working on cars but also a bunch of time baking.

I'm so excited to finally know! Now we can start planning even more, including names and the nursery. I can't wait to feel like we're actually getting a little closer to being as ready as we can get.

Almost time to find out gender!

I'm so excited!  In less than two hours we will be at the doctor's office .  This is our gender reveal ultrasound!  I can't wait!

I'm hoping that with two of them, it will be easier to find out.  Only one has to be cooperative.  But, let's be honest, these are my kids, so they will both fight every step of the way.

Dale and I have both agreed that we would like a pair of boys.  It would be great for any possible future siblings to have protective big brothers.  Though, I'm a big sister and I was more formidable than my brother at protecting my baby sister, I can definitely see the advantage to imposing big brothers. 

Now, with that being said, since Dale and I agree on this and have been finding boy stuff that we like more readily than girl stuff, we are convinced that these will be adorable baby girls.  And using the old wives tales, the majority agree.  

Most importantly, the main indicator that my own mom had, is pointing toward girls.  She always said that when she was pregnant with my my sister and I she rarely had to shave her legs, but with my brother she had to shave pretty much every day.   It's been a week since I shaved and it's barely more than first day stubble.

I'll let you all know soon.  I have onesies in pink and in blue and I took pictures of each last night.  When we know the gender, I'll send the correctly colored picture to the lovely ladies who are in the loop.  I'll post it here after work. 

Gender Prediction Quiz results

You have a 38% chance of having a boy. And you have a 61% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Boys are carried low. You are going to have a boy.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
A needle on a thread held over your belly moves in circles, so you will have a boy.
Your urine is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl.
You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.


We will find out for sure tomorrow!

Week 17 bumpdate

I'm up to three weeks in a row remembering to do this!  Go me!
 
How far along: 17 Weeks

Baby Size: About 4.5 to 5 inches (about the size of an onion) but we will confirm sizes on Tuesday.
 
Weight gain: Staying at around two pounds

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I am truly appreciating the happiness of my elastic waistbands on pajama pants.
 
Stretch marks: Not on my belly, but I think I found a few on my breasts.  Still can't remember to look for something to prevent these.

Sleep: It's been hard to fall asleep, but I blame work stress for that.  Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night, but I can usually fall right back asleep after a potty break.

Gender: Still not sure, but we will find out in a week and a half.  I am taking some quizzes, though!

Best moment this week: Baby's first kick!  Only once so far, but it's bound to increase.

 
Looking forward to:  5 more days until we find out!  :)  I now have onesies in pink and blue and will send the correct color to those lucky few who know.
 
What I miss: Nothing really this week

Movement: Yup!  I can feel them move more often now.  No real kicks except the one, but that's bound to change.

Food cravings: Still no real cravings.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still no particular foods.  Though I just realized that I haven't done my scrambled egg breakfast in a while.

Labor Signs: Definitely not.

Symptoms: Bump is getting bigger.  
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but it's getting closer to popping out.
 
Rings on or off? On.  It's still wobbly when it gets cold.

Mood: Still happy and excited to find out the gender of these munchkins.  I just need to get rid of the work stress and I'll be good!

   

Baby's first kick!

Yesterday I felt one of these munchkins kick me!  It was very strange, but also SO exciting!  It was rather distinct considering so far I've only been able to feel little flutters.  I know that soon enough I may get tired of them kicking me all the time, but for right now it makes me happy.

I'm trying to keep my stress level down at work because I know they seem happier when mommy isn't stressed (at least mommy is happier when mommy isn't stressed!)  It's been pretty rough lately, but I'm working on improving my habits and performance so I stress less and also mess up less. 

Dale felt the baby move

Yesterday when I woke up one of the babies was on top of the other one. It made for a very odd bulge just a bit lower than my belly button.

I grabbed Dale's hand and put it on top of them. He noticed that my skin felt harder than usual. He thought he felt them move and then he realized that my belly didn't feel hard anymore.

When he realized that they moved right under his hand he got the biggest smile! It was a great start to my day.