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.