recap: month 5

22w3d

23wks ......................................................... 2wks

(i missed the 21wk bump picture)

weeks: 20-24 ... june 25 - july 22

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: eggplant ... 1.7lbs, 9 inches

morning sickness/symptoms: sciatic nerve pain and allergies.

cravings: i still can't drink enough milk!

sleep: i sleep okay; its getting to sleep that's the problem.

i can't live without: air conditioning and the pool! we've been under a heat advisory the last week and its been brutal. the heat index has hovered around 104-105 degrees. so i've spent the majority of my time either inside enjoying the AC or in the pool.

i miss: being able to bend over comfortably. i feel like i'm squishing him every time i bend over.

i'm looking forward to: vacation! tyler has a tournament in myrtle beach the last week of july and i'm heading down the following week for our vacation. i can't wait to lay on the beach, the good food and of course, shopping!

milestones: viability! generally, most doctors define the 24wk mark as viability and its usually the cut-off for intensive medical intervention to save a premature baby. cohen definitely still has lots of baking to do, but its one less worry at this point.

awkward moments: when you're pregnant, everyone is an expert on parenting, childbirth, etc. the touching is still awkward and as my baby bump grows bigger it seems to be more and more enticing to people.

exercise: yoga, walking, swimming

weight gain: -3lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

stretch marks: none.

belly button: flat. its not an innie anymore but its not an outie.

movement: cohen is kicking and moving up a storm these days! he's most active right after i eat breakfast in the morning and in the evenings when its quiet and i'm not up and moving around a lot. he's not very cooperative when other people want to feel him kick, and i have no idea where he gets this stubbornness from. ;)

gender: boy!

labor signs: none.

after many weeks of internet browsing and research we bought the 2nd edition tori convertible crib and matching dresser and changing table from jcpenney. the crib converts to a toddler bed, day bed and regular bed with only a few extra pieces which was an important feature to us. as far as the matching furniture, it had to be solid hardwood. i refused to budge on that feature even if it did cost us more money. i wanted something that would hold up for years to come and particle board doesn't; and many places were charging $500-600 for a dresser that wasn't solid hardwood, which is more than the crib! it was outrageous! after spending weeks searching i was ready to give up until someone suggested jcpenney. the nursery sets were beautiful, solid hardwood AND the prices were great! what's not to love? added bonus: the company who manufactures jcp's cribs and nursery furniture received excellent reviews in baby bargains! (and for those of you who have no idea what baby bargains is.. its the holy grail of baby product reviews and a lifesaver when registering!) after doing the math, we decided it would be cheaper to buy the furniture as a set instead of purchasing the pieces separately over the next few weeks. and guess what? jcp gives you a huge discount for buying the set! add in the coupon i found online and we got a helluva deal!

the furniture was delivered about 2 weeks ago and tyler set it up the next day! i couldn't be happier with our selection; the only thing missing to complete the room is cohen <3

crib

 changing table ................................. crib & dresser

recap: month 4

 

16wks .................................... 17wks 

 

18wks .....................................19wks

 

20wks

 
weeks: 16-20 ... may 27 - june 24

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: cantaloupe ... 10oz, 6.5 inches

morning sickness/symptoms: still feeling good! i'm happy to have missed the morning sickness altogether.

cravings: MILK! i can't get enough of it. when tyler is home we go through a gallon of milk almost every other day. its insane.. and expensive!

sleep: so far, so good. i've had a few restless nights but nothing too bad. it has definitely been an adjustment to find new sleeping positions because i've always been a stomach sleeper.

i can't live without: air conditioning! its been super hot lately and after being in a stuffy office all day i can't wait to come home and crank the ac down to 65 and do nothing but lay on the couch.

i miss: beer. i know its ridiculous, but i do. its cookout season and who doesn't love a cold beer with their burger?

i'm looking forward to: shopping! my gut feeling was finally confirmed and baby christian is alllll BOY! i have a few disappointed friends, ahem jen, who were pulling for a girl but i knew from the beginning we were having a boy. now, let the shopping begin!

milestones: we've reached the half-way point!

awkward moments: people touching my stomach, especially strangers. its awkward, and it always will be. i'm a freak with personal space issues, i know. i would just prefer to be asked before being groped.

exercise: yoga, walking, swimming

weight gain: -5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

stretch marks: negative. & let's hope it stays that way!

belly button: in

movement: i have an anterior placenta, but all that means is that its on the front side acting as a cushion between the baby and my belly so it makes it harder to feel bumps and kicks. i've felt a few very light kicks as of the 20wk mark.

gender: still a boy! u/s at week 16, confirmed again at week 18.

labor signs: its far too early for that.

& baby makes.. seven?

if you count brewsky, bailey, benson & roar we're about to become a household of seven come november!

tyler and i found out we were expecting on march 5th and our lives have been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation ever since! our little boy, cohen ryder, is set to arrive around novemeber 11th.. just in time for the holidays!

between work, summer projects, and baseball tournaments we've been doing our best to get cohen's room ready before the school year starts. of course, we happen to have the shortest summer break ever in cabell county this year so its definitely crunch time!

i designed the bedding at babybedding.com and i highly recommend it to any expectant mommas! they have a great selection of bedding options and fabrics. you can make changes to any bedding set they've designed or you can design a bedding set from scratch from the massive selection of fabrics. i loved the brown modern zoo print so i built the set around it. tyler and i wanted something fun that worked for a nursery but also could grow with him.

this is stock photo of the bedding from the website

i got a lot of nursery decor ideas from this blog. you can filter and search by gender, color, theme, etc. its where i got the idea to paint the wall where the crib would go...

the squares turned out better than i ever could have imagined; even up close they look like a decal and not hand painted. the whole process only took about 3 hours; measuring for symmetry and putting up the tape was the most time consuming part.

next up: new hardwood floor and furniture. both of which, should be finished this week. tyler just came back from a baseball tournament in indianapolis so he's taking a day of R&R before starting to lay the new floor tomorrow. so progess is being made!

baby countdown:

17 weeks 4 days to go!