20 Weeks? More like 24 Weeks

So much for "I'll do a photo every 4 weeks."  Think you've missed a lot of posts?  Not exactly.  I've only managed one so far this pregnancy, at 14 weeks.

Megan: 22 weeks
Kara: 24ish weeks

23 weeks

Ok, so what is going on these days at 24 weeks?

For the most part, I feel great!  I told the doctor the other day that other than my giant belly, there isn't much to remind me I'm pregnant.

For the most part, I still have a normal amount of energy.  On vacation and weekend outings, I do require more breaks than usual.  This isn't a big deal except that Tyler assumes every time we sit on a park bench, he thinks we're going to have snack time.

I've started back to work, so I may very quickly discover that I feel MUCH more pregnant when standing/being active for nine hours a day.  That's a bit different than binge-watching Netflix with my feet kicked up all summer!

The big news is we're having a GIRL!  It still hasn't sunk in yet.  There will be a post on this later, but my major source of anxiety the past month was trying to figure out a girl nursery theme that both Jason and I liked.  Tyler has started calling Bump "baby sister" which is about the world's most precious thing.  It's starting to get real, yo!

She's moving around some, but still hasn't been consistently kicky enough for people to feel externally.  I can feel her kicks, and I finally got Jason to successfully feel one the other day.

So that's 24 weeks!

Twinning Preggos

When my sister Kara and I were in high school/early years of college, we would occasionally get mistaken for twins.  We're 2.5 years apart, but at the time, we shared a wardrobe and had very similar hairstyles.  We look quite different from each other now, but we do share something very special in common -- we're both pregnant!

Kara is due 9 days before me.  When she visited the other day, we couldn't resist taking some belly photos together.

Yes, we both happen to own the same maternity shirt.  When I saw she was wearing hers, I put mine on for a photo.

...and back to the shirt I was actually wearing that day

"Yeah, don't touch my belly"

"Whoa!  There's a baby in there!"

and one with Mom 

14 Weeks

I'm actually 15 (and a half) weeks now, but here's the picture of me at 14 weeks.

Baby Self #2 has made his/her presence known long before Tyler did.  As a comparison, here I am 17 weeks with Tyler...

Baby bump?  What baby bump?  Oh, to have first-pregnancy belly again...

I'm not going to do the whole summary thing, but here are the answers to the "typical" questions:

Due? Technically December 5, but my doctors are encouraging me to go early (since Tyler was such a big guy), so I've been telling people it will probably be closer to Thanksgiving

Symptoms? I won the pregnancy lottery again.  No morning sickness, no food aversions this time (I remember chucking nearly a whole ham last time because I couldn't stand it being in the house), no more exhaustion than normal.  I DID have a crazy-nasty stomach bug about a month ago that was the worst I've had in over a decade.  Moms who deal with morning sickness, I bow down to you and have so much more respect for you.  A few days of horror does not equal 3 months (or more) of morning sickness.

Gender?  Should be revealed in late July at my 20-week appointment.  We will be finding out (I'm far too Type-A to wait!)

Name?  We actually haven't discussed (or thought?) about it at all yet.  We both said we'll start that once we know what we're having.  Kara asked if we're going to keep the name a secret again.  I'm not sure, but if she and I both end up having the same gender, there will definitely be some sister-sister discussions going on even if the general public is kept in the dark!  I can't have her "steal" my name by accident.  *cough cough, talking about you, Jill, and your dog "Sydney"*

Pregnant!

Kara and Kelly had been trying for baby #2 for a while.  Last fall, Jason and I decided that the timing was right for us to try for our own little baby #2.  When Kara called me a few days before the 5k and shared the good news, I was superexcited!  It was too early for her to be telling people, but she said she knew she had to give me a legitimate reason for bowing out of the race.

During that phone conversation, I shared with her that we too were planning for a new addition.  "No time soon," I remember telling her, "but maybe we'll be pregnant together for some part of the time."

Ha, God's got a funny sense of humor.  After the Jamesville visit and quietly talking baby stuff with Kara (Addison didn't know at the time), I started thinking about things... and timing... and went to my calendar.  Huh.  It's been a while.  Maybe I should get a test.

That following Monday, I bought a pregnancy test and went home and took it.  At no point did I think I was pregnant.  I had had no symptoms.  Last time, with Tyler, I "knew" for about two weeks before actually taking the test (wanted to get past Christmas visits with family).  So honestly, I had no expectation that I was pregnant.  In fact, it was past the recommended 2-3 minutes (whatever it is) before I went back and looked at the test:

PREGNANT

I just stared at it.  What?!?  When people ask me about this pregnancy, some have asked was it "a surprise."  Well no, not in the sense that they mean, but I sure as heck was surprised!

Then, I jumped in my car and drove to Carter's.  Last time, I told Jason by giving him a onesie.  This time, I decided I would tell him by buying Tyler a "Big Brother" tshirt.  Thank goodness Carter's had one!  (and I do mean "one" ... I had to search all over that store to find it!)

When Jason and Tyler walked through the door, I said, "Hey, I bought Tyler a shirt" and frantically held it up for Jason to see.  From his face, I'm guessing he was just as surprised!



I called Kara about an hour later.  4 weeks -- waaaaaay to soon for me to tell people, but she had to know!  Turns out we're due a week apart from each other.  It's quite an exciting time for the Davenports these days!

Not Impressed

Jason has had a baby countdown on his work computer for most of the pregnancy.  Yesterday, he sent me this screen shot of his work computer:

Says a thousand words, doesn't it?

We'll See

Today's the day... well, maybe.

40 Weeks!

Jason and I decided to have a little fun with our LAST belly photos!

Doritos, peanut butter, and milk... yum! 

How far along? 40 weeks!  We're due Tuesday!
Baby size? Full size and ready to pop
Maternity clothes?  I have about five shirts I keep in rotation when out in public.  At home, I've taken to wearing Jason's t-shirts, because they don't cling to the belly.
Sleep?  Sleep is getting a little more uncomfortable.  Flipping from one side to the other is nearly impossible.
Best Moment this Week?  Hopefully getting to meet my little fella!
Miss Anything?  Honestly, I think part of me is going to miss being pregnant.  Laugh if you want, but feeding a baby in the womb is way easier than feeding him outside in the world.  There are no diapers to change, and he doesn't cry.
Movement?  He's calming down a bit.  He doesn't have a lot of room in there any more, but he'll do the occasional fist bump or kick-foot to let me know he's still in there.
Food Cravings?  I've been way hungrier the past week or so (I guess that explains the fridge shots!).
Anything Making me Queasy/Sick?  During my first trimester, we had some plug-in air fresheners that made me very queasy, so they had to go.  This past week, Jason tried to plug them in again.  Nope... they had to be banished.
Gender? Still boy... otherwise, we're going to have a lot of returning to do!
Symptoms?  I can definitely tell it's getting close.  He's settled down, it's hard for me to get around (off the couch, in and out of cars, etc.), and my hips feel like they are made of jelly.
Wedding Rings On/Off?  Off.  I'm excited to put them back on as soon as possible.
Mood?  Anxious, but in a good way.  It's this crazy feeling where mundane things like "Will I go to work tomorrow?" or "Will I be around to cook dinner tonight?" are unknown.  Everything is a big question mark.
Looking Forward To?  Lilhimself's birth day!

It Just Got Real

Nine months of pregnancy, a little fella that won't stop dancing around in my belly, baby showers with lots of gifts to ooh and ahh over, taking a completely empty room and turning it into a nursery -- all of these things should have made me realize "Hey, there's going to be a baby here soon."  None of them did.

What has made the biggest difference?  This:

There's something about a large baby thing being in my living room that makes it all seem real.  There's going to be a baby.  At my house.  Any day now.  I'm going to be a mom.  With a baby.  Whoa.

It just got real, folks.  It just got real.

38 Weeks

Two weeks to go!  Eek!  I'm so excited!

How far along? 38 weeks
Baby size? According to babycenter.com, he's over 19" and 6.8lbs, more or less full size!
Maternity clothes?  I'm down to about five maternity shirts that are long enough to cover the belly, so I just keep alternating them over and over and over.
Sleep?  I still try to take a nap each day (it's amazing how worn out I get these days after even the smallest tasks!).  Night sleep is still going pretty well, though I have to flip sides on occasion because "the lump" decides to ball up on one side and make me uncomfortable.
Best Moment this Week?  Lots of moments this week.  Jason has started calling my poked-out belly button "the baby button."  He'll push it and say, "And now the baby pops out!"  It hasn't worked so far...  

I've been able to feel Lilhimself's "head lump" and  "butt lump" for a while now (he likes to poke out), but on occasion, I can now feel legs or feet, more specific lumps.  There's a real person in there!  

I also got to meet the newest addition to my family this week, my second cousin Riley Rose.  I only have two first cousins, so I'm very close with them.  Riley was born on August 1 to my cousin Jason.  She's quite the looker, isn't she?  At the hospital, a nurse looked at me and said, "You look like you should be here for a different reason!"  I told her "give me two weeks, and you'll see me again."  I do have to say, I got quite a few looks walking into the Women's Center!

Miss Anything?  Being able to go, go, go for hours on end without needing to stop and take a break.
Movement?  Still nonstop.  He's quite the energetic fellow!
Food Cravings?  Does ice cream count?  Yeah, I didn't think so, since I've always been an ice cream fanatic.
Anything Making me Queasy/Sick?  I felt under the weather last Wednesday (and could only stomach things like watermelon and PB and crackers), but the doctor said with the little one squishing down on my organs, that's pretty normal. 
Gender? Still boy
Symptoms?  I've mentioned a couple of times being more tired than normal.  Other than that, I haven't noticed anything too different this week.
Wedding Rings On/Off?  Off.  I never realized how much I played with my rings until they were gone.  I miss them.
Mood?  In overdrive.  I'm trying to knock things off of my to-do list.  In the past two weeks, I've gone to weekly doctor's appointments, the dentist, got my hair cut, and to the eye doctor tomorrow.  Jason and I have three pediatrician tours this week.  I've been helping out at work, handing out schedules to students.  We're also trying to get things around the house ready for the baby.
Looking Forward To?  Lilhimself's arrival!  But not too soon, baby, Mama still wants her teacher workdays if possible!

YM1 Shower

Last Sunday, my friend Jenelle and other members of my Sunday School class threw us a shower.  My mom came into town for the shower as well.  Thanks to Brandi for taking pictures during the shower and to Jeannie for letting us use her lovely home.

Food and Games
We feasted on all kinds of yummy food, including an absolutely delicious chocolate cake (I loved the message on the cake, too!).  We alternated eating and opening gifts with playing games, like guessing how many baby items were in a jar (see below), completing nursery rhymes, and answering pop culture baby questions (like naming the Huxtable children from "The Cosby Show").

Opening Gifts:
Since nearly every lady there has had a child in the past year or is currently pregnant, I got lots of very practical gifts.  I also got some beautiful homemade gifts.  They're quite the talented bunch!

Leaiana showing me the pictures she had drawn in her card.

My amazing diaper cake

The Guests:
The middle of July is a hard time to have a shower because so many people are out of town/on vacation.  We were a small group, but I had a good time being able to talk to each of those ladies (they have lots of advice to give!).

Caitlin and Liz

Liz's son, Graham

The fellow "preggies," Shannon, Megan, and Kristen

Mom, me, Jenelle, Leiana, Shannon

Belly shot: Megan (due in August), Kristen (due in October), Shannon (due in December), and Megan (due in February)

36 Weeks

At 36 weeks, I'm now in the weekly doctor's appointments, so I'm going to try to do weekly belly photos as well.  Here's a few Jason took before my baby shower on Sunday:

No major developments have occurred since my post last week, so I won't go through all the "what size is the baby," and "how am I sleeping" details.  Here's a little of what we've got going on.

Since last weekend was one of our last showers, we've now transitioned into the "What do we need to buy before the baby comes?" part of the pregnancy.  There's not too much on the list, just a few large things (like the glider for the nursery) and a few small things (like mittens to make sure he doesn't scratch his precious little face).

I've started packing our hospital bags.  Boy, that makes it all pretty real!

While I still refuse to go to any classes, I'm taking advantage of SAS's classes (say that 3 times fast) that are on DVD and getting my learn on from the privacy of my own house.  It's much easier to stop for bathroom/snack breaks or take a reprieve when I get horrified when I'm all by myself!

We really are making some progress on the names.  We made it through the rest of the alphabet on Jason's baby app Monday night, and we narrowed and narrowed and we're down to less than 10 names.  No clear winner yet, but we've got a pretty set deadline (aka, leaving the hospital after he's born!), so I'm sure we'll come to a conclusion some time soon.  And no, we will NOT name our son the same name that Will and Kate choose!

Mom came and stayed with us Sunday night.  We talked through the logistics of making the "we're in labor" call to her and Daddy and what the first few weeks after Lilhimself arrives will look like.  For those who don't know, my awesome mom has agreed to stay with us the first week to help with the transition into parenthood.  Jason also gets paternity leave, which I can't thank SAS enough for!  I couldn't imagine being on my own with the baby right away!

One Month to Go

My due date is a month from tomorrow.  Let that soak in a bit.  One month.  Only a few short weeks until we get to meet our little one and our lives as we know it change forever.  It's getting real, folks.  We're already in the weekly appointments, pack your bags, could go at any time phase of pregnancy.  Whoa.

Here's a trip through memory lane, including the days when I still had a waist.

Announcing to family:

Announcing to the world:

17 Weeks:

The real beginning of seeing the bump...

20 Weeks:
Finding out Baby Itself was really Lil Himself

24 Weeks: 
Hello, maternity shirts

29 Weeks:
Beginning of baby showers

33 Weeks:
Large and in charge

We're trying to soak up every last minute of pregnancy.  Aside from the pulled muscle, I've been (as a former coworker put it) "one of those annoying, happy pregnant people."  I've loved pregnancy.  I'm excited to begin our journey with our lil fellow, but I'm in no rush to meet him!  Stay in there just a little bit longer, Mama's not ready yet!

33-35 Weeks

Sorry, sorry, life caught up with the Selfs and we've been horrible about taking/posting belly pics.  Here's pictures from our 4th of July trip to NC State (talk about a hot and sweaty day!).  I was about 33.5 weeks at the time of the picture.  I'm 35 weeks today, but I don't think anything has drastically changed bellywise, so it gives you a good idea.

How far along? 35 weeks
Baby size? According to babycenter.com, he's over 18" and 5lbs.  For those who like to refer to my baby as a fruit or veggie, he's honeydew melon-sized.
Maternity clothes?  It's hard to believe (especially after reading my last real update at 24 weeks), but I've actually outgrown a lot of my maternity tops.  I can still get away with wearing some of them if I put a long camisole underneath.  If I'm just hanging around the house all day, I'm usually in cotton shorts or capris (not maternity, just roomy) and a tank top.
Sleep?  I usually take a nap during the day.  I'd like to blame this on pregnancy, but honestly, I've been doing this since I started having summers free back in 2010.  I have to surround myself with a fort of couch pillows (as in, 4-5) to get really comfy.  I'm still able to sleep pretty soundly most nights, though I had a bought of insomnia a little while back.  Maybe the 2-hour nap earlier that afternoon was to blame...
Best Moment this Week?  It's the quiet moments now that I like so much, like when Jason talks to the baby about ridiculous stuff or sits on the couch with his hands on my belly "playing" with the baby.  Priceless.
Miss Anything?  Being able to pick up objects off the floor, shave my legs, and paint my toes without extreme difficulty.
Movement?  When is he NOT moving?  This child is active from 5am to 10pm!  He gets particularly active after I eat food or drink ice water (which is all the time).  With the exception of the occasional painful jab, each movement is as exciting as they were a month ago when I first really started feeling him kick.
Food Cravings?  Maybe it's pregnancy cravings, maybe it's being warm all the time, or maybe it's because it's summer, but I've been devouring fruit left and right.  The biggest surprise has been liking grapefruit, something I always considered too sour/bitter to like pre-baby.  I've also been keeping cool in the afternoons with good old freezy pops.
Anything Making me Queasy/Sick?  Does thinking about delivery and taking care of a newborn count?
Gender? Still boy
Symptoms?  Depending on his position, I can get pretty uncomfortable on the couch these days.  This seems to get better once I sit on the floor and do some stretches.  Certain seats (like the ones at the doctor's office, ironically) can make my back hurt.  I make a LOT more bathroom trips, including going before we leave the house and then sometimes having to go again once we reach our destination.  I've still been really lucky when it comes to other "typical" pregnancy things like heartburn and swelling.  *knocks on wood*
Wedding Rings On/Off?  I took them off on Sunday.  I could still wear them, but it was getting a little tight, and I knew I'd have to take them off when I got to the hospital anyway.
Mood?  Getting a wee bit petrified about the delivery and anxious about the whole motherhood thing.  I spent a few hours researching last week and I've got some DVDs from SAS to watch.  I'm in that weird situation where I know so little that I research, but once I find out certain things, I wish I didn't know.  I just keep telling myself that countless women have done this before me and lived to tell about it....
Looking Forward To?  Finishing up the nursery, my next-to-last baby shower this weekend (the last one is at Jason's work), and milking every minute of my pre-baby summer

Jamesville Shower

Last weekend, Lilhimself and I traveled east for our Jamesville baby shower.  Thanks to my aunt Tammy for taking pictures of the event for me.

Decorations and Food:
They went with a rubber duck theme.  I've talked for years about having a duck-themed bathroom, so I'm guessing this is what inspired Mom to suggest it.

The centerpieces

The food was AWESOME!  I couldn't stop going back for seconds (and thirds...).  I can't remember it all, but there were cheese puffs, fudge, salted pecans, haystacks, veggies and chips and their respective dips, meatballs, cocktail wienies, pimento cheese sandwiches, etc.  In other words, all things yummy!

Is this not the cutest cake ever?  A lady in Jamesville (Vicky McCombs) makes cakes as a hobby, and she does a fantastic job!  It was so pretty, no one wanted to cut into it.  Bonus: that meant that cake came home with us!

Opening Gifts:

The Guests:

Since I don't actually live in Jamesville anymore, we kept the guest list really small, mostly just church ladies, neighbors, and a few high school friends.  Nothing compared to Kara's baby shower where 3/4 of the town showed up!  

High school friends Micah and Jessica and their little girls

Family photo: Aunt Tammy, Mama, me, Aunt Carol, Addison, and Kara