39 Week Bump Update - Last One?

39 Weeks Pregnant

Will this be the last bump update?? My guess is yes. Joe's getting pretty impatient too. Every work day for the past week he's texted me: "Ezzy here yet?" 

Symptoms: Most of the pain from two weeks ago finally went away. I've been having some cramping and a few contractions, but nothing has stuck. Also, as you may be able to tell from the above photo, my feet are swollen to Fred Flintstone proportions. 
Best Moment of the Week: I'm really happy with how the house is coming together. Ezzy's nursery is done. I think I'm down to one box of random stuff that needs to be unpacked. We also hung up the majority of our pictures, and my closet is organized. The place officially feels like home.  
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We've already gone through two seasons of Game of Thrones. LOVE that show. We also took a trip down memory lane and watched Willow earlier this week. 
Food Cravings: Some of my first trimester cravings have reappeared: tuna sandwiches with cheetos, cereal, toast with jam, and ice. We also had some Violet's Cupcakes today.  
Exercise: We're trying to walk this baby out. So far no luck, but it's bound to work one of these days ;) 
What I Miss: I miss most of my shoes. Will my feet ever shrink back to their normal size? Sadly, BabyCenter.com says they may not. And while we're on the subject, I miss most of my clothes too. 
Happy or Moody? Both.
Movement: He's still as active as ever.  
Looking Forward to: Meeting Ezra! The doctor told me last week that he's a "good sized" baby - she estimated 7 lbs at the time. She also said my cervix has softened and I'm a tiny bit dilated. Her prediction is that he'll be on time or a little bit early. I hope she's right!

37 Weeks Bump Update

37 Weeks Pregnant

Sorry I've been MIA for the past two weeks. Nope, it's not because I went into labor. I've been busy wrapping up last minute projects at work, trying to get everything unpacked at the new place (still working on that one), assembling furniture (still working on this one as well), and having not one, but two baby showers! (More on the showers later.) A lot of people have said the last month passes slowly, and maternity leave will get boring, but so far we've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to be bored. Note to future self: get everything done before the eight month mark, and spend the last month hibernating on the couch with your swollen feet propped up.

This week Ezra is officially full term, so he can decide to come out at any time and nobody will try to stop him.

Symptoms: Lower back pain and neck/shoulder pain. Plus one of my ribs feels fractured or pushed out of place. I'm pretty sure Ezzy kicked it aside to make more room for his 6+ pound self.
Best Moment of the Week: I've had two showers in the last two weeks and it's amazing to see how many people love this little guy already.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We've moved on from the Walking Dead to Game of Thrones. It's such a good series, we watched all of Season 1 last week and we're already onto Season 2. What I should be reading: What to Expect the First Year. At this rate Ezzy will be walking by the time I get around to reading it.
Food Cravings: I've had so many cupcakes and cake and cookies this past week. Ezzy is going to come out topped with frosting and sprinkles.
Exercise: Just walking through Target feels like a workout. We did a maternity photo shoot at the arboretum on Sunday, which involved a lot of walking, and then Joe and I planned on eating lunch at the mall and then walking around for a bit, but my back gave up after one store. Instead we went home and I took a two hour nap to make up for all that physical exertion.
What I Miss: Everyone says I will miss pregnancy, and that may be true. But I won't miss the back pain, the rib cage pain, or feeling heavy and swollen and out of breath. I'm ready for Ezzy to be on the outside. Well, physically I'm ready. In reality there's still a ton of stuff that needs to get done before he gets here.
Happy or Moody? Both.
Movement: As soon as I sit down, and especially after I eat, he likes to do a round of jumping jacks.
Looking Forward to: Crossing off what's left on my maternity leave to-do list. Also, I'm excited to see the pictures from our maternity photo shoot. We got a lot of great shots, but Jerome is an amazing editor, so I'm sure they'll look even better once he's done with them.

35 Weeks Bump Update

Nesting at 35 Weeks Pregnant

Symptoms: Heart burn and cramps. Joe actually Googled my cramps and found out they're Braxton Hicks contractions. Also, nesting, which would have been necessary even if I wasn't pregnant, since we just moved, but once Joe mentioned Braxton Hicks I became obsessed with putting together Ezzy's dresser so that I can wash all his clothes so I can pack my hospital bag.
Best Moment of the Week: Work threw me a surprise baby shower! Joe knew about it for the past month, but I was completely shocked. I turned bright red as soon as I figured out what was going on. I can't believe how generous everyone was. Ezzy got some adorable clothes & bedding, some new Reeboks (more expensive than Mommy's shoes!), a diaper genie, and much, much more! He's a spoiled little guy already.

What We're Reading & Watching this Week: Looking forward to watching the Walking Dead season finale tonight!
Food Cravings: Easter candy and fro-yo - the usual. My mom also sent some cookies, which I ate for breakfast over the weekend. There's oatmeal in them, so I think they count as a breakfast food.
Exercise: I went to the park for a walk last week and managed one lap before I sat on a bench and people watched for half an hour. Just walking through Ikea on Sunday felt like a major workout to me. Add in the moving and unpacking and furniture assembly and I think that's enough activity for a nearly 8 months pregnant lady.
What I Miss: Bending over like a normal person. Standing up like a normal person. Walking a whole mile at a time without wanting to sit down.
Happy or Moody? Happy.
Movement: Yep, all the time.
Looking Forward to: We're heading up to Modesto on Friday night for another baby shower, which means lots of family & friend time. Yay!

34 Weeks Bump Update

34 Weeks Pregnant

Ezzy is almost 5lbs and 18 inches long! (Notice that I'm avoiding my weight from now on.)

Symptoms: Heart burn and feeling achy all over - especially my back. Allergies have not been fun this past week either, but that's not really Ezzy's fault. Also, my innie may officially be an outie. I've been denying it for weeks, but I think I may have to accept that I've officially "popped":

Best Moment of the Week: Thanks to friends + fam we got all the major stuff moved in over the weekend and spent our first two nights at the new place. We have so much more room now, we actually need more furniture to fill the space. Added bonus: James LOVES it there and finally gets to go outside again, which makes me happy.  
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We don't have cable or internet hooked up yet, so we missed the new Walking Dead. I keep reading Facebook posts about how amazing it was, which makes me sad. Thanks to moving, we haven't had much time for TV anyway, but we did have a nice lazy Sunday evening watching Almost Famous (an old fave for me, but Joe had never seen it).
Food Cravings: Any combination of peanut butter, bananas, and honey. Milk. Donuts. Frozen Yogurt:

Fro Yo with Lucky Charms Marshmallows, Birthday Cake, and Blueberries

Exercise: Packing, unpacking, and making four moving trips over the weekend was my main source of exercise. Once we got settled we took a walk around the lake near our house on Sunday, and we hit up the gym on our lunch break today.
What I Miss: Sleeping without waking up to switch sides every hour. Although part of me knows this is probably the best sleep I'll have for a long time. And that makes me sad.
Happy or Moody? Moody. My patience levels are non-existent on some days.
Movement: Yup, he's a squirmy little guy. From the outside it's looks like there's an alien trying to break out of my stomach.
Looking Forward to: Finishing the move and having everything unpacked. I'm not really looking forward to the process, but it will feel great once everything is out of the old place and put away at the new place. Right now the rooms are cluttered with boxes and the small collection of clothes that actually fit me are packed away somewhere.

Bonus pics of James Bond (pre-move):

33 Weeks Bump Update & Baby Gifts

33 Weeks Pregnant

Ezzy is the size of a pineapple! (I'm not sure if that includes the spiky crown...)

Total Weight Gain: Who knows?
Symptoms: Ezzy is wedged in between my lungs, which makes breathing a lot of fun. The doctor says he'll probably stay there for another four weeks or so and then drop down and create a new set of symptoms (aka - peeing every few minutes and cramps). Can't wait!
Best Moment of the Week: March has been a whirlwind so far. Between baby classes twice a week and slowly packing and moving, we somehow managed to see a lot of friends in the past two weeks, which is really nice because I hear that doesn't happen too much with a newborn. Catching up with Nevin at BJ's was a lot of fun (added bonus: I hadn't had a pizookie in like 5 years!). I got a lot of good/scary pregnancy and baby stories at Bella's birthday party. We had a mini-family reunion with Joe's mom, her husband, and my aunt at the Mexico Cafe. A coffee and baby-shower planning date with Jessica turned up a lot of good ideas which I'm really excited about. And we spent St. Patty's Day with Joe's high school friend, Jerell and his family. They have two kids and will also be our new neighbors (relatively speaking) so I see plenty of play dates in the future :) Wow, no wonder I haven't had a chance to post a blog in over a week. We've been busy (in a good way)!
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We're watching season 3 of 24 and we're finally caught up on Walking Dead, which makes me a little sad. Only two episodes to go and then we have to wait until fall for new episodes. I feel like I should really get started on reading What to Expect the First Year, but I don't see that happening this month. That will probably be a maternity leave project.
Food Cravings: Chocolate! A milkshake has also been sounding good lately, but I haven't had one yet. Oh, and Taco Bell. In other words, nothing too shocking compared with my pre-pregnancy cravings.
Exercise: I'm still pedometing. I actually averaged over 11,000 steps per day the last week. The trick is to have plenty of magazines to make the treadmill less boring.
What I Miss: Sleeping on my back. And sleeping well in general. I love my sleep...I really hope Ezzy feels the same.
Happy or Moody? Happy
Movement: Ezzy's getting strong in there. Sometimes it feels like he's trying to break out. And he's very territorial. If anything is pressing on my stomach, he'll push back.
Looking Forward to: Saturday is the big moving day! It will be nice to have everything in one place. Also, the crib, dresser and changing table came today. Yay, thanks Mom! It's a huge relief that we actually have stuff to put in the nursery. Speaking of which, we've been getting tons of gifts and useful hand-me-downs from our very generous friends and family. I don't have pictures of everything, but here's a little glimpse of Ezzy's newest loot:

For Ezzy from Sondra & Her Family

Hand-me-downs from my Cousin Aimee & Baby Sophia

From Jerell & Helen's Family

A Sneak Peak (notice the Pepperdine colors)

So Cute!! I've been eyeing that Carter bulldog design for awhile.

Sophia's Old Monkey Bounce Chair - I hear these things are lifesavers

Babies R Us Shopping Spree in our near future! Thanks Nevin & Ramona :)

 Thank you everyone! Ezzy is going to be one stylish lil guy.

Bump Update: 31 Weeks

31 Weeks Pregnant

Ezzy is over 16 inches long and almost 3.5 pounds!

Total Weight Gain: My weight gain has slowed down a lot. Probably because Ezzy is taking up valuable stomach and lung real estate. I can only fit so much food in there at one time.
Symptoms: Same as last week - I'm feeling heavy, and winded, and still loving the dolphin massager.
Best Moment of the Week: We got a new place to live! We picked up the keys on Saturday, as well as some packing supplies, and we're going to take a small load of stuff over to the new place on our lunch break today.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We finished season 2 of Walking Dead :( Now we have to wait for season 3 to come out on DVD. In the meantime we're picking up where we left off on 24.
Food Cravings: See's candy (which I ate twice last week), and Cadbury Cream Eggs (which I've yet to buy).
Exercise: We're still doing our weekly hikes and we made it to the gym several times last week (walking + light arm weights for me).
What I Miss: The same as last week: hiking without dying, climbing a flight of stairs without needing a 5 minute recovery period, sleeping on my back, getting up from the couch without help.
Happy or Moody? Happy
Movement: He's doing somersaults in there. I keep watching my stomach to see if I can make out a hand our foot. Nothing yet though.
Looking Forward to: Getting settled in our new place. Also, our first child birth class is tonight.

30 Weeks Bump Update + 2 Trimesters of Bump Pics

30 Weeks Pregnant at Inspiration Point (Will Rogers State Park)

Baby Ezra is about the size of a head of cabbage now - 15.7 inches long and almost 3 pounds!

Here's another fun pregnancy symptom/fact that BabyCenter.com points out this week: "Thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size." :( But I like my old shoes...

Total Weight Gain: Much MUCH more than Ezzy's 3 pounds.
Symptoms: I feel heavy and my organs feel squished. Also, I had a little bit of heartburn over the weekend plus some recurring knots in my back. Our dolphin back massager was one of the best investments ever:

Best Moment of the Week: We had several walking dates this past week - one at the Rose Bowl, and one at Will Rogers State Park. When so much of the rest of the world is dealing with snow and ice, it would be wrong not to take advantage of our 70 degree weather.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We are over Weeds. That show took a turn for the worse around the 3rd/4th season. The characters became really annoying and the plot was far-fetched and not remotely humorous. All the reviews we read said to get out now and not waste anymore time, so we moved on to the Walking Dead, which is amazing so far (we just started season 2).
Food Cravings: I had a peanut butter cup and ice cream craving (which was satisfied with Menchies fro-yo on Sunday), as well potatoes, and I got this Safeway brand "french toast" bread (bread with little pockets of maple syrup) that I used to make the coconut french toast last week. Lately I've just been eating it straight out of the bag and it's delicious.
Exercise: Still walking a lot.
What I Miss: Not being winded going up a small hill. I used to hike/walk stairs all the time and feel fine - now I feel like an 80 year old with asthma.
Happy or Moody? Happy & irritable - so I guess moody.
Movement: Yep, all the time. He's a little acrobat.
Looking Forward to: Finding somewhere to live. Fingers crossed!

And just for kicks, here's my progress pics from the first two trimesters:

I forgot what my abs looked like. I remember that in the first few months we would wonder why it was taking so long for my bump to grow. Now there's no doubt that Ezzy's in there and growing. Right around month 5 my stomach started growing exponentially - and it seems like every week it's noticeably bigger than the last.

29 Week Bump Update

29 Weeks Pregnant

Total Weight Gain: A lot!
Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good, but my back gets a little achy sometimes.
Best Moment of the Week: Valentine's Day was pretty amazing (Backbeat at the Ahmanson). We also hiked Runyon Canyon today, which had amazing views of the Hollywood sign.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: Working our way through season 3 of Weeds.
Food Cravings: Still on the coconut french toast kick. I made some for breakfast this morning and it was delicious. I've also been eating a lot of salads this month and I'm especially loving fruity salad toppings.
Exercise: Lots of walking.
What I Miss: Running. I'm looking forward to some real workouts after Ezzy gets here.
Happy or Moody? Happy + a lil moody.
Movement: Yes and I think he's definitely getting stronger.
Looking Forward to: Birthing classes and finding a new place to live.

27/28 Weeks Bump Update

27 weeks pregnant

We're back!! Kauai was amazing and I'll be sure to post lots of pics later this week. For now, I'm going to combine weeks 27 and 28 for the bump update:

Total Weight Gain: I ate ice cream every day for a week, so I'm not going near a scale.
Maternity Clothes: I got good use out of the summer maternity clothes Luana gave me on our vacation.
Symptoms: Nothing too bad. A little acid reflux and I'm peeing more often than usual.
Best Moment of the Week: Our entire week in Kauai was amazing, I couldn't pick just one moment.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: Still working on the Constant Princess. We were constantly on the go so I didn't do much reading in Kauai.We did play a lot of Unblock Me on Joe's iPad and we discovered that I am the puzzle master.
Food Cravings: Macadamia nut ice cream and coconut french toast with coconut syrup. I want some right now... Luckily I brought some coconut syrup back with me.
Exercise: We did some snorkeling, some kayaking and some hiking. This week I'm back to wearing my pedometer and plan on going to the gym tonight.
What I Miss: Not peeing all the time and not getting winded walking up a flight of stairs.
Happy or Moody? Happy :)
Movement: Yep, he's an active lil guy.
Looking Forward to: I'm missing Hawaii :( The next exciting steps for us will be moving and birthing classes (hopefully both will take place in March). Oh yeah, and it's almost V-day!

Also, I didn't forget about my goal to eat one salad per day (as a meal) while I was on vacation. However, I'm a lil behind, so it looks like I need about two days of two salads to make it to 28 this month. Here's a glimpse of some Kauai salads:

Mmm, Salads

1. Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread
2. Round Table Salad Bar: Bell Pepper, Carrots, Egg, Onions, Croutons, Cherry Tomatoes & Jello Salad
3. Kauai Luau (I count this as salad cause most of my plate is veggies): romaine, cucumbers, hawaiian sweet potato, mixed veggies, mahi mahi, mac salad & mashed potatoes
4. Sauteed Mushroom Salad
5. Pineapple Fish Salad with Sweet Chili Sauce (my new fave salad ever!)
6. Tropical Fruit Salad (with Papaya, Pineapple, Banana, & Oranges)

26 Weeks Bump Update

26 Weeks Bump Update

Total Weight Gain: I didn't even weigh myself this week. I did compare pics from end of summer to now, and wow... (see below).
Maternity Clothes: Payday = shopping! I got another long, non-maternity H&M tank top (pictured above). Love those things!
Symptoms: Mild back achiness, and sometimes I think Ezzy's sitting directly on my bladder while other times it feels like he's pressed against my lungs. Fun.
Best Moment of the Week: Catching up with Christian. The last time I saw him I wasn't showing at all!
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: I started reading The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. I'm only a few chapters in, but I love historical fiction.
Food Cravings: I was really craving a Costco blueberry muffin. Still haven't had one though.
Exercise: Just a lot of walking. I walked some hills around our house, and wow, that was so much harder than I remember it.
What I Miss: My waist, my clothes, wine, sushi...
Happy or Moody? Happy :)
Movement: We can actually see him moving from the outside, which is pretty cool :)
Looking Forward to: Only 5 work days till Kauai!

7 weeks vs. 26 weeks - Wow!

Hospital Tour

This week we toured the maternity wing at the San Gabriel Valley Medical Center and I was really happy with a lot of the things we learned during the orientation. For one thing, breast feeding is becoming a big deal in hospitals, so there are new regulations that will soon be in place that don't allow nurses to give formula, bottles, or pacifiers to newborns unless medically necessary or with the mother's consent. SGVMC is among the first batch of hospitals adopting these regulations, and along with the no bottle/pacifier thing, they also do skin on skin time for the first hour after the baby's born. And they promote keeping the baby in your room with you at all times, unless you want a break. Another nice thing is that almost all patients get their own room, unless there are more than twenty-two moms recovering at once, and they encourage the dad or a family member to stay with you overnight.

A few other nice things about the place:

1) Free cake:

2) You get one room for labor and delivery (unless you need a C section). There's a shower with a chair for pain relief (not pictured). And the rooms are HUGE:

TV & DVD player

This doesn't really do justice to how huge the room is

Plenty of seating options

3) We actually heard a baby's first cries after being born. Apparently the mom gave birth without an epidural, but luckily we didn't hear her at all.

4) The lady giving the tour was really nice and straight forward and will be also be the teacher for our birthing classes in March.

25 Week Bump Update

25 Week Pregnancy Update

Total Weight Gain: My lips are sealed.
Maternity Clothes: I got a bathing suit for Kauai this week - it's a non-maternity tank with bikini bottoms.
Symptoms: My stomach is still itchy and my back gets a little achy, but overall things are good.
Best Moment of the Week: Joe and I took advantage of the high 70/low 80 degree temperatures over the weekend and went to Solvang and Santa Barbara. Solvang is a pregnant woman's dream: lots of buttery, sugary pastries in every size & flavor imaginable. I'm still sugared out. We also celebrated Martin Luther King day with a lunch date and game day with Joe's family. 
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We saw Jack Reacher for date night, and we've started watching Weeds (from Season 1).
Food Cravings: This past week I hit up Taco Bell a few times and definitely got my fill of pastries: half a crumbs cupcake, cheese danish, aebleskivers, and brownies. I also had a falafel craving on Saturday, which we satisfied at Spitz (along with street cart fries and fried pita strips). Soooo delicious!
Exercise: I did a little strength training last week, and averaged over 10,000 steps each day thanks to a few days in the 14,000 - 15,000 range.
What I Miss: Getting off the couch without help.
Happy or Moody? Happy :)
Movement: Ezzy gets territorial when his space is invaded - he kicked Joseph in the head a few times when he tried resting his head on my stomach.
Looking Forward to: The Kauai countdown has begun! Only 9 work days to go. Also, we are touring the maternity wing of one of our hospital choices tonight. Should be interesting.

Last March (2012) I went to Solvang on a work trip with a co-worker, so I dug up the old picture of me in the same photo booth as above for comparison:

March 2012 vs. January 2013 - A Lot Has Changed!

And, just for fun, here's a nice silhouette picture Joe took during sunset at Santa Barbara beach:

25 Weeks Pregnant in Santa Barbara

24 Weeks Bump Update

24 Weeks Pregnant

For some reason all the pictures we took this week came out yellowish.

Total Weight Gain: I'm officially not telling anymore.
Maternity Clothes: Most of my tops and leggings are still my normal clothes, but maternity jeans are a must. I also tried on maternity swimsuits at Motherhood, and I'll probably purchase one from Target this week.
Symptoms: My stomach is still itching like crazy, and I'm still getting some acid reflux. Overall I feel really good though.
Best Moment of the Week: Joe and I had a double date with Serena and Cleo on Thursday, which was a lot of fun. Also, I booked our baby-moon to Kauai for February 3rd! Other than that we've been spending a lot of evenings cuddled under a blanket watching Sons of Anarchy, which is the perfect way to spend these cold nights, if you ask me.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We just finished Sons of Anarchy, season 4. The finale was a little disappointing, but everyone says the Season 5 premier is shocking, so I'm excited for that to come out on NetFlix.
Food Cravings: Mexican food has been high on the list. We had pupusas for lunch last week, which were delicious, then I had fish tacos at El Torito on Saturday, and a breakfast burrito on Sunday. (This could be a contributing factor to no longer wanting to share my weight with the world.)
Exercise: I actually did some strength training last week, and averaged over 10,000 steps each day, AND I even went to a Zumba class. Planning on hitting up the gym tonight too.
What I Miss: My old clothes.
Happy or Moody? Happy :)
Movement: Yep, he's getting more active in there. Joseph felt a few more times this week.
Looking Forward to: Kauai in three weeks!! I want to watch Jurassic Park before we go (it was filmed on Kauai).

23 Week Belly Update

Total Weight Gain: About 16 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: I got a whole bag of maternity clothes from Luana, yay!
Symptoms: I've been feeling the beginning stages of heart burn, but nothing too bad. I've also been peeing more often, and had some round ligament pain. Plus, my stomach is soooo itchy. I've been using bio oil and cocoa butter like crazy.
Best Moment of the Week: Joseph felt Ezzy kick on New Year's Eve, just a lil before midnight. That was the perfect way to ring in 2013. Having plenty of sister time and catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in a LONG time was really nice too.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: We finished up Tudors and went back to Sons of Anarchy. I also had a movie day with my sis and Aunt and we Snow White and the Huntsmen and Trouble With the Curve. Clint Eastwood is a great story teller, and he plays a really good grumpy old man.
Food Cravings: We went to Stan's donuts over the weekend, which is pretty much a pregnant woman's dream. I've also been wanting oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar in the mornings. I've been trying to cook more and eat out less, so I've been eating a lot more veggies and whole grains over the past week. Joe's vegetarian now too, so I'm experimenting with new recipes. I'll post some of our favorites on here later.
Exercise: I'm still just walking. We made it to the gym once on lunch last week, and we plan to do that again tomorrow. I also got over 13,000 steps when we went to LACMA and the farmer's market over the weekend.
What I Miss: Margaritas from Mexico Cafe.
Happy or Moody? Happy!
Movement: His kicks are getting much stronger, I can feel them from the outside now.
Looking Forward to: Double date night with Serena and Cleo this Thursday, which is also a little sad because it will probably be the last time I see her before Ezra's born.

Ezzy's wardrobe has increased again. He's got so much cute stuff now, I can't wait to dress him up!

Ezra's Gonna be a Well-Dressed Baby

Rule Breaker Outfit & Bibs from Luana & Logan, Auntie's Little Man from Aunt Serena

Daddy's Tough Guy outfit from Great Aunt Linda

Keepsake Books from Grandma & Aunt Daniela

22 Weeks Bump Update

22 Weeks Pregnancy Update

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!! We already got lots of cute baby clothes and stuff, so I'll be posting pics of those later this week. I was so busy visiting with friends and family I didn't get a chance to do a 21st week picture and update. I think I grew a lot over Christmas (probably not a coincidence with a diet of Christmas cookies and chocolate).

Total Weight Gain: About 15 lbs. That was after a few days of sugar cookies for breakfast.  
Maternity Clothes: I bought another pair of maternity jeans, which I'm wearing for the first time right now. And I had to buy a bigger coat cause none of my old ones would button. I got a cute non-maternity pea coat on sale at Macy's, which I think will fit me for all of winter. I also got lots of cute sweaters with room to grow in for Christmas. Thanks Mom!
Best Moment of the Week: Christmas with family and friends was so much fun. We had dinner with Joe's mom before I left, and while I was in Modesto my schedule was jam-packed with fun family and friend dates.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: I finally saw Bad Santa and we watched Chaplin last night - both are very good. I really want to watch Chaplin's Dictator now.
Food Cravings: Fruity Pebbles, Christmas Cookies, and Taco Bell have been high on the list.
Exercise: I've been pretty good about getting at least 10,000 steps in, sometimes 15,000.
What I Miss: A glass of wine with friends would be nice.
Happy or Moody? Happy.
Movement: Yep! I think Joseph will be able to feel him soon too.
Looking Forward to: 2013! Our baby will be born this year :)

15 to 22 Week Bump Comparison

20 Weeks Bump Update + Ultrasound Pics

20 Weeks - Only 20 to go!

Total Weight Gain: About 12 lbs. And I just read that I'll gain about a pound per week for the next 20 weeks. Yikes.  
Maternity Clothes: One pair of maternity jeans, plus lots of leggings, dresses, and flowy cardigans or sweaters for work. I'm not trying to hide it so much outside of work anymore though.
Symptoms: Feeling good.
Best Moment of the Week: Seeing our little guy! He's looking much less alien and more human. Joseph also got to hear his heartbeat for the first time. Also, we did lots of fun Christmas stuff. We went to Chill at the Queen Mary (lots of ice sculptures - pics to come!). We also saw all the Christmas decorations at Christmas Tree Lane, the Bailian House, and Hastings Ranch.
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: I had a sick day so I watched the 12 Dates of Christmas and Love Actually (one of my fave Christmas movies).
Food Cravings: Still drinking a ton of OJ to beat this lingering cough. Mexican food has also been high on my list of faves. Rice Krispies has been the most recent cereal of choice.
Exercise: I spent several days napping trying to get over this cold. I'll be aiming for 10,000 steps again now that I'm feeling better.
What I Miss: Nothing at the moment. I'm going to miss cookie dough when I go home this weekend though :(
Happy or Moody? Both. Being sick didn't help.
Movement: Yep! I've been feeling him daily.
Looking Forward to: I'm going home for Christmas this Saturday! I can't wait to see everyone.

We had our 20 week scan this past Friday, and we got to spend a lot of time watching our little guy squirming around. We didn't get too many pics though. It turns out he takes after his dad and hides every time a camera is near. We did get another confirmation that he's a boy. The ultrasound tech even commented that he's always hiding his face but not at all shy about covering his boy-parts. We also got reassurance that he has five fingers on one of his hands (the hand blocking his face). 

Top: Hand Blocking His Face. Bottom: It's a Boy!

Top: His Face (Looking to the Right). Bottom: His Face (Smooshed Under His Hand).

19 Week Update

Total Weight Gain: It's not very much fun to keep track anymore, but I'm up about 11lbs.  
Maternity Clothes: I still just have that one pair of maternity jeans. I have a fancy work dinner to go to tonight and I was lucky enough to find one flowy dress that fits.
Symptoms: It's not really pregnancy related, but I started getting a sore throat and body aches yesterday. Then I drank a ton of OJ and I'm feeling better today.
Best Moment of the Week: Catching up with friends over the weekend, setting up our tree, and feeling baby move for the first time!
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: I'm thinking of downloading Game of Thrones to read on my kindle. We're on season 4, the final season, of the Tudors. Also, we had an Abby Lee marathon this week to take care of our dance show/reality show fix.
Food Cravings: I went through a french fries and donuts phase last week. Then I felt like crap so I switched over to smoothies for a healthier option. Lately I've just been guzzling OJ and eating grape fruit to help prevent/cure whatever cold is going around. Also, bean and cheese burritos are always good.
Exercise: I made it up to 15,000 steps twice last week. With Joe being sick, we only made it to the gym once. We've been relying on Christmas shopping to get extra steps in.
What I Miss: Nothing at the moment.
Happy or Moody? Happy.
Movement: Yep! I felt him move for the first time (for sure) on the 5th, and I've been feeling him every day since then. I can't wait for Joseph to be able to feel him as well :)
Looking Forward to: We get to see our little guy in 2 days! Also, there's lots of fun friends and family holiday stuff planned in the next few weeks.

Weekend Highlights + 18 Weeks Belly Update

It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas! (Which, in California, means we got some rain - yay!) We decided to kick off our weekend Friday night with some Christmas shopping at the Americana in Glendale, partly because we wanted to check out their massive tree. While we were there, we got a pleasant Christmas-y surprise - it snows at the Americana!

View from Barnes & Noble at the Americana

It was a very pretty and magical sight, especially for a Southern Californian. Not to ruin the magic of it all, but this is what the "snow" actually looks like up close:

So it was more like a giant foam party, but prettier and classier. (And I don't know if you've picked up on this theme yet, but Joe can't resist photographing water drops/bubbles on leaves.)

Merry Christmas!

Saturday we had a brunch date with Joe's mom and uncle. It was my first time meeting Duane and it was fun to listen to all of their family stories.

Duane, Kathleen, Me, Joe

Sunday we went to the Hollywood Forever Cemetary, where we mistakenly thought Marilyn Monroe was buried. There are a lot of famous (and rich) people buried there, but not Marilyn. That is also where my 18 weeks photo was taken. You can check out all of the pictures here.

18 Week Bump Update

Total Weight Gain:Up about 9 lbs. I feel like I ballooned right after Thanksgiving (probably not a coincidence). 
Maternity Clothes: Yes! I got one pair of maternity jeans on sale after Thanksgiving. They are the comfiest jeans ever (and one of only three pairs that still fits).
Symptoms: Feeling good.
Best Moment of the Week: Rainy days and an overall Christmas feeling make me happy. 
What We're Reading & Watching this Week: For date night we watched Lincoln, which was really good. Daniel Day Lewis definitely deserves an Oscar. We're almost done with season 2 of the Tudors and I think Joseph is nearly as obsessed as I am now. We're almost to the destruction of Anne Boleyn, which is where I completely stopped watching the first time around. We've also been reading up on Tudor history to get an idea of how accurate the show is. Although not completely accurate, and highly dramatized and sexualized, I think they did a pretty good job.
Food Cravings: We were just commenting that I don't have any weird, random food cravings. Not yet, anyway. I think the most consistent ones are honey greek yogurt, fish, and cereal. I HAD to have Cracklin' Oat Bran yesterday, and I haven't had that in over a decade. If you think my cravings sound healthy, they really aren't. Don't forget, fish sticks count as fish. Also, I'm just really hungry ALL THE TIME. They say you're only supposed to eat 300 extra calories per day... Yeah right.
Exercise: I've been doing good with my pedometer goal of at least 10,000 steps. I made Joe go for a walk with me on Saturday night, and we ended up walking all the way to Trader Joe's in a drizzle to satisfy his craving for bran muffins (sympathy cravings?) Now he's home sick though, so maybe all the walking in the rain this weekend wasn't a great idea. Planning on going to the gym and doing some weights this week as well.
What I Miss: Nothing at the moment.
Happy or Moody? Both! But mostly happy.
Movement: Nothing yet, at least, nothing for sure. I thought I felt something, but it hasn't happened again so it was likely in my head. I could feel movement as early as this week though. So exciting!
Looking Forward to: Our next NT scan is next week, and this time Joseph is coming with, so he'll get to hear the heartbeat for the first time. And, of course, more ultrasound pics! Maybe even 3-D pics, if we're lucky.