Weight

About twice a week, as soon as I wake up, I'll step on the scale and check my weight. As of this morning, I have reached a place that I have NEVER been before! Pre-pregnancy weight: 150 (give or take a pound). That has been my stable weight since like 9th grade! I officially weigh 160.7 pounds now, which sounds like a nightmare in my head, but that's right where I should be at this point! Most ladies gain roughy a pound a week from here on out, but lots of factors go into that. I know food intake is not a problem for me...
I eat like a whale.
5 times a day. :)

Anyways, yay for progress! I was getting a little nervous about weight gain, cause it just wasn't happening for me as early as most people start gaining, but it looks like that's no longer something to worry about.

Agenda for today: Leave work. I had clients from 8-1! Yikes! Make a quick errand. Meet my family at the Village for the Christmas Eve service. Eat dinner with everyone who's here! So looking forward to the next 3 days. :)

SEEing her move!

Okay, BIG NEWS here in the wee hours of the morning. It is officially Christmas Eve, and I just now saw our daughter's movement through my belly! I'm going crazy over here. This was my text to J, who was at work extra late: "I SAW her move from the outside!! My waist band was moving, so I moved it and could see her!!! I felt a big ole lump, too. She is growing SO fast. Ahh!"

I am ecstatic. I took a video on my phone, which I don't do very often, but I wanted to record her moving before I missed it!! And I really wanted to show her daddy exactly what I was seeing in case she wouldn't do it again when he got home. I will figure out how to put it on my computer and then on this blog. Like I said, I normally don't record things on my phone, but it worked!

Here's a screenshot sneak peek of the video (notice how lumpy it is on the left!):

20 Weeks

That is crazy. Norah, we've made it halfway baby girl! Johnny and I had a great time watching the DVD of the ultrasound again today. It is really beautiful. I'm in the process of editing and uploading pictures/videos of our party and the ultrasound for loved ones to see. That really should be up soon. I'm hoping by the end of the weekend.

I just got finished with a lovely and LONG nap snuggled with the pup, and I'm really feeling Norah right now. Kick kick kick! I am really looking forward to J's birthday tomorrow (23) and Christmas is right around the corner. Time is going by SO quickly... Slow down a little bit! I want to take this all in as much as I can. Talking to him the other day, I've realized something. I JUST NOW started feeling pregnant. "Why?! Dana you are halfway there!" Yes, I know, but when you don't feel nausea, movement, unhappy, like you are gaining weight, and like your skin is breaking out a ton, it can really mess with your head! Now, I feel our baby. So does my husband! We have seen her! My boobs are "huge" according to several people (lol), my fear of stretch marks is out the window now that I have them, I'm gaining weight, and I haven't felt any better in my whole life.

To be honest, I LOVE being pregnant.
God has REALLY blessed me in humongous ways so far in this thing. I am beyond thankful that we were able to make this baby, without any struggle, and that his plan for us is to be parents. I wish every marriage on earth could experience this.


How Far Along: 20 weeks today!

Weight Gain: 6ish pounds. Getting there! I am eating so much.

Innie or Outtie: starting to poke out on some days! Ah!

Maternity Clothes: J bought me my first pair of maternity jeans. I LOVE THEM. Still can fit into my yoga pants, which is awesome.

Sleep: No complaints! Sleeping great.

Pregnancy Perk: Boobs. Lol. And maternity jeans (they are THAT awesome)!

Embarrassing Pregnant Moment: Can I just say forgetting everything and cover my bases?

Baby Purchases this week: $6 jacket from Kid to Kid, and several great gifts from friends: giraffe rattle, pink rubber ducky, adorable pink onesies, ultrasound picture frame, baby blanket, comfort lovey.

Best quote regarding baby this week: "IT'S A GIRL!"

Gender: Female

Movement: Lots and lots! Felt my first big thuds today from Norah, which is way different than her happy little wiggles. It really caught me off guard!

Food Cravings: Somebody just hand me a lemon. I CANNOT get enough lemon right now. I always drink it in my water if we go out, but now I ask for a bowlful of lemon slices with my meal/drink. Still love cheez-it's, too.

Food Aversions: Nothing that I'm noticing.

How’s Mama? Happy and feeling amazing!

What I am looking forward to: Baby wise? Working out the whole insurance thing, which isn't even that big of a deal. Just praying we get answers soon. (Apparently my plan is anti-natural, but larsens billing is pestering!!) It will all work out, no need to worry :)

Size of baby: Length of a banana!

Update

Dear Baby,

Your name is Norah. :) We found out on Saturday (at your gender reveal party) that I am carrying YOU, sweet girl. It was so much fun. I can't wait to edit the video of the party and post pictures. Things that have been happening lately that I have not posted about yet:

- I've been feeling your adorable little kicks since around 17 weeks.
- Daddy has been feeling you move, too, when he puts his hand on my belly. We were sitting on the couch at about 18 weeks when he first felt you.
- I have been feeling great, and my first stretch marks showed up about a week ago (on my chest). They are almost purple, but will fade in time, I know.
- Norah Joyce, your middle name is so special to me. Not only is it BEAUTIFUL, you share it with my mommy! ... And I learned later that she was named after her Aunt Brenda, who is awesome. :) Obviously, GREAT ladies have the middle name Joyce.


On a side note, J's 23 birthday is on Wednesday! I'm so excited. And Christmas is 8 days away!!

Seeing baby

On Saturday, I got to peek in (with the help of an ultrasound at Stork Vision) and see our baby wiggle, turn, wave and kick, and open/close their mouth. It was amazing. I was blown away by two things... #1, how developed our baby is right now, everything is there! He/she just needs to get big and strong now. And #2, how well you could see everything on the ultrasound. It was truly incredible, ESPECIALLY switching to the 3D/4D views.

We were sent home with a DVD from the computer of everything she saw, a secret and viewable CD of captured images, and 5 b&w print outs to look at immediately.

Here's the funny part- the only thing we can look at now is the print outs and viewable images, because we don't want to find out before the party on Saturday. It is going to be SO hard but so worth it to wait. :) before we left, the ultrasound technician was given 3 envelopes, and I explained what should go into each one. Envelope #1 is TOP SECRET, which meant that the "boy or girl" card is in there, as well as a print out that shows proof. We open this after the gender has already been revealed at the party. Envelope #2 contains one simple card "triangle or square". I made boy and girl have a key word so when my mom helps plan the revealing moment with me, NOBODY will know whether we are having a she or a he! Obviously she knows to not tell me if square or triangle is circled, because I know what the key is. Envelope #3 is the one that is keeping me sane. It has the pictures that we can look at now, they are not gender revealing. I LOVE THESE. I hopefully will put pictures up for viewing very soon.

Until then, here's a sneak peak.

Weekend!

I am beyond pleased with my plans for this weekend. In the next few minutes, I'm beginning this AWESOME to-do list (and I am really looking forward to it!):

FRIDAY.
- Go to the bank and have a serious discussion with them on why they closed all of my debit cards with no warning (business and personal accounts!). The bank lady on the phone has no idea why... And she says that they will always flag the account with the reason when that happens. UGH. I have been living on cash, which is fine, but when you are counting $1 bills to buy groceries, you know it's a problem. This is my least favorite part of this weekend.
- Immediately drive to Hobby Lobby with the lovely cash I'll get and purchase what I shoved behind the feather boas last night. :) I wanted to shop for the gender party next week, but didn't want for them to "hold" my items (lines were so long), and I had no money. So feather boas it was. I am hoping that my stash has not been recovered.
- Gabe's birthday party. Fun!

SATURDAY.
- Wake up super early to drive with my mommy to Fort Worth... For the Ultrasound. :) I am so excited! And they told me to drink orange juice during breakfast, which I am very happy about.
- The rest of the day will be cleaning day!
- Kristin gets to my parents later that night. :)

SUNDAY.
- Church
- Laundry day
- Meet with Sherry... And we have a lot to talk about this month.

Loving that I took this weekend off!

Names

We have had a running list of super lovely baby names for a long time, and we still love our top picks. :) We are both happy to say that the name (and gender, of course) WILL be announced at our gender reveal party in just a week and a half! So excited!

I get to see my sweet baby in our ultrasound on Saturday morning, which is just 3 days away. Although I am sad that John won't be able to come with me this time, my mom is getting to come and keep me company which is fantastic. This ultrasound should be much much different than our first one at 6 weeks. We should actually see a baby in there and all of his/her body parts, instead of a just a yolk sac and flickering heartbeat. Woo!

AngelSounds Doppler

I love this thing!!!

Here is my video review and demonstration. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn0z_NZ5YA4

Christmas so soon!

I cannot believe there are only 23 days left until Christmas... Ah! I really cherish such great time with family, friends, and carrying on those wonderful little traditions. I think I'm looking forward to this year more than any other (which is hard to believe, because last year was our first married, and before that we were engaged)... But this year we are expecting. How special.

A few tangible things I would love to have at some point in my life:
- the book Yoga Sequencing by Mark Stephens
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1583944974/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

- Studio Rectangular Yoga Bolster in color Sand Stone, they may be having a BOGO offer on this right now... Free bolster anyone?
http://www.theyogawarehouse.com/proddetail.asp?prod=RB755CM

- the Moby Wrap in color Slate, may be considered the modern style?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002PIZV36/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

yoga mind

Being limited in several of my most-loved asanas has turned out to be surprisingly frustrating! ...But eye opening and beautiful in its own way. Yoga is about accepting where you are now and knowing that your relationship to each pose will always be changing. Most people know about the noncompetitive spirit of yoga (no one is better than anyone else), but do we apply that to ourselves? I know where I'll be setting my INTENTION this weekend! :) (thanks mom, speech to text is often a disaster!) 

Off to yoga teacher training. 

"I am right where I need to be today"...