Second trimester faves

Now that we are officially into the third trimester, I thought I would run through a list of things that made my second trimester pretty great. Granted, it's often called the golden trimester, so I'm sure none of these things are all that earth shattering. I think most people have a pleasant second trimester. But they are worth mentioning just the same.

1. Oatmeal for breakfast. When I visited my friend Ashley her husband made baked oatmeal for breakfast one morning. I copied the recipe and have been making it ever since. Joel's a total cereal for breakfast guy, so I make myself one batch on Sunday night. It lasts most of the following week if I add milk and reheat it one bowl at a time. I should share the recipe here.

2. Walking. This is good for my mental state and provides serious relief for my pregnancy aches and pains. Plus, it's fall! Amazing weather!!
3. Maternity jeans. I spent more than I would have liked on a comfy pair of Gap skinny jeans. At first I really doubted my decision, but after about a month, I can happily say they were a great purchase. I wear them all weekend most weekends. Plus some evenings after work.
4. Cheese sticks. Holy smokes I go through these things like candy. I have tried all different kinds and my favorite are the Giant brand of Colby jack sticks. Trader Joes makes good ones, too. They are an easy, delicious source of protein, which is super important in pregnancy.
5. Lime in my water bottle. Since my last midwife appointment I have been trying to drink even more water. I get bored, though, so adding lime makes it a bit easier to swallow. Literally.
6. My husband. He should really be number 1 on this list because he has made this second trimester, as well as the first, completely awesome. I'm so so so thankful to have him as my partner in crime in this whole baby-growing shindig. Joel has given me so many back rubs, washed so many dishes, listened to so many lame worries, taken so many evening walks, etc. etc. etc.

Here's to just about 13 more weeks until we meet our little dancing bean of a daughter!!

pregnancy: week 26

Week 26 was a busy one! Joel spent all day Friday at the regional cross country meet, where two of his runners qualified for the state meet next weekend. Then we had a junior high lock-in, immediately followed by the fifth annual "Oktoberfest" fall part with our group of friends. All this after a full work week. Phew.

Now, all of a sudden, we're into the third trimester! People are making all sorts of comments about how I don't even look pregnant, but I definitely do. I'm getting "congratulations" from random strangers in the mall and ladies in the Target line asking when I'm due. There's a baby on board, folks. I think she's just tall and skinny. :)

Week 26
0 appointments available for my upcoming one-hour glucose screen. Guess I'll just show up and wait.
1 natural childbirth class registered for & deposit put down!!
7 hours of sleep in the church basement where I hogged two couches to make myself a semi-comfy bed at the lock-in
2 hours spent running around town looking for items on the scavenger hunt with middle school kids
1 performance for Grandparents' day which also equaled 1 half-day Friday for me!
2 sweet baby gifts received in the mail
1.5 hours spent eating Chick-fil-A and visiting with local friends
3 small bowls of chili sampled at Oktoberfest
2 tiny sips of Joel's fall beer (which, interestingly enough, didn't taste all that good to me.)

(And now for a realistic pregnancy photo. Sweatpants and my favorite T-shirt that's quickly becoming too short for the bump!)

what we've been up to

As I mentioned in last week's stats, time has been flying lately! I can't believe this weekend will be the end of October. Didn't the month just start? And isn't our anniversary closely followed by Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years, then BABY TIME?! Holy smokes.

We're both busy with work, but there are a few other things in life keeping us occupied. Here's what we've been up to:
Growing. My belly is growing. The baby is wiggling. We're growing as a couple and as a family.
Cleaning. Sorting. Organizing. Nursery stuff, new guest room stuff, basement office stuff, etc.
Writing thank you notes. We've already been blown away by the generosity of our family and friends. Wow.
Celebrating my 29th birthday. Sometimes I wax poetic on my birthdays and write some sort of sentimental schmooze, but this one was spent relaxing with my favorite guy and feeling my daughter kick like an absolute maniac during a 3D movie in the theaters. That's about all, folks. :)
Planning. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the upcoming holidays and how they'll affect our little family. Not to mention figuring out childcare arrangements for the last part of the school year.
Registering. For childbirth classes, breastfeeding classes, etc. etc.
Emailing. This seems to be one of my favorite hobbies. Though I like the convenience of email, it does get exhausting sometimes.
Talking. I love telling people about our baby. It's so exciting when they notice my bump and ask questions. Tonight as we left Chick-fil-A a random man held the door for us and said, "Congratulations," to Joel when he saw my belly. Cute!
Reading. I haven't been good at finishing many books this pregnancy... but I'm still making progress on "The Birth Book" and am learning lots of good information.

pregnancy: week 25

Wait, wait, wait. How are we all of a sudden 25 weeks into this pregnancy?! My mind is really struggling to grasp reality here, folks. Time is flying and this week went by in the blink of an eye.

Week 25
45 minutes spent with an ultrasound tech who said my fluid levels AND our baby girl are perfect!!
1 new t-shirt I can sport to support Joel's favorite team
90 minutes spent vomiting my dinner into the toilet after a fluke episode of food poisoning last night. ick. 
3 baby gifts arriving via mail
2 hours spent digging and sorting through stuff in the nursery
9 fourth grade girls who are thrilled to know that Baby 'Berts is a little lady... "There's another girl in the class now! I know we can't see her, but she's here!"
1 leg cramp (mostly due to dehydration from sickness last night)
20 minutes spent with the midwife who was encouraging about everything but said I need to be drinking even more water, which feels impossible
2 weeks left in this trimester. Or is it just one....? zoiks!

pregnancy: week 24

Week 24

2 hours spent in the hospital, getting checked to make sure there was no amniotic fluid leaking: there wasn't!
380 miles driven to NY to visit Baby 'Berts' potential future boyfriend, Judah
6 new girly onesies purchased at a consignment store
3 days wearing gray over the growing bump that is our daughter
101 minutes walked to ease my aching joints & back
4 days of school (before a 4 day weekend!)
5+ pieces of furniture moved by daddy-to-be so the baby's room can be set up soon!

Sometimes I freak myself out that I'm not "big enough," which I know is absurd. But I get worried that the baby isn't growing the way she should, or that I'm not giving her enough nutrients.

These photos will be fun to look back on someday, but they're also helping keep me sane: my belly is definitely getting bigger. I need to relax. :)

pregnancy: week 23

Week 23 was quite a doozy, what with finding out we have low amniotic fluid and the daddy-to-be leaving for a weekend wedding in Chicago. However, it was still a full, beautiful week with some growth and movement from little lady 'Berts. Plus, I wore my new favorite pants- maternity cords from Gap for the win!

Week 23
45 minutes laying on a comfy table watching our girl move around and wave at us
1 visit from Grandmom Nelson (who brought all sorts of cute girly clothes!)
3 days of hot, nasty, sticky, Indian summer weather
1/2 chimichanga from our new favorite Mexican restaurant consumed (I ate the rest for lunch 2 days later!)
0 cokes consumed
5+ times Joel called our little lady by name
1 huge, amazing, bright poster bought for baby's nursery

Ultrasound update

I didn't mean to keep all you amazing, kind, wonderful readers in suspense about the big ultrasound this past Thursday night. Please forgive me for unintentionally leaving the Internet world hanging...

Our baby's heart looks perfect. We aren't really sure why the ultrasound was ordered, but it appears to be God's good provision. While at our appointment, we got a good view of all the baby's vital organs, heart rate, etc.

Sadly, we also found out that the amniotic fluid level is very low. This is quite alarming and upsetting and brought me quite a few tears of distress and guilt, in addition to a near sleepless night. It seems like the baby is still growing just fine, despite having little fluid to swim in. However, my midwife has ordered a follow up screen at the fetal diagnostic center to get a closer look and see if the reason for this low level can be determined and/or to see if the baby has been negatively affected by the lack of fluid. She also very calmly and kindly recommended a natural supplement I can take three times daily to help balance the fluid level.

I've been praying for a miraculous increase in fluid to occur at any moment. It feels awful to be out of control, but somehow it also feels kind of amazing to truly rest in the Lord's care. Because now I really have to live what I've been saying I believe all this time.

tomorrow's ultrasound

Tomorrow we'll get another glimpse at our little munchkin!!

Fortunately, now that my insurance with my new job has kicked in, we aren't limited in where/when ultrasounds can get done, so Joel made an appointment for us to go together in the evening, at a hospital nearby. Our appointment is at 6:45pm, and as I anticipate the time, I'm filled with all sorts of thoughts...  

What if something IS wrong with the heart? What if we can't find out the sex again? What if we do... will that change us somehow? Am I more likely to buy silly stuff if I know whether the baby is a boy or a girl? If we find out, are we ruining an amazing surprise come January? Is the ultrasound going to harm our babe-- this is now the third one we've had?! Why on earth didn't the tech tell us we'd need another ultrasound? Has the rest of our baby's body caught up with its skinny long legs? My goodness, what if something is really wrong with the baby's heart? 

The fears and worries can consume me.

But I'm busy at school and don't have a spare second to be afraid. Plus, I can feel so many movements throughout the day that I know at least Baby 'Berts is active and strong. So there's that. :) And there's the fact that nothing is in my control and I serve a good, powerful God.

Anyway, if we do find out whether this baby is a miss or mister, we'll be reporting quickly to our family and friends. We'll post here, too, because I can tell you readers are a curious bunch ;) 

P.S. Do you read YoungHouseLove? Well, they're pregnant, too! How fun!

pregnancy: week 22

 This is my "holy smokes, my baby is growing like a little weed!!" face:

 And here's my "Yay, maternity jeans arrived in the mail!" pose:

How about my "I bet my students won't recognize my hair but I'm wearing my new maternity cords" face:

22 weeks
0 tears cried!

3 days wearing skirts (now I have TWO pairs of pants I can wear to work! just one was getting old. fast.)
2 local pediatricians on my list to interview
1 ultrasound scheduled for next week. (Apparently after the last ultrasound, they requested a follow-up screen to check on the heart. Joel thinks the tech felt guilty we couldn't find out the sex so she ordered a follow-up. We'll see. I'm trying not to be nervous that something is legitimately wrong with the baby's heart.)
15+ kicks felt each day
2 pounds gained in just over a week!

nursery to-do

Welp, we have one last guest to host (hi, Mom!) before we turn our guest room into a nursery for Baby 'Berts! My friend Meg recently posted a tour of her son's nursery and I got all kinds of inspired! Check it out:

Last weekend Joel and his dad replaced the last two upstairs doors. Once those are stained and the molding has been put up, Joel will start tackling the huge task of painting the upstairs hallway which leads downstairs to our living and dining rooms. I think those things are on the to-do list before we actually set up the nursery, but I can start doing a few small things in the meantime.

Here's my current nursery to-do list:
1. Move the guest room furniture into the office (of course I won't actually be moving anything... ha!)
2. Choose fabric or curtains for the windows and the closet. I'm currently wondering if these shower curtains will fit; I think they'll be too wide.
3.  Pick good quality roll-up blinds that won't rip when we open/close them. Preferably black-out thickness.
4. Paint a few frames and lay out the gallery wall.
5. Decide on nursery furniture placement. This actually impacts the gallery wall, so maybe it should be #4.
6. Get the crib and set it up.
7. Install shelves for books at kid-height
8. Decide how best to keep the closet organized. It's a tall, narrow, shallow closet so we'll definitely need some props to help keep baby stuff tidy. 

9. Move stuff from bathroom cabinet into the new guest room closet; we'll most likely do our diaper changing set-up in the bathroom since we're using cloth and the toilet is right there.   

Tobuy:

2 roll-up blinds

2 sets of window curtains

Closet curtain

Crib

Shoe hanger (IKEA)

IKEA ribba shelves(for books)
More baskets and closet storage containers

P.S. Isn't this nursery gorgeous, too? I'm drooling! 

pregnancy: week 21

Yesterday someone asked me how far along we were and I answered one week earlier than reality. Good thing Joel was there to correct me! Tomorrow we'll be at 22 weeks, so today marks the end of week 21. Holy smokes!

A dirty mirror disguises my nicely curled hair. But not my growing belly...

 Week 21
15 minutes sobbing into Joel's shirt after a stressful day at school and a long drive home
2 crazy intense middle-of-the-night leg cramps!
1 steady strong heartbeat (does a fast heartbeat mean it's a boy? someone told me that this week...)
20 minutes with the midwife who said to eat even more protein!
1 copy of "The Birth Book" delivered from Amazon. Spoiler alert: so far it's amazing!
2 pairs of Gap maternity pants ordered
4 conversations with 5th grade students about the reality of our shy, modest baby. They too are dying to know whether it'll be a miss or mister!
7 pounds gained total since becoming pregnant (NOT just this month!)
8+ little kicks and flutters felt per day

Pregnancy: week 20

20 weeks
2 new future friends born (for baby Berts to play with someday!)
0 mental breakdowns on the drive home from work
3 big kicks felt by the future daddio (finally!!)
1 crock pot of chili consumed
2 new doors installed upstairs by one grandpa to be
1 sweet morning greeting: "Good morning, Mrs. Alberts. Good morning, baby!"

It still blows my mind how my belly seems to change from day to day, sometimes even minute to minute. This week we got a lot of attention from students not in my class; my students are all down with everything and aren't easily surprised because they see the bump so often. Other students, however, were super curious and somehow seemed shocked that I could be pregnant without them knowing!

I can't believe how awesome it was for Joel to feel the baby kicking. He's put his hand on my belly before, but couldn't ever feel any movement. Last night while we were laying in bed he tried again and was like, "Wait, was that it?!" And it was! :)

Also in recent news- today I chatted with my college roommate (hi, Roommate!) who told me all about the beautiful birth of her new son, Judah!!!! I may or may not have cried a few small tears of joy and excitement. He looks perfect and I can't wait to meet him and hug her in just under a month. 

pregnancy: week 19

Week 19 was also our first week of school. I was pumped about my first day outfit so I asked Joel to take a few early morning photos... They were dark and blurry and my eyes looked tired. Ha.

The rest of these were taken on Friday afternoon using the self-timer with the camera propped up on my computer. Hello, my name is Kelly and I wear a lot of stripes.

Week 19
6+ hours spent commuting to/from Philadelphia
3 nights straight of junior high meetings
7 isolated incidents of feeling the baby move around!!
2 Cokes consumed
1 baby outfit purchased via Zulilly
4 days of cool, sunshine-y weather
2 times where I completely forgot I was pregnant till catching a glimpse of my bump in the mirror!!
10 days until our next prenatal appointment. heartbeat.heartbeat.heartbeat.so.exciting.

maternity clothing, 1

I haven't let myself buy many new things for myself so far, but I have purchased a few and also received some as gifts from my mom/mom-in-law and friends.

Last week I used a gift card from Target and a coupon we got for registering there and stocked up on two long maternity tank tops to wear all winter/spring. Then I got a reddish men's zip up (size small) to pair with tanks in the cooler weather and long sleeve Ts in the cold weather. I made my belly stick out in the mirror to make sure it would fit over a bigger bump :)

My favorite places for maternity wear (so far!) are Target and Asos.com. I got three new sweaters for fall from Motherhood Maternity as gifts and they are all awesome, but I wasn't impressed with their pants selection. I'm excited for the weather to get cool so I can wear long sleeves comfortably.

Asos has a great selection of sale items! Just be careful: they tend to run big. I bought my normal size and both the jacket and t-shirt are a tiny bit big.... they should be fine as my bump grows, but I'm very glad I didn't order them any larger!

P.S. Here are some links I found helpful when making decisions regarding maternity clothing... It's all so darn expensive and I certainly don't want to break the bank when I still have five months left ever. 
What Not to Wear- Maternity Edition.
Maternity Must-Haves.
No Brainer Maternity Wardrobe.
Snappy Casual (search results: maternity)

A quick PSA

We interrupt regularly schedule programming for a quick PSA:

This morning Baby 'Berts kicked me. And I felt it!!!!

My mind is completely blown at three things:

1. How obvious it was when I felt it. Like DUH, that's a kick.
2. The way this feels so much more like a real child inside now that he/she is clearly moving.
3. That nobody told me how amazing it would be!

I actually felt it multiple times, but most strongly around 10am while talking to a co-worker in her classroom. I told Joel it was as if the baby just woke up (and decided to go for a quick morning swim).

Reflections on pregnancy

Well, here I am again, avoiding things that probably need to get done, so I decide to write a blog post. Classic. If I analyze myself, I get the hunch that I'm overwhelmed by all that could be done for school (which starts on September 2nd!!) and my natural response is to avoid avoid avoid.

This whole pregnancy thing, now that I'm no longer nauseous, feels a little easier to handle because there is nothing pressing to be done.

The registry is started, the baby's room doesn't need any work for now, I have a midwife appointment next Tuesday, and I'm just waiting to hear back from an ultrasound office so we can schedule the time to find out if this little one is a boy baby or a girl.

Anyway, I can't believe how good I've been feeling! It's amazing to be able to go hours between meals without being sick! Plus, lazy summer mornings mean I get plenty of sleep.

The timing of this baby blows my mind. I can't believe we found out about him/her just weeks before getting a full-time teaching job. But really, how blessed could I be? My worst moments of sickness were during vacation when I could rest and really take care of myself. Now that school is starting, I'm in the second trimester and have lots of energy and excitement. I didn't need to buy many maternity clothes for summer because my body hasn't grown much yet. When I am big and hot in the last few weeks of pregnancy, it will be cold here. Amazing.

Watching Joel fall for this baby has been so so sweet. When we were first getting to know each other I felt confident he would be an awesome dad and now that it's starting to be a reality, I'm even more sure. He is attentive to my feelings and my health and often kisses the baby goodnight and good morning. We are blessed.

P.S. Isn't this outfit adorable? Hope Baby 'Berts looks good in yellow!