31 Weeks

How far along: 31 weeks

Gender: Boy

Total weight gain: +27 pounds (when will it ever stop?!)

Movement: Still a lot of movement at all hours of the day, especially when I’m sleeping. He’ll usually wake me up from kicking and flipping at least once during the night.

Food cravings: Bad news…I’m anemic. And not a low “normal” level, a reeeeally low level. So I need to stock up on iron supplement pills and iron-rich foods and cut way down on my favorite food groups (cheese and desserts) from here on out. Bummer.

Signs of pregnancy: I officially have CANKLES!! This is not a joke, and they did not simply creep up on me. One day last week, I was resting my aching feet on the coffee table, and Matt pointed them out. “Geez,” he said. “I can’t even see your ankle bone anymore.” I freaked upon this realization and am still wishing my swollen feet go back to normal. (Doubtful until after delivery, from when I’ve heard.)

Sleep: Besides my energetic son’s constant movement at night, I sleep pretty well. I do find that I have to “flop” over on my other side halfway through my sleep to give my other side a break from all the pressure and weight. Ugh…I feel like a beached whale when I do that!

Labor signs: The doc says to expect Braxton Hicks in the next week or so. So bring on the cramping!

Happy or moody? Right now, a bit overwhelmed. I’m trying to fit in time for nursery decorating, family time, teaching and planning for the long-term sub when I’m on leave, and spending our last “alone time” with Matt. They’re just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for all of it.

Stretch marks? None to report :)

Maternity clothes? Is it possible that maternity clothes can be too small?? I feel like either I’m popping more and more each day OR my maternity clothes are shrinking and tightening. Hmmm…

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Bending over! Ohh, how I’ve taken the simple act of touching the ground for granted! In my classroom, I now have to ask my students to pick up a pen or a piece of paper I’ve dropped. Thank goodness I don’t wear shoes with shoelaces to work—could you imagine me asking a student to tie my shoes!!

Best moment of the week: We painted the nursery! (Well, Matt painted the nursery. I watched.) We went with a medium gray color for all the walls and decided on navy blue for bedding/décor with a dark lime green for a pop of color. It looks very “manly” as Matt had said. We also put up the crib and changing table!  I was so excited to purchase the furniture set. The wood is an eggshell color, so it definitely lightens up the gray room. And while it’s true that Matt assembled the crib, I, by myself, built the changing table. (Fingers crossed our kid doesn’t slide off on the first changing of the diaper.)

Looking forward to: Getting the bedding for the crib. I decided to make the bed skirt as I’ve been known to be quite the seamstress in the past.

Me and my tummy

Matt painting away

Baby crib (plus a few old boxes that need storing)

Changing table

29 Weeks

How far along: 29 weeks

Gender: A bouncing baby boy

Total weight gain: Not sure—haven’t checked on Publix’s scale this week :)

Movement: This kid is wearing me out…and I still have 11 more weeks to go! Today he had his little rear RIGHT up against the top of my belly during a whole class period! So lately I’ll rub gently but firmly on him until he decides to switch positions…which isn’t that often!

Food cravings: Still loving sweets…and cheese! YUM!

Signs of pregnancy: My races to the bathroom have definitely increased. One morning this past week, I made three pit stops within an hour—a new record for me.

Sleep: I’m feeling more and more exhausted by the end of the day. Usually I’m dozing on the couch by 10pm.

Labor signs: None really

Happy or moody? Feeling upbeat, excited, anxious.

Stretch marks? Can’t find any…but I search for them every day!

Maternity clothes? I’m realizing that I can no longer truly fit into my regular pants :(  I wore a pair today and had to leave them unbuttoned, but then they started to UNZIP throughout the day. Clearly those pants are no longer a wardrobe option.

Wedding rings on or off? No swollen fingers (yet?) so they’re still on

Miss anything? Sushi—it hit me (again) this week just how much I miss my salmon rolls.

Best moment of the week: I treated myself to a pedicure this week. Nothing too special, but it’s been over two months since the last time I got one. Always nice to be pampered!

Looking forward to: Week 30! :)

28 Weeks

Lots has changed since I last posted. I said "good-bye" to my second trimester and "hello" to my third!! It's pretty exciting to know that we'll be meeting our little boy in about 3 months time--can't wait! Below are a few belated photos along with a weekly update.

21 week ultrasound. What a cute profile!

Me at 25 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks

Gender: Boy

Total weight gain: +22 pounds

Movement: Lots! He’s kicking and moving around constantly. Before it was just little thumps to let me know he’s there. Now, it’s full on kicks and pushes and stretches on my belly. I’ve been trying to figure out what part of him is doing the pushing—foot, hand, rump? I wish I knew! Clearly it’s a tight fit in there for him.

Food cravings: Just have a sweet tooth. I did pass my glucose test (no gestational diabetes!). But even though I’m not on a sugar restriction, I’m supposed to kinda avoid the sweet stuff. So hard to do!

Signs of pregnancy: The past two weeks, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with serious Charley horses—not fun!

Sleep: Some tossing and turning throughout the night, but I can still manage to feel well rested the next day.

Labor signs: I’ve had a couple quick cramps down below this week. I guess it’s a little Braxton Hicks? Or it could be more “growing pains.”

Happy or moody? Happy!

Stretch marks? None thanks to the liberal amounts of cocoa butter I put on every day. But I do have a linea nigra, that darkish vertical line that appears on some pregnant women’s tummies.

Maternity clothes? It’s all I wear now. I LOVE the built in belly-bands in jeans and shorts—sooo comfy!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? The ability to walk long distances or climb stairs without panting.

Best moment of the week: Matt finally got to feel him really kick and push my tummy this week. He was pretty taken aback at how strong the little guy is.

Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery. We’ve done absolutely NOTHING so far—yikes!

Halfway There--20 Weeks!

Matt and I can't believe we're halfway through our pregnancy! It really did go pretty quickly. Today we had our 20week appointment plus ultrasound. I asked the tech to confirm that we're having a boy, and sure enough there's no mistaking that he is all male! :)  We've talked more about names for him, and it seems like the more we ask family and friends for ideas the more confused we get! So we decided to continue thinking about names but not say what we've chosen until the moment he's born. Plus, keeping everyone on their toes is more fun for us, hehe.

Our baby boy looking towards us slightly

A great up-close profile shot

Definitely not a girl! (A shot looking up from his feet)

This week we're moving out of our current place and into a new apartment. It'll be a bit stressful for us as moving is never an easy task, but I have two solid weeks to pack and move and unpack and settle in before school starts on August 20th. I wasn't really looking forward to such an ordeal, but then I realized...it's perfect timing to paint the baby's room! I found a great website via Pinterest called Design-Seeds that combines colors based on real photos. Here are some of my favorites and possible painting ideas:

Clearly, I like teals and aquas! I like the addition of a red or coral or orange to not make a room seem so masculine. And a light lime green seems like it works well in the combo as an accent color. I'm thinking I'll get Matt's opinion and then choose one picture to use. Gotta admit...I really am excited to plan for this baby boy!

How far along: 20 weeks

Gender: It’s a BOY!

Total weight gain: 10 lbs and climbing…

Movement: I finally felt a flutter! I feel little ones only early in the morning when I’m still in bed, around 7am or so

Food cravings: Sweets! Today at Publix I bought cupcakes, brownie mix, and ice cream

Signs of pregnancy: Bigger tummy—seems like everyday it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, …

Sleep: Lately I’ve been waking up earlier than usually in the morning, which means I’m tired around 11am

Labor signs: None

Happy or moody? Mostly happy though I’ve had a meltdown about every 3 days with Matt over little things. I think sometimes he forgets to treat me with kid-gloves as I’m emotional as ever and can crack at any moment.

Stretch marks?

Maternity clothes? Still resisting the urge to splurge on these

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Exercising and not losing my breath. Whenever I walk up some stairs or carry groceries, I need a ten-minute break to slow my panting down back to normal and stop sweating. Ughhh…what a pain!

Best moment of the week: Mom and Anne (my mother-in-law) came to the 20-week appointment with us today. It was neat having the grandmas there to watch their developing grandson live on tv.

Looking forward to: Picking out a name for our little guy.

Gender Reveal Party!!

After weeks of "hmm-ing" and "haw-ing" over if Matt and I are having a little girl or boy, we finally find out by way of throwing a gender reveal party! I was very proud of ourselves for not opening the envelope that had the note of girl/boy written by my ultrasound tech. (Actually, I hid it from Matt because I didn't fully trust him! Lol!)

We invited our family for a Sunday poolside bbq as a way to get-together before baby's born and to all find out the sex of the baby together. I themed it as Team Pink vs. Team Blue. Guests wore either pink or red to cheer for a girl or blue if rooting for a boy. They were also given cute, little gender buttons to wear I found on Etsy that also worked as favors for guests (http://www.etsy.com/listing/92153341/40pk-gender-reveal-boy-girl-buttons-pins). I also had everyone write down their best baby girl and baby boy name as possibilities to help Matt and me out when it comes to picking a name. Our favorites of the day? Aristotle for a boy, suggested by Matt's Papou (his very Greek grandfather) and Sunflower for a girl, suggested by my witty brother Rick.

The kids played in the pool, the adults mingled (as it's been a while since my side and Matt's two sides got together), and everyone oohed and ahhed over my growing belly. It was a fun, sunny day filled with great conversation and lots of laughs.

But how did we find out? Well, the owner of a baby consignment boutique recommended a local baker who works out of her home. I checked her out on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CakesBySamira) and loved the design of her cakes. So the plan was to make a cake that was dyed either pink or blue based on what the ultrasound tech wrote down. Samira loved the idea and had never done such a cake before, so I handed her the envelope and three days later, so created the most beautiful cake that looked like a present! (And it was suuuuper yummy, too!)

Below are some photos my friend Amber took. Scroll all the way down to find out what we're having!

BLUE Punch and PINK lemonade: what's your drink of choice?

Family baby photos of Matt, me, and our parents

The soon-to-be grandmothers

Our family members under the pergola. Most wore blue for a boy!

Our grillmaster for the day, Tim

Our beautiful cake by Samira

It looks just like a present waiting to be opened!

So nervous to find out! It's a.....

...BOY!!

Team BLUE won!

Some possible baby boy names (silly or serious) our guests wrote down, a really fun activity for everyone!

The note from our ultrasound tech that reads, "It's a boy! 7/6/12"

17 Weeks

This weekend we get to find out the sex of Baby Sehner!! At my 16-week appointment, I asked the ultrasound tech is she could tell if we're having a girl or a boy. After a few minutes of me looking away from the tv screen and her searching my tummy, she said she was very, very confident about guessing the sex of the baby. It might seem a bit early to some people that she could tell, but the equipment they use is truly state-of-the-art stuff (so I've been told). Matt and I decided to celebrate finding out to have a Baby Reveal Party with our family, so the tech wrote down her findings and stuck the paper in a envelope. I have to admit, on my way home that day I was pretty tempted to rip it open and find out! And Matt continually asked me this week where I hid the envelope--I didn't tell him where at all for fear he'd open it up!

16-week Sonogram. Baby's head is on the right.

A great picture of Baby raising it's hand to it's head.

You can see each little finger and a thumb!

This Sunday, we've invited our family over to find out with us if Baby Sehner is a boy or a girl. Thanks to Pinterest, I themed the party around a "Girl vs. Boy" theme. Everyone seems to have their pick of what it's going to be. I honestly have no idea--I'm not really sure how I can tell either. When you're pregnant, how can you tell if you're having a boy or a girl? I don't have a gut feeling, and I'm not really rooting for either one more than the other. I'm just praying for a healthy little one. Matt, on the other hand, is hoping for a boy, as I'm sure it's every guy's dream to teach a little guy all sorts of "manly" things. Either way, Matt and I will cut into a cake that's dyed either pink or blue, and that's how we'll find out!

Team PINK vs. Team BLUE

The photo we took for our postcard invite to the Baby Reveal Party.

How far along: 17 weeks

Gender: So close to finding out! Can’t wait!

Total weight gain: +5 original weight

Movement: Maybe? I can’t tell yet, and it may be too early.

Food cravings: Nothing really. I’ve been eating more and more pasta lately, though.

Signs of pregnancy: Peeing!! I find myself running to the bathroom every hour or so. I hear it’ll only get worse, too :(

Sleep: No more napping for me. I have lots more energy that lasts during my previous mid-afternoon slumps.

Labor signs: Nope

Happy or moody? Feeling overwhelming happy and excited and a bit anxious just thinking about labor and delivery. I caught a few episodes last week of TLC’s “A Baby Story” and haven’t stopped thinking about the pain since!

Stretch marks? No

Maternity clothes? Soon! My shirts and tank tops are getting tighter around my tummy. Not sure how long I can hold off buying some new clothes.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Beer! I’ve been out a few times recently with my sister or friends, and while it truly doesn’t bother me that they’re drinking around me while I have to pass, I’ve missed the taste and feeling of cracking open a cold one, ESPECIALLY since it’s summertime! I miss those lazy summer days on the beach drinking a Corona with lime. But it’s all for the greater good of my little one! :)

Best moment of the week: Getting my hair done. Might seem silly but I wanted to wait to clear the first trimester before refreshing my highlights. (And I was well overdue.)

Looking forward to: Cutting open that cake for a big surprise!

Trip to Canada (& 15 Weeks)

Our 5 day to trip Canada (which turned into an unexpected 6 day trip due to cancelled flights thanks to Hurricane Debby in FL) was wonderful! We went to Ontario to visit family and see a part of Canada we had yet to visit. I was nervous about the plane ride--would I get sick being prego and all? But I worried for nothing! After our flight into Buffalo, we drove to Barrie and spent time hanging out with my uncles, aunts, and cousins; driving around the town to see the sights; and eating a lot of amazing food courtesy of my Aunt Anne and cousin Katie!

Matt and me on Wasaga Beach right outside of Barrie, Ontario

Then we headed to Niagara Falls for a couple of days to see the falls. We hopped aboard the Maid of the Mist boat for a closer look at the water and river, getting ourselves soaked in the process. But the views were worth every drop of "mist" which seemed more like a torrential downpour!

My brother, my sister, me, and Matt standing in front of the "American" falls at Niagara

A view of the "Canadian" falls and a Maid of the Mist boat

Before our boat ride...and before we got soaked!

13 1/2 Weeks!

Time is starting to fly by! I kinda forgot about the blog, only because the past couple of weeks have been dedicated to finishing up the school year at Bay Point (my first teaching job), packing up my entire classroom, saying my goodbyes to coworkers and students, and moving to my new school where I'll teach 6, 7, and 8 grade Language Arts. I'm so incredibly pumped for this new step on my journey as a teacher. It'll be easier in some ways and challenging in others, but I welcome the change and look forward to working with a new group (or three new groups!) of students and teachers. Now that I'm officially on summer break, I can take things a little slower and focus on me, family, friends, and preparing for Baby Sehner's arrival! :)

Yesterday Matt and I told the rest of our friends and extended family members about our big news by posting a few "announcement" photos that our friend Amber took a couple weeks ago. We received an enormous amount of love and congrats from people who are excited about our next step becoming parents. It really felt great to have no more secrets, to share the news with everyone. And after all, it seems that posting anything on Facebook makes something official to the world!

We're Expecting!

Do not open until December 20th (our due date)

Matt and I went to our 12-week doctor's appointment a week ago where I had an ultrasound, some quick blood work (which almost caused me to pass out thanks to a rough, gruff nurse who didn't know how to prick a finger properly), and a chat with doctor #2. This was Matt's first time at an appointment, so I think he didn't really know what to expect. I didn't really know either--would we still be looking at a blob of cells? We had no clue. But during the ultrasound, we were both mesmerized by the image of our little one--s/he was fully formed! We were looking at a tiny little baby, only 3 inches long. But we could easily  point out baby's head, hands, tummy, mouth, eyes, ear, even a little nose! At first it looked like baby was sleeping even though we had a perfect profile view. But then the tech started tapping my belly with the ultrasound probe and s/he started moving it's hands and even opened and closed it's mouth a few times! The tech said she could give a pretty good guess as to the sex of the baby since she was getting a great view of her/him, but we declined because we didn't want to go by a guess. It was pretty unbelievable how far along our baby was developed in just a few weeks and how active our baby could be at 12 weeks along. Matt even said to me last after the appointment how he couldn't believe that some people could look at an sonogram and not see a human life, how some people could dismiss a baby as a mere fetus. I couldn't agree more.

12-week sonogram: Baby's head is on the left, hands are just in front of it's face where you can see an ear, eyes, nose, and mouth, then a big, round tummy, and finally we think we're seeing a "foot"...or it could be something else! :) In a few weeks we go back for our 16-week appointment to find out the sex of our baby!

How far along: 13 1/2 weeks

Gender: We’ll find out soon!

Total weight gain: +2 pounds…and a LOT more to go!

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings: Cheese and sweets

Signs of pregnancy: It’s certain that my nose will stay sensitive throughout the whole pregnancy. Doctor said hopefully it will go away after the baby is born—yeah! I hope so too! Also have been getting some headaches daily, but I just need to drink more water.

Sleep: Now that it’s summertime for me, naps have easily become a daily routine.

Labor signs: No

Happy or moody? I’ve snapped a couple times the past few weeks (thanks, crazy hormones!), but I do feel happy a lot of the time.

Stretch marks? None, but I’ve picked up some cocoa butter and started using it now

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I got some great stuff from a cousin-in-law of mine who had her two kids in the wintertime—lots of jeans!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Sushi! Every time I go to Publix (grocery store) I stop by the seafood counter and drool over the raw salmon and tuna that I wish I could have. Ughhhh…6 more months.

Best moment of the week: Sharing our big news with Facebook friends and family.

Looking forward to: Heading to Canada this week with my parents, brother, sister, and Matt to visit some family outside of Toronto. It’s been years since we’ve seen our cousins and a couple years since we’ve since our aunt and uncle, so I’m really looking forward to catching up. However, I’m anxious about the plane ride—hope I don’t get queasy!

10 1/2 Weeks

Well we're almost to 11 weeks pregnant! Can't believe how time is already flying by so quickly. Soon we'll be ditching the first trimester and say "hello" to phase #2 of baby-making!

This week Matt and I shared the happy news with some extended family members--aunts, uncles, and cousins. And I even spilled the beans to a few of my closer friends who I knew would give me heck when they noticed I wasn't indulging in alcohol while being around them. My father-in-law told our family during dinner prayer on Memorial Day and the news really stunned everyone! And to tell my aunt and uncle and cousins who lives in Newfoundland, Canada, we were able to Skype with them. All in all, it felt great to finally share news of Baby Sehner to our closet family members.

How far along: 10 1/2 weeks

Gender: Don’t know yet

Total weight gain: Haven’t checked since last time

Movement: Still too early

Food cravings: Macaroni and cheese

Signs of pregnancy: Still dealing with my superhuman sense of smell when it comes to fragrances. I’ve been getting more nauseous over it, too. But I’m always equipped with Saltines!

Sleep: Not too tired in the late afternoons anymore. But I’m going to bed pretty early—bedtime is usually by 10pm.

Labor signs: Nope

Happy or moody? I’ve gotten a better handle on my emotions as I’m trying to avoid becoming the “crazy-psycho pregnant lady” towards my hubby and family.

Stretch marks? None

Maternity clothes? Not yet

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Strawberries. They have a really fragrant sweet smell that clashes with my sense of smell.

Best moment of the week: Hhmm-ing and haw-ing with Matt over whether we’re having a girl or a boy. He firmly believes he’s produced a boy. But because of his overconfidence, I’m thinking God has other plans in store for us J

Looking forward to: Our next doctor’s visit, which will be our 12-week check-up. This time Matt will get to go to the appointment (he missed the first one due to work) and I’m excited for him to see Baby Sehner on the sonogram and hear baby’s heartbeat!

It's Official!

Matt and I are expecting! We found out yesterday after visiting the doctor's office and getting an ultrasound. It was amazing to finally, truly confirm that we're pregnant. We got a few photos of Little Baby Sehner and also got to listen to baby's heartbeat--an unexpected surprise! Our due date is December 20, 2012, just in time for Christmas! Though the holidays always seem to be very hectic for us...Wedding aninversary on November 28, Matt's birthday on December 1 (and his sister Julia's), Matt's aunt's birthday on December 4, holiday get-togethers around Christmastime, New Year's, then my birthday on January 13. I guess Baby Sehner will get used to the craziness very fast!

Below are some questions to help me track my pregnancy.

How far along: 8 weeks

Gender: Don’t know yet

Total weight gain: Zero (Starting weight at 140lbs)

Movement: Too early for any

Food cravings: Cheese!

Signs of pregnancy: Heightened sense of smell—anything that has a fragrance to it makes me gag! Shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, hand soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste, perfumes. Time to invest in fragrance-free EVERYTHING!

Sleep: So tired in the late afternoon that almost every day after work I take an hour nap on the couch. But I sleep great at night.

Labor signs: Nope

Happy or moody? My emotions are like a rollercoaster—happy one minute and feeling blue the next. Poor Matt!

Stretch marks? None

Maternity clothes? Not yet

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Mountain Dews! Too much caffeine. But I guess it’d a good thing that they don’t even taste the same to me anymore thanks to my super sense of smell.

Best moment of the week: Sharing the news and pictures of the sonogram with our parents! They were thrilled to find out we’re expecting and that they get to be grandparents this year! (It’ll be their first grandchild.)

Looking forward to: Telling our other family members and close friends.