16 weeks

Happy 16 weeks of pregnancy everybody!! Things are going that good suddenly. It's definitely the best I've ever felt while being pregnant. 

Ben and I went to see the midwife for our 16 week appointment on Friday. Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures. 

{full body profile, who can spot the turkey leg our baby seems to be stashing?)

{view of the spine and arm}

{here's the brain! looks like a butterfly}

 {hand and foot}

 {alien face!}

We were hoping to announce whether it's a boy or girl but the baby's hand or the umbilical cord was blocking the view! Sorry folks, maybe next time.

In other news, I was able to take my IV out on Friday! My midwife decided a trial run over the weekend was a good idea to see how I handle things. Everything's been fine so far; barring any major events tonight I'll be able to call and report good news to my midwife tomorrow. 

And finally: Don't poke the bear, 2nd trimester or not.

Ben: "Don't look miserable."

Simple Christmas Crafts

You might say, "These craft projects are so simple that a sick pregnant woman only able to utilize one arm effectively could do them!" How true that is. Here are 3 quick and easy decorations I've made with things I already had around the house.

{clear ball ornament, copy of favorite Christmas carol, paper cutter}

{mason jars, epsom salt - chunkier texture looks like snow, tea lights, twine/ribbon}

{card stock, scrapbook paper, glue, brads, twine/ribbon}

This one took a little more planning, but if you have a die-cut machine it'll be that much easier for you. How I did it:

• create a template for your background shape. I created mine in MS Word with the shapes tool. Arrange 2 braces (these guys { } ) and 2 straight lines into a continuous outline. Hint: draw one brace to the size and shape you're satisfied with, then copy, paste, and rotate.
• print on card stock, cut, and trace the shape onto whatever paper you like.
• print the letters for your message in a contrasting color and cut out. (this is where I wish I had a Cricut!)
• glue letters on, poke a brad through the top of the shape, separate prongs slightly - just enough to slide the string in, bend prongs down so they lay flat.
• tie bows out of the string/ribbon you used and glue to the ends.

14 weeks

We're at 14 weeks and growing stronger than ever! After losing about 10 pounds in the early weeks of the first trimester I'm happy to report that I've regained almost all of it and don't plan on stopping there. (I still have that 2nd pumpkin cheesecake we made for Thanksgiving to keep me company.)


On November 11th I started a peripheral IV. Ben or I administer all the doses and a nurse comes out every 3-5 days to put a new catheter in my arm. (Super fun!) After seeing my midwife today we decided that 2 more weeks with this thing is a good idea. I'm doing well, but there's a definite risk I could lose all of the progress we've made. I like having the ability to eat, thank you.

I've gotta say, 1 liter of fluids per day plus a syringe of anti-nausea medicine handy is just what this girl needed. Not what I wanted to do...but hey, lesson 1 for this mom-to-be was that needs and wants don't come packaged together. An old lesson needing to be relearned apparently! Take last night for example...I definitely wanted that huge piece of peach-on-the-bottom cake with a big scoop of ice cream on the side. I am here today to tell you, it's not what I needed. At least, not after an entire bowl of beef stew and all of the elote (mexican style corn, delicious!) that Ben made for us to share. Just call me the hungry, hungry caterpillar...stomachache and all.


Stay tuned, on December 16th (16 weeks) Ben and I go back to the midwife to find out if we're having a boy or girl!