Tuesday, September 29, 2015

16 Weeks "Bumpdate"



16 WEEKS




baby: baby pro now weighs in at a whopping three to five ounces, and he's four to five inches in length. He/she can hear noises since his tiny bones in his ears are in place and functional! I love that his/her tiny little eyebrows, eyelashes and hair is starting to grow!  The tiny muscles in his body, especially the ones in his back, are gaining strength, so he can straighten out a little more. Thanks to his/her developing facial muscles, baby can make expressive frowns and squints! 

Favorite moment of the week: has to be when Tyler and I went on a hike this past weekend. It was so beautiful & a great time to get to talk to eachother without distractions! Loved getting time away, even if just for a couple of hours!


Miss anything? Miss seeing my precious little nephew. He is doing great and all of the pics my sister sends me are just adorable. 
Movement: none yet!  
Cravings? Cinnamon crunch bagels from panera. 
Sickness? Dull aches in my lower abdomen (uterus)- it's called "round ligament pain" and it occurs when the ligaments stretch to accommodate the size of the growing uterus (womb). 
Gender prediction: I had a dream that I had the baby- I didn't even have to go through labor (wouldn't that be nice!!) and I dreamt that i had a boy!!! He was as cute as could be. Tyler still thinks it could be a girl. We are 5 weeks away from finding out & cannot wait! 
Labor signs: none
Mood/energy: pretty normal
Sleep: like a baby! 
Exercise: considering that all my undertakings right now are pretty active, I am getting plenty of exercise! 
Diet/Weight: I will know for sure at my next appointment on Tuesday! 
Bump: starting to show a tiny bit! I can still fit in all my regular clothes tho! 
Looking forward to: finding out the gender and feeling the first few kicks! It could be any day now! 
Thankful for: the students I am teaching at BHS & at Ballet Yahweh! It has been fun getting to know them better and see them using their God-given talents! 

Until next time-

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  


Sunday, September 20, 2015

15 Weeks "Bumpdate"

15 WEEKS


Baby: Baby Pro is the size of an orange! Weighing in at about 2.5 oz and measuring 4 inches long! 



Something I am super excited about this week is that our baby's bones in his/her ears are hardening, and baby Pro is now able to hear sounds, including my heartbeat, speaking, and breathing!! Since last week the arms and legs have grown longer than the head. This is significant, since the head has been the biggest part of the body until now. Taste buds are forming, and the fingernails and toenails are growing longer by the day. Eyelids are stills fused together but he or she can notice light/dark. 
Favorite moment of the week: On Saturday night, Tyler and I found out that Krispy Kreme Donuts was doing a "dress like a pirate day" to get a free dozen donuts- so obvisouly, we had to do it!!! We quickly went through our closets for anything that closely resembled a pirate and this was the end result!!
Ahoy! We got me booty!!!! Spur of the moment date to get free donuts was a success! We had a fun time throwing this all together. Thanks Krispy Kreme!
Fave moment #2: Finding out a dear friend of mine is pregnant and going to be due around a month after me!! I am so excited to go through this together and I can't wait for our babies to be friends on the outside :)
Movement: Not yet! 
Cravings? Not really!
Sickness? Lately, I have felt pretty normal except random bouts nausea when riding in a car/ congestion/ indigestion- which I found out are common symptoms of pregnancy at 15 weeks. So unfortunately, I'm right on track. :/
Gender prediction: I still feel unsure. Don't really have an "intuition" yet about the gender. Tyler is pretty positive it will be a girl. We would be blessed either way!
Labor signs: None! 
Mood/energy: Still trying to lay down and rest when I feel tired. This week was a whirlwind, as I jumped right in to a busy schedule after I returned from my trip to California. I started teaching dance at Ballet Yahweh, taught 4 fitness classes, and taught the high school girls the tryout routines/ held tryouts on Wed-Fri for the BHS dance team. With all of these things happening this week, my body was pretty tired and sore! It won't be that exhausting every week, so I am ready to get into a schedule and be able to make sure I am getting enough rest and "putting my feet up" as my dad would say. I am loving my new positions at Ballet Yahweh and coaching the high school dance team!
Sleep: Sleeping very well! 
Exercise: Refer to "mood/energy" post above. 
Diet/Weight: Total weight gain thus far is 5 lbs! Supposedly from here on, I should gain somewhere around 1 lb per week until baby comes! Thats a total of around 25-30lbs. Some advice my sister gave me was to not necessarily "eat for two" but just focus on eating nutrient dense foods to make him/her strong and healthy! I definitely try to take snacks with me so I don't have an empty stomach. Baby doesn't like that!  :)
Prayer needs/praises: You can pray that God would continue to help us grow together and prepare us to be a great team while learning together how to raise this child! 
Looking forward to: Feeling the first flutters of the baby's movement! Can't wait! 
Thankful for:
So thankful for a healthy pregnancy so far! Also, very thankful for a great group of friends and community that loves us and encourages us along this journey! Grateful for the great friends God has placed in our lives! 


xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

13 & 14 Weeks "Bumpdate" & 1st Trimester Review


13 WEEKS! 
My 13/14 week update is really special because I am in Santa Barbara, CA as I arrived right on time for my little nephew's arrival.  It has been really fun being able to snuggle, hug and kiss my new nephew Samuel Lee Poverelli.
Here is my little nephew sporting the onesie I gave to my sister and her husband to announce that we were expecting! It was so fun to dress him in the onesie we gave them- it says "Only Grandchild BIG COUSIN!" as he will be a big cousin in March!
Samuel Lee at 4 days old! 
Samuel Lee made his debut bright and early on Sept. 4th 2015. It was perfect timing since we arrived later that night. We saw little Sam for the first time that next morning, 1 day old and as perfect and healthy as could be! He stole our hearts from day one! Mamma, daddy and baby are doing just great and it has been fun to see Stephanie as a mom. She is really enjoying all that motherhood entails and getting to know her little one! I am getting a lot of practice, snuggles, sleepless nights and bonding time as well! It's been such a sweet time of seeing family, taking care of the new mama and baby, and we've gotten to get out and explore some hot spots around here! We've gone to the beach, walked down the famous State street, seen the "mission" and rose gardens, gone shopping, ate at some YUMMY local restaurants and we gone to the farmers market down town & ate at the Wharf on the water. We are trying to soak it all in. 

On the last day in Santa Barbara, I also moved on to the second trimester- 14 weeks!!! 
This outfit was not so good for a bump picture, but still wanted to document the "barely there" bump at 14 weeks! 

Review of my first trimester:


First trimester summary:

It is so hard to believe I am 14 weeks pregnant and starting my second trimester already! 

Baby: In week 13, he or she is already around 3 inches long. baby pro is the size of a peach! 

Tiny vocal cords and teeth are forming! Although he/she is still tiny, she already has her own fingerprints. A crazy fact I did not know is that the baby's intestines are moving from the umbilical cord into its new permanent home in baby's abdomen. In week 14, our Love Bug’s immune system is starting to develop! The immune system will take several months or years after birth for it to reach a healthy, adult level, but he/she’s on her way! 
Bump: Still is not super noticeable, but I can tell it's there! It has not "popped" out to where it would be obvious that i am pregnant. 
Favorite moment of the week: Hearing about the news that my sister delivered a healthy bouncy baby boy! Seeing and holding my new little nephew for the first time was for sure a highlight. I feel like Gods timing could not have been more perfect in helping prepare my heart for motherhood. I already want one of my own after holding and helping with Samuel! Our babies will be 6.5 mos apart. I love being able to ask questions and see my sister being a great mom already! 
Miss anything? Missing my husband a ton!!! It's hard being away from Tyler! Everything is so much better when he is around! We have had a lot of fun the past week but I do wish that he could have come! 
Movement: Not yet! 
Cravings? Loving anything with cinnamon and butter.  Also still loving buttered popcorn in the theater. Occasionally pickles. 
Sickness? Feel so thankful to be feeling completely myself the past week! Symptoms like nasea & headaches have pretty much dissipated. I feel more energetic this week! 
Gender prediction: Considering that we just bought some of the cutest clothes for a little girl, i have a feeling it may be a girl. But I could be entirely wrong! I will find out in 7 more weeks! 
Labor signs: None! 
Mood/energy: Feeling back to my normal self in energy and mood! I do cry easier in sad movies, but no mood swings! 
Sleep: like a rock! 
Exercise: Since we have been in California this week, we have been walking around and exploring most days! We have hiked & walked the beach, walked down state street, explored on a Surrey around Solvang, CA and gone swimming. Tried to do something fun and active every day. Also, I've been on a lot of walks with Samuel. He loves to move! 
Diet/Weight: Eating out a lot this week, so you know how that goes. Lol! I will find out my total weight gain thus far at my next appointment coming up this Tuesday! 
Prayer needs/praises: Praising God that my sister had a great labor and delivery with no complications! Thankful we got here safely and praying we are safe on our return home tomorrow! 
Looking forward to: Having dance team tryouts and starting to teach at Ballet Yahweh next week! Also, debuting a fun new 80's Piyo lesson in group fitness class this week! Better believe I will have some leg warmers on in class!!!
Thankful for: FAMILY that loves the Lord, prays and laughs together! However chaotic it may be when we all get together (we can get pretty loud and crazy lol) , we always know we will have a good time and have a support system no matter what. 

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)