Now You're My Whole Life

23 Weeks How far along?  23 weeks  Baby: Our little lady is growing by the second! Now, she's the size of a grapefruit weighing in at a whopping 12.7 oz - 20.8 oz. She was 11 oz 4 weeks ago, so I am pretty sure she's in the middle of that range. She could also be anywhere from 10.5 - 11.8 inches...crazy she's almost a foot long in my belly!  Total weight gain:   14 lbs  Maternity clothes?  After wearing my regular jeans (unbuttoned and zipped halfway) with my BellaBand I finally had ENOUGH! I have a few pairs of jeans from my sweet friend Mal, but I needed some dressier ones that fit in my boots. I found some at Old Navy and also grabbed a pair of their black pixie pants to dress up my outfits I would typically wear leggings with. My maternity leggings are a bit thin to make it through the winter and last 4 months. My new maternity purchases were delivered yesterday and they fit great! That makes this prego mama happy and I am sure if m...

How far along?  19 weeks (is that for real? WOW!) Baby:  Our sweet girl is the size of a mango (around 6 inches and 8.5 ounces). She is also developing her vernix caseosa to protect her skin from all of the fluid she's hanging out in. Her nerve cells for senses are developing in her brain as well.  Total weight gain:   6 lbs  Maternity clothes? The good thing about being a work from home mama is I don't have to get dressed in work clothes daily. My sweatpants and some tshirts (I like to borrow Ryan's) work perfectly. When I do go out, I have a few shirts and pants I alternate between to keep the bump covered. Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep:  My dreams are still crazy. I wake up and think I have some huge mission or conflict I have to solve. Praise God they are only dreams.  Best moment this week:  This weekend we had our annual Pin It To Win It retreat at Chateau Elan. It was a beautiful time spent with other leaders and ...

How far along?  18 weeks Baby:  Our little girl is the size of a sweet potato. She is about 5 oz. in weight and I get to feel her moving every once in a while (when I am still)!  Total weight gain:   5 lbs  Maternity clothes?  The beband is my favorite invention at this time. Thank God for not having to buy new pants for a bit longer. All of my farther along maternity clothes are for warmer weather. I did have to buy maternity tights to wear to a wedding this weekend. Ryan wondered why they were necessary! I had to explain how "normal" tights would fit this tummy of mine right now.  Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep:  It's been better this week! Best moment this week:  We had a busy one but we really enjoyed seeing friends on Friday night, Natalie and Walt's wedding on Saturday night, dinner with family for Mimi's bday on Sunday, and meeting for small group on Monday. Lots of good food and fun! And then...the SUN cam...

How far along?  16 weeks Baby: We are having a GIRL!  Total weight gain:   4 lbs  Maternity clothes? I am still in my regular jeans: they are a bit stretchy so I can still button them, but it is not comfortable. I have been opting for the BeBand a bit more this week. My shirts are getting a bit snug and feel shorter than they should. I will just continue trying to get wear out of my tunic tops and stretch pants. Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep:  Going well.  Best moment this week:  We loved spending time with our family on Sunday. They were all so excited to learn what Baby Doss 2.0 is.  Miss anything?  Nope, I am enjoying this part of pregnancy!  Movement:  It's a tiny little movement, but I feel the baby most at night when I sit still and in the morning before I get out of bed. Right now it is such a light couple of kicks, but I know that it won't be long until Vann and Ryan can feel her kicking ...

How far along?  15 weeks and 3 days Baby: The baby is as big as a navel orange!   * Baby is making lots of movements even though I can't feel them because the joints and limbs can all move now.  *Baby's proportions are becoming even more normal since the legs now outmeasure the arms.  *The avg. baby at 15 weeks weighs 2.5 oz and measures 4 inches.  Total weight gain:   4 lbs Maternity clothes?  I have been loving my maternity leggings. If you are pregnant, do yourself a favor and get some. They are the most. comfortable. article. of. clothing. EVER!  Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep: I have slept much better the last few nights and wake up feeling more energy than the last 3 months. This makes me happy!  Best moment this week:  We know the gender of our sweet baby! On Wednesday we had our appointment, but it was hard for the ultrasound tech to see. We had all gone in and were so bummed when we weren't able t...

How far along?  14 weeks on Tuesday! My energy is up a bit more and feeling more like myself! Thank God! Our sweet baby is the size of a lemon!  Total weight gain:   2.5 lbs Maternity clothes? Just wearing non-fitted tops and my stretchy jeans. It seems that is doing the trick for now. I am hoping with all of the tunics and longer tops out there that will be what I can wear in the winter time. I was pregnant with Vann in the Spring and Summer, so all of my maternity clothes are for that season.  Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep:  I find myself waking up at least once at night and it takes me about 15-20 min to fall back asleep. My sis is a L&D nurse and works nightshifts, so I can typically text her and chat for a bit!  Best moment this week:  Ryan and I had our 6 year anniversary this weekend! We are headed to celebrate soon.  Miss anything?  I have noticed that I started sleeping on my belly and back a lot more...

Time seems to be flying by with this sweet pregnancy. Baby Doss 2.0 is growing and is the size of a sweet GA peach this week!  How far along?  13 weeks today! Now I am officially into the 2nd trimester which is crazy...I feel like even though the 1st trimester was awful symptoms wise, it went so fast! Total weight gain:   2 lbs, but it feels like 20!  Maternity clothes? I've used the BeBand a couple of times, but I haven't dug into the maternity clothes in storage yet.  Stretch marks?  Nope Sleep: I could sleep a lot! On Saturday night I got in bed at 9:22 which is not typical for me! I normally try to get in bed around 10 pm and doze off a bit after that. I wake up several times through the night to drink water or get Vann back to sleep if he wakes up and needs me.  Best moment this week:  On Sunday, Vann started rubbing my tummy while we were sitting on the couch. He leaned in and started whispering to the baby. Then...

I say it way too much, but the truth is that time is going by quicker than we ever imagined. Ryan and I have watched our sweet baby grow into a 2 year old right before our eyes. We celebrated his second birthday with sweet friends and family who are all there to support and love on Vann! After going through many "themes" for his party, we asked Vann what he wanted. He would answer the same each time, "cake and ice cream". Simple enough. But this mama needed a theme to start planning. We'd throw out different options and his consistent answer was "cool cars", so I got busy. I have never been much for the traditional go to the party store, pay an arm and a leg for decor that's pre-printed with the characters, and then throw it up and expect it to look different. I get this from my mom. I think I have shared before that we had some amazing birthday celebrations that my mom concocted like a costume party, carnival with different booths, barbie part...