26 Weeks

How Far Along? 26 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: A little over 8 pounds

Have You Started to Show? Oh baby, have I ever! Our little boy went through a huge growth spurt this week. I can definitely tell that he is getting bigger when I look at myself in the mirror.

Stretch Marks? None so far thank goodness.

Belly Button? Depends on whom you ask. If you ask Nick, my belly button in still in, however, I think it has started to pop out a bit. When I look down at my belly button it is no longer flat but slightly raised. I’m not real happy about this but it’s just a part of pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes? I just bought a cute pair of Lilac Clothing black skinny maternity pants from Nordstrom. They are so comfortable and I know I will wear them all the time with my tall boots this fall and winter. They feel like wearing stretch pants but have pockets and a fake zipper so they are much more stylish. It’s so nice to be able to find fashionable maternity pants.

Symptoms: This week was sort of a funny week. I was really tired a couple different days and I also experienced a very tight and uncomfortable tummy at the same time. After a couple days of the tiredness and tight tummy I stepped on the scale and figured out why. I gained all my weight for the week in those couple days. It so interesting to see the correlation with how I’m feeling and how Baby Morelli is growing. I also had a couple random headaches this week. I know they are not caused from dehydration because I drink a minimum of 65 oz of water everyday, so I guess it’s just another random part of pregnancy.

Movement? This week was a really exciting week for movement! Our little man was as active as ever, but I experienced a few new sensations that I haven’t yet felt. Nick and I were lying in bed and I was propped up against my pregnancy pillow when I felt either an arm or a leg move across the top of my belly from the right side to the left. It was so amazing! I have felt his head or his bottom move across several times, but this was an entirely new sensation! I can also feel either his arms or his legs (maybe even both) stretching way out to the right side and the left side of my belly at times. He is taking full advantage of all the room he has right now. I did experience all the typical kicks, punches, rolling and twitching that I feel every week. I truly love experiencing all this movement from my son. I can’t wait to see if he is just as active after he arrives!

Sleep? Much better this week. Nick and I started listening to our HypnoBirthing relaxation and visualization CDs this week and they have really helped me sleep better and longer each night. I have been waking up around 1 or 2 in the morning to go to the bathroom and after I usually have trouble falling back asleep. Since we stated listening to the CDs I have been able to fall back asleep and stay asleep until 5 or 6 (HUGE improvement for me). I only make it a few minutes into the CDs at night before I pass out, so they really must work!

Exercise? I had my last prenatal yoga session Monday and now my instructor is off to Bali for 5 weeks. She has given us lost of exercises and poses to practice while she is gone and I think I will also sign up for the unlimited streaming yoga from GaiamTV. Nick and I also took the doggies on several 2-mile walks this week. We had to coax Addy every time, but she relented when she realized that I could be more stubborn than her.  

Food Cravings: Nectarines, cottage cheese, cheeseburgers and banana blueberry smoothies with coconut oil, peanut butter, chobani greek yogurt and my Nano protein and greens supplement. Our neighbors and really close friends, Greg and Kristi, have an amazing garden and several fruit trees. I ran out of organic nectarines from Costco on Friday and didn’t have time to go to the store on Saturday because we had our HypnoBirthing classes and I met my brother for lunch right after. When I got home from enjoying some really special brother sister time I saw a huge bowl of nectarines sitting on our table. Our wonderful neighbors picked them from their tree and brought them over while I was gone! They are so delicious-better than candy! I eat about 6 every day! I have also still been craving cottage cheese and cheeseburgers. I eat a 1-pound container in about a day to a day and a half. I also can’t eat enough beef. I want cheeseburgers almost every night for dinner. We recently split a half of a cow from the Selkirk Ranch with our friends Joel and Michele. It is the best organic grass fed, grass finished beef we have had! I also had a really great cheeseburger from the café in Pilgrim’sMarket-my favorite natural and organic grocery store. Now for the smoothies! Nick and I purchased a VitaMix from Costco a couple years ago and we use it daily for smoothies, soups, sauces, etc. We normally have kale smoothies in the morning, but lately I’ve switched it up to banana blueberry. Here is my smoothie recipe that we are currently enjoying:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup of frozen organic blueberries (just an estimate, I just dump a whole bunch in)
• 4 heaping spoonfulls of vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
• 3 TBS of Nutiva organic coconut oil (again just an estimate, I just scoop a whole bunch out and dump it in)
• ½ cup Adams Natural Chunky peanut butter (I did just grind some peanut butter at Pilgrim’s Market yesterday so I will be trying that out instead)
• 2 scoops of BioPharma NanoPro Immune vanilla protein powder
• 2 scoops of BioPharma NanoGreens Strawberry vegetable and fruit superfood
• Almond milk to desired consistency

Blend it up and enjoy! I don’t add ice since I freeze my fresh fruit for our smoothies, but if I use fresh fruit I add a little ice.

Food Aversions: No change here – chicken still turns my stomach!

Happy or Moody? Happy, but emotional. I have been a little extra emotional this week and have cried a few times. One time was just out of frustration with some business stuff that I normally wouldn’t cry about and the other was at our HypnoBirthing class on Saturday. The tears at HypnoBirthing were happy emotional tears. Mary, our instructor had us go through a prenatal bonding exercise with our baby. Nick and I each read a list of promises to the baby while we rubbed my belly. I made it through a few lines and then I burst into tears. I was choked up reading the rest, but I made it through. Then when Nick had his turn to read to our son the tears just continued! I’m not used to being so emotional so it’s always tough when I can’t control my tears. I was just so overwhelmed with the emotion of bonding with our baby and thinking about how soon he will be in our arms. I know this last trimester will fly by!

Miss Anything? Coffee. Starbucks now has their fall pumpkin spice lattés and I really wish I could just pop in and grab one whenever the mood strikes me!

Nursery Progress: Nothing new this week, but I am getting very excited for our furniture to arrive. I also registered at Amazon and Target since my baby shower is quickly approaching. I love all the items on my Amazon registry! My Target registry has a pretty decent selection of organic and eco friendly options as well. I’m really excited to see what people pick out for our little man!

Best Moment This Week: Since our HypnoBirthing class on Saturday Nick and I have been focusing more on our prenatal bonding with our son. We were sitting on the back patio one afternoon this week just enjoying the beautiful late summer weather when Baby Morelli decided it was time to play. Nick had his hand on my belly and we were both just lying on the couch enjoying all his movement when all of a sudden he kicked really hard right where Nick’s hand was resting. Nick looked at my belly and said, “Wow, you’re really strong! What are you doing in there?” I LOVE it when Nick talks to the baby! I can’t even begin to explain the connection I feel when talks to my belly. It just makes me love him on a whole different level.

Looking Forward to: So many things! Our next HypnoBirthing class, our nursery furniture arriving, my baby shower and a possible trip to GreenBluff with my hubby!

25 Weeks

How Far Along? 25 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 7 ½ pounds

Have You Started to Show? Yes. I’m definitely noticing the changes in my belly from week to week. I can really tell he is growing like crazy!

Stretch Marks? No. I lotion and oil up twice daily so I hope that helps!

Belly Button? In, but it’s very flat. I keep pushing it back in hoping that will help. Probably wishful thinking on my part.

Maternity Clothes? Nothing new this week. I will need a maternity coat soon though.

Symptoms: The last few days my stomach has felt really tight and uncomfortable. I know it’s just my uterus practicing, but I also think the fact that I have gained a pound has contributed to the tightness.

Movement? Our little boy loves his personal jungle gym! He flips, turns, twitches, kicks and punches all the time! One morning this week I was sitting in my chair sipping my pregnancy tea and I looked down and noticed that my stomach was lopsided! Nick and I really got a kick out of my lopsided belly! Baby Morelli really favors my right side and now he has discovered that he can kick me on the far right side of my belly too!

Sleep? This week I have been really uncomfortable at night so I haven’t slept well. With my belly feeling so tight it’s hard to get comfortable. I have also been waking up to pee 3-4 times a night. Last night I had pregnancy insomnia and I was wide awake from 2 AM until 5 AM – thank goodness for my iPad!

Exercise? I had a really great prenatal yoga session this week. My yoga instructor will be teaching one more class and then she leaves for her Bali trip. I’m really going to miss my prenatal session with her! Nick and I have been walking the doggies every day and have gone on the 2-mile loop several times this week as well. Nick, Harrison and I love the 2-mile loop but our little princess Addy needs lots of coaxing to go the full 2 miles.

Food Cravings: Nectarines, Chobani Greek Yogurt and cottage cheese. Our designated Broker, Dan, was eating cottage cheese at the office and I wanted to grab it out of his hand and eat it! I had to make a special trip to the store just to buy some.

Food Aversions: Chicken and anything that smells greasy. Nick and I were driving by the valley mall this week and when I smelled something greasy I thought I was going to throw up.

Happy or Moody? Happy now, but I did have an emotional day on Saturday. I think I just need a good cry. It’s very strange to just feel the urge to cry since I’m not typically a person why cries very often.

Miss Anything? Coffee. I get my fix by smelling Nick’s coffee in the morning.

Nursery Progress: I picked up an adorable Burt’s Bees organic cotton sleeper with little blue bees on it and a darling Splendid camo print cardigan! I also received a package in the mail from my dear friend Shannon. She sent Baby Morelli an adorable lone sleeve/long pant onesie with a bear on the front and two pairs of matching socks! Shannon is so thoughtful and I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful friend like her!

Best Moment This Week: My mom and my brother’s girlfriend, Kendra, are throwing me a baby shower on November 8^th. Saturday we had a planning party and it was so fun! We picked out the invitations from Tiny Prints and they should arrive this week. I am in love with the invitations, they are exactly what I wanted! My mom and Kendra have some great ideas and I am really looking forward to my baby shower!

Looking Forward to: Continuing our hypnobirthing classes and listening to our relaxation CD at night. We had our first class on Saturday and Nick and I both loved it! I know it was definitely the right choice in birthing classes. Mary Long, our instructor, talked us through a relaxation and visualization exercise and showed us some hypnobirthing videos. She also touched on various topics in the book that we have read about. I know that Nick and I are really going to enjoy using hyonobirthing!

24 Weeks

How Far Along? 24 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 6 ½ pounds

Have You Started to Show? Yes. When people rub my tummy Nick likes to put his hand on it too and tell them it’s just like a basketball. My husband is so darn cute!

Stretch Marks? No. I had a scare that I saw a stretch mark but it just turned out to be a line from my nightgown that left an red indentation for a little bit after I woke up.

Belly Button? In, but it’s pretty even with the rest of my belly. I did discover that I have a freckle on the inside of my belly button. However, I’m not sure how I feel about discovering that.

Maternity Clothes? My maternity jeans from Nordstrom arrived this week. I need the Paige jeans in a smaller size but the Citizen jeans are prefect! I need to have them hemmed, but I know I will get some great use out of them.

Symptoms: For some reason I have felt a little nauseous on and off this week again. I also had a killer calf cramp one night this week. I moved my foot down to stretch it out and it radiated up my leg! We hadn’t walked for a couple days so I think that contributed to the cramp. Since then we have been walking every night and they haven’t returned.

Movement? Our little man is super active! I love every kick, punch and summersault! He loves to join in while I do yoga and it is so amazing to see what positions he likes best. Whenever we do inversions with our legs up the wall he kicks up a storm!

Sleep? Pretty good this week. I have started to have dreams about giving birth, except I can’t ever remember the actual birth. I also have experienced some crazy breastfeeding dreams lately.

Exercise? I love my yoga and walking. Nick and I are trying to soak up the nice evening weather while we still can. I also looked into the Gaiam TV yoga and I think I will sign up for that soon as well. They have a free 10-day trial and after the trial it’s only $9.95 a month for unlimited streaming. They have 11 prenatal yoga sessions that I think I will really like.

Food Cravings: Nectarines and really any other fresh organic fruit. I have also started to crave hard-boiled farm fresh eggs again.

Food Aversions: Chicken. I still can’t even stomach the though of eating chicken. I don’t even like to look at it in the grocery store.

Happy or Moody? Happy, happy, happy! Nick and I have enjoyed feeling and watching our little boy move this week. It makes me so happy whenever he feels my tummy or watches our son kick. We have experienced so much movement together this week and I truly cherish those moments.

Miss Anything? Balance. I normally have really great balance at yoga, but this week while we were in tree pose I was more or a leaning and then falling tree. I hope my balance gets back to normal.

Nursery Progress: My Organic Caboose one-size cloth diapers and Growing Greens one-size diapers arrived this week. They are so soft and super cute! I also purchased some Disana wool diaper covers from A Small Green Footprint and am in love with them! I can’t wait to start lanolize my covers! My whole order came from A Small Green Footprint and Sandy, the lady who owns the shop, is super helpful! I had several questions before I placed my order and she answered all my questions promptly via email and even had some great suggestion for me. I love all the products on her website and she has great prices. The hemp rug I order also arrived but it’s not as soft as I was hoping it would be. I may keep it for our living room, but I need to find a different option for the nursery.

Best Moment This Week: My dad found baby picture of me in the basket that is now sitting in our nursery. The basket is all covered with blankets but it’s still so awesome to have!

Looking Forward to: Starting our hypnobirthing classes this Saturday! We have almost finished our book and are very excited to start our classes so we can practice all the techniques we have been reading about.

23 Weeks

How Far Along? 23 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 6 pounds

Have You Started to Show? Yes. Now when I go places people want to touch or rub my belly. I know some women don’t like this, but I can’t get enough of it!

Stretch Marks? None so far. I oil and/or lotion twice daily so hopefully that helps.

Belly Button? In. Every time I tell Nick that I think it looks like a cat butt he tells me I have a beautiful pregnant body. My husband is too sweet!

Maternity Clothes? I ordered a pair of Citizen maternity jeans from Nordstrom and a pair of Paige ankle maternity jeans as well. I feel fall in the air already so I want to make sure I’m prepared.

Symptoms: I have definitely felt more tired this week. Baby Morelli must be going through a growth spurt. I have also been experiencing some pretty intense heartburn. I have some papaya enzymes that I take and when I remember to take them they really help, but sometimes I wake up with heartburn and I can’t drag myself out of bed to get them.

Movement? As usual we had another very active week. I feel him kick, punch, twitch and flip all the time. All those little movements are so amazing and I just love feeling our son move around inside me!

Sleep? I have actually had several great nights of sleep but I still wake up tired. I have also started to have dreams about saving baby animals.

Exercise? My prenatal yoga teacher is back from her vacation so I had an awesome prenatal yoga session this week. Nick and I have also been soaking up the last bit of summer on our daily walks with the doggies. I did just find out that my yoga instructor is leaving for a 5-week yoga-training trip to Bali. She leaves in 3 or 4 weeks. I’m excited to see what she learns and will pass on when she gets back, but I’m bummed that she wont be here. She did give us a few referrals for prenatal yoga in Spokane, but I really prefer the drive to Coeur d’Alene. She also gave us a great website, www.gaiamtv.com, to check out and said they have a few prenatal instructors on there as well. I have a feeling that may be the way to go.

Food Cravings: Chobani Greek Yogurt. I think I eat several bowls a day. I love it plain or with fruit and granola.

Food Aversions: Chicken.

Happy or Moody? Happy. I am really enjoying my pregnancy. It is so amazing to experience all the different changes my body is going through.

Miss Anything? Coffee. Every time I smell coffee I want to take one small sip so badly, but I know that I wouldn’t be able to stop at one sip.

Nursery Progress: I ordered a rug for our little man’s nursery this week. Sticking with my eco-friendly theme I found a gray and brown Jiya Flat-Woven Hemp Rug from World Market. Nick and my mom both really liked it. I can’t wait to see it in person!

Best Moment This Week: For months I have been asking my dad to look in his shop at the ranch for a basket that my mom put both my brother and myself in for naps. I really thought that it was in there and I wanted it for our little man. My dad told me a few weeks ago that he had looked everywhere and couldn’t find it. I was really bummed. Last Friday we took my dad out to his ranch and I just had to look in the shop at the barn. I walked into the storage room expecting to see the basket sitting in there like I remembered, however, I was mistaken. We then went down to the house to see the recent bathroom remodels. My dad was showing us how he had rearranged his furniture in the living room to accommodate his pool table and there was the basket! He had it the whole time and just wanted to surprise me! Of course I started crying! I just couldn’t believe that it was right there in front of me! I’m typically not a sentimental person, but I really wanted to have this basket to put our little sleeping boy in and eventually pass it down to our children. The basket now has a new home in the nursery and is just waiting for Baby Morelli!

Looking Forward to: Picking a name for our little man. We have it narrowed down and have one name in particular that we have been calling him, but nothing official yet.