Glucose test!

Today Ben and I had another appt. with the midwife :) Everything appeared great and on track! Blood pressure remains great and the swelling in my feet is not seen as a threat, actually the midwife mentioned that edema in the lower extremities isnt even in the pre-eclampsia triad like it use to be. So for me not to worry. This was very reassuring! Then I had to drink the "yummy" pure glucose drink, followed by blood work an hour later which tests for gestational diabetes risks. It wasnt terrible but it was quite sugary and has left me with a headache this afternoon! Otherwise all is well- and the nursery closet is now a lovely shade of orange! Progress seems to be coming along, other than the horrible mess that I have made in the nursery as a result of trying to clean it out. I guess sometimes cleaning = mess before it is actually clean ;)

The lovely drink they force down you:

                         

..and a few new reveal photos that were given to me! 

26 weeks

Hello!! Last week, 26 weeks, brought more swelling and puffiness! What fun! Today we are in our 27th week and my only real fear at this point is that i would have to be put on bed rest at any point before my due date. We only get 16 weeks off for maternity leave and if you have to go any sooner, your timer starts ticking. So it would cut into my actual time off postpartum. Which worries me.. but the flip side is that I could just be turning into a blimp and theres no true concern at all behind it...esp. since my blood pressure has been fine. We have our next appt. wednesday so we shall see! 

In other news, we believe we have made a crib decision :) It was between the Jenny Lind crib, which is what I had when I was a baby and I just adore, and the Eden Madison 90210 crib. The Jenny lind is timeless and beautiful- and I just love it, while the Eden crib is very modern and different which I also love bc its not something ive seen a million times. The thing that may have narrowed it down for us is that fact that both cribs turn into toddler then full size beds, and the jenny lind may not be as favored by a young boy. It is more of a baby boy/ nursery style rather than an adolescent boy style! It has spindles that look more feminine once turned into a full size bed. 

Jenny Lind Crib:

Jenny lind with conversion:

Eden Crib:

Eden with Conversion

Also new this week, Ben was stung by a wasp yesterday and his foot became more swollen than mine! So we had to take advantage of the opportunity and photograph both of us suffering from pitting edema  at the same time haha :)

My foot---><---Bens

Yesterday mom and I went out and bought foam for the cradle that Pappy made for me when I was born. My twin cousins used it again 4 years later and now its time for Baby B to spend some time in it :)

 Then we lined it with a water proof pad and bought a cradle sheet for it... Voila! 

We ordered closet organizers from ebay and after arriving, I modge podged scrap book paper and numbers on them to separate his clothes...

Video of baby b kicking!!!

Last weeks photo; 26 weeks:

nursery brainstorms...

Today I believe we made our nursery colors official- sounds so important haha! The once guest room was  painted sea foam green ( a turquoise/ aqua color ) with the knowledge that it would probably one day become a nursery- and we planned to paint it a color that would be a great nursery color as well. So we are very happy with the wall color. But choosing a color to compliment it has been a little bit more of the tougher decision. After scouring pinterest and other sites, I had narrowed my likings down to yellow, orange or a light green. In the end, orange is the winner. We feel like its bright enough to stimulate the baby and fun enough to keep it eclectic and interesting. I didnt want a "boys" room of royal or navy blue and dark primary colors- i kind of get tired of the pigeon hold that gets placed on boys to only want those typical colors and also the idea that they must have a "boys" theme such as cars or heavy machinery!  I would like something light, airy, interesting yet chic and modern. The walls will remain aqua, furniture is all white and there will be accents of orange (with the possibility of black in the bedding as well)...
some examples of the colors next to each other....

25th week :)

Saturday marked 26 weeks (26th photo to come)!! Time is flying! Last week, our 25th week,  Ben and I prepared for our "last trip", aka baby-moon for just the two of us.  We couldn't help but feel kind of selfish and sad- and know that next years trips will include this new little person! And that makes us excited yet nervous- but happy to introduce this little one into the world of travel and exploring! And we've met many ppl who tell us traveling is out of the question and we wont be able to do it....maybe YOU cant do it, but life must go on with and for this new little edition! And exposing our son to these things is very important to us, so we cant wait to prove those ppl wrong. In fact, talk of the next trip is already in the works :) 

We cruised this past week and had a fabulous time! We sailed with Ben's parents- who had never been with us before, my uncle Mike and Ronnie and my parents. We were nervous traveling pregnant but had faith all would be wonderful, and it was! I had some huge kankles and feet for the length of the trip (as we NEVER sat down or slowed down the whole 9 days) but otherwise felt great! I was able to wear only 2 pairs of the shoes I had packed so that was a bummer, but I kept reminding myself that this is a temporary side effect! Baby B kicked all week and is so long I can now feel him on both of my sides- the baby book says he's about 15 inches now! During the cruise, I didnt get to do any of the fun adventurous activities that were available, but I did get to feed him 5 star cuisine all week and Im thinking he was a happy boy since dinner every night was when he was the most active :)

 I must say, I am quite grateful for an easy, uneventful trip with an awesome group of people. Baby B is now a seasoned cruiser :) So, whats next post womb? We'll just have to wait and see I suppose! On the do to list now that we're back...

1. decide what to do about school next semester

2. decide on a nursery and all that goes in it

3. pick this child a name! 

4. plan a baby shower

How far along?  26 weeks 

Total weight gain: 19lb..... oh goodness, I gained 4 lb. since my last weigh in- im sure at least 2 of that was from the cruise week, and for the 1st time i cant rush home and work it off :( 

Maternity clothes? yep

Stretch marks? Besides the one mark i think i spotted, i see none- plus spent a nice penny on Elemis 

Japanese Camellia Oil from the spa for my tummy- ill combine that with the other million products im using on it everyday ;)

Sleep? love it!

Best moment this week: Taking baby on his "first" adventure

Miss Anything? having ankle bones

Movement: yes :)

Food cravings: sweets are making their way back in to my life

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Have you started to show yet: oh yes :)

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs:  no- and hopefully none any time soon!

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On but off a few times during the trip- the caribbean heat wasnt nice to the size of my fingers! now that we're home my rings are where they belong again

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy

Looking forward to: beginning to buy nursery items

25th week photo:

Vacation fun:

It was mothers day the day we boarded the Ship and flowers were being given to all the mommys and mommys-to be :)

24 weeks and a name???

This past weekend marked 24 weeks- aka 6 months!!! Baby B is growing very fast suddenly and can be felt most of the time! He is getting cramped i do believe and hes no where close to being fully cooked! I was able to lay in the bath a few nights ago and watch my stomach have little convulsions everywhere he went! Hes still small enough to really move about the cabin but big enough to be seen and felt! I know soon this stage will be gone and he will just fill the space completely and the days of bouncing around with tons of room will be long gone! For now, I am happy to not yet have him kicking any organs or pushing my ribs into my collar bone haha! Now that school is out for the semester, we must also come up with a name!! What a hard decision to be made- I mean, you have to live with it FOREVER! And so far, we agree on nothing! Plus, I can not believe we only have 3 months left???!! The time is flying by and I dont feel nearly ready! I am debating over school and what to do with myself next semester....And i know i MUST make a decision! SOON! But for now I will post the 24 week photo and await the next 2 days- when we will pack up and leave for our last trip as just Ben and Mandy....Its crazy to think that.....part of me feels like thats the end of our freedom and ability to just "get up and go" and then part of me knows Ill look back one day and wonder how we ever vacationed without this little boy! I am excited to get to show him lots of new places though :) But for now, this trip shall count as our Babymoon and he'll just have to come along for the ride- literally! I feel like im sneaking cargo onto the plane and ship haha- and maybe he'll nab himself a souvenir while were out exploring :) I also wonder, and fear, how much weight
I'll gain while on this cruise, since for the 1st time, I wont be able to just work it off when i come home!...oh well, I hope he likes the 5 star meals he about to devour!

23 weeks!

Hello! Tomorrow I am 24 weeks so this post is a little late in the week but better late than never! Im nearing the end of this semester with only one week left so ive been a little busy! Since the reveal party, things have been going great! I ran out the next day and bought tons of clothes that would be "ben" approved lol- total rocker in the making- or ballerina if he so chooses ;) it was just so much fun to finally shop for a gender! not the neutral bore that exists out there!

 I can feel this baby kicking more and more, and especially at night laying down, he goes crazy! I can put my hand on my stomach and just feel him going bananas in there! its really the coolest thing i must say! I feel like im growing by the day and hoping to only be growing in the tummy, although even sweat pants are feeling tighter in my hips so i know somethings expanding! its a little sad but i keep telling myself its normal and my body's getting ready for birth! and for all those girls who (say) it didnt happen to- well they are lying, im convinced! :)

Other than some fluid retention in my shins and ankles some days, everything is well- and i can usually tell that only happens after 12 hour days at work ( even with my compression hose on!) and not enough water...Blood pressure is fine so for now we chalk it up to normal pregnancy progression and being a nurse! long days on my feet minus not enough water breaks= kankles, or as i called them Mankles (muffin top ankles)...

23 weeks:

How far along?  23 weeks

Total weight gain: 15 lb- im getting less brave to weigh haha

Maternity clothes? yep

Stretch marks? Im afraid i may have found one ( *tear down my face!*) but idk if its new or maybe from puberty and im just now noticing bc im being a stretch mark nazi???)

Sleep? love it!

Best moment this week: feeling so much of the baby kicking :) oh and the day when he used my bladder as a trampoline ;) 

Miss Anything? feeling thinner and able to bend however id like haha

Movement:yes finally more! 

Food cravings: hahaha - my mom loves this one- MILKSHAKES! im addicted and before pregnancy hated ice cream! i know its super cliche, but i want a shake all the time! ive only had 3 to date, bc my pre-pregnancy self knows its just wrong! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: so far so good

Have you started to show yet: oh yes :)

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs:  no- and hopefully none any time soon!

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On but in the mornings my hands feel really puffy now, making the rings impossible to remove! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy

Looking forward to: Taking him on his first cruise next week!