~Sixteen Weeks!~

So I WISH that 16 weeks meant I am exactly 4 months along, but then I would end up being pregnant for 10 months, so I'll just stick with the week count... only 24 more weeks to go!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting weekly updates, I started a couple, but with school and exams monopolizing most of my time, I haven't had much time for this blog...

Pregnancy Highlights this week:

How far along are you?

16 weeks

Size of Baby S:

The baby is the size of an avocado!

Total weight gain:

I haven't checked this week, but last week I was still down .5 lb from when we found out!

Maternity/Regular Clothes:

I can still fit into regular clothes, but my chef pants for school are getting too tight to sit down in with the button done up.

I would try the elastic trick, but I've only got one week left, so I'll just deal with the discomfort.

Gender:

We're not finding out. I want to, but if I find out, Hubby will know within minutes, and he doesn't want to know.

Movement:

There are butterflies in there!

I've felt a few slight movements. I've been really attentive, waiting to feel what I remember, and the first few times, I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I've felt little flutterings!

Sleep:

I like to sleep on my belly, and with Monkey, I was able to do that until at least the half way mark before it became uncomfortable. It's already been uncomfortable for a few weeks, so I've been sleeping on my side.

I sleep well, with a few strange dreams, but I am woken up quite early with the need to run to the bathroom... I guess even without weight gain, I've already got pressure on my bladder from this little one.

What I miss:

Staying up all day without wanting to take a nap.

I was told that the tiredness would go away, but I guess that running after a 2-year old is tiring me out.

I'm trying to cut down on coffee and tea, because while I don't have a problem with having a few cups (I'm not super strict on what to/what not to eat), I don't want to rely on caffeine to keep my energy up

Cravings:

I'm still craving salty foods. I went out to get dropjes (dutch salted licorice) this week so I could get my fix.

I've been really wanting chicken wings, which are not the best health-wise, but at least I'm eating chicken again!

Symptoms:

I've still got some nausea with a few foods, but for the most part it's gone.

I haven't had much acid reflux, just a bit when I do a lot of bending, or wear really tight waisted pants.

My hands are super dry, and unfortunately I haven't been able to find any of the three bottles of my favourite kind is Aveeno. The lotion is thick, but not greasy, and it doesn't have scents that make my skin break out. I've been using it for years, and it is one of my MUST HAVES for my own personal pregnancy list.

Best Moment of this Week:

When I wake up in the morning, and my baby belly is recognizable as pregnancy, and not just too many treats...

Also, I was finally able to schedule an appointment with the doctor at the clinic who will be following the rest of my pregnancy!

Equipment/Purchases for the Baby:

We've been looking for a carseat, but this week, my mom told us that she wants to buy us one as her present to us. So that's, one less item to worry about!

I've been slowly buying baby clothes for a girl because if we have a boy, we're covered, but we've got next to nothing for a baby girl. So far I've bought some sleepers and onesies for different ages, but I'm hoping to pick up a whole bunch of clothes this summer at yard sales!

~A

WILW: Schools (Almost) Out Forever!

Good Morning! It's raining today, but today rain is making me happy, so in my mind, it's a very good morning.

Today is another What I Love Wednesday, linked up to Jamie... head over there for lots of other LOVE-ly things!

Today I'm loving...

{one}

... the challenge of communicating without spoken words! My poor Hubby lost his voice this morning, and can barely even whisper. To someone who works on the phones all day, your voice is your most important asset, so he's resting... but this provides quite the challenge in communication.

We're blessed that Hubby took a couple ASL (American Sign Language) courses last year, so he's quite good at signing to me... however, I'm hopeless at translating, and he's had to finger spell most of the words he's signing until I get it.

I'm sure it's a little frustrating for him, but we've also had some great laughs, and we've learned that Monkey is much quieter when we sign to him instead of speaking.

{two}

... that today is my last practical exam of my college career! We have a team exam this afternoon, for which we're creating a Greek menu of:

Chicken (and something, it's not my dish)

Orzo Pilaf with Grilled Vegetables

Olive Bread with Tzatziki

Greek cookies or doughnuts with a honey sauce.

It should be yummy, and I'm just looking forward to a fun-filled class!

{three}

... that I get to visit my family this weekend! Hubby has a course on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so Monkey and I are heading to my parents place on Friday afternoon for a great weekend! I'm hoping to get some gardening tips from my dad since I'm trying to grow a garden this year for the first time.

{four}

... my container garden is sprouting like CRAZY! All my pots have sprouts, and my zucchini plants are a few inches high already! I've got 5 types of tomatoes, some herbs, and some peppers as well, and they're all popping up. I'm really excited about trying to grow something myself. What a great way to teach Monkey where food comes from!

{five}

... and of course, I love my two favourite guys. I was watching Hubby "read" a book this morning to Monkey, and he was signing each animal's name. Seeing the two of them together makes my heart swell.

~A

How Fast Can You Eat Cake?

Tonight we played host to about 25 people (teens and their chaperones) for dessert.

It was part of a youth event that had the young people traveling around our city to 5 different houses for a different part of the meal at each house.

We got to host the dessert portion, and I'll just say it was a HUGE hit...

I made a strawberry and brownie trifle, and it was gone almost instantly. It's a good thing I snapped these pictures, because AS I was taking them, the crowd descended on the apartment, and if I'd waited even 2 minutes, the trifle would have been demolished.

top view

side view

I made some mini trifles that didn't have brownies or chocolate bar crumbs in them (because of a nut allergy). I also had some gingerbread cookies on hand that I'd baked earlier this week, and quite a few of them were enjoyed as well.

The kids came, ate, and left within 7 minutes... It was like a hurricane, but thankfully we had plastic plates and utensils, so clean-up involved almost no work.

I'm not sure if we would volunteer again (the noise would have woken a normal child, but Monkey slept right through) but we had fun.

Or at least we survived...

~A

As Kids Say it...

Monkey's speech is really coming along, but there are times when he says something to me that just cracks me up...

Today we were reading a book about animals found in nature:

Me: What animal is this?

Monkey: ummm a chicken-munk.

Last night he was trying to get me to go to bed. (Note, he pronounces his own middle name "Nick-is")

Daddy: tell Mommy to go to bed.

Monkey: "Mommy Nick-is Steed. Go to bed!

The other night, Monkey was coughing and crying from having a sore throat from coughing, so I was looking for his cough medicine. This isn't something he said, but I had a really good laugh after this conversation took place.

Me (to Hubby): Where's (Monkey's) cough medicine?

Hubby (half asleep): It's with his education.

Me: What?!

Hubby: His education. Don't laugh.

I've got no idea where his "education" was, but I found the medicine on a book shelf in the living room.

Any funny things your kids have said lately?

~A

WILW: April is Here!

Good Morning! It's April!

We had to scrape off the windshield this morning because of frost, but I don't mind because there is NO SNOW on the ground, and we've had weather that's almost t-shirt worthy recently!

I'm loving many things this week, and as usual, I'm linking up to Jamie. Go on over to her blog to see what others are loving this great April day.

{one}

I love April Fools Day... I know it was last week, but I didn't share the great trick I played on my mom...

I called her up in the morning, and after talking for a while, I told her about the ultrasound I had the previous day... and then I told her that THIS was the result:

(for those of you who know what this is, it's a TWIN ultrasound).

To say she was shocked is an understatement. Fortunately for her, I was only able to keep myself from laughing for a few seconds before I told her it was a joke.

There's a part of me that now worries that there might actually be two, but I had an ultrasound at 9 weeks, and there was just one.

{two}

I love great friends. Last week we had dinner at our friends place twice, and this week we had a friend of mine over for supper and to help me make cookies.

I love laughing together and having people you can be comfortable being yourself with. Not to mention I love getting together over meals... Food always tastes better when you share it with friends.

{three}

I love that my final projects of my post-secondary education are finally complete!

I had two written projects due last week, and then two presentations yesterday, and the feeling of being done all that work is such a relief.

I'll be sad to see the end of this stage of my life, but at the same time, I'm really glad that I can just enjoy the last few weeks without homework hanging over my head!

{four}

I love long warm baths and big glasses of cold milk, and I especially love that my wonderful husband pampered me last night with both those things as well as dinner in bed, and a night off from Monkey-duty... I needed that extra sleep!

{five}

I'm loving the songs that my little Monkey sings. Every now and then I'll catch him singing, and I can only understand a few words, but it makes me smile. This morning he was singing "Itsy-Bitsy Spider". He also loves "He's Got the Whole World", which he requests me to sing as a bedtime song almost every night.

{six}

I'm loving that my little bean is now almost 14 weeks old! My pants are getting tighter, and I still haven't gained much weight, so it's becoming more and more real to me! I can't wait to feel the little flutters and kicks that should be starting soon!

Hubby and I are trying to figure out names, but the more we talk about names, the more possibilities we come up with! Does anyone have suggestions? I love hearing other peoples favourites.

{seven}

As always, I'm loving my little Monkey, and my amazing Husband. This summer will be 4 years since we got married, but sometimes it just feels like yesterday. How blessed I am!

~A