20 Week Survey

In honor of being 20 weeks along today, I thought I would do one of those pregnancy survey things floating around the blog world. So.... Enjoy. 

How far along: 20 weeks - halfway, baby!

How big is baby: Baby Center tells me that baby is the size of a banana! 10.5 ounces, and 10 inches long from head to heel.

What have you been up to: Organizing and unpacking the boxes that were left when I first found out I was pregnant and sick for two months.

Maternity clothes: I've been wearing a pair of maternity jeans since I was like 7 weeks, just because they were so comfortable! I don't have any other maternity clothes yet (unless you count my maternity/nursing bra), but some of the clothes I was wearing before I got pregnant are on the looser side, so that's why I still fit into them.

Weight gain/lose: Starting to gain the weight I lost back. I think I'm probably around 141 or 142, still a couple pounds to go before I hit my pre-pregnancy weight.

Wedding ring on/off: On, but I know I'm going to have to take it off and wear a "fake" one for a while. My fingers are prone to swelling before being pregnant, so I'm under no allusions that I'll be able to wear mine the whole pregnancy. I just thank my lucky stars I'm not pregnant during the summer. My ring would have been off ages ago.

Stretch marks: None on my stomach/thighs/hips that are new, just my old ones. I have some major ones in the chest area though.

Belly Button: It is still in, but definitely stretching and flattening out - even Kyle can tell and commented on it.

Sleep: This goes back and forth depending on the night. Some nights I can't sleep at all for various reasons (acid reflux, back pain, congestion, just can't get comfortable, etc.), and other nights I can sleep fine, minus waking up to use the restroom and switching sides every 30 minutes.

Newest baby milestones this week: Baby is apparently swallowing more, and producing meconium now - excited to see how that turns out in 20 more weeks ;)

Food cravings: I haven't had any huge cravings for a while. A month or so ago I was huge into orange juice, and while I still love it, I don't NEED it anymore. I have been loving Zips french fries and fry sauce... But that might not be pregnancy, I love french fries and fry sauce in general. OH, donuts have sounded really good to me lately, too.

Food aversions: Nothing too extreme. I still am not the hugest fan of Mexican food (quesadillas are ok, and so are tacos from Jack in the Box).

Symptoms: Congestion, backache, and headache are the main ones. I had a really weird dizzy spell during sacrament meeting on Sunday. We were just about to sing the rest song (they kept us sitting, thank goodness) and all of a sudden I got super clammy and sweaty, and lightheaded and legitimately thought I was going to pass out. I leaned on Kyle's shoulder for about 5 minutes, with my eyes clothes, with my hand gripped on his wrist. It went away after that, but was weird and scary. Oh, also I have been super burpy (is that a word?). Like deep burps at all times of the day.

Movement: I've been feeling baby move since I was 16.5 weeks, but lately the movements are coming more often and are a little more pronounced. If baby is facing the right way and kicks hard enough, I think you could feel it on the outside of my belly. Kyle may have felt it once, but then baby decided not to kick again, so we're still waiting for the day that Kyle can really feel the baby.

Gender: BOY!

What I’m looking forward to: Kyle to actually feel the baby move!

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Not so much nervous, but just continually hoping that baby and I stay healthy throughout this pregnancy, and that no complications arise.

What I miss: Being able to move around easier (I know it will just get worse...), and also sleeping better. But I guess that is something I will be missing for the next 15 years, haha.

Next appointment: December 17th, Dr. McCrummen is going to talk to me about the glucose test then.. Lucky me :)

19 Weeks and GENDER REVEAL

Yesterday we went in for our anatomy scan and found out that Baby Hanson is a....

BOY!

We were both kind of shocked, to be honest. 

All throughout this pregnancy, I tried really hard not to lean towards one gender or the other. But when people are constantly asking what you want, or what you think it is... It's hard not to think. A few weeks ago Kyle and I talked about it, and admitted to each other that we both thought it was a girl. I figured we couldn't both be wrong, haha. "She" or "her" popped out of my mouth quite a bit. But so did "they" when I was trying not to discriminate. (No, we are not having twins.) 

Like I mentioned, Kyle's brothers all had girls first. And let's be honest, I could just see myself with a girl more, probably because I wasn't brought up with any boys.

So, when the ultrasound tech said, "it's a baby boy" and showed us his goods
I was shocked. 

But not unhappy.

And now that I've had time to process the information, I couldn't be happier.
Or more excited!!

I'm glad that we're having a boy first - and I've always wanted one - just to have the older brother for the other siblings to look up to, and for them to have a protector. 

And how cute is Kyle going to be with a boy? Teaching him sports and
things. So sweet.

We are about 99.9% decided on a name, but I will probably talk about
that in another post.

(We pretty much had one girls name and one boys name picked out before we got pregnant, so we just have to make sure that that is what our child should be called the rest of his life!)

Woah, that got long fast, sorry.

The rest of the scan was great. Baby is healthy and developing normally. He is currently head up, with his head right under my belly button, and facing towards my spine. His little feet are resting on my bladder (that explains a lot!). I think the coolest thing to see was his spine and his heart with 4 distinct chambers. 

Since his head is facing my spine we weren't able to get a good face shot of him. Here is the back of his head, and profile, and you can see his little hand up by his mouth, possibly sucking his little thumb. Melt my heart!

I've been feeling better and better, and am getting more and more excited for this little man(!) to get here. My stomach is steadily growing, and it just amazes me how our bodies can accommodate another little human.

To end, here's the latest belly shot, taken last night.

19 weeks.

Baptism

I had the opportunity to go to a convert baptism tonight. I've made friends with the sisters serving in our ward, and as such, get random calls to help with things like church tours, baptisms, etc. So even though I had never met this girl before, I volunteered to bring refreshments and say a prayer.

The Spirit there was so sweet. She was about 20 (or between 18-24....?) and I guess she is engaged to the son of one of the couples in our ward (I haven't met them  yet, either). Anyway, all that aside... I honestly don't think I have ever been to a convert baptism before. It was so special, and really  neat to see her make that decision and make that next step, even though I didn't know her. I'm glad I braved the cold, wet weather and made the drive to be there.

I'm so glad I was able to be born into the Gospel, and I'm thankful my mom made the choice to be baptized when she was 16 years old. If she hadn't I'm not sure where I would be... I might not even be born! I'm grateful for the Gospel and for the chance that we all have to change and to grow.

November

November has flown by. Well, at least the first half has.

Last weekend Kyle had a 3 day weekend. That's what you get when you work for the state, you get random days off such as Veteran's Day. So what did we do with our weekend? Well, we redboxed Monsters University (see it, it's cute), went grocery shopping, got the oil changed on Lola (Kyle's car), made a trip to the dollar store, and just sat around and stared at each other. Ok, just kidding, but we did enjoy being together an extra day!

Today, Kyle flew out to Utah on a business trip of sorts. He has a client who is in a treatment facility down there, so he flew down there to meet with them and monitor her progress. And bonus! He gets to stay with his mom and dad. He'll be back tomorrow night with all sorts of stories to tell about the kiddos, I am sure.


Here's a list of other things that we are looking forward to, that are going to be keeping us busy the next couple of months:

*finding out the gender of our babe on Tuesday (and seeing his/her cute face!)

*Thanksgiving! And Evan and Holly are joining us! And did you know that Thanksgiving food is my favorite food of ever? Mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, cranberry, rolls, and pie. The best.

*Flying out California on December 7 for a week long trip of fun that involves loving on a niece and two nephews, Disneyland, time with my love, and seeing my BFF Isha.

*Christmas, of course.

*Probably flying to Utah in the beginning of January. (And did you know, that's in 2014, which is the year Baby Hanson will be born? So. That's exciting.)


Here's to fun things!

18 Weeks

Here I am in all my 18 week glory.

My hair's falling out, my hanger strap thing is poking out, and I look pretty exhausted. 

But to be honest this was taken at like 7 pm, after a day of running errands, so I don't feel too bad about it :)

Not much to report over here.

ACTUALLY I have been feeling the baby move, for about 1.5 weeks now. Not every day, by any means, but every other day or so I will feel what I describe as "pops" kind of like popcorn popping, right down in my lower abdomen. So that has been pretty neat. I'll be even more excited when Kyle can feel the baby kick!

A week from today - the 19th - we have our anatomy scan! We are excited to find out if we are having a little boy baby or a little girl baby. 

Just to satisfy my own curiousity, I'm adding a poll over there <----- that you can vote on. I just am curious to see what other people think.

We are both kind of thinking girl.... But who really knows? Kyle's three brothers have all had girls first, so we will see if we carry on that tradition or not.

So, if you care to, vote!

Grateful

I'm not one to usually jump on the "grateful" train unless it's actually Thanksgiving Day. But today I have been overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude, and wanted to share the things that I am most grateful for, right now.
*****

I'm grateful for Kyle. He really just makes my day, every day. He is loving and patient, and darn cute, too. I know I say this often, but I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

I'm grateful for this little babe, growing inside of me. There was a period of time I was nervous it might not be in the cards for me, so as uncomfortable as I am getting, not a day goes by that I think about what a blessing and miracle this is.

I'm grateful for all that Kyle and I have been able to do since we've gotten married. We've traveled, we've lived in a few different places, and we've experienced a lot. I know everyone has kids at the time that is right for them, but I wouldn't trade the (what will be FOUR by the time baby comes) years we've had just the two of us for anything.

I'm grateful for friends. And I'm especially grateful that we have already made some good friends here in Post Falls.

I'm grateful for good insurance. Having worked in the billing field, and now being pregnant, I have seen what a difference insurance makes.

I'm grateful for fun weekend plans. Tonight we're going to see Ender's Game, and tomorrow we're going to the Temple. I'm grateful we live close to a Temple, and that we have the means to be able to do fun things together.

Above all, I'm grateful for my Father in Heaven, who in fact is the one who blesses me with all that I am grateful for.