Pregnancy and Nursery Sneak Peek

First off, a quick baby Noah update. We actually didn't have any baby doctor appointments this past week, which will be the last time that will happen, as I go once a week to my OB from here on out. The only appointment I did have this week was with my cardiologist, which went really well. My heart is handling all of the medication really well. Of course, it is reacting how the medication is intended to work, but it doesn't appear to have any adverse side effects. The cardi actually said that he doesn't anticipate any changes for the duration of the pregnancy! Praise! I know God is at work in my body in so many ways, and the longer my body handles things well, the longer Noah gets to grow and get stronger and healthier. Thank you, thank you for your continued prayers!

So, I know my pregnancy hasn't exactly been completely textbook so far, but there have been a lot of normal parts about my pregnancy. So, this is just to document the, you know, normal stuff that I want to remember because I have no doubt that the out of the ordinary parts of this pregnancy are forever engraved in my mind!

By far, my favorite thing is feeling and SEEING Noah move around. I am completely fascinated by his movements. He cracks me up because he does NOT like the pants that I wear. The second I sit down and the band constricts him even a little bit, he starts moving like crazy. Sorry, baby boy, but mama's got to wear pants! He also doesn't like being poked with the ultrasound wand. He punches back, which also cracks both me and Ben up and is fun to see on the monitor as well as feel at the same time. It's just so amazing to me that he already has a little personality. Just in the last couple weeks we have been able to actually see him moving in my belly. It kind of weirds me out, but mostly just gets me awestruck that there is a little person with arms and legs in there kicking and punching me.

As far as cravings go, I can't say that I have wanted anything really weird. I am not really interested in things like cake, cookies and your typical sweets, but I do love fruit popsicles more than ever. In fact, fruit in general has been a favorite food from the very beginning. I went through a phase where I could eat a nectarine or peach every hour and be completely happy. I currently have an obsession with Mentos. My favorite are the cinnamon ones, but I will go through a whole roll of any flavor- mint, fruit, whatever, in no time at all. I think I actually told Ben to hide them from me the other day so I would stop eating them!

Other things I like about being pregnant:

- Everyone tells you how good you look all the time!

- You can get away with wearing the same pair of black pants 2 times a week because they are your only option

- People at work are SUPER nice to me- don't let me carry anything down the hall (even just a stack of files), tell me all the time to not get stressed about something they ask me to do, let me pick where we eat lunch, etc

- In general, people who know you are pregnant are just plain nice to you all the time

- Finally having a legitimate excuse for looking at baby things all the time!

- I don't know if this is something that I like about being pregnant, but I think it's funny nonetheless- when I run into people in the elevator at work that don't see me everyday and work on a different floor, they kind of stare at my stomach. I know they are wondering if I'm pregnant but don't want to ask (which is a good rule of thumb- when in doubt, don't say anything!) so they just look from my stomach to my face the entire elevator ride, which is just as obvious as asking, in my opinion.

All in all, complications aside, this has been a really easy and enjoyable pregnancy. Yes, there have been some bumps in the road that have made this an emotionally tough ride so far, but I know God has a plan for our family and will not give us more than we can handle.

On to the nursery! First off, here is the bedding we picked out. It's exactly the colors I wanted for his room, and I think it is adorable. I'd been looking at it for months online- before we knew we were having a boy.

And here is the beginning of the room transformation. I am incredibly lucky to have married such a handyman with a really determined work ethic. He started this on Thursday night and primed, painted and put the beadboard up all by Saturday afternoon! By the end of tonight, he'll be done with the chair rail and baseboards all around the room! I think I am going to wait to post more pictures of the nursery until we have it ALL finished. This includes: new carpet, picking up the crib and dresser/changer from my sister, wall decor, bringing the rocker in the room and painting a bookcase Ben made a couple weeks ago for Noah. I can't wait to see it all done!

AND, bonus! Much to the dismay of my friends, I have only taken 2 belly pictures since finding out we are having a baby. Maybe I'll turn over a new leaf and take a picture every week or two from here on out...

11 weeks

23 weeks