Weekly-ish updates

I found this from a fellow blogger (several, actually) and think it's a great idea to keep people in the loop as to how "Mom and Dad" are feeling, what's happening with the baby, etc...Here goes!

How far along: 18th week!!

Symptoms: Nothing bad. I'm glad all the main morning sickness is gone, now nausea only happens when I smell oriental food of any kind and public restrooms for some reason. They never bothered me before! And hunger, an intense hunger I've never felt before...when waking up...afternoon...night...hunger! My sister warned me but I didn't think it would be like this! Two breakfasts? Ok! :)


Maternity Clothes: Yes! I got some of my sister's stuff from when she had her son, so that will help in the coming month or so. I have a staple number of "maternity" outfits I mix and match since it's summer, I will get more use out of pants and things once fall finally hits! It seems I definitely "popped" between 16 and 18 weeks. I have a very obvious "baby bump" now! Can't wait for it to get bigger!


Stretch Marks: Nope...I've started using lotion on my belly every day so hopefully that will keep them away, but none as of yet!


Sleep: I sleep pretty well. (Umm with the exception of having to pee about 3-4 times a night, I'm getting pretty good at not waking matt or the dogs) My dreams are vivid (as I've been told happens during pregnancy) and I often wake up wondering if they were real. We gave in and bought me a "boppy" pregnancy pillow to help me sleep on my sides (no sleeping on my back anymore because doc and books say it is a pregnancy "NO NO"..and it's uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach at this time). Sleeping well, not as exhausted when I get up, but insatiably hungry as soon as the alarm goes off!


Best Moment Last Week: Feeling more of the baby movements, and also working with Matt on the "baby bogert Ipod playlist" for when the Belly-sonic speaker set comes soon!) Such a cool gift!

Movement: Yes! Ever since the baby flutters I felt a week ago, it has really been obvious when I feel Baby B wiggling around in there! It seems the little one is active after I eat and also when I lie still in bed at the end of the night! Can't wait for Matt to be able to feel them eventually :)


Food Cravings: Citrus (since day one of the pregnancy), artichokes (I've always loved them but I want them several days a week now), hash browns (yes, they are my guilty pleasure), Root beer floats, anything with tomatoes, and Candy. I never have really cared for candy, but lately I've really wanted a mentos or lollipop every once and a while!


What I miss:  Wine and Turkey Subs. Ever since doc told me no coldcuts, I've wanted a turkey sub with vinegar, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and swiss cheese. Specific enough? Also, living in VA wine country during the summer months seems pretty bad when I can't enjoy a tasting here or there. :) Oh well, in the winter it will be all worth it!

What am I looking forward to: Our next ultrasound...of course!! Our next one is August 25th, I'll be 19 weeks and we are going to see if it's a boy or girl!!! YAY


Milestones: I am worrying less. This trimester really is a fun one. I am growing but not immobile yet. :) Also, we registered at Babies R Us for the baby! We did about 90% of it, mostly neutral so we can use it for future little one (s) and we will finish with gender-specific stuff next week! Also, entering the 5th month of pregnancy! It is flying by!


How is Daddy? Oh my gosh - so excited! He is just as excited as I am and can't wait to know what we are having. He also can't wait to start painting for the baby room and put together some of the furniture we bought! He is having fun talking to the baby every night before we go to bed. He also has daily chats with the dogs about the baby and how they need to behave in January. So cute!

18 weeks! Into "the 5th month" of pregnancy

First of all, Pregnancy is not 9 months, it's closer to ten. I am 18 weeks now (40 weeks is the length of pregnancy) so, almost halfway there!

Second of all, only one week until we have the anatomy ultrasound and HOPEFULLY see if Baby Bogert is a HE or a SHE! This week better fly by, we are on the edge of our seats!

In the 18th week of pregnancy...some things happening with the baby are:

Baby Bogert is 6 inches long already and weigh more than 7 ounces! (the avg. weight of an extra large apple)

Baby B is moving all around and practices reflexes

Baby B can sense bright light - if you hold a flashlight directly to the belly, the baby will instinctively move it's arms to cover his/her eyes

Baby can now hear noises outside the womb. He/She can easily hear mom's voice and loud noises (eh hem...Humphrey's bark?)

Baby's "boy/girl parts" are formed now and distinguishable by ultrasound!! Soon!

Coolest ultrasound pictures so far! 15 week appt!

Today's appointment went great - met another doctor in the practice - liked her a lot! Since we don't know which doctor will be delivering me, they want to rotate us in with every one until we've seen all 4!

Everything is great with Baby Bogert! He/She is measuring bigger than normal so the due date may move up again in 3 weeks when we go for the anatomy ultrasound (where they check out all the body parts and tell us if it's a boy or girl!!!)

The pictures were amazing, we didn't even know we were getting one! Apparently, we will get one every appointment because they have the equipment in each room :) A nice perk to this already great insurance!

When we got there, the baby was turned with it's back to the front, the second she started pressing on my belly, the baby turned around so quickly and looked right at us! Granted the face it a bit alien-ish right now, it is incredible how much has changed in the past 5 weeks since those last pictures! Baby is now so big! (around 5 inches).

As Matt says, the baby is definitely mine, stubborn! Every time the doctor would try to take the heart rate, baby would swim away and wriggle! Finally, he/she settled down and we got a good strong heart rate reading!

At the end of it, we got a special treat...just before doc was about to turn off the machine, Baby Bogert started to settle down and stuck his/her finger right in his/her mouth. It brought tears to both of our eyes.

What an amazing, perfect, absolutely beautiful day!

Matt's Homemade Raised dog food stand

Well, last week my amazing husband, Matt finished a project he had been planning to make - a raised dog feeder that could serve two dogs of similar height - so here it is!

Now they both can eat and drink from the same stand and it is much healthier for them to eat this way. After he assembled the pieces, I opted not to stain the piece with polyeurethane or stain because that can chip, and still mold with water if it seeps in. Instead, we chose to coat it with several coats of Butcher Block/Salad bowl finish which seeps into the wood and makes it impossible for mold to appear.

It also creates a food-safe surface and has been ok'd by the FDA to eat from. (This Butcher block finish is also used for kids toys such as puzzles, blocks, etc. because they put them in their mouths so much) It is virtually unscented and to clean up the surface of the table, all you need is a little soapy water or white vinegar.

Every month or so, it's also good to rub on a little mineral oil, much like you do to a butcher block to maintain it!

They love it!

Also, Matt's waiting on a special tool that will help him with the circular holes for the bowls, and .... We will begin to sell them on etsy.com in different sizes and small ones for kitties too! :) Look for them in the next coming months!!! He is so talented - thanks Matt!

-Bre

Mocha and Humphrey - doggy update!

For those of you who know (and those who don't), we have 2 shelter dogs that we adopted when they were just tiny pups, and they are so special to us! Mocha is our 1.5 year old Plott Hound/Lab mix and Humphrey is our 8 month old Plott Hound/German Shorthaired Pointer/Beagle(?) mix. They keep us very busy, and keep each other busy too!

Here is Mocha - she is such a sweet, smart, and FAST dog. No other dog can catch up to her when we take her to the dog park. She is also a great running companion for me, and is extremely smart. She loves swimming, and when we take her to the bay or to our hike near the river, she doesn't want to come in out of the water.

Here is Humphrey Bogert, our 8 month old Plott Hound/German Shorthaired Pointer/Beagle mix. He is incredibly laid back, a good learner, loves hiking, and is VERY loud. In fact, his hound bay is so loud, you can hear him even when he's outside down at the dog park. He is DEFINITELY a hound!

We have such a great time with them!!!

(Humphrey can't EVER catch up to Mocha!)

Have a good one!

Bre, Matt, Humphrey and Mocha Beans!

Some (long-awaited) pictures from the wedding!

6 Months Married!!

Here we finally have put up some long-awaited pictures of the wedding! Our favorite ones...the ones that capture the memories, and not the staged events!

Also, we put in some of the final pictures of all of our Homemade wedding stuff that we talked about making in the blog! Don't hesitate to ask me how we made them or ask any questions, it saved us a lot of money doing a lot ourselves, and boy did people notice the little things!!