{18} Weeks

How far along: 18 Weeks

                                                       Weeks to go: 22.. give or take a few!

Baby is the size of: A bell pepper

Gender Prediction: Girl

Weight gain: ??? (I see the doctor tomorrow, so that will determine how much turkey I can eat on Thursday .. kidding .. I'll eat a whole turkey regardless)
Symptoms: Heartburn/Indigestion, Achy hips (must.see.chiropractor), Migraine (boo!), Oh .. and nesting (is that a "symptom?")

Mood: Holy emotional - I cried when an old lady flagged me down and asked for directions because I just thought she was so sweet. 

Maternity clothes: Ohhh.. this is a struggle. I'm already growing out of some of my maternity shirts. The pants are still just looking hideous, but really I just look disheveled every day. 

Cravings: Clementines, Ice cream, Eggs!

Aversions: Salt .. everything tastes SO salty. 

Belly button in or out: Can we just not even talk about this? I'm totally freaked out by my belly button. This week a lady said, "Aww.. look at your cute little belly button." Umm.. except it looks like this NOT pregnant and no one thinks it's cute .. so no. It's creepy. Don't talk about it. It hurts. 

Sleep: Slept pretty well this week when my achy hips weren't making finding a position difficult.

Movement: Yes! Loving it! I can't wait for Trice to be able to feel baby kicks!

Labor Signs: Nope. 

Best moment this week: Decorating for Christmas with Trice and Benny! Seeing Trice's face when the Christmas tree was up Saturday morning - priceless. He LOVED hanging the decorations on the tree and checking out all the decor around the house! We also took down the ping pong table and revamped his playroom a little. Nesting? Yep, loving it. Finding out a friend is expecting! A relaxing weekend at home! Also, getting our filthy house a bit under control anyway!

Worst moment this week: Getting the OFFICIAL word that my best friend will be leaving town. Let's not talk about it unless you want to wipe my tears .. for the next 3 hours. 

Miss anything: Just being able to get dressed easily .. like throw on a t-shirt and a comfy pair of jeans or yoga pants. Doesn't exist anymore. My belly hangs out of t-shirts, there are no jeans that fit, and even my yoga pants aren't working out. Yikes! Also, I am a little sad that it hurts for Trice to sit on my lap. :(

Trice's Thoughts this Week: He bumped his belly on the chair one morning and said, "THERE'S NO BABY IN MY BELLY ANYMORE. I HURT IT." So sad. One night he told Jesus, "Thank you for baby." One day he told me we can't read any more books until baby comes out (Yikes - might be a long several months .. no worries, we've read some already). And one day he told me he will share his puzzles with baby!

Trice's 3rd {Halloween}

Halloween Costumes through the years!

Trice celebrated his third Halloween this year! Crazy! I didn't even like Halloween before he came along! 

This year I made his Frodo hobbit costume. Okay, I don't deserve THAT much credit. 

Shirt - From a tux outfit his grandma got him at a garage sale when he was a baby!

Vest - Same. 

Sweatpants - Walmart $3.88 and he can continue to wear them all winter!

Necklace - An old necklace I had lying around. I just untied part of it and added a ring from another necklace.

Cape - A piece of green felt with the head part cut out and velcro to hold it together.

Leaf pin - Was actual a set of leaf earrings found in the clearance section at Walmart for 99 cents. 

Sword (or knife as Trice corrected us) - From his toy kitchen.

Cheapest costume ever and absolutely adorable! 

Don't worry - I've already got a plan for next year!

Here are a few more favorite Hobbit pictures:

The weekend before Halloween, we went to the Fall Festival at the local amusement park. Last year it was freezing and they only opened a couple rides. This year the weather was beautiful and they had several rides open! Trice had a blast!

For trick-or-treating, he went as Thomas! $5 from a girl I know! Score!

It was chilly, but we LOVED trick-or-treating. He asked at every house if he could have one for him and one for papa.

We had chili for supper (tradition) and handed out candy the rest of the night. He gave all the trick-or-treaters a piece for themselves and one for their mommy!

{17} Weeks

How far along: 17 Weeks

            Weeks to go: 23.. give or take a few!

Baby is the size of: A turnip

Gender Prediction: Pretty convinced girl this week.

Weight gain: Who knows? And really, who cares?!
Symptoms: Heartburn, Achy joints (my bad knee has really been aching -- might be from the weather or the squats I've been doing as well), super crampy.  Oh - and just like my last pregnancy, I sneeze every time I eat peanut butter. Thank Goodness no migraines recently .. knock on wood!

Mood: Feeling a little less emotional this week... 

Maternity clothes: Still have the maternity pants are too big for my butt but regular pants are too small for my belly/hips dilemma. I basically wear leggings and one pair of maternity jeans. Mostly maternity tops, but I'm being creative with non-maternity tops, too. 

Cravings: Clementines (anything citrus-y), Yogurt parfaits (Thanks to a friend's bridal shower, I've been eating one every day!), baked potatoes, eggs & hashbrowns.

Aversions: None really. 

Belly button in or out: Can we just not even talk about this? I'm totally freaked out by my belly button.

Sleep: Trice slept in until 7:45 one day this week! YAY! Unfortunately, I just toss and turn once he climbs in our bed. The hips aching make it a bit difficult to get comfortable. 

Movement: Yes.. there is movement going on in there and I'm not letting anyone tell me any different. 

Labor Signs: Nope. 

Best moment this week: Visit from an old college friend, a double date with a couple we ALWAYS have fun with (I swear the wife is my twin), taking Trice bowling for the first time, Trice sleeping in until 7:45 on Sunday morning, a relaxing weekend at home!

Worst moment this week: Finding out some devastating news that my best friend in town will be leaving me .. seriously, who does that? ;) It's going to be rough for Trice and me! 

Miss anything: Maybe just peeing less! When I'm not pregnant, I swear I pee twice a day. Now I'm going every 5 minutes!

Trice's Thoughts this Week: A couple time she has had a baby in his belly. Once he told me he wanted baby to come out and go bowling with him. He thinks maybe baby could sleep in the basement now. 

{16} Weeks

How far along: 16 Weeks

                                                   Weeks to go: 24.. give or take a few!

Baby is the size of: An Avacado

Gender Prediction: I just don't know!

Weight gain: After the amount of Halloween candy I consumed, I can only assume I've gained 15 additional pounds and 3 cavities.

Symptoms: Heartburn, Bleeding Gums, Migraines, Restless legs

Mood: Oh.. I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed and emotionally (and physically) drained. I'm just kind of in a funk and it's no fun for anyone! There have been a lot of tears.. we'll just leave it at that. 

Maternity clothes: Still have the maternity pants are too big for my butt but regular pants are too small for my belly/hips dilemma. I basically wear leggings and one pair of maternity jeans. Mostly maternity tops, but I'm being creative with non-maternity tops, too. 

Cravings: Starburst! Any Halloween candy in sight. Salads. Anything sweet. Milk. Baked potatoes. 

Aversions: I made this delicious salad recipe a friend shared with me ... but after cutting up the artichoke hearts, I literally couldn't even look at it. I didn't eat a bite. At least it was only big enough to serve 10-12 people. 

Belly button in or out: Can we just not even talk about this? I'm totally freaked out by my belly button.

Sleep: What is sleep again? I don't think pregnancy is the cause of  my sleep deprivation.. we have a sweet little toddler who has decided not only does he hate sleeping at night time, but he doesn't "need" a nap either... As I type this, he literally woke up screaming ... round 1. 

Movement: I definitely feel little flutters .. exciting!! (They still might be gas, but I'm pretending they're real). 

Labor Signs: Nope. 

Best moment this week: Visiting family back home, a friend's bridal shower, visiting my old roommate who is about to have a baby (exciting!), Trice's swimming lessons!

Worst moment this week: Probably just Trice deciding nap time is for babies. It's been a little rough on mommy!

Miss anything: 

Trice's Thoughts this Week: I hope I can remember all of them! After visiting a friend who is about to have a baby, I explained that her baby was almost done growing and would be coming out soon. He then told me, "I don't want your baby to come out. Never ever. It needs to stay in your belly." Hmm.. We checked out a book from the library called, "Waiting for baby" and he reads it 1,000 times/day. He can read it word for word without us. It's pretty adorable. I'm not sure he realizes just how long this wait will be! He does love telling me that baby will be too little to eat bannas (that's bananas to you and me). He always insists on getting things for baby -- like everyone needs a leaf (including baby!) Hopefully he still thinks that when baby actually comes..