Our bambino is the size of a grapefruit.  The blogs I follow tell me that she’s starting to listen to whats going on outside of her home in my belly and she can even feel movement.  I’ve been turning up the radio on in the car and at the house, and even dancing on occasion, hoping she’ll have a better sense of rhythm than I do.

This week I gave final exams and entered final grades while Dusty was in NYC for the first part of the week and spent the rest of the week preparing for Big Omaha.

Gender & Name:  You all know it’s a girl but no one knows the name yet! We’re still not quite sure what she’s going to be called either.  It’s a big commitment to choose a name.  We’re still calling her “bambino” and Dusty’s even shortened it to “bino” (beano).  On occasion we make up great names like Henrietta, Rodette, Harley, and Jezebel just to throw people off.

Weight Gain: Some of you might have noticed that I stopped posting about my weight.  It’s not because I don’t want to share, it’s just because I actually forgot what my weight was and how it’s changed.  I decided I’d just wait until I go to my next doctor’s appointment and get an accurate count and then start up again.  If I were to speculate, I’ve gained approximately 2 pounds each week for the past few weeks.  I’m most definitely putting on the pounds and you can see it in my growing belly!

Maternity Clothes: Have I told you how much I love maternity pants?  I think I have but I’m telling you again, they’re the best things ever!  Since school has ended for the semester and I don’t have to be on campus very much, I’ve been wearing my awesome maternity capris and lots of cotton dresses and maxi skirts.

Sleep: I’m sleeping great but most definitely no longer sleeping on my stomach.  I’ve been sleeping on my sides for almost a month now but I don’t think I’ve mentioned how weird it is to not be able to sleep the same way you’ve slept for the last 30 years of my life.  I wonder if I’ll go back to sleeping on my stomach once I have the baby or if I’ll have trained myself to sleep in a new position.

Food: I’ve been eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips for lunch.  I’m still loving ALL food and really enjoying those desserts!  If I can’t drink wine then I think I deserve some kind of delicious treat!

Missing Anything: Not missing anything this week!  I’m just feeling really good about everything!

Movement:  She’s a mover and a shaker! I love feeling her move and wish she’d stay up all day and dance around for me.  I constantly tell Dusty she’s moving and I think he’s a little sad that he can’t quite feel her yet.  There was one time this past week that he was able to feel her but it was just the slightest of movements.

Belly Button: It’s getting darn close to no longer being an outie.  I find myself sticking my finger in my belly button because it’s so odd to me that my little innie is disappearing.

Mood: I’ve been in a great mood!  The doctor’s don’t lie when they say that you really do feel great during your second trimester.  I was one of those lucky ones that have felt really good throughout my entire pregnancy but now that I’m showing and we’re sharing our exciting news with everyone, it makes things even better!!!  This week we have final exams so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and have been able to do most of my work from home, and that makes for a great mood as well.

Best Moment(s) This Week: My best moment this week is entering final grades and having that feeling of finalization and accomplishment for the semester.  My second favorite moment this week was picking up Dusty at the airport and just being happy to have him back at home!

Looking Forward To: I’m looking forward to celebrating Big Omaha’s five year anniversary!  I’m also looking forward to my 24 week doctor’s appointment and hearing our bambino’s heartbeat.

***My weekly posts are written during the week and then posted the following week, after I’ve taken my weekly picture and I’ve had time to edit them.***

This week our bambino is the size of a papaya and almost a pound!  This is my last week of classes and all I’ve been doing in my spare time is grading final papers and presentations.  Next week things start to slow down at work and I’m really excited to finalize everything at school and start the summer off smoothly.  The baby is due right as the academic year is starting in the fall so I feel a little extra pressure to get my ducks in a row so I won’t be rushing (waddling) around school in the fall.

I think my nesting phase has kicked in and all I can think about is getting the apartment ready for our bambino.  Actually, the whole nesting thing started a while ago but I’ve been telling myself there will be plenty of time once the spring semester is over and I can change focus from work to home.

Gender: It’s a girl! We’re starting to think of names but nothing too serious yet.  I think we’ll probably wait until we’re in Paris and have a little more time to contemplate options.

Maternity Clothes: I’m still wearing a lot of dresses and maxi skirts.  The weather is a little wonky right now so half of the week I wore dresses or long skirts and the rest of the week I was in leggings and maternity jeans with sweaters.

I bought a pair of maternity pants and it was the best decision ever! I don’t know why I waited so long to start wearing them (they’ve been sitting in my closet for a couple of weeks)! I’m now trying to convince Dusty that he should purchase some too!!! They’re so comfy!

Sleep: I’m sleeping relatively well.  I didn’t have nearly as many crazy dreams as last week.

Food: I’m still craving everything!

Missing Anything: I was really missing my pants this week and being able to fit into some of my regular sized jeans!  I remember the days when I couldn’t wait until I started showing and now that they’re here I just want to fit into some of those cute summer capris I have from last summer.

Movement:  One of my favorite things is to feel our little bambino move.  The baby books and emails I get tell me that the baby’s settling into a sleep cycle, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It been a lot of fun tracking her movements and seeing what kind of routine she’s created for herself.  I know the kicking and punching will get more aggressive and become uncomfortable at times as she grows but I love feeling her move about.  I can’t wait until Dusty can really start to feel her movements too!

Belly Button: It’s most definitely getting bigger and flatter.

Mood: Overall, I was in a great mood this week and am feeling really good.  It’s crazy how my emotions can take over though.  On Monday we were supposed to take the gender reveal pictures but it rained and the lighting was really bad in the house so we couldn’t do it and I had an emotional breakdown.  I was so upset that I had bought balloons (for the second time, because the first planned attempt didn’t pan out either), put make-up on, did my hair and changed my clothes.

We went to visit a couple of daycares on Friday and saw a friend of ours dropping off her daughter right at the same time.  She was making a comment about how she cried when they went to check out of daycares.  I thought to myself, “no way that’s going to be me.  What’s the big deal?”  Well, we got inside, talked to someone for a bit and then started the tour.  What would you know, the moment I walked into the infant room, where several of the little ones were sleeping, I started getting tears in my eyes.  Just the thought of my little girl sleeping peacefully in one of those cribs brought tears to my eyes.

Best Moment(s) This Week: One of my favorite moments this week was throwing a baby shower for a friend of mine, Megan, who’s having a boy in June.  We had a lot of fun eating, drinking (non-alcoholic beverages for me) and sharing pregnancy and baby stories.  I love hosting parties so it was so much fun to have everyone over on such a nice Saturday afternoon.

Another great moment this week was starting the baby registry process!  I didn’t realize how difficult it would be trying to figure out what our little bambino is going to need and want when she’s born.  It does feel good to start crossing that item off my to-do list though.

Looking Forward To: Finishing my last week of school for the semester!

This week our bambino is the size of a pomegranate and the length of a carrot.  I had a busy week at work and Dusty had an equally busy week.  I’m really excited for classes to end so I can focus on my baby to do list.  I’m starting to realize that we’ll be in Paris for a month and this means we need to get a lot of things done in the next month before we leave.

I’m currently researching child care options and have made appointments for Dusty and I to visit a few places.  We also have a few names of pediatricians and will be talking to doctor’s once summer starts and my schedule slows down a little.

Gender: It’s a girl! I still can’t believe the little bambino in my belly isn’t just an “it” but is a really person!

Maternity Clothes: I’m wearing a lot of dresses, maxi skirts, and leggings with long shirts.

Sleep: I’m still sleeping really well and getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  I wake up once to use the bathroom but usually go back to sleep easily.  There were a couple of nights that I had unusual dreams/nightmares and couldn’t go back to sleep for a while but overall, I’m waking up in the morning feeling refreshed.

Food: I’m still really hungry all the time! I have no food aversions which is a nice relief.

Missing Anything: I really didn’t miss anything in particular this week.  I’m getting use to not being able to eat and drink certain things like lunch meat, wine, diet coke, raw sushi, and cheese.

I am missing the ease of getting out of bed in the morning, bending over, and flexibility I once had when doing yoga.  What’s crazy is that these things are only going to get more difficult.  I’ve started to see how easy it once was to move around and how my body is changing.

Movement:  I’m feeling a lot of movement from our bambino.  I’m starting to notice that she moves around in the morning around 9 or 10am and then again in the evening around 8 or 9pm.  I love feeling her move around and I can’t tell you how comforting it is.  I no longer worry nearly as much as I did earlier in the pregnancy.  Feeling her move around has been such a huge reassurance.  She’s a little stubborn though.  When Dusty puts his hand on my belly she just doesn’t want to move around anymore.

Belly Button: I still have an innie but it’s most definitely getting bigger and flatter.  It’ll be a while before it’s an outie but it’s getting closer!

Mood: This week was a hard week.  My 21 year old cousin passed away unexpectedly and it was a very emotional.  My emotions are most definitely a little more up and down this week.

Best Moment(s) This Week: Choosing the nursery colors!

Looking Forward To: Accomplishing some things on our baby to do list!

This week our bambino is the size of a banana and weighs about 13 ounces (according to the ultra-sound)! According to one of the weekly emails I get, the baby’s taste buds actually work and is sipping several ounces of amniotic fluid every day! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they’ve already had via amniotic fluid.  So, what is our little bambino tasting?  The baby is getting to taste lots of chocolate, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pasta.

Total Weight Gain: We went to the doctor’s this week and I’ve gained 4 pounds.  I’m quite positive that those pounds will be coming on much faster because my belly is growing fast!

Gender: We know the gender and we will be sharing with everyone very soon!

Maternity Clothes: Officially, I have no pants that fit.  I’m wearing a lot of dresses.  I only have three more weeks of class/work before summer break starts.  I hate the idea of purchasing maternity work clothes that I will only wear for a couple more weeks and never wearing again.  The weather is also on the verge of getting warmer and I spend most of my summer in dresses and skirts so I’m holding on as long as possible with the things I have at home.

This weekend I made a stretchy knit skirt and converted an old pair of jeans into maternity jeans so I think I’m set for a while.  I also went shopping and bought an actual maternity dress that I can wear all through the summer.

Food: So interesting to me how hungry I am (constantly).  It’s so odd to me that just a week ago a switch turned on inside my stomach, activating my desire for food.  I’m really trying to eat healthy and be smart about my food consumption but it’s really hard!!! I am really liking food!!!!

Sleep: I didn’t sleep as well this week.  The first part of the week I had a hard time sleeping because I was so excited about our doctor’s appointment on Wednesday and then the the rest of the week I had nightmares/dreams about the baby. I believe the reason for all the vivid dreams/nightmares is that we saw our little bambino for the first time and then I realized how real it all is.  After this, I started really worrying that something might happen to the little precious thing inside of me.

Missing Anything: The one thing I really missed this week was the thought that I just can’t control my bladder.  I have to go to the bathroom what seems like a million times a day.  I told Dusty this week that I just can’t wait until this pregnancy is over and I won’t have to use the restroom as much. So, what am I missing? I’m missing having to go pee only four times a day instead of 20 (bit of an exaggeration but I really go a lot)!

Movement:  Crazy how one week can make a huge difference.  Last week I thought I might be feeling a little fluttering and this week I most definitely felt movement.  Over the weekend our bambino was really moving around and Dusty was able to feel a little nudge.  I would most definitely say there is currently a transition from those initial fluttering movement into full-fledge kicks and nudges.  I’m trying to pay attention to when the movement happens to see what kind of pattern the bambino has.

Mood: I was in a great mood this week.  I was excited yet anxious at the same time to have our ultra-sound.  And now that we’ve seen our bambino we’re over the moon in love with this little thing that’s no longer just an “it”.

Best Moment(s) This Week: Having the ultra-sound and seeing our bambino!  We were with the ultra-sound tech for about an hour so we got lots of quality time with the bambino.  The tech said the baby was hiding it’s head and it took quit  long time to get a clear view so they could measure the growth of the head and make sure everything was alright.  It’s amazing the kinds of things that the doctor look for in the ultra-sound and how much they can tell you and show you.  I was so surprised that they could tell us how much the baby weighed just by the measurements they took.  In the end, everything looked great and our little bambino is perfect!

My second favorite moment was this weekend when we were laying in bed and I told Dusty that I swore I was really feeling the baby move and they were so strong that I wanted him to put his hand on my stomach to see if he could feel something.  It wasn’t much but he did feel definite nudge.

Looking Forward To: Starting to get the nursery ready now that we know the gender of the baby.