Hello From the Islands

Week 17:   April 17-24th

16 Weeks

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: +1 pound
Maternity clothes? Yes--LOVING the maternity pants and wondering why I didn't get them sooner.  In this picture I'm wearing maternity khaki capri pants (Gap Maternity) and a top from my sweet mother-in-law (Motherhood Maternity).  It's nice how everything stretches.  This week, we had several really warm days---mid 80's.  I hope it sticks around! I have a feeling I'll be living in loose-fitting dresses this summer. 
Stretch marks? none yet!  I've been diligently applying my Burt's Bees Belly Butter--Thanks to Sara!
Sleep: No trouble sleeping here...Still needing lots of extra sleep, but my energy level is definitely up from where it was. 
Best moment this week:  Starting to write in my "Belly Book".  I'm keeping track of all of these pictures I've been taking, and I think it'll be a great keepsake to look back on this pregnancy.  Thanks, Jess!  :-)
Miss Anything?  Sushi...

Movement: Not yet
Food cravings: pickles, cereal, OJ

Anything making you queasy or sick: I still haven't eaten any meat.  But, the smell sensitivity seems to be getting better.  I didn't feel like I was going to lose my lunch when I came home to smell a hamburger this week. 
Gender: Mystery... We have decided to find out the sex of the baby.  We just couldn't take the suspense.  We have our Anatomy Scan on May 3rd.  Stay tuned!

Labor Signs: No....thank goodness!
Symptoms: Nausea, but mostly when I am hungry now--not all of the time.  That is an improvement. 
Belly Button in or out? in, but JB says that it is getting more shallow. Who notices that?!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :-)
Looking forward to: Our trip to Turks and Caicos for Presidents' Club 2012/Babymoom 2012.  Can't wait to have my toes in the sand!

Made it back to the gym 2x this week.  I know it's been a while, but I felt so out of shape even just walking on the treadmill!  Hoping to try out a prenatal yoga class soon.

WEEK 15:   April 4-11

I am FINALLY feeling better!  All of a sudden, this week the nausea disappeared (for the most part), and I'm feeling much more energized.  They weren't kidding about a change happening in the 2nd trimester, and I'm so glad!  It's a good thing, because it was spring break this week, and we took a trip to Raleigh to visit friends. 

P.S. This chalkboard post is no lie.  I went through 2 LARGE boxes of strawberries this week by myself. My appetite is finally coming back, although the food aversions are definitely still around. 

Our Trip Back to Raleighwood....
I haven't been back to Raleigh since September, and we decided to take advantage of my time off this week to take a short trip there.  It worked out perfectly, because JB happened to have some work to do there as well.  Basically, he worked and I was his chauffeur between my gallivanting around to see friends.  

We spent the weekend with some of our favorite friends, Ryan and Melissa, and the cutest little girls ever--our goddaughters, Eleana and Livi.  We spent lots of time playing, catching up, and lounging around.  It was great!  On Sunday, Melissa made a yummy Easter dinner of lamb chops, asparagus, and roasted potatoes.  We followed that with chocolate covered strawberries--yum!  It was all so delish.  We also celebrated Elli and Livi's 4th birthday.  I can't believe that they are already four years old.  That is crazy to me!  I remember being out for dinner with R & M just days before they were born, and feeling so excited to meet them.  Now, here we are 4 years later, and we're getting ready to meet our own little peanut.  Melissa is one of my dearest friends, and one of the best moms I know.  I am going to be taking lots of advice from her. 

Big girls with their new scooters they got for their birthday!

A kiss from mom!  She was so serious about dying eggs.

Big Smiles!  Egg dying is fun....until you drop the egg. 

On Tuesday, I made a visit to the elementary school where I used to teach in North Raleigh.  I spent a few hours catching up with coworkers, friends, and kiddos that I had in my classes over the past three years.  Durant Elementary School is such a special place, and I'm so glad to have spent three awesome years there.  I miss everyone there so much! 

Then, on Tuesday night we enjoyed dinner at our friends, Sara and Michael's house.  We met their sweet little girl Lainey, who was born on Christmas Day.  We loved getting the chance to catch up with them too.  You can tell that they are so in love with their sweet little lady.  I'm loving all of this baby time we've been getting!  

On Wednesday before we left, I got to meet up with Melissa for some grown-up girl time.  We enjoyed pedicures and a yummy lunch out.  It was the perfect end to our trip.  We were definitely torn about our move out of Raleigh when we decided to leave.  We have some great friends there, the weather is beautiful (it will near 80 during our trip), and the people in the south are so friendly.  I'm so happy that we get to go back to visit.  Hopefully our friends in NC will travel up to see us in NJ too.  You're always welcome!  Have a great week everyone!

All caught up with our preggo updates!  Tomorrow marks day 1 of Week 15.  As I said last week, I must have eaten a lot that day, because I look smaller in this picture today!

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain: +?? pound  I go to the doctor on Friday, so we will see!
Maternity clothes? I wore regular pants with the zipper 1/2 way down and a longer shirt yesterday.  Luckily it was a long shirt, because when I went to the bathroom, I noticed that my zipper was all the way down. 
Stretch marks? none yet!  Anyone have any miracle creams?
Sleep: No trouble sleeping here...I'm usually ready for bed by 7 pm.
Best moment this week: We had a fun, busy weekend.  It felt good to spend time with friends and family.  XOXO
Miss Anything?  Eating without wondering how I'll feel afterwards...
Movement: Not yet
Food cravings:  Raspberries (I ate a huge container all by myself in a day.), pickles, waffles, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Not all together, of course :-)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still can't eat any meat (the smell or sight of it), fish, coffee, alcohol (the smells)--UGH!  
Gender: Mystery...Should we find out?  Still undecided...
Labor Signs: No....thank goodness!
Symptoms: Nausea, but mostly when I am hungry now--not all of the time.  That is an improvement. 
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :-)
Looking forward to: My doctor's appointment on Friday AND our trip to Raleigh on Saturday to see our friends we miss so much and my favorite 4-year old twins :-)

Week 13-The Secret is Out!

Now....before ya'll say--"WOW, she looks huge."  Let me just say that I think this day I was having a particularly "big" day.  My stomach looks flatter today.  Must have eaten too many pickles! 

We went to Boston this week, and we were able to share our news with Joe's family and friends.  We shared the news over dinner with JB's family and some close friends.  It was a very LOUD and happy response.  For those who don't know, my in-laws are nicknamed "The Louds".  :-)  There was lots of screaming and hugging, and I'm so glad we were finally able to share the news with them.

Later that weekend, we made some Skype calls and phone calls to other close friends to share the news.  We also met up with several friends in Boston, and it was fun to tell them in person.  It was definitely official though when it came out on Facebook.  We're so excited for Baby Dustin to know all of you who are so special in our life.  :-)