Week 26

Along: 26 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a scallion. The peanut is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his/her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when the baby is born and takes that first gulp of air. He/she is continuing to put on baby fat (love the chub). The peanut now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: My guess would be 16-18 pounds. I feel like the baby belly has doubled in size so maybe it is more. These days, people know I am pregnant and think I'm due soon (like next month). I guess I got what I asked for!

Maternity Clothes:  I wear a mixture of both. The belly band has been a great life saver. I also have been using the hair tie in the shorts trick a lot. Anything with an expandable waist possibility is my best friend.

Gender: Surprise! We have decided to switch our girl name. It will still be a secret until the baby arrives, but if I were to have the baby tomorrow and it was a girl- she would not have a name. Matt and I cannot agree.

Movement: All day and all the time!

Sleep: It is hit or miss. The weekends are nice because I can take a nap to recover from the restless sleep. By the end of the day Monday through Friday, I am P-O-O-P-E-D!

What I miss: I miss having my clothes fit and definition in my cheeks. I do not love the chubby cheeks of pregnancy. All pictures make for a very round and full face.

Cravings: Anything. I'm in the stage where you say a food and I will probably tell you- "oooooo that sounds good." If I were to pin point the specific cravings this week, I would say I have been loving bananas, avocados, graham crackers, spinach, salad, cheese, any type of sandwich, apples, peaches, and cottage cheese.

Symptoms: Endless hunger, roller coaster mood swings, swollen digits (fingers and hands), irritable skin (under my wedding ring, it gets dry- have been taking a break from wearing it- BUMMER), itchy skin, pressure, and pea size bladder.

Best Moment This Week:  One Saturday, the Friedecks came to Dallas and we all went to the aquarium. It was so much fun. I loved seeing the boys react to the different animals. Noah thought that some stripped fish were bees and a sloth he called a kitty. It's just so funny how they perceive the world. I think the cutest thing is that out of this trip- Noah learned the word turtle and can say it very clearly. Hudson and Noah held hands and interacted like little boys- wild and crazy. Matt and I loved getting to catch up with Karl and Amber. It's so fun to be around people in similar life stages. Amber and I missed each other so much we even dressed alike- not on purpose. After two and a half hours of exploring the aquarium, we went to one of our new Dallas favorite spots (we've been to like 4 restaurants, so we have limited knowledge) but we went to Bread Winners. It was great food and a great time! Here are some of my favorite pictures below. We took tons (Amber loves pictures like I 

do)! 

Noah's 21 month post to come tomorrow as well as a surprise post sometime before Sunday!

Week 25

Not the best picture to reflect the bump- it's growing..... A LOT!

Along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: The peanut is the size of a cantaloupe. She/he weighs around 1 ½ pounds. I will have a 28 week sonogram in a couple weeks- I will know more exact measurements then. Baby has capillaries forming and filling with blood under his/her skin. By weeks end- air sacs will develop in his/her lungs getting the peanut ready for the first breath when born.

Total Weight Gain: 15-17 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  I am in a mixture. I plan on going out this weekend to get a couple tops/dresses. My selection is becoming more and more limited. I am hoping to find some stuff that I could use after I have the peanut. We shall see!

Gender: It's a surprise. While with my girlfriends this weekend, they did a bunch of the old wives tale tests. I think it was about 60/40 in favor of a girl. I will be so excited either way!

Movement: YES! I feel it most in the mornings and as I’m going to bed. I find myself taking the occasional work break to watch my belly move. I love this part of pregnancy; it is such a special time between mama and baby.

Sleep: Blah. 7-9 hours a night. I wake up a lot and have trouble getting comfortable.

What I miss: I miss sleeping through the night.  

Cravings: Fruit, sweets, turkey sandwiches, cold salads, and any type of bread.

Symptoms: Swelling, mood swings, back pain, pressure, and small bladder

Best Moment This Week:  I had a weekend of being social. Saturday, I went to Fort Worth to celebrate Kristin’s upcoming wedding. It was WONDERFUL. I can’t wait until the next Baylor girls reunion. On Sunday afternoon, Matt, Noah, and I were able to have lunch with my work/ boot camp buddy, Tara, and her husband Dave. I hadn't realized how homesick for familiar faces I had become since being away from Austin over a month. We hope the Emmel's will come back and visit us soon. They had been at Six Flags the day after the woman had fallen out of the roller coaster- needless to say- I think they are brave!

I felt so refreshed starting the week. I posted pictures from the weekend yesterday, so I will leave y’all with a couple new pictures of the Clem clan!

True love- putting a kid on your shoulders that is afraid of heights. He grips your face like there is no tomorrow.

Lunch with the Bunny named Myani

Love this dood. He loves his crackers.

Celebrating the Bride to Be!

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to head to Fort Worth to celebrate one of my good friends from college getting married- yay Kristin! It had been such a long time since I'd had a girl's weekend, and I soaked up every minute of it. We did a lot of girl talk, sun bathing, eating, laughing, and hanging out. Some funny tan lines (Kelsey) and interesting stories came from our time together- memories I'll always cherish. They introduced me to "Four Day Weekend"- an awesome comedy show in Fort Worth that I would recommend to anybody. These are some of the pictures I managed to take will participating in all the shenanigans.

Kristin- the Bride to Be!

My 5th year roomies. I was the fun one. (right??!)

My married besties

Four Day Weekend- KFish definitely got called on stage and played it perfectly! 

The 13 of us celebrating Kristin outside the comedy show. 

Be Silly

Pissa- My triplet nanny and Ashley!

Baylor Bears!

I have not stayed up until 3:30 just to talk in years. I'm pretty sure Ashley and I told them way more than they ever wanted to know about childbirth, but if you ask, we will tell. I walked away so refreshed from being with girls that I spent all of my college career with. They have so many of my college memories and always know how to keep me laughing. Happy Tuesday! 

Belly post to come tomorrow!

Week 24

Along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: The peanut is about the size of an earn of corn and has gained about 1/4 of a pound since last week. The baby now weighs more than 600g. She/he is starting to fill the space in my womb. Baby's brain is growing rapidly, taste buds have fully developed, and her/his footprints and fingerprints are continuing to form.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 14 pounds as of last Thursday- I think technically I should gain about a pound a week from now until the

Peanut comes. If that's the case, I will be right on target with how much I gained with Noah.

Maternity Clothes:  A mixture. I have definitely retired a lot of pants and shorts this week that no longer fit. Pants that were super baggy on me pre-pregnancy now fit just right. Needless to say, I've been adding on the chub.

Gender: It's a surprise. If you ask me this week, I would say boy. The OBGYN-whom I LOVE LOVE LOVE- commented on how low I am carrying the nugget. Low makes me think boy, but the heart rate was 148, so that makes me think girl. Your guess is as good as mine!

Movement: Oh yes! I told Matt Tuesday night that I think the peanut is more wild than Noah. There is so much movement in my belly- I absolutely love it.

Sleep: Blah.

What I miss: I miss being able to fit in small spaces, bend over easy, and move quickly. I feel like it is much more a chore to do the easy, everyday tasks.

Cravings: Berries, Grapes, Apples, Juice, Milk, Chocolate, Cake, Cookies, Bread with Butter, Greek salad, chicken salad, pasta salad- pretty much anything cold and refreshing. I will watch a show, the characters will be eating something and I will instantly want it. Matt thinks I'm ridiculous- which I am- but it's crazy how your body's sense of food heightens while pregnant.

Exercise: I am still running/walking 3-4 times a week, so I justify my bad cravings with exercise. My goal is to stay active as long as I can with the peanut. I think it made a difference while in labor with Noah and also helped with not gaining 100 pounds. It's been so nice to have a running buddy that lives so close. Noah and KBOW benefit too. It gets them out in the fresh air, and they will babble back and forth. Running has been a great way to handle the stress of everything, enjoy fellowship with Ashley, and get a farmer's tan. Will I last 16 more weeks? Probably not. My goal is to make it to 35 weeks.

Symptoms: Pressure- oh yes- lots of pressure everywhere. By the end of the day, I have sausage toes and cankles. The OBGYN said that I would have it worse this time. If you carry low with the first, you will carry even lower with the second. Oh goody! I pee about every 30 minutes while I am awake and usually once in the middle of the night. I have also had my legs fall asleep more as well as just the back aches and pains. I'm sure carrying my 27 pound toddler doesn't help that either.

Best Moment This Week:  Saturday night we headed over to Rockwall to celebrate Baby Hannah. Alli and Justin are expecting a beautiful baby girl in August. It was my first couples baby shower to attend and I loved it. Matt and I feel so blessed to walk into a city where we already have a community of believers who live life with joy and purpose. I can't wait for Baby Boy Baker, Baby Clem, and Baby Hannah to grow up together. They will be the three musketeers running their mamas wild (along with Noah and KBOW as well). 

Baby Clem, Baby Hannah, Baby Baker

Supper Club Girls

The boys minus KBOW ( dood looks like a little man in this pic).

Clem-in-Mexican Attire

Haircuts with Dad

1) Standing up- trying to cut as Noah moves (not the best idea)

2) Sitting down- trying to distract Noah with haircut supplies (busy boy was bored fast)

3) Sitting down next to mommy- keeping Noah comforted and entertained (this ended fast because Noah wanted to sit in my lap-sitting in mommy's lap is not really an option when trimmers are involved)

4) Sitting down- bribing may have happened at this point (the word cookie is quite popular in our household these days)

July 4th Parade

Noah experienced his first Fourth of July parade this past week and loved every minute of it. Who knew the dood could sit so still? He didn't move from my lap for 45 minutes. He was mesmerized by all of the floats and different people. The theme was "history", so we saw all sorts of characters- Ab Lincoln, Statue of Liberty, Trash Queens, you name it. Noah loved watching the dogs and kids the most. 

The Bakers came with us and Kaleb (KBOW) enjoyed it as well. I think it will be a new tradition for us. The weather was wonderful in the shade and everybody was so friendly. We couldn't have asked for a better morning. 

Happy Thursday!

Week 23

Along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a mango. He/she can feel me dance, which I love because Noah, Matt, and I have dance parties often. The peanut is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound.  Blood vessels in her/his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I would guess 15 pounds. I have my appointment tomorrow. YIKES! I'm nervous Matt's birthday cookies that I've been feasting on might have added some more cushion.

Maternity Clothes:  I love the belly band. I use that most of the time. I also have been doing my normal cotton dresses. It's so stinking hot- the less clothes the better.

Gender: It's a surprise! Matt still thinks boy. My guess would be girl.

Movement: Yes. Matt feels him/her a lot now. It's so fun. I love the movement. It is such a sweet reminder of the gift I'm carrying.

Sleep: Bad. I wake up a lot and have trouble falling back asleep. By the end of the day, I'm very fatigued.  

What I miss: I miss not always feeling so hot and swollen. I've had my wedding ring off this week because my fingers are just so plump and tender.

Cravings: I love cold things. Cold pasta salad, cold fruit, cold cookies, cold beverages, cold anything really. I made some vegetable chili this week and it just doesn't sound good. It's so hot- poor choice on my part. I have realized that my dinner menu for the next month or two is going to be summer dishes.

Symptoms: Fatigue, swollen feet/legs/hands, pressure all around, small bladder with small window to go pee (sometimes I really don’t think I'm going to make it- at work that is NOT acceptable), and irritability. I am much snappier sometimes- saying things I definitely don't mean. Matt is a trooper. He loves me unconditionally and just shakes it off.

Best Moment This Week:  This was such a great week for us. Thursday, we did the Fourth of July parade with the Bakers. Friday, we had our first supper club meeting at the Lewis household- wonderful fellowship even though we lost to the Lewis duo in Nerts. Yes, I still hate to lose.  Saturday, Ashley and I went swimming while Matt installed THREE fans in our house (studly, I know). Sunday, we tried out a new church and loved it. They sing a lot of the same songs we sang out the Stone and the people there were so welcoming and kind. Tuesday, Matt turned 25 and we grilled out. The worst part about all of this- I took zero pictures (besides on the Fourth of July). I know, what's wrong with me. I think just getting into the normal swing of things- I failed to pull out the camera as much as I should have. I am going to do a post on the Fourth of July parade this week, so I will leave you with a picture Ashley sent me today while watching Noah.

This has been one of God's greatest blessings in our move to Dallas- Noah has a best friend. These two boys are together around three to four times a week and LOVE each other. It is the sweetest relationship and I can't wait to watch it grow.

Mulch Love

My handy, hardworking husband has been going to town on our new house. I swear everyday he knocks something off of the list. Yesterday, while I was busy working, Matt and Noah did the mulching in our front yard. It is crazy how much a little mulch makes a world of difference. Noah had a blast "assisting" so I had to get some pictures. They are double trouble and I love them. 

Nothing like a hard days work!

These Two

I love these two.

One of my favorite pictures ever.

Can't wait to be a family of four.

Four more months.

Happy Weekend!

Week 22

Along: 22 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a butternut squash. Peanut is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His/her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and the baby is even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his/her gums. His/her eyes have formed, but the peanut's irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I would guess 13-16 pounds. I have my first appointment with the new OBGYN a week from Thursday.

Maternity Clothes:  I still can wear most of my summer clothes and dresses. I haven't worn much maternity attire yet, but I know the time is coming soon.

Gender: It's a surprise! I've had two boy dreams this week, so we shall see. I think I'm carrying this baby different so then that makes me think girl. I go back and forth- we would be so excited either way.

Movement: Yes! Matt felt the peanut yesterday. It was awesome. This baby is a wild one. 

Sleep: Blah.

What I miss: When I was pregnant with Noah, people knew if they saw a belly- that I was pregnant. This time around because I already have Noah, people just think I still haven't lost my baby weight. I haven't had one person ask when I'm due. I always have to tell them. So to answer this question, I miss people knowing I'm preggo!

Cravings: Fruit and sweets

Symptoms: Exhaustion, irritability, dizziness, swollen digits, and extra small bladder.

Best Moment This Week:  My parents came up this past weekend to see the new house. We had a blast. We tried an Austin-like restaurant called the Company Café (incredible) and did some gardening/ housework. Noah loved getting to see them and decided to skip all naps on Saturday, so he wouldn't miss out. Matt's birthday is on July 9^th, so my dad and him went and picked out a new grill. Matt has already grilled three times this week. Grilling has been so fun and a great, new summer tradition to add to our family. 

Ganma and Ops

Ops, Miani (the bunny), Noah