Cube shelf!

I bought a white cube shelf from SuperTarget yesterday and put it together all by myself! I'm pretty proud of myself, so I decided I'd post a picture of it...I even unscrewed the bottom of the closet doors so I could shove the shelf all the way in.

AND this morning, I ordered our car seat and stroller set...very exciting.

Our BABYMOON!

Dean and I went to Tucson, Arizona for Memorial Day weekend...we called it our "babymoon" because it'll probably be the last trip we'll take as just the two of us before our baby arrives! I don't think I'll fly again during this pregnancy...my butt (tailbone) didn't feel so great during the flights! Other than that, the weekend was AWESOME!!! It was exactly what we wanted and needed...thank you to Megan for getting us a deal on our hotel AND for suggesting a great place for dinner.

We left early Saturday morning (Dean's parents climbed out of bed EARLY to take us to the airport--THANK YOU!!! ) and arrived in Tucson at 9:30 in the morning. We rented a car and for the same price as a dinky little compact car, the guy gave us a red mustang! Dean was pretty excited. We found our hotel but weren't able to check in yet, so we drove to a nearby state park. We were in no way, shape, or form, ready to "hike" through the desert...we both had flip-flops on, I was wearing a sundress, and between the two of us, we had a quarter of a bottle of water. NO good. So, we just found a picnic table in the shade and read/relaxed for a bit. We went back to the hotel and checked out the pool for about an hour or so and then went to dinner at a place called Wildflower...it was REALLY good!

Sunday morning, we got massages and then hung out at the pool pretty much all day...I stayed under an umbrella for most of the day. It was perfect...we were complete bums and ate/drank (smoothies for me) the whole time. I think the baby likes 70's music...it was playing while we were laying there and it was just dancing away in my belly!

On Monday, we went to another state park and drove through the mountains and did some sightseeing...I got a little carsick towards the end, but the drive was pretty cool! All in all, we had a really wonderful weekend and I'm SO glad we were able to do it! It's so nice to be able to get away...even if it's just for a couple days. The baby's movements have become much stronger lately! It's more than just the usual bumps and taps...it's almost like he/she is dragging a hand or foot across my stomach. Some of the kicks are strong enough that I can actually see my stomach move....SO weird, but I love it! Dean was watching for one, but has yet to see it happen...my mom saw a big one today though! It's so fun!

Speaking of my mom...she is the BEST! I've been trying to clean out that darn guest bedroom, remember? Well, I had it "organized" into about 27 piles of STUFF. I swore to Dean that I had a method to my madness...I knew what I intended to do with each pile (Lindsey's garage sale, Ebay, trash, storage, etc.), I just didn't know what to do with it for NOW. Well, my mom came over this afternoon and helped me put stuff in boxes/bags and dragged stuff downstairs for me. With the exception of a shelf with picture albums on it, the room is ready to be turned into our nursery!!! YAYAYYYYYYY!!!!!!! I'm completely thrilled about it! We even hung up the few articles of clothing that I've received. They look so cute in the closet! I really should've taken a before and after picture of that room...it was a disaster. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MOM!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, I will be a full 20 weeks along...we're halfway done!

Taking a picture tonight!

I know, Dean and I are behind on the new belly picture...we usually take one every two weeks on either Saturday or Sunday. I've had some sort of cold/sinus something or other the past couple of days. I thought it was allergies at first, which by the way, are freaking BRUTAL this year...but by Saturday, I knew I had caught something yucky. I was on the couch ALL day yesterday...I was in NO mood to take a picture. SO, we'll take one tonight!

Dean was so sweet yesterday...he was outside doing yard work all day but he made sure to come inside and make me breakfast and lunch...he even cut up fruit for me. I was joking that the baby probably didn't know WHAT was going on because he/she is used to me eating all day long, but yesterday I didn't have much of an appetite so I only had a couple small meals.

I think I'm starting to conquer this zit problem on my forehead...knock on wood. I think in the past few months, I've gotten more zits than all my teenage years put together! Gross! Other than that, this second-trimester stuff is pretty great! I am feeling well (minus the cold) and having so much fun feeling the baby move! It catches me off guard sometimes...such an exciting feeling!

I've completely destroyed our guest bedroom...soon-to-be nursery. That whole room was basically an extension of my closet. I have pulled everything out of the dresser, shelf, underneath the bed , and half the closet and now all this STUFF is just laying on the ground and on the bed. I don't know what to do with it all!!! I'm so anxious to get it all cleaned out so we can get started on the nursery...my goal is to get it done this week!

Baby stuff...

I've been looking online to get ideas (and to compare prices) for cribs, car seats, strollers, highchairs, etc, etc, etc. I think I finally found a few things that I really like! AND so far everything has gotten great online reviews. Dean keeps joking about when I'm going to go into "baby mode"...a.k.a when I start going psycho about wanting to get everything done as soon as possible. I don't think I've quite hit that point yet, but I am getting a LITTLE anxious as the halfway point is creeping up on us in a couple weeks...

Mother's Day

I had a busy, but nice weekend! On Saturday, Dean and I went to a friend's wedding and then a group of us went out to a (smoke-free) wine bar afterwards...it was really fun to be able to get all dressed up and to be among good friends for an evening. It was a late night...I think it was 2:30 in the morning by the time we went to bed!

On Sunday morning, Dean and I met our families downtown at the French Cafe for Mother's Day brunch. I didn't know if I counted as a mom yet, so I was suprised and touched at all the well-wishes I received throughout the day! Dean gave me card and wrote a very sweet message in it that made me cry. He HATES picking out cards and trying to come up with what to write in them, so it meant a lot to me that he took the time to do it. I also received a card "from the baby"...my brother decided to get creative...it was sooo cute! He wrote it with his left hand so it would look like little kid handwriting.

I'm still feeling great...just a few aches and pains to report..the same tailbone issue and my lower back has been a little achy and feels tight. Nothing TOO bad though. I've noticed that I can't seem to move as quickly when it comes to things like getting out of the car or climbing out of bed, etc.

I haven't been sleeping as well lately. I've been obsessed with trying not to sleep in my back but it never fails, every time I wake up during the night (which is quite often), I'm on my back. I know as I get bigger, the "problem" will solve itself as I probably won't be able to sleep that way anymore.

My appetite seems to be increasing exponentially...a little bit scary. I feel like all I do is eat! People have asked me if I'm craving anything and I say "Yes. Food."

I've been feeling more movement!! It's the coolest feeling! I've found that if I sit or lay back with my feet out in front of me, it only takes a few minutes before I start to feel little bumps and flutters. Crazy!!

Dean and I have a trip planned for Memorial Day weekend! We are going to Tucson, Arizona. Why Tucson? Because we bid on and won ExpressJet plane tickets at a fundraiser several weeks ago and there are only three destinations to choose from--San Diego (we went there a few months ago), Los Angeles, or Tucson. We wanted to go somewhere nice and relaxing AND neither of us has ever been to Arizona. We're really excited for it! We're calling this our "babymoon"...a getaway before our little PIP arrives!

Another appointment

I had another appointment today...just a regular monthly check-up. I got to hear the heartbeat again! I love it! I took a video of it on my cell phone so I could show Dean and my mom.
My doctor said everything is looking great...the baby's heartbeat was loud and strong (she said it was "perfect") and we "heard" some kicks again. She seems pretty positive that the little flutters I've been feeling is the baby moving!!!

I asked her about this pain I've been having in my tailbone when I've been sitting for a while on anything firmer than my couch and she said it's not unheard of and pretty normal because the baby is putting pressure on different parts of my body AND my muscles in that area are more relaxed in order to allow my body to stretch. She said if it becomes extremely painful, it could be some rare condition...but I don't think that's the case. It's more bothersome than anything.
The words "healthy", "great", "normal", and "perfect" are the best words to hear from any kind of doctor, so I'm very happy right now.

And the MOST exciting part---I was able to schedule my ultrasound for next month when we get to find out the sex of the baby!!!! We go in on June 3rd...which is a week later than I expected, but the lady who does the scheduling convinced me that that one week makes a HUGE difference in what we will be able to see. One more week isn't going to kill me, I guess. I am so excited for this appointment...I can't believe it's almost here!

I feel like knowing the sex will help us be more prepared for everything. I'm all about being as ready as possible for any event, no matter how big or small and I'm pretty sure having a baby ranks way up there! There's only so much gender-neutral stuff and so far, I'm not really loving any of it. I'd rather have as much boy or girl stuff as ready as possible because I know once the baby is here, the last thing on my mind will be to go out and buy stuff that isn't yellow or green. I think I'll have more important things to keep me busy! All in all, I would just like to have a better idea of who we've been preparing for these past few months and who we're going to get to meet in another few months.

MAYBE felt the baby move?

I think I MAY have felt the baby move! Obviously, I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but yesterday, while I was sitting on the couch talking to Lindsey on the phone, I felt a light tapping a few inches below my belly-button. I stretched out and put my hand there to see if I could feel it again. It happened a couple more times! I'm 16 weeks along...I don't know if that's too early to be feeling any movement...

You know what's bad? Pregnant grocery shopping. I always make a list of everything I need, but I swear some magnetic force pulls me into the ice cream aisle everytime. I don't know what happens.