lately

i really had intended to post more often.

before becoming pregnant i loved sharing my exercise and healthy eats

and occasionally what i've been knitting and reading.

but lately i feel like the only things i have to say are

i feel great at X # of weeks!

i'm so sleepy

i haven't cooked in ages

i haven't even walked around the neighborhood once.


i kind of thought i would post more about pregnancy, but things have been going so well there's not much to report.  i also feel really silly about planning how i think birth will go or the decisions bill and i will make as parents when i don't have any experience.

i still plan on doing a few updates here and there, and gender reveal, nursery, home projects, etc

i also have a few things ready to knit (not to mention finish knitting)

so i'll be dropping in periodically - trying not to force anything - and only share when it seems right


 

15 weeks

i did it

i finally procrastinated so long on writing a weekly update i completely surpassed week 14

oops.

but here we are in week 15 now!

officially 2nd trimester and i am so excited.

why does the 1st trimester drone on and on - especially when you technically get to "skip" a whole month?

also, please excuse my sleepy face and poor lighting.  i keep swearing i will remember to take these pictures on the weekend when there is a bit of natural light shining in.

oh well.

speaking of sleepy face, i've been exhausted lately!

i hadn't felt this tired since weeks 5-7

and supposedly the 2nd trimester is supposed to be all this bounding energy and renewed well being.  maybe it's the cold weather, but i'm ready to go to bed at 9pm every night lately.  i also have been loving a nap on the weekends.

one thing i wish i would have done since finding out i was pregnant was to start a dream journal.  my dreams have been all over the place - from scary and frightening to oddly sensual.  even weirder i haven't remembered a single dream having to do with a baby.  one of the oddest dreams i had recently was a love affair i was starting with superman.  SUPERMAN.  i guess if i'm going to feel like sleeping all the time, it might as well be entertaining?

aside from odd sleep habits, i've been experiencing what i think is a bit of round ligament pain. it's not necessarily painful, but i notice it most at night when i go to change positions and i feel a strong tug near my pelvic area.

bill and i finally went and visited babies r us last weekend as well

we didn't buy anything or register (waiting until we find out the sex) but it was nice to just take in all the STUFF.

bill is convinced we don't need any of it, and while i do think there are a lot of random baby things we can do without, i'm going to have a tough time convincing him of why we need a "breastfriend" and boppy pillow.

all in all i'm feeling pretty great.

i've had a bout of extremely itchy dry skin and stuffy/runny/bloody nose - which can all be pregnancy related but are probably also not helped by the -5 degree temps.

i've got another 2 weeks before my next OB appointment and hopefully just another 3-4 weeks until we will get to find out the gender!

 

snowed-in

happy monday!

after an unexpected long weekend, i'm feeling refreshed.

i didn't even know we were supposed to get much snow friday

and i don't think the weather people thought so either

i woke up to a winter wonderland that happened to be coming down right when i was supposed to be heading to work

there were so many accidents - the road i take to get to the highway was a nightmare (according to traffic reports)

it took a co-worker an hour to travel the 5 mile distance to the interstate alone (another 30 miles before reaching work) - the coworker who was already out when the ice and snow hit.  with more and more accidents piling up i decided that i didn't want to risk sliding off the road

so i put my slippers on and called it a snow day.

i tried to knit for awhile

but i am slowly running out of yarn and i will either have jussssst enough to finish or will have to order another skein for just a few rows.  sigh.  so i am dragging my feet on finishing it.

despite the chilly weather, bill and i did make it out saturday for a little while

mainly to get out of the house

i tried my hardest to spend money, but i think deep down i know all my money will be going toward baby purchases so nothing was bought

wellll...except for a dipped cone.  snow and ice be darned.  i love me softserve

and it was balanced by the hearty meal i spent most of sunday preparing

my favorite beef stew - there's a bit of chopping and a few hours of stewing in a dutch oven

but the end result is always filling.

 

13 weeks

13 weeks and we just keep chugging along!

this week my little lime has grown to be the size of a tangerine!

how fitting since i could eat my weight in citrus!

this week i've felt a few more pinches and pokes around my lower abdomen - especially when i stretch or cough really hard.  i'm sure all normal, but always alarming to feel the sudden sting.

i had my OB appointment last Wednesday where they did ANOTHER ultrasound.  I feel so lucky to have all of these ultrasounds because from talking to my friends they definitely didn't have this many. we got to see the little one in there moving and bouncing around which helped ease my fears once again.  i've been completely neurotic about everything.  i have had so few symptoms it's hard for me to remember i am indeed growing a human being.

but then i look in the mirror and feel ridiculous.  this top was loose and flowy this past fall. it was super spacious in the boobage area as well.  it is now snug around my belly and maybe a bit too tight in the bust.  the maternity tops i've tried on just don't look right since i'm in the inbetween stage.  but my current wardrobe is starting to shrink on me as well ;) i'm hoping in the next month or so i can "pop" and confidently wear work clothes.

how is baby doing? from babycenter

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

right now i am currently counting down the weeks until we will be able to find out the gender.  (i believe in 6 weeks my OB said we can schedule).  i have also begun reading reviews on all major baby items needed (carseats, strollers, cribs) and am ready to purchase a few books to read to prepare for what's ahead.

i'm a procrastinator at heart, so i'm really trying to get a one up on myself to get a few things done over the next few months so it doesn't all come barreling down at the end.

 

a list on friday

1. it doesn't look like much, but i've actually made a ton of progress on my shawl - finally passed the second "loops" row and there are 200+ stitches on my needles and continually growing

2. i actually cooked last night.  a recipe pinned on pinterest - a soup with italian sausage and noodles - broth and tomato based blended with white beans.  delicious.

3.  woodford is learning to read.

4.  i downloaded WILD by Cheryl Strayed

and aside from cooking last night, i haven't been able to stop reading it.  i predict finishing it this weekend.  very well written.  i cried for the first 30 pages.  big ugly tears too.

5.  i learned last night that my 10 year reunion will be held this summer.  this summer.  while i am 8-9 months pregnant.  dear Lord, let there be a/c.

6.  how has it been 10 years since graduation?  HOW?

7. who else is obsessed with the show justified?  i really need someone who is obsessed as i am with raylan to come forward.  you know. so we can start a fan club or something.

8.  that's about all i got.  so i'm ending with #8

have a good weekend!

 

week 12 (a little late)

so technically, i'm 13 weeks pregnant today

and i never did a 12 week update.

i thought about just skipping the week and moving right on to 13

but then i felt guilty

like this little baby did a whole bunch of growing for me to not talk about it

but really - week 12 was crazy growth spurt time!

at week 11 we were dealing with a baby the size of a fig

i don't regularly eat figs, but that still sounded small to me

but week 12?

we're dealing with...

A LIME!

a lime just sounds so big to me.

like if i threw a lime at your head it would hurt a little.

a little bit about baby ottman this (last) week

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. (from babycenter)

it's crazy to think he's in there moving around and hanging out and i won't be able to tell for several more weeks

which brings me to me


i've said this before, but i had all these preconceived notions that pregnancy was going to be like this constant feeling of nausea and sickness.

and i'm over here feeling more normal than ever

except for....

this belly.

not that i had a flat stomach to begin with - but yikes!  my belly is already so round, which isn't necessarily the baby - just the hormones and what i think is my uterus moving up a bit and pushing my already pudgy belly up and out more

i'm wearing maternity jeans in this picture which doesn't help either - zero waist!  most of my clothes still fit (even the ones i bought after losing weight!)  they just feel miserably tight in the waist - especially after eating these days!

so i swallowed my pride and bought jeans and one shirt (waiting to go to consignment shops to buy more).  i felt a lot more "put together" in clothes that flattered my expanding waist than i did in pants that felt too tight and also trying to hide in sweaters and jackets that hid my mid section.

even though this baby still seems so distant and unreal, i'm starting to feel a bit more pregnant and accept it.  for many weeks i've felt so normal that i couldn't wrap my head around it all.  for the past few weeks i also just felt super pudgy and miserable.  so now that i've ventured into a few maternity shops and feel like i can sorta dress around my belly i'm gaining a bit more self confidence back.  i should really do a whole post on how i've felt about losing weight only to start gaining it back (for a good cause).

week 12 in a nutshell

baby items purchased: one!  a berea college onesie purchased on our short trip!
baby items knitted: zero, but working on finding a pattern shortly!
cravings: pulled pork sandwiches and cereal.  i have a new cereal every week

 

the big freeze

someone please remind me of 0 degree weather when i'm complaining in july about the heat

ok?

ok.

late last week we were predicted to get 5-8" of snow

and then sometime saturday that changed to 1-3"

and then sunday it was almost 50 degrees out up until 9pm

and it rained all afternoon

and then the heat source said peace out and i woke up to 0 degree temps.

by golly if it's going to be 0 outside i need a foot of snow and no work today.

brr!

on the bright side, i got to enjoy a long weekend with bill

my weekend snapshots:

breakfast at wild eggs and a mimosa for bill.  my orange juice was straight up.

the cutest pink and green yarn shop in lexington - rebelle carries gorgeous yarns that are organized by room - helping me from feeling overwhelemd

shared brownie

 with an ale 8 - at berea coffee and tea

 the first and only baby item purchased.  my alma mater.

 what felt like the middle of nowhere

the reason we drove to the middle of nowhere - an early dinner!

and even though i was stuffed i just couldn't resist a molasses cookie.  please tell me your grandmother used to keep a box of archway molasses cookies in the cabinet.  these were like the exact replica of those cookies.  and i didn't share a single bite.

 the goodies i came away with from my yarn store tour.

 

 the shawl i began with the beautiful kauni yarn i purchased

and the progress i made over the weekend.  it should have been more.  ahem.  but i had to rip and start over once or twice.  and i'm terrified of doing 2 more rows of the loop (fringe) stitch with 300+ stitches...it takes forever!

 my knitting spectators. 

and the healthy breakfast bread i baked that included yogurt, lots of ground flax and whole wheat flour.  so of course it needed a healthy spread of butter.

 

2014 Day 2

happy 2014!


i've already wrote 2013 3 times on different items at work.


i give it another 2 weeks before '14 feels correct.


i spent the holiday at home in pajamas.


there really is no other way to spend new year's eve.  and you will never convince me otherwise.


sadly, bill worked nye and ny day - which kept the celebrating to a minimum.  we were in bed before 10 pm.


i plan on redeeming myself with friday off and a fun day trip planned!


bill and i are braving the cold air and heading down to my alma mater for a bit of shopping, eating, and wool buying.


i'm ready to knit a few special items and there are a couple of yarn shops on our way that i've strategically mapped into our trip :)


knits i'm itching to start

1. i'm in love with these little scallops and want to make one for all the little ones i know
2.  i purchased this pattern a few months ago, thinking it would be a challenge for me this winter.  now that i'm pregnant i'm not sure if i want to take it on - although the open design would make it a suitable maternity and post maternity wrap - i may be looking for yarn for this project soon!
3. i'm also loving this wrap and have wanted something more substantial than my lightweight scarves to dress up my outfits this winter.


what i'm reading
1. dear Sarah's new year's resolutions.  which reminded me i still need to post mine.
2. jenna's list of healthy recipes.  i read jenna's blog to feel uplifted.  and also for beautiful pictures of food and great recipes.
3.  lori's holiday update.  she always puts me in the mood to knit.  and move to california.


needing/wanting to post about my resolutions and week 12!


eep.  the new year already feels like it's getting away from me -


be back soon!