18 weeks and IT'S A BOY!

How far along: 18 Weeks

Sleep: I had a rough night Saturday, mostly because of the runny nose that I also couldn’t breathe out of. Other than that, sleeping like a baby (with the usual 3-4 bathroom trips a night)!

Best moments: Friday’s ultrasound! Steve, my mom, dad and I all crowded in a small room to watch the ultrasound. Within a few seconds I thought I saw something. Then, about a minute into it, the technician told my mom that she would be “getting a 3rd grandson” as she had just said she already had 2! We were all pretty much speechless, but my dad of course broke the ice with a slightly inappropriate comment about the little guy’s parts! I think I deep down thought it was a boy, but whenever I looked at decorations or names, I was always looking at girl stuff. Steve’s parents are thrilled to know the Chung name and family will continue on to another generation! And my parents are very excited to have a 3rd grandson! Steve and I are thrilled and cannot wait to meet our son!
Everything else in the ultrasound looked great and the baby boy is very healthy! (Can not get this picture to go landscape...sorry!)

Movement: I still think I’m feeling some movement or kicks, but not quite 100% sure.

Symptoms: Nothing!

Maternity clothes: This weekend I bought 2 new pairs of jeans and 1 pair of pants for work. I’ve only worn one so far, but they are so comfy!

Food cravings: Nope.

Food aversions: Nope.

What I'm eating: Turkey sandwiches, oranges, grilled cheese & soup, breakfast for dinner (twice), baked potato, popcorn, chips & guacamole, salad, veggie pizza, milk, OJ, juice, etc…it’s hard to remember what I ate a week ago!

Exercise: A couple baby yoga sessions. The cold slowed me down a bit this weekend, especially Sunday when I stayed in bed most of the day.

Gender: A sweet baby BOY!

What I miss: I’m a big side sleeper anyways, but occasionally, I do like sleeping on my back or stomach. I’m no longer supposed to be doing either of these, so I am limited to just my side. I miss those other options when my side is just not comfortable.

What I am looking forward to: This weekend I will not be very productive on the room as I will be in Breckenridge, CO with 6 of my college friends! I’m very excited to see everyone and watch all of them ski, sit in the hot tub, and drink :( I will obviously not be participating in any of the “fun” activities of a ski weekend, but I don’t care as I will be with the girls and I’ll have a blast anyways! Maybe I’ll be able to get some more ideas for the room while they are all out on the slopes!

Milestones: Since we found out the sex, I've been getting lots of ideas on the internet for the baby’s room! I’ve started pinning some pictures on Pinterest. If you are interested in what I’m looking at, check out my page!
http://pinterest.com/karabakes/baby-room-ideas/

17 weeks

How far along: 17 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 4 pounds

Sleep: Good most nights. I had 3 great nights this past weekend, but then we had to get up at 3:30am Monday morning to catch a flight, so that hurt! I’ve started using a pillow to rest my leg on and I’m mostly sleeping on my left side.

Best moments: Getting to show my baby bump to some of our Texas friends. This past weekend Steve and I were in Rockwall 2 nights and Dallas 2 nights. We got to see old friends, eat LOTS of good Mexican food and even got in a little shopping! The weather was GORGEOUS so we enjoyed being outside too! Baby is ready for spring weather!!

At White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Movement: I think I may have felt something the other day, but I haven’t had it again, so I’m thinking it was nothing L

Symptoms: Still some headaches, but that is it.

Maternity clothes: This weekend I bought 2 pairs of maternity jean capris at an exchange store in Rockwall. They were quite the bargain! I also went to “A Pea in a Pod” in Dallas. It is pretty expensive (jean skirt was like $150!), so I just got a belly band which wasn’t any higher than the other places I’ve looked. I’ve started wearing the belly band already and the capris are so comfy I can’t wait for some warmer weather to wear them!!

Food cravings: Lots of Mexican!

Food aversions: Nope.

What I'm eating: Mexican, Mexican, Mexican! But when I get Mexican, it is typically pretty healthy. Chicken fajitas or tacos with lots of pico, little bit of cheese, lots of salsa, guacamole and of course, a few chips! Nothing slathered in queso, so I guess that is good. We did eat out all weekend, so that was really hard to stay healthy, but I did try to make better choices. Salad with my greasy pizza (lol), grilled chicken sandwiches, sweet potato, blueberry pancakes, turkey bacon, homemade pizza with turkey pepperoni, OJ, milk, and all the other usual stuff still.

Exercise: I started my baby yoga DVD. It feels good and I’m so relaxed after! We did lots of walking in the nice weather this weekend too.

Gender: We should find out THIS FRIDAY! AHHH!!!

What I miss: Maybe just having a drink (alcoholic, duh) outside when the weather is nice. I’m definitely fine without it, but being outside on a nice day just sometimes makes you want to have a cold drink!

What I am looking forward to: This Friday…finding out the sex of our baby! Then the plan for the rest of the weekend is to get going on baby room things. I would like to get the paint color narrowed down and possibly find some bedding. I did look at Buy Buy Baby (while in TX-they don’t have these in St. Louis) and Babies-R-Us this past weekend, but didn’t find anything I loved. Anyone know of any good St. Louis places to look for bedding?

Milestones: Probably getting the maternity pants and belly band. I think I was kind of in denial for the past month with using hair ties to stretch my pants out and not even looking at the maternity pants while shopping. I should have done this weeks ago!

16 Weeks

How far along: 16 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 3 pounds

Sleep: Still good except I had to get up just as early as a work day BOTH Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, I went to bed at 9:30 Sunday night!

Best moments: I have a couple. This past week Steve’s mom and Aunt (who came all the way from Taiwan) stayed with us! We had such a great time spending time with his aunt and mom. We even took advantage of the great weather last weekend and went down to the arch for a picnic and to the 360 at the Hilton! It was a great visit with both of them.

(Aunt, Steve and I)

Also, this past Saturday and Sunday mom, Aunt Erin and I volunteered at the Cardinals Winter Warm-up. I was on my feet a lot this weekend, but I did okay! Towards the end my feet hurt more than anything (which probably would have been the case pregnant or not). I just tried to move around and not stand still and to sit for a while here and there! We went from about 7:30-5:00 both days! It was exhausting but still lots of fun. Not sure what the plan is for volunteering next year though…

Movement: I just keep waiting to feel what I’ve read as described as a butterfly (or gas bubbles-haha)! Still nothing!

Symptoms: A few headaches, but not nearly as bad.

Maternity clothes: I’m down to about 2 pants I can wear to work and a couple different jeans. Going to buy a belly band this week!

Food cravings: Nothing yet!

Food aversions: Nope.

What I'm eating: OJ, milk and cereal, oranges, bananas, yogurt, juice, chicken, tortellini, salad, Joey B’s veggie pizza, a couple sweets at the Winter-Warm up, and lots of milk!

Exercise: Some short walks during the week, but a ton of walking Saturday and Sunday (especially to and from the bathroom)!

Gender: 2 more weeks til we know!

What I miss: Some of my clothes

What I am looking forward to: Going to Dallas this Thursday! We are so excited to see all of our old friends (and to show my baby bump)!

Milestones: I finished reading Jenny McCarthy’s book “Belly Laughs”. I learned a lot about pregnancy and some of the things they don’t tell you in “What to Expect…”, plus it’s pretty funny!

15 Weeks

How far along: 15 Weeks
Baby celebrating New Years Eve (kind of hard to tell, but baby is wearing a Happy New Year hat!)

Total weight gain/loss: + 2 pounds

Sleep: I’ve been falling asleep great! But consistently up 2 or 3 times a night to go to the bathroom! I’m back to sleep pretty quickly though.

Best moments: Having a pretty long ultra sound and getting to see the baby so much a couple weeks ago.

Movement: Nothing that I can tell so far!

Symptoms: Head aches! It all started with a 24 hour migraine over Christmas break and has continued with slight headaches almost every day since.

Maternity clothes: None yet, but I am using a hair tie through the loop of my pants to expand them for more room! And wearing lots of pants with elastic waistbands!

Food cravings: Nothing too wild.

Food aversions: I’ve been really turned off by roasted carrots, but that is about it! Oh, and I CAN NOT clean out the leftovers in the fridge. The smells are just too much!

What I'm eating: OJ, cereal with Oberweis milk (thanks Uncle Mike for the gift certificate!), fruit cup or yogurt, (trying to eat) whole grain pasta or bread, whole grain gold fish (so good), string cheese, granola, juice, apples, veggies, grilled chicken, pizza, hot wings (I was really craving these the other day), Christmas cookies (which are finally gone), more milk (loving the milk!).

Exercise: Trying to get small walks in with Mario. The hoildays were great because I was always shopping = walking! I finally got a prenatal yoga DVD, so I hope to get that going soon.

Gender: Hope to find out on January 27th!!!

What I miss: Nothing really yet.

What I am looking forward to: January 27th obviously! Also, the week before that, Steve and I are headed to Dallas to see some old friends and get some yummy Mexican food! My old co-worker is supposed to be doing the pencil and string test to predict the sex of the baby! He is like 10/10 with this thing, so I’ve got all my faith in him!

Milestones: Getting this baby blog going! I really hope I can keep it up :)

Weeks 12-15

About the pregnancy –

When is your due date?: June 25

How far along are you right now?: 15 weeks/2 days!
Have you had an ultrasound?: Yes, I've had 2 already.
Have you heard the heartbeat?: At both ultrasounds and two additional times during "belly checks" at the doctors office.

Sex of the baby: TBD January 27th (hopefully!!!)

What do you want - boy or girl?: Just want a healthy baby obviously! Chinese birth chart says girl, and some people have told me they feel like it is a girl, but who knows!

About the birth –

Who is going to be with you?: For sure Steve...not sure yet about anyone else!

Are you going to video tape it?: We did just buy a video camera...but definitely NO!

Natural or medicated?: Not sure just yet, but I'm leaning towards medicated.

Do you think you will have a c-section?: Not planning on it.

Do you think you will cry when you first hold your baby?: Definitely!

Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold it?: HI?!

Are you scared about the labor?: I am a little. Obviously women have been doing this for millions of years and they do just fine, but it does scare be a bit. I feel like there is so much no one has told me about yet. I'm sure I will hear and read all about it soon.

Do you have a name picked out?: No names for either boy or girl. Both names I had always wanted when I was younger are already taken by family members (but that is okay because I love the names and they are the perfect fit for them). My awesome nephew James and my adorable cousin Audrey!

Is your baby going to be named after anyone?: I guess possibly the middle name, but nothing for is for sure yet. Another possibility is using a Chinese name in some sort of way...not sure yet though.

Did the daddy help pick the name?: He will help me pick one, that is for sure.

Other random questions –

Have you felt the baby move?: Not yet.

What was your first symptom?: Feeling really crappy one day, but the good news is I haven't felt that bad again since!

What is the baby's room theme?: Still waiting to know the sex before deciding this.

Are you ready to be a mommy?: I hope I am...either way, it's happening!

Is your husband ready to be a daddy?: I think he is...he is the one who convinced me to buy a mini-van this week! 12 Weeks 13 Weeks

Baby's profile and waving at 13 Weeks

Baby's face at 13 Weeks

14 Weeks

15 Weeks

Thanks to Lauren for letting me copy her baby blog questions :)