17 Weeks

Nothing too exciting going on this week in the Rodriguez household. We are getting ready for our housewarming this weekend so we have been finishing up last minute projects. We hit 17 weeks this week which is the beginning of month 4. 3 more weeks and we will be half way there! And this week we will find out if Monkey is going to be a girl or a boy! I have a guess as to what Monkey is so I guess we will find out in a few more days!


I did want to say a big CONGRATS to the Parker family who closed on their cute new house this week! We can't wait to come see it!


Onto the weekly update!


How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs
Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively maternity clothes, I can still wear some loose regular shirts but have gotten more maternity shirts and they look better at this point
Stretch marks? Nope and I would be ok if I went the whole time without them
Sleep: Most of the time I am getting a good nights sleep.
Best moment this week: People that I don't know noticing that I am pregnant
Movement: Sometimes I think I am feeling little movements, but can't really tell if it is Monkey or just gas
Food cravings: Food in general...my appetite has finally returned!
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: Not having random pains thoughout my body
What I am looking forward to: Finding out what Monkey's name is going to be!
Weekly Wisdom: I've got nothing good this week.
Milestones: Hitting 4 months



What Monkey is up to this week:


Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.



Pictures...We had just eaten so I think my belly looks a little bit bigger than it does when I haven't just eaten!

Plumbing Success

We had our first major home fix. When my cousin Lindsay was in town she made the observation that our front bathroom (the only other one in the house other than the master) does not have hot water in the shower. CRAP! Well after determining that we do have hot water in that bathroom, it was fine coming out of the sink, Josh went to Home Depot to ask about what it could be. The plumbing guy had heard of this problem before, supposedly a common problem with Moen faucets. There is a piece inside that controls the hot water and when we turned the faucet to hot it wasn't working right so the water just shut off. So the guy tells Josh what he needs and the process, a fairly straight forward and simple process. Or at least thats what we thought. Today we went and bought the part and got started. Easy enough to start, turn off the water, take off a few pieces and we find the part that we need to replace. Now getting this piece out proved to be not such an easy process. It ended up being about a 3 hour process (and 3 trips to Home Depot) to get this one little piece out. Once we got that sucker out the rest of the process went smoothly! We had a small mishap putting the faucet back together but it was easily fixed. So we now have hot water in that shower!

So we have survived and fixed our first major home issue! Hopefully there are not any more of those in the foreseeable future!

16 Weeks

Wow! I am finally doing a weekly update on time! Go me! Since I updated about the appointment yesterday I will just leave you with the weekly update on me and Monkey and a picture or two!

How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: according to the Dr's scale yesterday...+3 lbs! Although according to the scale I use daily only +2.

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively maternity clothes, I can still wear some loose regular shirts but have gotten more maternity shirts and they look better at this point
Stretch marks? Nope and I would be ok if I went the whole time without them
Sleep: Most of the time I am getting a good nights sleep. Although there are still days that I am more tired by the end of the day
Best moment this week: Hearing Monkey's heartbeat again

Movement: None at this point...still trying, but dr said not to really expect it until 20 weeks :(
Food cravings: Food in general...although I still can't eat a ton in one sitting
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: Not having random pains in my lower abdomen that worry me

What I am looking forward to: Finding out what Monkey's name is going to be!
Weekly Wisdom: I've got nothing this week!

Milestones: Setting the appointment for the BIG u/s!

What Monkey is up to this week:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And just for fun....

Doctor's appointment

We had my 16 week appointment today, a little bit early because my doctor will be on vacation next week. Nothing too big as far as Monkey is concerned, although Monkey is sitting right on my bladder! We got to hear the heartbeat again, it went from 137-147 so I think the doctor woke it up! We also got a lot of questions answered about delivery. (I like to know these things way ahead of time). One of the big things we learned was that if I deliver during the day on a weekday she will be the one delivering Monkey. She said she usually ends up delivering about 75% of her patients, so those are pretty good odds to me! We also learned that she is really laid back as far as how we want delivery to go and seems to listen to the patients wishes (as long as it is not a medical necessity). We spent about 25 minutes asking questions and she was so helpful and didn't mind answering any of our questions. I love my doctor! She also asked about my protien intake and suggested I keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure I am getting at least 50g a day (which I am) because I haven't gained much weight. So that is definitely something for me to watch. Hopefully my weight will start to catch up soon!

Other exciting news from the appointment...we have a date set to find out if Monkey is a boy or girl. September 3rd...two weeks from today! I am super excited to find out and to see Monkey again. We also found out that we will be having a level 2 u/s with a perinatologist to take a closer look at Monkey's heart. This is just precautionary because of the heart condition that my dad had. But I am glad she wanted us to have that done. That won't be scheduled until after I am 20 weeks so Monkey is bigger and the heart is bigger.

Other than that, nothing really new. My next appointment with her will be in 4 weeks for just a regular check up.

15 Weeks

Sorry this is late! My cousin Lindsay is in town and we have been hanging out with her. I have another doctors appointment on Thursday of this week and at that time we should be able to schedule our big ultrasound! I will do my best to remember to update about that, in some sort of timely manner. I am also going to put up a poll on the right side of the blog (right over there --->) so you can vote on what you think Monkey will be, a boy or girl! I still have no idea at this point.

On to the weekly update.

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 1lb...woohoo!

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively maternity clothes, I can still wear some loose regular shirts but have gotten more maternity shirts and they look better at this poiint

Stretch marks? Nope and I would be ok if I went the whole time without them

Sleep: I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night because I get in a position that is uncomfortable...like right on my stomach

Best moment this week: We went to Hurricane Harbor with Lindsay for Monkey's first swim lesson

Movement: None at this point...but I lay on the floor at night and try to feel something!

Food cravings: Nothing specific this week

Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.

What I miss: A bigger variety of clothes to wear

What I am looking forward to: Hearing Monkey's hearbeat this week

Weekly Wisdom: Standing all day makes my legs tired much more quickly than normal

Milestones: Ordering furniture!

What Monkey is up to this week

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

And lastly, the past 2 weeks of pictures (I finally got my camera to cooperate)

Nursery Furniture- Check!

We ordered Monkey's furniture yesterday! We wanted to order this early because last week when I went and got a quote for how long it would take I was told 8 weeks for the stuff to come in and 2 more weeks after that to get it delivered and set up. So we were thinking that we would get the furniture in mid October if it came on time and that still gave us plenty of time if it came in late (which I have heard of this happening to multiple people). Well when we went in yesterday we were told that we could have it in two weeks! Whoa! That was faster than we were expecting! We thought about waiting but the girls at the store said it is better to go ahead and place our order (we won't actually start paying for it until we have it) so that we have it in our name and we won't have to wait when we are ready for it. So we went ahead and ordered and scheduled delivery for the first week of November. Crazy! That is one big check off on our list of things to get done. And because we already know what bedding we are getting for a boy and girl, once we know Josh can start painting (I know he is super excited for more painting). So hopefully the nursery will be mostly done by the end of November. In plenty of time for Monkey's arrival.

Since I cannot copy the picture from the website, here is the link to our furniture. We ordered everything in this picture except the hutch. And it is in this color, espresso. http://www.munirefurniture.com/urban_03.htm

PS- I still can't get the camera to hook up to the computer. Hopefully I can figure it out soon!

14 Weeks

I cannot get the camera to connect to the computer right now, so when I do I will add pictures from this week!

Nothing too exciting going on this week! Although Josh did repaint our guest/kid bathroom yesterday. I will post pictures after our housewarming party in a few weeks!

Weekly Update!

How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 0lbs
Maternity clothes? I am either wearing shorts that have elastic or maternity pants regular shirts mostly but I have some maternity shirts too
Stretch marks? Nope and I would be ok if I went the whole time without them
Sleep:I feel like I have a lot more energy this week...it is about time!
Best moment this week: Getting more stuff unpacked!
Movement: None at this point...but I lay on the floor at night and try to feel something!
Food cravings: Chips with cream cheese and salsa
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: Not having pain in my lower belly! I have been having a lot of round ligament pain, especially when I make sudden movements
What I am looking forward to: Feeling Monkey move.
Weekly Wisdom: Picking out baby furniture and bedding is hard!
Milestones: Picking out furniture

How Monkey is growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee (this is so weird!), and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Hello 2nd Trimester! and 13 weeks

Tomorrow will officially be the beginning of my 2nd trimester! That is a great feeling to have, to know that at this point everything is going well and progressing! It is very relieving to make it to this point with no complications or scares, hopefully we can keep that going for the remainder of this pregnancy.

As for the house, we are almost completely unpacked and finally found and hung some curtains and have things up on the walls! We still have a long way to go as far as getting things up on the wall but my mom came over and helped at least make a dent. (Well she and Josh did while I laid on the couch or sat and watched, aren't I helpful!) Josh has this week and next week off from work so he has a list of things to do around the house. Today he took out some bushes out front and trimmed the tree out front. He has a couple of more big projects but hopefully he will get a few days to relax before he has to go back to school!

We also took some time this weekend to go look at baby furniture and picked some stuff out. We looked at bedding and found some stuff we like but we figure we can really hold off on making a decision on that until we know what we are having! I have also started telling work that I am pregnant. Everyone else knows but I was hesitant to tell them until we were past the 1st tri. I told my manager on Friday and will be telling my supervisor tomorrow. And one of the PT's found out through Josh's facebook (her husband and Josh played rugby on the same team for a short time, small world!). So after I tell my supervisor I will be ready for everyone there to know. So far the few people that know have been great which has made me feel a lot better.

Here is my weekly update!

How far along? 13 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I am back to my pre pregnancy weight so 0lbs
Maternity clothes? I am either wearing shorts that have elastic or maternity pants regular shirts mostly but I have some maternity shirts too
Stretch marks? Nope and I would be ok if I went the whole time without them
Sleep: I am definitely less tired during the day but I am still getting tired at night or after a lot of activity.
Best moment this week: telling work
Movement: None at this point...hopefully sometime in the next 3 or 4 weeks though
Food cravings: Lucky Charms and gushers, really any sugary cereal is good though. We have a candle that smells like Lucky Charms and that smell made me really want some last week!
Labor Signs: Nope..Many weeks away from this.
What I miss: Having more clothes to choose from, I guess I need to get some more maternity clothes
What I am looking forward to: Feeling Monkey move, now that we saw him/her moving we know it is going on!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't forget to take snacks with you when you leave the house! When I get hungry I need to eat NOW!
Milestones: Being in the 2nd trimester!

How Monkey is growing:

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. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.



Definitely getting a good belly


And it is more visible with the shirt down right now!



Josh and Cosmo laying on the floor. She likes to lay on top of him anytime he lays on the floor