Bumpdate: 16 Weeks

Ahhhh bump photos. I never know the best way to frame them. But this has to be documented somehow. 

This Week's Details:

How far along? 16 weeks!

Size of baby? An avocado :)

Stretch marks? Still nothing but stomach is starting to get itchy which tells me there is growth there.

Sleep? I usually only wake up when Kyle starts to get up which tells me that sleep is going pretty well. I could only last a couple of minutes on my stomach the other night so I think those days are gone for now.

Best moment this week? As weird as it sounds, best moment was accepting that it is okay that I can't button up my shorts. I went shopping and got pants that will be a little more roomy and accommodating.

Maternity Clothes? I am still holding out on buying maternity clothes since skirts and dresses are doing an okay job right now.

Missing? I miss my morning energy at the gym. It may just be psychological but I feel like I am not able to just hop on the treadmill at 5:50 like I used to. It takes me a bit longer to wake up in the mornings so I'm hoping that I get some more energy as time goes on. It also totally depends on the day though. The other morning both Kyle and I were both able to get up and exercise without a problem.

Movement? I lay still every night with my hand on my stomach and try to see if I am feeling anything. I feel like I may have felt things in the past but it may have just been my stomach grumbling. I read the other day, for the first pregnancy, it's hard to feel anything before week 20. I am just so excited for the first bit of flutters!

Food cravings? A bad sweet tooth has crept in. I mean...I guess it's always been there but I feel like I need to have something sweet every night. Kyle went out and got me some cashew milk ice cream and I've tried to only have a couple of bites instead of a whole bowl.

Food Aversions? I'm doing better in this area. I've been able to get down most things especially with me getting hungrier.

Bump? Showing up a little more each day. I feel like it's a lot higher than I thought it would be, but that just may be the overall expansion of my belly as a whole. It's so fun to see it in the mirror.

Gender? I think Kyle and I officially decided we would have the doctor write down the gender and we will do our own gender reveal with a cupcake somewhere in the city. I honestly have no idea at this point. Kyle is still strong on the girl side but I can't say one way or the other. We will see!

Names? I laugh every time Kyle will bring up a name and I can say 'no' without even thinking that hard about it. I find that with names, in order to even consider it, I have to like it from the get go. There are some names that we used to like but they've slowly lost their appeal. Who knows? We could have a totally different name picked out by the time they come.

Labor Signs? Nope.

Looking Forward To? Feeling this little one flutter inside me and finding the gender!

Here are a few other things from this week: 

I went to a USU Alumni lunch and they picked a pretty great spot with a gorgeous view. Also, the scaffolding is coming off of the Capitol, revealing a newly renovated dome. It's extra sparkly now.

This book has been so fun! It talks about how different parenting is in France compared to America. The writer is very witty and it's been fun to look at why she thinks France has a better model to raising children. 

My mom sent us these items the other day. No, we still don't know the gender but this little kitty looks too much like Boo.

If it's not a girl, we will definitely hold on to these for the future (if we have a girl).

My bump was really showing one afternoon and this guy fell asleep on it (probably appreciating the warmth).

We took a Sunday drive out to Great Falls Park and watched the rapids. It was so peaceful.

I find that the more places we visit, the more excited I get thinking of taking our little one to explore! Also, I love Kyle.

A Walk Around the White House Gardens ✿

We have been here almost three years and FINALLY got some tickets to visit the beautiful White House gardens. It was such a warm spring day and although we had to wait a little longer than we thought in line, it was so worth it in the end to be where so much history has lived. Almost every president has planted a tree near the White House including President Andrew Jackson. They keep the grounds immaculate and I loved everything from the trees and flowers to the playground built for the Obama girls. Our next goal is attending the Easter Egg Roll on the lawn hopefully with our little one in tow.

Loving this little one already.

I told Kyle I was secretly pretending that we were there invited for dinner and just walking out in the gardens before going inside.

President's seal in the background...official business.

It really is a pretty house far away AND up close. 

I was DYING over these lavender trumpet vines on the stairs railway. They smelled so sweet and I imagined wearing a Scarlett O'Hara type gown and gracefully walking down these steps. The hoards of people visiting kept getting in the way of other pictures but I somehow got this picture people free.

HOARDS of people again. But a great shot of the
Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in the background. 

The Rose Garden! Full of tulips now but I would LOVE to see all the roses once they come into bloom.

I keep wanting to label these pictures as a 'baby's first' but I think we may
have to wait until they are actually here in person for it to be official.

Thanks Mr. President for letting us attend your little garden party!

A Women's Early Spring Backpacking Trip

Well I did it. I went on a backpacking trip. Without Kyle. With ALL women. And it was amazing. 

It's a big deal to say I went without Kyle because Kyle loves the outdoors and any chance he can get to hike through Shenandoah. A few of the women in our ward and other wards nearby get together every April and October to hike to a location overnight somewhere in Shenandoah. They camp and head out the next day. I decided it would be a great way to get in some exercise at 14 weeks pregnant. 

We got our gear together and headed out around noon. I didn't realize that the hike in was almost uphill most of the way! By the end, my legs were burning but it felt very accomplished as we set up for camp and got our food ready for the night. Since it was the middle of April, it was actually pretty cold and we huddled around that fire but other than that, I loved being out in nature and learning more about the women in the group!

The leaves were just starting to come out after a long winter. 

I was so impressed by those that were able to keep up a quick pace in the front. 

We reached the top of a hill and could get a glimpse of the valley through the trees. 

We set up camp at a beautiful spot called Emerald Pond. It had an amazing shade of green, hence the name. 

We noticed someone had made a little cove to swim in but it was far too cold for any of us to go near the water.

Here we were the next morning, after somehow surviving the freezing night.

Baby's first backpacking trip....kind of. 

I loved capturing this photo once we had found this vista...I also loved how they were all wearing the best and bright colors of spring. 

We got out to see the view on our hike back down and it was amazing. Shenandoah has had a little fire scare lately but I think they are getting it under control. Being out here made me appreciate how close we are to such a magnificent national park. I can't wait to go on another outing with Kyle and ESPECIALLY to take our little one camping for the first time. 

Bumpdate: 14 Weeks

I can't believe we are already up to 14 weeks! It's been so surreal to know that there is a little one inside me but not really seeing proof until most recently. Yes, a tiny bump has been showing up and it's so fun to see it starting to poke.

AND.....the bump! It's barely there, but you can definitely tell through my workout clothes.  

And I got this little gem the other day and it made me so happy! I know most moms to be look forward to getting out of the first trimester due to morning sickness and being tired but for me, it's just exciting to see this little one keep growing!

This Week's Details:

How far along? 14 weeks!

Size of baby? A lemon!

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have a ritual every morning and night of rubbing in cocoa butter. Who knows if it will work, but it's a nice thing to do just in case.

Sleep? Last week I was pretty sleepy and felt like I wasn't getting enough rest but this week so far has been fine.

Best moment this week? Seeing the beginnings of a bump!

Maternity Clothes? Not quite but I think I may need a couple of new skirts soon.

Missing? Turkey Subway sandwiches! Isn't that funny? We have a Subway right by our work and I always have to remind myself that it's just safe and smarter not to get one. You never know with deli meats.

Movement? Nothing yet.

Food cravings? Besides turkey sandwiches, I haven't had any other major cravings. I do find that if I get hungry, I tend to want crackers and cheese but I think that may be my body's way of saying it needs grains and dairy? Not sure.

Food Aversions? Meat is still a little hard. Kyle had friends in town the other day so we went to Good Stuff Eatery and looking at the hamburgers was starting to make me a little sick. I'm happy to stay away from them for now.

Bump? Tiny tiny bump! It shows more when I'm in exercise clothes.

Gender? Still thinking it's a boy but who knows? We have less than a month before we find out!

Names? We circulate different ones every now and then but we definitely have our favorites!

Labor Signs? Nope.

Looking Forward To? Our next ultrasound in May where we will find out whether our baby is a He or a She!

A few more details as of late: 

General Conference is my favorite. We love listening to the prophet speak and the opportunity to be inspired the whole weekend. Kyle's cousin Mary stayed with us on Friday night so we still had our second mattress set up...which made a nice spot to lay back and watch from.

My work got us free tickets to the Washington D.C. filming of Jeopardy! It was so cool to be there in real life and see how the filming works. It was kind of like a celebrity edition but these were 'power players' or big political talk show hosts from nearby. They each played to win money for a certain charity. I keep telling Kyle he needs to get on the show because he does really well anytime we are watching at home.

Alex Trebek was really great and would come down during the commercial breaks for audience Q&A's. Filming took place in the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. We had to wait about an hour and a half in line, with a rainstorm hitting halfway through but we were lucky enough to be moved down to the floor since they needed some extra people to fill the spaces. It was so cool to be so close!

Afterwards, we stopped in Georgetown to grab some brunch and I saw the most beautiful scene of these tulips in front of this old church with a bright red door.

We went out with some friends to visit GlowGolf, a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course. I hadn't been mini golfing for a while so it was fun to figure out the best angles to hit the ball. Kyle and I made a bet...whoever lost would be cleaning the bathroom for a month. Let's just say, by a lame 2 points, that I lost that bet.

Boo Radley LOVES Kyle. Anytime Kyle is on the ground, he likes to cuddle up by him. They both fell asleep like this the other day. I can't wait for this to be our baby!

Bumpdate: 12 Weeks

Kyle and I have been patiently waiting to for the past 12 weeks to share a little secret.

We have a little one joining us this October! We are so excited and can hardly wait. We both felt like it was the right time and were surprised at how fast I was able to get pregnant. I know it can be hard for a lot of other couples so we feel extremely grateful.

Telling Kyle:

I actually didn't think I was pregnant so by the time we found out I was already 6 weeks along. Since it was so much sooner than we thought, I was a little apprehensive to do something that would surprise Kyle so I simply told him...and at that point, I so wish I would have done something or even filmed it. His reaction was priceless and he kept saying "are you serious?!" and hugging me.

I had bought some pregnancy test strips so I wouldn't have to spend money on the actual tests, especially if it took a little while. It just so happens that the first test I took was positive so I still have quite a bit of these for the future. Once I told Kyle, we got in the car to get a real test and sure enough, positive and estimating how far along we really were.

First Steps:

Even after we found out it didn't hit until I went to the doctor and we got Baby McOmber's first picture.

This was at 7 weeks where we found out our official due date is October 12. I am so excited to have a fall baby and hope they come in time for Halloween. All types of questions have started showing up including "what will they look like?", "is it a boy or a girl?", "will we be good parents?", etc. I've found that it helps just to take a deep breath and know that everything is going to be great (even though those little fears and worries like to pop up every now and then)! I have also LOVED our text conversations of the baby's size and other features.

Symptoms:

I noticed I felt really really tired around the first of the month before we found out but I thought it was just due to not getting enough sleep and trying to hit the gym at 5:30 every morning with a new work schedule. I have not thrown up once (fingers crossed) and my doctor says that once you make it to about week 12, it's most likely that you are out of any type of sickness you might have. I do get a bit nauseous if I haven't eaten for a long time and I still have moments where I get pretty tired (like at night after work! I'm ready to go to bed by 8:30 or 9:00) I've also had a hard time with some foods but I am trying my best to eat as healthy as I can and get to the gym as often as I am able to!

Family's Reactions:

This was one of my favorite parts of the beginning of this adventure. We decided to wait until Easter Sunday and bring up what we got in our Easter baskets. We would hold up different types of candy and little treats but then finish by saying we got something a little early from the Easter Bunny and hold up the ultrasound. Everyone's reactions were unique in their own way. Our little one will be about a year apart from Sam (Livi's) and 8 months apart from Calvin (Margaret's). This baby is already loved by so many.

The Details:

How far along? 12 weeks!

Size of baby? A sweet plum!

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep? No problems yet but it's been a struggle to get up lately.

Best moment this week? Telling our families!

Maternity Clothes? Right now I just feel fat ha ha I've noticed pants and skirts are a little tight so I may need to get some looser clothing but I do plan on wearing dresses and skirts all summer.

Missing? It's been a little uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach so I know this is something I will soon miss!

Movement? Nothing yet.

Food cravings? I really haven't had any big food cravings. The first couple of weeks I wanted bread and carbs but I think that also may have been when I was doing my whole30/paleo diet. Lately, I'm just happy to be getting things down that taste good.

Food Aversions? Some meat is hard for me but it just depends on how it's prepared. Bread can also be hard to swallow. Sadly veggies are also a bit of a challenge but salad has been okay.

Bump? I think I am starting to see the beginnings of a bump although it may also be the bloating that comes with the first moments of pregnancy.

Gender? I have the feeling it's a boy but Kyle thinks it's a girl so we will see. We will love them either way!

Names? We have a few that we are holding on to but I think overall we will have to wait until they get here to make the final decision.

Labor Signs? I've been having weird cramping from the get go but I feel like this is just all part of the beginnings of pregnancy.

Looking Forward To? Seeing more of the bump and feeling the baby move! Also, Kyle and I have been planning a trip to Miami and the Florida Keys before we knew we were pregnant...so this trip has now turned conveniently into a baby moon!

We love you already little one!