22 Weeks

Last week we made our "big reveal" (i.e. announced on Facebook) and it's been so nice to be "out"! We posted this on both of our pages:

The tandem bike is taken directly from our wedding invitations/programs/thank you cards. So much excitement!

Anyway, here's what's up this week:

Still feeling good and growing more and more each day. I think I have really popped this week. Even Scott said one night, "Where'd that belly come from??" I told him it was mostly from dinner, but I think in reality that might not be the case.

Hotel selfie from Daytona Beach

On Sunday (Feb. 1st) I flew to Daytona Beach where I'll be for work all this week. While I'm not excited about being gone for so long, at least a) it's somewhere with nice weather in February and b) I have a couple of work colleagues with me who also happen to be good friends, so at least I'm not too lonely.

Flying in - hello Florida coastline!

Got to visit with Kristy yesterday and spent a lovely afternoon in New Smyrna.

Not a bad hotel room view... this morning's sunrise. 

21 Weeks

Another great week has passed! Felt good all week, got some great exercise in the beautiful sunshine this weekend, and had a fantastic 30th birthday party on Saturday, thanks to Scott's great planning and organizing!

We went for a bike ride on Saturday to downtown on the Swamp Rabbit, stopped at Falls Park, and had some tacos at Papi's Tacos.

Rode the vintage 1976 Raleigh!

Liberty Bridge in the sunshine

Falls were roaring after Friday's rainfall

 On Sunday I ran some errands, including purchasing some maternity shirts - maternity pants still don't quite fit right, so I'll continue to hold off on those. But I love the shirts I bought! So comfortable.

I also ran my longest distance since pre-pregnancy... 11 miles!! It was slow (took me 2hrs 20 mins, 30 of which were walking) but I'm so glad I got it done. Felt great just be out in the sunshine!

This past week we also started some early research on items for our registry, so hopefully we'll actually start putting that together soon. There's just SO much information out there!

Anatomy Scan update!

Today we had our anatomy scan! This is the second (first was at 8.5 weeks) and supposedly final ultrasound for us, so it was really exciting to see our little one and how much he's grown.

First (important) things first... we have a normal, healthy little baby!

Smiling for the "camera"

I'm not usually excited about being "average" but in this case, I'm thrilled! We got a full view of Baby T while the tech measured head, arms, legs, heart, kidneys, spine... everything just as it should be. Saw the little heart beating away at 148 bpm and the tech estimated his weight around 10oz (babies are usually 8-15oz at this stage).

Profile with arm stretched overhead

Lower leg and a foot

Little foot and little toes

3D ultrasound - got those fists up!

Bashful little babe

Maybe trying to suck his thumb

Yawn!

The scan took about 30 minutes total and then got to meet with the Dr. who reviewed our results (took him about 2 minutes to go "looks great!" and send us on our way).

And finally... I know you're all wondering "What is it?!?"

Well, sorry - we decided to go Team Green with our little one. We won't know until the big day comes! So "he" will remain Cletus the Fetus for now, and will wear green, yellow, pink, blue, and any other colors however things turn out.

20 weeks - halfway!!

We officially have a half-baked baby... so crazy that time is flying by!

We had a great long weekend in California (LA area). Visited with a great group of friends who were on the trip to Belize where we got engaged 2 years ago, and got to see Tamara & Aaron who moved out there last year.

Scott and I ran a 10k race on Saturday morning at Huntington Beach, then spent the rest of the morning biking up and down the coast on rented beach cruisers.

Sunrise on the beach

We won (tied!) 3rd place in the 10k

Beach cruisers in the sunshine

On Sunday we hiked in the Hollywood hills and visited the Griffith Observatory.

See the tiny Hollywood sign behind us??

Just an all-around great trip and wonderful to relax in the West Coast sunshine! :)

Canals in Venice Beach

Venice Beach skate park

Friends at dinner

And here's the 20 week bump photo!

Still feeling great and so excited for our anatomy scan on Friday!!

Edited to add: I forgot one of the fun things from this week... right before we headed to the airport on Monday night, we were visiting with some friends and watching television. I felt Cletus flip-flopping around, so I got Scott to put his hand on my stomach, and he was finally able to feel a little kick!! Just one little *bump* but he definitely felt it... really exciting for both of us :)

19 Weeks & Appointment #4

Time is still flying by - Baby T is almost half-baked!

Photos from this weekend... first is before bike riding on Saturday:

Cycling clothes = not very forgiving!

 Second is from Sunday wearing my new favorite style - poncho sweater! Mom got me this one for Christmas and it is so comfy and cozy (thanks Mom!).

I might have worn this sweater 3 days in a row... 

Had a check-up with the midwives on Monday, Jan 12th - just a quick visit to see how things were going and to listen to the heartbeat. Found the strong 150bpm heartbeat right away, though Cletus kept kicking at the doppler causing a little "bloop!" sound. I think he likes barbershop music, too, because he was flip-flopping around as I was singing at rehearsal on Monday night.

Other than that, not much to report. Feeling pretty normal these days, just watching my waistline expand! Heading to California this weekend for the long MLK Day holiday - Scott is out there at a work conference for the week, so we're making it into a little vacation. Looking forward to some warm weather, though not terribly excited about the long flight. Need to pack my compression socks!

18 Weeks - Happy New Year!

Wow, time is flying by!

By the way, that is an UGLY sweet potato. Surely they could have found a better looking one.

Anyway, still feeling good this week! Got in a run of almost 10 miles on New Year's Eve, part of which I was joined by a couple of friends on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Then Scott and I had a fun New Year up at Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, NC and started off 2015 with a New Year's Day hike in Pisgah.

The Davidson River

Selfie in the rhododendron tunnels

Pretty forest in the winter

Cold morning - icicles!

Sun's coming out and warming things up a little!

Brunch at the bike farm!

Delicious brunch: sweet potato hash with kale, eggs, feta, and Old Chub sausage and Beignets with Ten Fidy caramel sauce!

Some sweet bluegrass music to accompany brunch

All-in-all, it was a great way to end 2014 and start off 2015!

Sunday evening we hosted our neighbors for a nice French-themed dinner of roasted pork loin, cauliflower au gratin, and dessert of chocolate souffle made by moi! Turned out great and was fun to have a relaxing evening at home.

Post-dinner photo always makes the bump appear larger.

Work this week (currently Wednesday) has been tough to get back into the routine, but I do feel better being on a normal eating and exercising schedule.

Got to tell the happy news to Nancy (director) and Jeri (section teacher) at chorus rehearsal on Monday night. So fun to share the excitement!