21 Weeks

How far along? 21 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: Still haven't checked
Maternity Clothes? Pretty much. I tried to squeeze into a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in like 8 weeks. I got in them with the Be Band but they dug into my ute (aka uterus) all night. It was agony!
Sleep: Pretty good. Some nights are fine, some nights I roll around from 2:30am on.
Best moment this week: Going to a party for someone on Brian's fire department and playing drinking games with water.
Movement: Quite a bit.
Food Craving: I don't know if I have had any major cravings this week. Weird!
Gender: I am thinking girl...Brian keeps on referring to baby as "he."
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: Lots of feeling baby move and some round ligament pain. The nausea also reared its ugly head this week but it hasn't been anything like it was.
Belly button in or out: In but getting shallower.
What I miss: Having the energy to stay up and hangout late.
What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound tomorrow! Painting the baby's room sometime soon.
Milestones: Getting the office/baby's room almost completely cleaned out.

Vegas Pictures

Here are some of our Pictures from Vegas.

From the top of the Stratosphere:

Our hotel at night:

Out at dinner before the Lion King:

And a little something special for all you Minnesota people. I cleaned out the camera while putting the Vegas pictures on the Computer and found this little gem. I don't know who stole our camera when we were out for Sylvia's birthday, but this is gross (sorry Brad!)

I also actually added the last three weeks of belly pictures to the weekly surveys if any one wants to look!

Feeling a Little Dramatic...

Our big ultrasound is on Monday and I am actually getting little butterflies when I think about it...I mean come on the sex of this baby will (here is the drama) determine the REST of our lives! And it means that I get to start shopping for clothes, I have been restraining myself from this and it is time to let loose. I wonder if I can even talk Brian into going to "look" at baby stuff after the ultrasound. Or maybe I will leave him at home!

Here is a random list of why I might be feeling giddy and dramatic right now (in case you didn't already think I was a little off, here it the proof):

1.) It is my Friday after a two day work week, before a 4 day weekend, after a three day trip to Vegas, kapish?
2.) I keep on getting really cranky argumentative people at the window at work (cranky mostly about parking tickets or pass prices). While this sometimes makes me crabby, today I really just want to look at them and say, "no really you are being ridiculous." I almost feel like arguing even more with them and egging them on just to push buttons for the fun of it...but I am professional (sort of) and am trying to be understanding and not push people...at least to far...!
3.) The elevator guy said to me today, "Wow! Your hair looks really good! It's different since the last time I was in." Um OK? Because I haven't had it cut since December, and I have frizzy greasy pregnancy hair, thanks though! Awkward.
4.) I get to sleep in tomorrow while Brian has to get up and get ready for work, and then I am going to lay in bed all day and eat bonbons...and call Brian and tell him that I have cravings for random things just see if he will actually go and get them for me (I am not always this evil, just sometimes, and I won't actually lay in bed all day, maybe)!
5.) Farkle on Facebook is very addicting, I have wasted a lot of hours at work playing it. If you don't know what I am talking about their is a link on my Facebook page right now, just be warned, it is a black hole.

Pregnant in Vegas: A List

You know you are pregnant in Vegas when:

1.) You realize that you have peed in every hotel on the strip without even trying to. Consequently you are always checking for the closest bathroom.

2.) While looking at a thirty dollar box of chocolates you wonder if the flavors really taste like they are supposed to: Pina Colada, Mojito, Daiquiri...etc. Because if they do it is totally worth the price.

3.) You wonder how many virgin types of drinks you can order from the same bar without looking like a desperate teenager trying to look cool.

4.) Laying in bed next to your husband at 7pm with room service and a dumb movie on sounds way better than gambling, hanging out at the clubs/bars, walking the strip, or doing anything that requires any sort of energy.

5.) The number of pregnant woman you see can be counted on....um...one, two...two fingers.

6.) You check the directory at every mall/hotel to see if they have a.) maternity clothing stores b.) any sort of store that is child related. You luck out twice.

7.) You walk in a maternity clothing store and walk right back out because the cute shirt in the window is $225.00 and your husband now needs to be hooked up to an AED.

8.) There is a ton of great food everywhere but you have just walked an extra mile because all you want is Sushi and Mexican, the same things that you have been craving and eating your whole pregnancy.

9.) You realize how much money you are saving by not drinking because your husband's 2 beers were half of the restaurant bill.

10.) You are reminded once again how great you husband is because he spent a lot of time waiting outside of bathrooms over the weekend, ate sushi and Mexican...again and...again, cuddled with you in the hotel room at 7pm, was willing to be dragged into every maternity store on the strip, only had a couple of beers with every meal, and he laughed and smiled through it all.

20 Weeks! Booyah!

The Bump gods say:

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

How far along? 20 Weeks. Yay!
Total weight gain/loss: Still haven't checked. I am glad that the scale is in the guest bathroom!
Maternity Clothes? I need fat pants!
Sleep: Good, thankfully.
Best moment this week: Feeling baby roll
Movement: I felt baby roll last night for the first time. It was cool.
Food Craving: Girls Scout Cookies. Don't worry I order some, well okay a lot.
Gender: I really don't know!
Labor Signs: I had my first Braxton Hick's last weekend after an especially active day the day before. They were kind of cool actually...
Symptoms: Heartburn. After complaining about it to Brian last night and telling him what I ate during the day he actually said, "sounds like you deserved it." I would have punched him but didn't want to be violent in front of my child ;)
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: I have to think harder and harder about this question every week. I can't really think or something.
What I am looking forward to: VEGAS!
Milestones: 20 weeks, duh!

Not Smart

Mexican for dinner and leftover Mexican for lunch, and I wonder why mommy has heartburn? The tums are never around when you need them either!




I should have known better and been smart like this guy...but it is just so good, I can't say no!

Ice Fishing

This weekend we went ice fishing with some friends of ours. I am not normally one to be all gung ho about ice fishing, but we had a blast. Jen and Jake are so fun and so much like us that it is hard not to have a good time with them around. We enjoyed the the bright shinning sun and the relatively warm weather, pulled a couple of fish up from under the ice and had an awesome fire. The afternoon couldn't have been better. We even found out that for pregnant woman hot chocolate can be rewarmed up in an empty beer bottle that is stuck in the fire (I was not the genius that thought of this, but was very excited that I got to benefit from nice warm hot chocolate!)

For some reason I am always surprised at how breathtakingly beautiful Hyalite reservoir is. These pictures were taken with my camera phone because once again I forgot my camera so they don't really do the day justice, but it was gorgeous.

The rest of the weekend was busy, busy. We house sat/babysat over night for some family friends on Friday until late on Saturday evening. The kids were great as always. Unfortunately we never have very good luck with their animals. The neighbors dog got into the chicken coop and killed 14 of their 18 chickens on Saturday morning. I felt SOOO bad. Their wasn't really anything that we could have done but it was still horrible. After breakfast we had to go down and put all of the chickens into bags and bury them in the snow so that the family could hopefully salvage some of the meat. The chicken coop was like a war zone. All I can say is it was good that Brian was there, because I definately couldn't have handled it on my own.

Monday we spent cleaning out the cars and the house and trying to relax at least a little. We finally found a place for our bookshelf that was in the nursery and got all of the books off of the floor in there and onto the shelves. I think that I might be able to tackle the mound that is the "office" and desk area this week, and get all of that out of the room. Then we should be pretty much ready to start painting. I just have to pick a color....

19 Week Survey!

I don't know why but 19 weeks seems like a big milestone in my head. Maybe because it is the week before the 20 week halfway point? That seems sort of lame though. We have a few exciting milestones in the next couple of weeks. We are going to Vegas next weekend for our babymoon. I am soooo excited to get out of town and experience some warm weather and spend time with Brian without any fire calls or any other interruptions!

On February 1st we have our big ultrasound and will be finding out if Baby is a he or a she. I am really excited and at the same feel like I could wait to. I made such a big fuse about finding out with Brian but now that we are getting so close, it doesn't seem like such a big deal. It will be nice to know so that we can start the nursery, (even though the paint colors and the furniture are going to be the same either way) and I am excited to start buying clothes (don't tell Brian he will have a heart attack just thinking about me shopping more!) In general though I think that I could have probably decided not to find out and been totally okay with that, even though I still want to know...haha...so confusing!

Anyway I will stop rambling, here is the survey.

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: According to my scale at home I haven't gained any weight since the last doctor's appointment. But I think that someone's scale is a liar. There is always a difference between the doctor's scale and mine. I think the doctor's lies, it is always higher! Makes sense right?
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing both but my wardrobe is considerably smaller which kind of sucks.
Sleep: Good Still
Best moment this week: Realizing that I am starting to finally get a bump. Even Brian has started to put his hand on it.
Movement: Still just on the inside. I can't wait for Brian to be able to feel it.
Food Craving: Sushi and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Gender: I still think boy most of the time.
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: I am starting to have some slight round ligament pain and also have been getting heartburn after lunch every.single.day. My thoughts about what to eat for lunch follow the path of what would make worse heartburn...
Belly button in or out: In but it is starting to spread out.
What I miss: Being able to go out with friends and enjoy a couple of drinks.
What I am looking forward to: Vegas and our ultra sound.
Milestones: Feeling round ligament pain, I guess! Hitting 19 weeks feels like a milestone to.

Madame Zaritska Predicts

The day you deliver, outside will be fair. Your baby will arrive in the middle of the afternoon. After a labor lasting approximately 10 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 10 pounds, 14 ounces, and will be 22 inches long. This child will have dark hazel eyes and a lot of brown hair.

I could take this! Ten hours of labor isn't to bad. However, a 10 pound, 14 ounces baby is HUGE, I do hear though that this is how they run in the Nickolay family (at least Brian's siblings), so it might not be to far off...but dear lord! I also think though that we were both blond when we were born.

I have a secret hidden hope that we have a little boy with red hair. I LOVE red hair on individuals of the male gender. I told Brian, if our boy has red hair and pouts with a shaky lip (like Brian does) he can have anything that he wants, and I mean anything. Candy before dinner, a pony, a spaceship, whatever!

I Love A Good Deal!

So I am either really bored or have a lot to say today, because here is my second blog entry!

Have you noticed how high priced baby stuff is these days? I think I have mentioned it before but it is outrageous! We have decided to use Brian's old dresser in Baby's room and I have found a crib that I like that is $125.00 at Walmart. Since the dresser can't double as a changing table we thought that we would buy one. I figured that if I can find a new crib for $125 that finding a changing table for $40-$60 should be a breeze. Yeah. No. Changing tables cost just as much as the crib! Bah! So we decided if we found a good deal on a used one we would buy it. If not we would do what Brian's sister does (and honestly what I think most parents end up doing at some point) and get a basket for supplies and change Baby on the floor in whatever room we are in.

However, we have found a couple of what I feel like are good deals. We got a baby carrier for hiking for $15 off of craigslist. We don't hike a ton but for $15 now we will have one whenever we want to go! I also found a light weight stroller that fully reclines for an infant that I really love for $70 online instead of the $149 that the baby store here in town was telling us. I also just found a great glider on craigslist for $150 that is normally upwards of $300. I feel pretty good about what we have bought so far.

I have almost an obsession with researching and finding good deals on stuff. I was the same way when I planned our wedding and am the same way with Christmas and birthday gifts. There is something about the satisfaction of finding a great deal!

Monday Morning= Drag Your Ass Out of Bed

Good Lord! I had a hard time getting up this morning. Once I was actually out of bed I felt better. Now I am at work with a cup of amazing Chai and wondering how I am going to make it through a whole day with a.) a happy attitude (which I have been trying really hard to have) and b.) with no nap! I went to bed at a decent time...so I don't know what's got my goat, or what goat took my energy...oh that would be the one growing in my ute.

We had a good weekend. We looked for a dresser for Brian on Saturday. Did you know you can by two cribs for the price of a semi decent dresser? It is ridiculous. And of course, because I am me, it can't be any old dresser it has to be one that semi matches with what we already have, and will last a long time (which I don't think is that unreasonable.) However, this means that we will have to spend $25o to...well lets just say A LOT more than we can afford. Needless to say, we didn't come home with a dresser.

On Sunday we went to church for the fist time in an embarrassingly long time. Amazingly enough though the pastor remembered us and we ran into someone that we know. We both like the church and are going to make a very strong effort to go on a regular basis. While I am still not sure that my heart is in it (hopefully that will come with time), it is very important to Brian and I that our children are raised in the church and are baptised and loved/involved in a church family.

Yesterday, I had a massage (amazing!), pretended to attempt to to clean the house, and laid in bed and watched trashy TV. It was great. My mom and sister showed up in the evening and we went to Fiesta Mexicana for dinner. Yummy. Then Brian and I introduced Ali to a little something called Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. Which is the best game ever! Good enough that we played it with friends on Sunday night, and went out and bought it on Monday because we couldn't live without it, obviously.

Today my sister went back to college in Texas. I hope that she has a great semester filled with good strong friends and great classes. I am so proud of her for plugging through everything that has gone on in the last ten months and sticking to what she knew she wanted and making the best of the situation.

18 Weeks!!

This is a temp photo that I took in the bathroom at work today! I will get a better one up tonight when I get home.

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I haven't actually weighed myself since the last doctor's visit...probably 6 or 7 lbs at this point.
Maternity Clothes? I can wear either at this point. My pants with the be band are open pretty far at this point and I can't even consider not wearing it. I am also wearing some shirts and sweaters.
Sleep: Pretty good still. I think that I am getting less deep sleep and there is a lot more rolling around. This could have something to do with Brian being sick which means that I have a bear snoring next to me! After two early mornings of me sleeping on the couch I decided that he needed nose strips. They got us both through the rest of his cold in bed together and happy!
Symptoms: Peeing and some major acid reflux. I had to start the tums! The gagging/puking has pretty much completely stopped at this point, which is really nice.
Best moment this week: Scheduling our big ultrasound for February 1st!
Movement: At least once a day, but it is still just small little jab from the inside.
Food Craving: Mexican and sushi still!
Gender: I honestly don't know and don't have a preference at this point.
Labor Signs: None
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: I can't think of anything that I really miss right now. Things haven't been a walk in the park but I think that I am starting to feel more and more excited about everything. I can't really imagine going back...which seems weird.
What I am looking forward to: Vegas and our ultra sound, and 20 weeks.
Milestones: Getting a little bump and not feeling like I just look chubby!

Birthing Classes

When I first got pregnant Brian and I were talking about baby stuff and I mentioned something about birthing classes. He looked at me and said, "I don't have to go to that do I?" I laughed in his face and told him that he isn't that lucky!

Now that 20 weeks is coming up I am starting to feel like we need to get the ball running on some of these things (well everything, because honestly, we haven't really done anything yet...) When we went to our first doctor's appointment they gave us a sheet that had some classes listed on it that the hospital and other organizations do. I have also started some online researching of birthing classes in Bozeman and was pleasantly surprised that there were a couple of local organizations that had websites with class listings.

Here is the trouble with choosing a birthing class. I am crazy (apparently) and would really like to try and have a natural birth. I was even willing to look at a birthing center with a midwife in lieu of the hospital but Brian is really not comfortable with that so we are going to try to achieve a totally natural birth in the hospital. However, I keep on hearing these horror stories of women who were pushed into doing/taking things that they didn't want to while they were in the hospital. Don't get me wrong if I start labor and can't handle the pain I will take the drugs, but I would like to avoid this. So I want us to be as educated as possible before we go to the hospital. Enter in the kind of birthing classes that I am looking for.

I want a class that teaches you not only about the stages of labor, but also how to identify them in your own body. I want to learn techniques for naturally managing pain. I want a teacher that encourages you to do what feels best for you and educates you about your options. Here is the trouble with choosing a birthing class in Bozeman. There are a lot of what Brian would call Guru Granola's in Bozeman. I want to try and avoid getting a class that is so holistic and au-natural that it makes me want to vomit.

I have found a couple of classes that seem like what we want. There is a one-on-one class done in your own home. Surprisingly it is in the same price range as the other classes. It might be nice to be in a class with other couples though. We will have to look over our options and decide. I am excited to do learn more about actually giving birth (I can't believe I am even saying that) and to take a class with Brian.

Embracing Pregnancy

It is my Monday and I am back at work, which, I am trying hard to be totally fine with. I think that part of my nesting is that I want to be home all the time. So being at work makes me crabby. And honestly things at work in general sort of suck anyway, but that is a whole other, kettle of fish that I probably won't ever write about here.

To top it all off here is a rare, totally honest moment (not that I am not honest, but sometimes I sugar coat or avoid the hard subjects)....are you ready? I am having a hard time really embracing being pregnant. I want to be one of those women who is all glowy, happy go lucky, on cloud nine about being pregnant. However, I am not. The fact that I am gaining weight and can't really do anything about it makes me want to bury my head under the covers and just not come out until baby is all cooked, and I am back to place where I can start losing weight. I also kind of resent the fact that I have been sick and tired, and just not myself for the last couple of months. I feel a lot of anxiety about the rest of the pregnancy and having a baby in the house while we both work full time. What if I just don't have enough to give between working, being a wife, and a mom? Thinking about all of this makes me do things like climb into bed on a Saturday afternoon when Brian is gone, because I feel like I just don't have the energy. I have to talk myself into going out with friends. Honestly, I can't decide if I am a little depressed and need to talk to my doctor, or if this is pretty normal for pregnancy and I will snap out of it.

I feel bad for Brian because I am not myself. I actually broke down on Friday night, did the whole pregnant woman overreaction and soaked his shirt with tears, and then felt silly. Good thing Brian is such a great guy and was totally understanding, whether I actually made sense...well at least he acted like I did! He is the one thing that always makes me smile and feel better.