24 week bump update

How far along? 24 weeks, 1 day
Baby is the size of: a corn.  Not "corn", "a corn".  hehe.  I really love the fruit/veggie comparisons!
Total Weight gain:  yikes, 20 pounds as of Tuesday's appointment. 
Maternity clothes?  yes.  :)  I still have some long drape-y tanks that I wear to work.  This week 2 women asked me in one day when I'm due & my manager got indignant for me.  I mean, yes, I am pregnant, but isn't it a widely accepted social truth that you don't ASK a woman about it? 
Stretch marks? Not yet.
Sleep: Sleeping good still, trying to finish my water intake before 8 so I'm not up quite as much peeing.  But otherwise good. 
Best moment this week: Our crib came today!  The box is ginormous and pretty much takes over the living room.  Loved hearing little girl Tuesday on the doppler!  Got to talk to my mama for 2 hours after my appointment, and we talked mostly about baby girl's crib bedding (which she's making).  I ordered 15 swatches and I have to narrow it down to 5 max.  Excited for them to come & see what will pair well together!
Miss Anything? Not really!  This time of year I really enjoy having a glass of red wine in the evening after dinner so if I miss anything it's that.  And I know I *could* have a small glass at this point in my pregnancy, but it's not an important thing, why risk it?  (my opinion).
Movement:  She is moving more and more!  Last night she would NOT settle down when I got in bed. And at my appt my OB was laughing because she could barely get her heartbeat reading (which only takes 1 second of inactivity to register).  Little one wouldn't stop the acrobatics. 
Food cravings: chocolate, Chai tea
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope. 
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: nope.
Symptoms: nosebleeds (kinda- when I blow my nose, not random, throw your head back nosebleeds...)
Belly Button in or out? In still. 
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy!  although I can cry on demand. 
Looking forward to: Painting the nursery this weekend!  We're going to a harvest party on Saturday- I'm excited to see some of my friends in Seattle!

23 week update

It is unreal how late to the game I am in documenting my pregnancy.  I'm more than halfway there!  Things feel like they're starting to really take off now that my belly is round.  And better late than never, right?  

 
How far along? 23 weeks, 3 days
Baby is the size of: a large mango/grapefruit- over a pound this week!

Total Weight gain: I think 12 pounds.  I can't remember where I was at my last appointment & refuse to weigh myself at home. 
Maternity clothes? Exclusively.  I bought some cute things this weekend to carry me into colder weather.  But I'm wondering what to do about a coat!  It started raining this week & my northface *just* zips up over my boobs and belly.  (Also had to buy new bras in a letter I never fathomed before...cannot wait to see these puppies when my milk comes in.  Matt & I talk about that all the time.)  Anyway, back to the coat...since it rains more than it snows in WA, it makes more sense to go the waterproof route with a fleece attached than a wool winter coat but those maternity peacoats are so cute!  I'm going to try to find a consigned option. 
Stretch marks? Not yet.
Sleep: Been sleeping great! 
Best moment this week: Angie's shower was a huge highlight!  Also the nursery is almost all cleared out & we picked the paint color! Baby girl has been moving around a lot which is amazing!
Miss Anything? Leaning up against surfaces without hitting my belly.  That's a weird new issue- the belly's in the way & it's hard to maneuver around!  Also miss leaning over normally- I can't do it without groaning now.  :)
Movement: I feel her more and more now!  Always when I first settle into bed but more during the day now, too!  Mostly little stretches and kicks but my favorite is when she rolls.  Last night she was doing it so much it tickled and I couldn't stop giggling.  Mostly because I was so happy to feel her but it really did tickle.
Food cravings: Tapatio, fruit, gelato.  I cannot get enough Tapatio.  I have it on eggs every. morning.  So good. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: One of my co-workers had to leave yesterday because he was throwing up in the bathroom (and we could all hear him) and that almost did me in.  But otherwise, haven't been sick since the 4th of July (@ 9 weeks).  I feel really lucky on that count.  This little lady has been pretty easy.  And I pray she stays that way.  Especially through puberty.  Please, Lord.

Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: nope.
Symptoms: Lower back achiness, sensitive gums. I've been more tired the last few days & I'm not sure if it's just because it's the end of the workweek or because little one is going through a growth spurt.  Random leg cramps. 
Belly Button in or out? In.  I have a seriously deep belly button so it's going to take a LOT to push it out.  Matt has been charting its progress though, and it is getting more shallow. 
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY
Looking forward to: The crib should be arriving sometime next week!  I'm so excited to start putting her nursery together!  I'm working on a grey, pink & cream theme.  Also to hearing her heartbeat again at my appointment Tuesday!

Angie's Shower

My SIL Angie, who is wonderful, had her baby girl Samantha on September 19th, 5 1/2 weeks early.  I had been planning a gender-neutral shower but happily added pink accents to properly welcome Samantha Jean. The party was Sunday, and it was so much fun to prepare for and throw!

our front door (I can't figure out how to remove the 'no soliciting' sign.)

pink & green balloons lining the walkway

The menu:

raspberry lemonade

chicken salad sliders

smoked salmon dip & mini toasts

spinach salad

fruit salad

lemon cheesecake bars

oreo truffle pops

raspberry lemon curd cupcakes

 

raspberry lemonade, mason jars & green striped paper straws

oreo truffle cake pops (these were a big hit)

chicken salad sliders

fruit salad

  My mother in law and Matt's Aunt Lorie did all of the food except for the oreo pops (all me, baby) so I had time to go a little nuts with decor.  I'm especially proud of the banner I made!  Apparently these are the crafts I'm capable of while my husband watches football in the evenings.  :)

Angie & I

  I put together a scrapbook for Samantha with pages for everyone to write on for her.  Each page had a title like "I hope you learn...", "I hope you ignore...", "I hope you experience..." 

This was a really fun keepsake for the guests to work on! 

Samantha's scrapbook & pages with prizes for games

thank you cards

some of the games

adorable diaper cake Aunt Lorie made

the boys showing us their Halloween costumes (& guarding their sister)

My sweet niece Samantha

there are mostly clothes in here.  everyone loves a little girl! 

Samantha got a TON of cute clothes! 

 She couldn't stay for the shower per her pediatrician's orders (premies need extra TLC, and keeping them out of crowds during cold & flu season is apparently key). 

Wow, whoever is lucky enough to be born in a few months sure will get some great hand-me-downs (Hey, that's MY little girl!)  :) 

I had a great time! :)

All in all, I think it was a great success, especially being the first shower I've ever thrown! 

Baby Girl Harber!

A few weeks ago, we found out that we are having a girl in February! 

When we found out we were pregnant (back in May, basically a few weeks after my last post) we debated whether or not we would find out the gender.  Debated as in Matt trying to convince me that it would be nice to wait and me successfully convincing him that I cannot POSSIBLY have information available to me and NOT find out. 

Plus, that would keep us from experiencing a gender reveal as inspired by Pinterest!

So Matt agreed that we would find out the gender of our baby.  

And I scoured Pinterest for the cutest reveal ideas.

And then our dishwasher broke.  

This was around June, about 10 weeks before we would have our ultrasound, and I made sure Matt knew that we were NOT THROWING AWAY that big box the new dishwasher came in.  

It sat in the garage all summer until the day I could do this: 

please ignore the crap in my garage...

We asked the ultrasound tech not to tell us, but to text my mother-in-law (who was prepared with a helium tank, the box, and a bunch of pink & blue balloons) "boy" or "girl".  

She was a trooper (actually, they both were!)

Matt's cousin Amanda (who is an incredibly talented photographer building her portfolio) took the pictures on a trestle bridge in Orting, WA (it's the Orting bike trail, for locals) and I love how they turned out!

I love the look on my husband's face...

pink!  it's a girl!

our sweet baby girl!  I love her button nose!