Cheese, please!

We're 25 weeks and all I can think about is cheese. Literally. This week I made stuffed peppers and as soon as they came out of the oven, I started boiling water for mac and cheese. Not quite sure why, but Declan and I cannot get enough cheese this week! In order to balance out the excessive cheese intake, I've started going to the gym again. Here's proof :)

We had another ultrasound to check on my cervix, and great news... The doctor thinks after our next check up in 2 weeks we don't need to be considered high risk anymore and can stop with the frequent check ups! Everything is looking perfect and they're not worried about my cervix anymore! Woo hoo!

This week, Kevin is jumping in on the fun with a little something I like to call, "Thoughts from Daddy." He is currently obsessed with touching my belly and talking to our little man.

Some of you may know about the amazing ladies I was able to meet on The Knot when planning our wedding. We have actually become incredibly close, and I wanted to brag about how awesome they are. There are a bunch of us who are pregnant right now, and Declan is the first of the little ones due. It's been so amazing to have them as a support system who never tire of hearing about my pregnancy woes. Recently, they decided to purchase this for all of the babies-to-be. Had to share because I love it so much! Can't wait until it comes in :)

One more fun piece of information before the stats... We've decided on a middle name! Declan Jackson Monahan! Jackson is very representative of our time in New Orleans. It was one of our favorite restaurants and we are so excited to have a meaningful middle name picked out!

25 Week Picture:

Stats!!


How far along?  25 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss?  I'm at 157 this week... I thought I gained 17 pounds so far, but turns out I started the pregnancy at 144, so we're only at 13 pounds gained. Doctor is super happy with the gaining!

Maternity clothes? Still in my leggings and maternity pants! My jackets are still fitting, but Kevin's mom bought me a cute maternity coat for this growing bump!

Stretch marks? Still nothing!

Sleep? It's been a little better in the last week. Yesterday I was able to fall asleep very easily every time I woke up.

Best moment last week? Kevin finally felt Declan <3

Movement?  100% He's so active. Today I was leaning over and he kicked me right in the ribs. Luckily, he can't reach my ribs normally, only when I'm bending over. Nervous for when he gets so big he kicks them all the time!!

Food cravings? Cheese. So much cheese. And chocolate covered oreos :)

Labor signs? Wayyyy too early.

Belly button in/out? Innie still...!

What I miss: This week I miss wine. It was one of my favorite coworkers (and favorite friends) last day at work today and a glass of wine (or a bottle) would be nice right now!

What I am looking forward to: Moving into the 3rd trimester in a few weeks! He'll be here so so soon!

Milestones: Movements felt from the outside!!

23 Weeks!

Hi everyone!

Happy NewYear!! Kevin and I had a great time this holiday season, celebrating with family and enjoying our valuable and limited quiet time. I turned 26 on December 30, and aside from going out to breakfast, we spent the whole day lounging around. It was great... and somewhat surreal to think that it would be my last birthday without a child!

We have finally decided on a name, and waited until Christmas to tell our families. Our little man's name will be Declan Monahan! We haven't settled on a middle name, suggestions are welcome!

Here's a little history on the name Declan. Declan was an Irish Saint who lived right before St. Patrick began preaching in Ireland. The name now means "full of goodness." We choose Declan because we wanted a strong Irish name that was unique. I think we nailed it!

On to the stats :)


How far along?  23 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss?  Last week I was 155; up 15 pounds. Eek!

Maternity clothes? In addition to my amazing leggings, we found a pair of Gap maternity jeans at a second hand store and I could LIVE in them.

Stretch marks? Still nothing!

Sleep? Same as the last update... I fall asleep really easily but have an awful time staying asleep. I wake up almost every night around 2 or 3!

Best moment last week? Kevin and I found the perfect condo for rent and found out this week that we are moving in February 15! We decided to start getting nursery ideas. That was a lot of fun!

Movement?  Yup! Every day!! Declan is going nuts in there!

Food cravings? Nothing recently... I just always want to eat!

Labor signs? Wayyyy too early.

Belly button in/out? Still an innie, but I'm sure it'll pop out in a few weeks.

What I miss: Eating without heartburn

What I am looking forward to: Kevin feeling his son move for the first time <3

Milestones: No big milestones to report!

Much Needed Update!

So as it turns out, I'm the worst blogger EVER. It has been over a month since I've updated! We're 21 weeks (22 weeks on Thursday) and a lot has happened in the last month! Here is a shot from 19 weeks!!

On November 27, we had another ultrasound and were able to find out that Baby M will be... a BOY! We decided to have some fun while telling our families. Kevin baked a blue cake and we had our families cut into the cake to reveal the gender!

Our families were both thrilled and the shopping has begun!!

At the same ultrasound we found out that my placenta has moved away from my cervix, meaning unless something else comes up, we won't need to schedule a c-section!

On December 11, we had our anatomy scan and Baby M is perfectly healthy! Everything is measuring exactly how it's supposed to, his heart rate is great, and holy cow is he active!!

Speaking of being active... I can finally feel him!! It is by far the most incredible feeling in the entire world and I can't wait for Kevin to feel it. I feel our little guy daily now, and I'm hoping soon he's strong enough for his daddy to feel him from the outside!!

Kevin and I bought this the other week and can't wait for our little guy to rock it :)

We just spent the weekend in Newport, and decided to go swimming in the indoor pool. I was hesitant to post this, but I'm doing it!! I rocked a bikini!! Here is the bump at 21 weeks :)

On to the weekly (or monthly, since I stink at keeping up) stats!!

How far along?  21 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss?  We are up to 154, 14 pounds gained! Luckily, I'm right on track with weight gain.

Maternity clothes? Officially love my maternity leggings and sweaters. If I could wear leggings every day I would. 

Stretch marks? Nope! Fingers crossed!

Sleep? I'm waking up around 2:30 or 3:00 am every day and struggling to go back to sleep. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can only sleep on my side and I'm a back sleeper normally. Baby M's way of getting me ready for his arrival, I guess!

Best moment last week? Feeling Baby M in there!! 

Movement?  Yup! Every day!!

Food cravings? Mac and cheese... other than that I haven't craved much!

Labor signs? Wayyyy too early.

Belly button in/out? Just my normal innie... except it's starting to get super shallow and weird looking. Eek!

What I miss: Sleeping on my back

What I am looking forward to: Kevin feeling his son move for the first time <3

Milestones: Found out Baby M is a little man!!

We're 4 months along!!

I feel like it has been forever since I've posted! We've had another doctor's appointment and taken a new weekly picture, so here we go with updates:

Doctor's Appointment:

We had an appointment last Tuesday. The ladies at the office are incredible and we had a lot of fun! Lots of laughing and giggling about how funny Baby M is already. The ultrasound tech said she THINKS she knows what the sex is, but wasn't confident enough to tell us. We have another ultrasound on the 27th, so hopefully then!

Baby M was hysterical during the ultrasound. He/she had their entire hand in their mouth, was moving them around like crazy, and at one point even turned toward us and put both hands in between his/her legs hiding the goods from our view haha Love him/her!!

Baby M is healthy, but we did find out I have Placenta Previa. This means that my placenta is covering my cervix (which is what needs to open for Baby M to make his/her entrance into the world).  The doctor is hoping that it moves away from my cervix as the uterus grows. If it decides to stay put, they'll have to perform a C-Section between 36 and 38 weeks to avoid me going into labor with my cervix blocked. They'll be monitoring it, but for now we're just doing a lot of positive thinking!!

Now, on to the weekly picture and stats! I was too busy to do the weekly board this week, but we're 16 Weeks and 2 days!

How far along?  16 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss?  I weighed in at 146 last appointment, only 6 pounds more than when we got pregnant. 

Maternity clothes?  Just bought some cute baggy shirts and a few long sweaters with a belt. Kevin's mom has bought me 2 maternity jeans and my mom and I will be going shopping soon! Luckily, I'm still to small to fit into them, but it will be nice to have it all ready for when I need them!

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep? Ah-ma-zing. I fall asleep really early and sleep until 5am, only waking up a few times to use the girl's room. My napping has decreased a lot, which is nice!

Best moment last week? Got my first belly rub from someone... While this isn't something I'm normally going to enjoy people doing, I was REALLY excited that someone realized I was pregnant and I looked big enough for them to actually say, "Oh how cute" and touch my belly. 

Movement?  Nothing yet... Not only is my silly placenta on top of my cervix, it's also anterior, which means it's close to my belly, so we may not feel Baby M for quite some time since I'll have the placenta softening the blow. 

Food cravings? Salad... specifically caesar or parmesan peppercorn dressing. I wouldn't say it's a craving so much as when I see them I can't stop thinking about them, but I have been downing Salt and Vinegar potato chips lately.

Labor signs? Wayyyy too early.

Belly button in/out? Just my normal innie.

What I miss: Nothing, really!! I'm SO happy and love being pregnant. LOVE it!

What I am looking forward to: Knowing if we're team "blue" or team "pink"

Milestones: Starting to compile what we need for Baby M and even buying a few things here and there :)

Week 14 & Sandy

Hi all!!

We've made it to week 14 and the official start of the second trimester!! 

We haven't had school all week due to Storm Sandy, and my prayers go out to everyone who was impacted by the storm. Kevin and I were very lucky here in the Riv. We're safe, there was no damage to our apartment or cars, and we only lost power for 24 hours.

Here are a few pictures from around our neighborhood. So thankful for the minimal damage!

Week 13 and the start of 14 have been great. I'm eating a little healthier and a lot more!! My back has been REALLY achy but I think it's because I slept so much this week! Kevin and I bought a doppler so we can hear Baby M's heartbeat whenever we want. Here's a picture of Kevin listening to it last night and a link so you can share in the experience, too. 

http://www.kevinmonahan.com/heartbeat

My stats haven't changed much, so we'll skip those and get right on to the picture :)

What a difference 2 weeks makes!! 

Blame it on the baby...

I spelt the title of this blog wrong... and my cute husband could not wait to tell me about my goof haha Over 1000 people have viewed the blog, and no one told me?!? :-P 

Pregnancy Brain to the max. <3

Week 13

Oh hey everyone! Jess here reporting from Week 13. Sandy is on her way to CT and all I want to do is sleep. Luckily my husband is super awesome and has been doing everything that I should be helping him with. Got to love that man.

This week I went to Social Security and the DMV to officially change my name to Jessica Monahan. It's legitimate now! Woop! I almost posted a picture because I was so excited... but luckily I caught that Pregnancy Brain moment in enough time to remember how ridiculously unsafe that would be. :)

Kevin and I had our first trimester screening this week. Talk about an unbelievable experience... The baby was rolling, flipping, waving, and basically spazing out! It was so intense and amazing and scary and every emotion possible :) Here's our favorite shot:

Baby M is laying on his/her tummy!

Let's get on to this week's stats!

How far along?  13 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss?  I think I'm starting to pack it on. My belly is an actual belly, even though the baby is only just starting to move into my abdomen. I'm hoping that my bump is being caused my the rest of my insides having no where to go and not just additional fat ;)

Maternity clothes?  This week I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried a big shirt and leggings... Only what I thought were leggings were actually tights and super see through haha The outfit was cute and comfy and showed off a cute little bump, but I really need to buy REAL leggings

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep? Getting WAY better

Best moment last week? Our First Trimester Screening... Loved seeing Baby M so active :)

Movement?  Nothing that I can feel, but Baby M was a wild child during our ultrasound this week. I mean moving like crazy!!

Food cravings? Just junk... but I've been eating a lot of healthy lunches at school. Go me!

Labor signs? Wayyyy too early.

Belly button in/out? Just my normal innie.

What I miss: A flat tummy... Right now I just look like I hate too many donuts haha

What I am looking forward to: Seeing a bump that isn't just fat ;) (This is from last week but still applies...)

Milestones: Seeing Baby M and knowing that he/she is perfect and healthy right now.