18 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: Little one is around 6 3/4 ounces and 5 1/2 inches... About the size of a sweet potato.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4 pounds (I will update this with doctor appointments- their scale and my scale are very different.  I finally have a little bump!

Maternity Clothes:  I can still wear my regular clothes but am starting to transition into maternity shirts and the maternity pants are still a little bit but they are definitely more comfortable."

Gender:  Don't know- we'll hopefully find out February 15th.

Movement: I feel flutters every day and can feel little one rolling and moving.  Every now and then I'll get a hard kick or poke.  I'm sure they will become more frequent as little one grows.

Sleep: I am more used to sleeping on my side now and still get up usually once a night.  My joints are loosening up a bit and are now a little sore, especially after staying in one position for too long.

What I miss: Ibuprofen!  And sleeping on my back.

Cravings: Nothing in particular right now.  Early on it was Cherry Icees but that has passed.  I love iced water with lemon and am really enjoying root beer right now, too.

Symptoms: Nothing major right now- yay!  I still have the stuffy/runny nose but it seems a little bit better.  I am still having some heartburn but not on a regular basis.  I really cannot complain after hearing what some women go through.  I am very blessed!

17 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: Little one is around 5 ounces and 5 inches... About the size of an onion.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  I can still wear my regular clothes but they are starting to get tight after meals... I am loving my "belly bands."

Gender:  Don't know- we'll hopefully find out February 15th.

Movement: I feel flutters from daily now and every now and then a good hard poke/kick.

Sleep: Still getting up at least once a night to pee.  Still trying to get used to sleeping on my side.  

What I miss: Ibuprofen!  And sleeping on my back.

Cravings: Nothing in particular right now.  Early on it was Cherry Icees but that has passed.  I love iced water with lemon now...And I still love Mexican food!

Symptoms: I had some mild to moderate nausea and heartburn with the first trimester but that passed after about week 12.  Knock on wood, I didn't throw up!  Now I have "rhinitis of pregnancy."  Lots of nasal stuffiness.  I am less tired than the first trimester but still as tired as I was before.  I am just starting to look like I'm pregnant- I still mostly look like I ate a big meal!

big news!

a baby is on the way to our house!  i am now 16 weeks pregnant and the little one's due date is june 30th.  we will find out how everything is developing on february 15th, and if there is cooperation, we'll find out if it is a boy or a girl.  i don't really have a "bump" yet but i promise to post pictures once i do.  i will do my best to document what i can.  you can check out the "ticker" on the right to see how the development continues.

m & m party pretzels.

these are super yummy and very easy to make.  they are great for any occasion or just as a tasty sweet & salty snack to have at home.  (just ask jay!)

here is what you'll need to make them:

     *jelly roll pan (or any baking sheet with sides

     *square pretzels

     *chocolate candy melts (I use Wilton's)

     *m & m's (I use the solid colors for baby showers and the holiday mixes for those events)

     *room in your freezer for your pan

preheat oven to 200 degrees.  place pretzels on cookie sheet until full.

next, place the chocolate melts in the center of each pretzel.

place the cookie sheet in the oven for 5-7 minutes and chocolate begins to melt.  (you can test this by trying to place an m & m in the center of the chocolate on one pretzel- if it places easily, they're done!

then place your m & m's in the center of each piece of melted chocolate.

once complete, place the pan in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until chocolate rehardens.

store in an air-tight container and enjoy!

happy new year!

i have been a blogging slacker for the past bit.  life's been busy and i've been uninspired.  how many times can you all read a post about my dogs or us moving?

but beginning very soon, and as a resolution of sorts for 2012, i promise to blog more!  (and as soon as i can locate the memory card,) i will have a post about how to make some yummy, easy party treats- great for holidays, baby/wedding showers, or just to have as a snack.

so happy new year, if you are still checking in and reading my sorry posts.  there is much more to come this year.  pinky swear!

dave matthews.

the cat.  not the man.  or the band.  although the cat was named after the man.

anyway...

dave moved to his new home over Thanksgiving break.  he now lives (back) in nashville and it has been reported to me that he is quite content and happy with his new furry friends and owners.  i'm happy that he's happy.  i do miss him and miss having him in my lap (especially now that it's cold) but i wouldn't be able to type this most evenings as he would be taking up my lap instead of my laptop!  here's one last picture of sweet dave...

fall foliage, part two

there were a few spots of beauty that weren't near any overlooks and we seemed to always be on the wrong side of the road where the "pull-over" spots were for pictures yesterday.  so today i headed back up on the north side of the parkway and got some beautiful pictures.  i didn't enhance any of them.  (and i shot them in the "auto" setting.)  only God could provide such a gorgeous landscape!  the colors of nature today were stunning.  i hope you enjoy them as much as i did.

these looked pink to me in person.  never thought of pink as one of the fall colors- maybe it's dressed up for breast cancer awareness!

i love seeing the leaves as they are changing...

the view out my living room window (that's the chapel past the tree.)

fall foliage, part one

i think we're about a week from "peak" season but it's a beautiful time of year in the mountains.  yesterday was the annual drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway for Upstate Cruisers.  we had a small group meet at the pisgah inn for brunch and then we rode from mt. pisgah to mt. mitchell.  aside from some blustery wind, the weather was perfect and the scenery did not disappoint.  the pictures speak for themselves.

at the inn

just north of mt. pisgah

the view of craggy pinnacle from the visitor's center- look at that flag whipping in the wind

one of the many tunnels on the brp. can you see it?!

the view from the visitor's center

the view from mt. mitchell

it was a chilly 47 degrees at 2pm that high up- i'd hate to know what the wind chill was as it was gusting 20-30mph yesterday.  brrr!

reserves training

i never get tired of these views!

nothing exciting.

well, as i sit here thinking i have nothing exciting to post and no new pictures, i completely forgot that mom sent me pictures she took from her visit in august.  we are still slowly getting settled into our new place.  we still have lots of boxes hanging around but we're getting there.  goodwill is a lucky place, too.  in fact, i may make a trip there tomorrow.  the animals are doing well.  dave is still with us but he'll be making a trip with us to nashville soon and he will stay there with our friend barry.  she said she'll gladly take him.  cotton is doing well and has adjusted well to the move.  barley has had some male "stranger" anxiety but seems to be getting better.  she's been sick this week after (we think) eating the filling out of an old bone.  she has doggy colitis and is on a bland diet (for dogs, this is chicken, white rice, and canned pumpkin) for the weekend and on an antibiotic.  she definitely was back to her old self today but her body was telling other stories... you don't want to know.  let's just say "bless her heart."

but yes, i did report that i have pictures to share.  mom took some when she came to visit our "new" place at school.  now, it is only new to us as this building we live in was built in 1938.  it has a lot of character.  we are still in the process of getting unpacked and settled in, so pictures of our actual "home" will have to wait.  but here are some of the outside and areas around campus.

the dining hall- where we eat most of our meals.

the football field; student center is the building on the left.  a dorm is what you see on the other end of the football field (in front of the mountains)

tennis courts (these sit below and behind the dorm at the end of the football field)

the track with the upper soccer/lacrosse field in its center

the "lower" soccer field

the hill that kicks our tails when we take our walks

our front steps on the wellness center (home)

the "right side" of the WC- the two window units are in our nurses' office and the nurses' bedroom.  the end is one of the "sick rooms"

the left side of the WC- the far left with 5 windows is our living room and the windows next to it is our laundry room.  the others are part of the med room of the WC.  

our guest room.  Cotton and Barley love the low window sills...

...because they are nosy!

our old doorknobs.  they all have a "skeleton" key but we discovered it's for locking the deadbolt they all have.  

so that's a bit of our new place and landscape.  we're slowly getting settled in here and hope to continue to make it feel like home.

WW- week 3.

we are still getting settled around here and school started back this week so life has definitely been busy!  i am not complaining by any means but we're still trying to get into what our new routine will be.  i am definitely enjoying my first whole weekend off this month.  mom came and visited and helped us a lot from helping with registration at school and she even did some laundry.  (okay.  a lot of laundry.)

but yes, it's been 3 full weeks of weight watchers.  ww "yelled" at me this week for losing too much weight.  little do they know i am not even exercising like i should be.  so here's the latest weigh in results...

starting weight:  168 lbs.
previous weight:  163 lbs.
week 3 weight:  160.8 lbs

Difference:  -2.2 lbs

3 week total:  -7.2 lbs!!!

i wish i had pictures of anything- but i don't.  i'll try to get pics of anything soon!

WW- week 2.

This will be a quick update.  It's been a busy week at work getting ready for registration and welcoming our boys back to school!  It's been crazy!

Week 1 weight:  164.8
Week 2 weight:  163

Difference:  -1.2 lbs

2 week total:  5 lbs!

Yeah for progress!!!

WW- week 1.

it's time for the first update on my latest trial with weight watchers.  i definitely noticed that i was hungry this week.  i think i wrote a post about that!  eventually the hunger goes away.  on weight watchers, you are given a daily allotment of points and then you are given weekly points to "dip into" if you have to/need to.  they encourage you to use them, however, if you start to plateau in your weight loss, they suggest you not use any until you catch back up.  anyway...

i get 29 points to use daily.  everyone's daily points differ depending on their starting weight, gender, bmi, etc.  food & beverages are totaled up depending on how many fat grams, carbohydrates, grams of fiber, and grams of protein they have.  you don't have to eat strictly "diet food." you can splurge when you want and use those extra points- everyone is given 49 each week.

okay.  onto the weigh in.

starting weight:  168 lbs.
week 1 weight:   164.2 lbs.
weight loss total:  -3.8 lbs.

that's great motivation to keep up the hard work!!!

day four.

i'm not gonna lie.  i'm hungry.  maybe that means weight watchers is already working.  i really don't feel like i am eating more or less than i was before- at least for breakfast and lunch.  i guess i was snacking a lot more than i am now.  with ww points plus- (almost) all fruits and veggies are 0 points so when you want a snack between meals, a piece of fruit or some raw veggies is a great place to start without ruining your day.  that'll help to form some good habits for sure!  i'll let you know how it keeps going and i will definitely keep updating at least weekly with weigh-ins.  and i still never took a before picture from saturday but here's one of jay and myself in june.

my lips are in love.

it's true.  they are so in love with a new (to me) lip balm that i am not allergic to!  that makes me so happy.  the catch is that i don't know (because i haven't looked it up yet) if they sell it here in the states.  my sweet and dear friend, ashley, sent it to me for my birthday from south africa.

before i met my new love, my current favorite was aveeno.  i have only found it at target and usually buy 3-4 at a time.  at least now i have 2 lip balms to choose from.  it's nice to have options again.  and my lips are in love.  (if you have seen labello here in the states, comment and let me know where!)