Halfway to Baby K!

It has been a loooong while since I've posted and we've been quite busy over the last several months. We are expecting our first child...a baby GIRL! Due on August 9, 2015!! We could not be more excited and cannot wait to meet our little girl.

In fact, as I write this, I am already halfway through my 40 weeks of pregnancy! This is such a strange thought since I was just getting used to the idea of being pregnant. I wanted to share a recap of my pregnancy (and the other things going on in our lives) over the past 20 weeks...

One of the fun things I've seen many moms-to-be do is document their pregnancy week by week so they look back on their progress, size, thoughts, etc. Many do this on cute chalkboards. So a chalkboard for our home was on my list of projects before we even had any news to share.

Here is me on November 16, 2014 in front of the wall where the chalkboard would go. NOT YET PREGNANT but had to test the photo taking angle. :)

Here are my starting materials: A piece of plywood measured to fit the wall we had in mind, primer, black chalkboard paint and strong wood glue.

After a coat of primer.

Once the chalkboard was painted, I wanted to also add a space to hang other pictures and notes by way of a cork board. I save all of our wine corks and try to note the date and event on each so I thought using the corks would be the perfect way to personalize the top of the chalkboard. Organizing the corks by size proved to be a chore!

Chalkboard up before I started the cork board.

Finished chalkboard and cork board!

Because my body was going through so many subtle changes, I had a feeling I was pregnant before we took a test. It started with lots of strange dreams (and I never dream!) and I always felt very warm (come to find out that when you are pregnant, your temperature goes up just a bit and stays up throughout your pregnancy). At one point, John asked how sure I was about being pregnant and my response was 90%...

December 3, 2014: Home Pregnancy Test was positive!! It was a weird, exciting time full of anticipation, fear, uncertainty and of course, hope. We wanted to do this together but had been busy all day and John was studying for a big test so we ended up at the store around 9:30p or 10p to buy the HPT...something we had no clue about. At home, I peed on the stick and we walked away for the recommended three minutes. We ran back into the bathroom, flipped the stick over and saw two pink lines!!! I think I shrieked and jumped up and down and John had a shocked/excited look on his face...probably thinking, "this is really happening."

HPT Positive!!

Dad to be having a celebratory drink

And of course we had to get big sister Lexi in on the fun!

If you know anything about being pregnant (and I sure didn't know much before this!), once you take an HPT, you are already about FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS pregnant. This is because the 40 week countdown begins on the first day of your last period. Apparently this is the most accurate way to track progress and due date. I called my doctor as soon as we found out and they said to come in around 6-8 weeks. What the heck?! I thought for sure that regular protocol was to go in ASAP to have the pregnancy confirmed. Nope, they trusted our HPT and said see ya in a few weeks. Until then, the idea of being pregnant, seemed just that...an idea...

Thus begins our weekly photos and updates...

December 7, 2014: 5 Weeks
I have a bunch of cool apps on my phone which tell me how big the baby is each week. It is very helpful to have something to visualize. Remember that she started here as the size of an apple seed and take a guess at where she's at now...

December 14, 2014: 6 Weeks
My first trimester (and entire pregnancy) has been incredibly smooth and easy. Not one bout of morning sickness...although there were definitely sudden moments of nausea. The biggest challenge was being super tired...more tired than is possible to describe. Luckily, I work from home and could take naps whenever it made sense.

December 21, 2014: 7 Weeks
Let me tell you...the holidays is a tough time to keep a secret...especially when I wasn't enjoying a cocktail here and there at various Christmas parties and gatherings! This is right around when we started to share our good news with family and friends. We were soooo excited to give everyone a Christmas surprise! During this week, we had our first doctor's appointment, which made it seem even more real. The doctor went through all of the usual tips and medical recommendations...what not to eat, the things my body might experience, etc. We also had our first ultrasound. The baby was not much more than a round dot BUT we could actually SEE the heartbeat on the screen!

December 28, 2014: 8 Weeks
To be honest, I can't remember if I even took an 8 week photo. This was right after Christmas and I know we were in San Diego for the holiday bowl during this time. Either way, not much to report. :)

January 1, 2015: THE BIG REVEAL!!
Everyone does this part differently. Some people tell the whole wide world the moment they take a pregnancy test. Others are more cautious and wait until the end of the first trimester. We knew we wanted to do something cute and creative so decided to use this as an opportunity for the best new year resolution ever. When John and I were dating, on NYE 2010/2011 we made a resolution to get engaged. And sure enough, on August 15, 2011, he proposed. The next year our resolution was, of course, to get married. Then to get a dog and so on. Until...

January 4, 2015: 9 Weeks
By this time, baby had grown significantly in size and it was no wonder I felt so tired.

January 11, 2015: 10 Weeks
From a grape to a kumquat in one week seems like a lot of growth. Right around 10 weeks is when I noticed my clothes becoming tighter. I was stuck "in between" looking skinny and looking pregnant for what seemed like forever. At this point, I was just starting to feel bloated and chubby. The main food aversion that I can remember was ground turkey/beef. I could not smell it or cook it but I could eat it...depending on the day. This is still a small issue at 20 weeks. I just never know when I'll get grossed out! Luckily John is a master at cooking ground turkey so I have been able to leave the kitchen until dinner's ready. :)

Can't forget Broncos' game day!

January 13, 2015: Blood Test Complete - This is the test that would tell us whether Baby Kolbeck is a boy or girl!! Results came in two weeks.

January 18, 2015: 11 Weeks
One of the most surreal things up to this point was hearing the baby's heartbeat. This is something they do at every appointment, starting this week, when they don't do an ultrasound. Another thing I've learned...ultrasounds are expensive and you actually only do a handful throughout your entire pregnancy. Anyways, they put a little wand over your belly and find the baby's heartbeat and check the heart rate to make sure it's healthy. It was amazing! Another milestone and another moment that made this whole seem REAL. I believe the heart rate was 142 (or was it 146??) this week.

January 25, 2014: 12 Weeks
There's all sorts of literature out there on when your 2nd trimester starts. It seems like everyone does it differently so it gets quite confusing. 12 weeks is the end of 3 months so that seems as logical as any time. Regardless of the official trimester, I was starting to feel much better around this time. Less nausea and more energy. Now you can see my belly start to protrude a bit.

January 30, 2015: Picked up blood test results! 

Baby's gender is in the envelope. But we didn't peek. Instead we took it straight to a bakery to order gender reveal cupcakes. Look at all that pink I'm sporting! ;) 

February 1, 2015: 13 Weeks

They say when you're expecting a girl, you crave sweets and citrus. (One of MANY wives' tales!) I wouldn't say I've had specific cravings, especially because I always have a sweet tooth, but I did notice myself drinking more juice, and really enjoying fresh squeezed juice from the oranges on our tree. I just assumed this was because my beverage options are limited, but...

February 6, 2015: Gender Reveal

It's a GIRL!!!

February 8, 2015: 14 Weeks

I think this picture starts to show you how much better I was feeling around this time. I noticed my skin starting to clear up (although breakouts still come and go randomly). An orange?! She is getting big!

February 15, 2015: 15 Weeks

At this point I guess I started to get lazy with my documentation. I can't even find pictures of my chalkboard! Tear. Baby was the size of an avocado.

February 22, 2015: 16 Weeks

Again, no picture. Can you say prego brain?!? 

March 1, 2015: 17 Weeks

Ok, I know what happened on this week! I wrote on the chalkboard but did not want to take a picture. During this week, I started to notice more significant weight gain and a baby belly that looked more like a beer belly all of a sudden appeared! I also got to hear the heartbeat again AND I'm pretty sure I felt her move. It felt like a little tickle or flutter and I didn't think anything of it at first but it happened again a few days later and again so I'm pretty sure that's her doing flips in there. :) 

March 8, 2015: 18 Weeks
Now there is a noticeable bump so I decided to embrace it! I'm pretty sure I'll be living in maxi skirts and tank tops or long dresses since it's already starting to get hot and this type of free flowing, cotton clothing is so much more comfortable. Fun fact - right around this time, the baby starts to hear so lots of reading and singing for us. :)

March 15, 2015: 19 Weeks
I tried to frame my tummy with my arms but it just looks funny. I'm not quite sure how to do this so that it looks cute and highlights my growing belly. I'll have to practice in the coming weeks. Cool baby development note - her senses are developing!!!

March 22, 2015: 20 Weeks
HALFWAY there!! How did that happen?! My belly is definitely out and I've gained a good amount of weight. I'm trying to get back into a good exercise routine, which has been tough and I always feel hungry! The movements have changed from a flutter to more of a flicker and it's an incredible feeling! Sometimes I am still not sure if I'm feeling the baby move or it's something else but then I sit still and wait and it becomes more obvious that there's a whole lot of activity going on in there!

We've started a baby registry and we painted the nursery so we are slowly but surely starting to get ready for August 9 (or around there). Next up...another ultrasound this week. I'm thinking this one will be incredible since she's as long as a banana and the size of an artichoke! We are looking forward to lots and lots of fun activities with family and friends over the next FOUR-ish months...that's all we have left! WOW!