19 weeks :)

Baby Girl is 19 weeks today! Although she's probably measuring a little closer to 20 weeks since she's measuring a week ahead. According to her 19 week stats she should weigh about 8.5 ounces. However, if you read my last post, you noticed Baby Girl was already 9 ounces. My guess is she's probably a little closer to 10 by this point. If measuring head to bottom, she should be about 6 inches. Although if measured head to toe, I believe she's supposed to be about 10 inches. Almost a complete foot, the length of a ruler!

There are quite a few other amazing changes our little girl is going through. All of her body parts are now proportionate to each other. Hair (hopefully lots of it!) on her scalp is beginning to form. Her brain is designating special areas for each of her senses. Baby Girl's kidneys and intestines are working full force to digest, create, and pass fluids. I believe all of the major developments have occurred. Now, her main goal is to simply fatten up and grow!

How far along? 19 weeks

Baby's size? a large mango (19 weeks)

Total weight gain:  apparently zero since last week - I'm still up 7 pounds.
Maternity clothes? Sometimes!
Sleep: Okay - not bad, but not wonderful. My favorite way to sleep is on my stomach, which I can no longer do. Let's just say sleep has been more difficult. Baby Girl also doesn't like me laying on my stomach!
Best moment this past week: There were a few extra great moments this week. Finding out we're having a baby girl with our families at the gender reveal celebration tops the list though, which may be equally tied with feeling baby girl move all. week. long.

Miss Anything? sushi!!!
Movement: Baby Girl is officially moving like craaazy! She's pretty much moving on and off all day long and I've loved every moment. However, on Saturday she was doing one of two things - she was either participating in a tumbling contest or pushing up against my rib cage. Either way, this mama was not loving it. It was painful. It continued on like this for about two hours and then she went back to her sweet little movements. :) We can't see or feel her moving from the outside yet, but JP (is sort of) patiently waiting. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken! Which reminds me of another crazy moment I had this past week. First and foremost, I basically never eat red meat. I don't eat burgers or steak. I'll eat something like lasagna if someone else makes it, but that's about as far as I've gone on the red meat train in I can't even remember how long. I only cook with ground turkey. Anyway, JP and I went out to dinner on Friday. Out of NO WHERE, I decided I needed to eat a cheeseburger. JP was beyond shocked. I did it though; I ordered and ate (about half) of a cheeseburger. That's definitely a once in a lifetime moment, so I made sure JP cherished every moment. That will probably never happen again.
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Just a whole lot of baby girl movement!

Belly Button in or out? in - although it feels different these days, it's WEIRD.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very, very happy!!
Looking forward to: Laying by the pool and spending time with friends next weekend - 3 day weekend!

19 week baby shot

Interesting! All ten inches of her crammed into a little ball! Between her tumbling skills Saturday and flexibility based on this picture, we just may have a little gymnast on our hands!

19 week belly shot

Gender Reveal Celebration

Upon leaving our anatomy scan last Monday, we held in our hands the video evidence of our sweet little baby's future. Would she be a little version of her momma, all dressed in pink, sassy but sweet, completely enamored by her father, perfect little dancer, who would give anything to be held by her daddy? OR would we have a tough little mini JP, obsessed with sports, passionate for life and family, liked by all, and mommy's little comedian?

While it was hard, we waited to find out. We wanted to spend that special moment with our families - our parents, siblings, and two best friends. While my dad unfortunately missed the event, we were so blessed to have shared such a special and memorable moment with the people we love. It was an amazing night and I can't help but think of what a wonderful world full of love and compassion this sweet little baby will enter in 4 short months and some change (insert panic moment here).

I'll let the pictures share details of the night.

 Now for the good part! :)

This might be my favorite picture of ALL time.

So, apparently we'll have a little tutu wearing, baby doll loving, way too knowledgeable about sports and cars than any girl should be, GENIUS, basketball throwing, completely dressed in pink  
Daddy's Girl. 

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

Dear future little boys and my friends with boys, 

While we know you'll love our sweet little princess, Daddy is currently researching guns. 

Just sayin'.

Love, Mama and Papa Mullan

ps. I KNEW it! :)

Anatomy Scan

We had our anatomy scan (detailed ultrasound) on Monday at my 18 week appointment. We were able to see our sweet baby GIRL for a whole 30 minutes - possibly even longer. I swear, we would have been completely content had the ultrasound lasted 3 hours. We loved watching every. single. second. She was a bit stubborn the first few minutes (definitely my child), but it didn't take long for her to spend most of her time wiggling around and impressing her overly excited parents!

While my due date is still January 20th, baby girl is measuring about a week ahead at 19 weeks. This isn't too surprising given our heights alone. I'm 5'9 and JP is 6'1. Neither of us are tiny per say, so I hate to say it, but it was sort of expected. We're going to have a big baby. With a big head. It's going to be painful. I might as well admit it now rather than surprise myself down the road. At 18 weeks, the fetus typically weighs about 7 ounces on average. Our little over achiever weighs a little over 9 ounces.

Please pray for Baby Girl that she continues to grow, be healthy, and prepare herself for this crazy world in 5 short months. We have a ton of pictures from the ultrasound. Here are some of our favorites!

her hand is in the upper right hand corner

perfect little spine :)

 

Baby Girl already giving her mama kisses! 

We had NO idea we'd get some 3D shots. How crazy is this?! 

Her arms were raised up by her head the entire time - definitely my child! I fall asleep with my arms raised above my head almost every single night. So, you can see her right arm on the left side of each shot.

The full body profiles are definitely my favorite shots!

You can better see her arms by her head here.

Since we did a gender reveal with our families, we were looking away when the tech took the gender (genitalia? lol) shots. However, I think this may be the shot that gave it away. 

No little boy parts hiding between those legs! :)

front view

 

I think this one may be my favorite!

18 weeks!

Today is THE DAY. The day we find out if this little one is a BOY or GIRL. I'll edit this post later with the corresponding chalk board picture. :)

Baby is about 5-5.5 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. Baby's genitals should be quite obvious later this afternoon, as long as we don't have a modest little one hiding in there. Baby is getting ready to go through a growth spurt, meaning my belly will also expand rather quickly in the next few weeks. She's also kicking and squirming away. I'm still hoping to consistently feel these little jabs soon!

How far along? 18 weeks

Baby's size? sweet potato

Total weight gain: 7 pounds
Maternity clothes? I find myself wearing them more and more, but my regular wardrobe outfits definitely still outnumber the maternity outfits.
Sleep: It's still going pretty well.
Best moment this past week: The weekend in general. I had a wonderful date night with JP on Friday. I got to spend Saturday morning/afternoon with my best friend and the rest of the weekend relaxing and watching Shark Week!

Miss Anything? sushi!!!
Movement: I've had a few interesting feelings in my stomach, but nothing like the flutter last week. I'm not sure if they have been Baby or something else. I've been told many first time moms mistake Baby movement for other things. I'll leave that up to your imagination. :)
Food cravings: I still can't seem to get enough lemonade or fruit.

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken!
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender Prediction: girl - we find out later today!
Symptoms: Pregnancy wise, I feel awesome. I've been sick with a terrible cold all week thanks to my students!

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very, very happy!!
Looking forward to: This afternoon! We are SO excited for our appointment!

18 week belly shot

Happy Wednesday!

Today has been quite the interesting day.

Exhibit 1

As I'm about to pull into the parking lot at school, I remember that I have duty. It's 7:37, making me 7 minutes late. Great start to my day. Only, it gets better. I realize that many of the teachers are standing around in the parking lot and in front of the school, which of course confuses me. Turns out, school was canceled. This day REALLY did just get better! Despite how much I am loving this school year, let's be honest, it doesn't hurt anyone to have a random mid week day off.

Turns out there was a really bad storm last night and lightning stuck our transformer box (power source) outside. Meaning, there was no power in the school. No power = no school. Yesss! Read more about it and watch a video, HERE.

Making this situation even more interesting is the fact that the pregnancy in me would have normally gone shopping and perhaps gotten a pedicure (I'm in desperate need - definitely on my agenda for the weekend) because Baby obviously needs a momma with some new clothes and pretty feet. (I'm well aware that was the longest run on sentence ever. Go with it.) However, I chose to stay at school and plan for next week. I then ran various errands, none of which involved me making any clothing purchases or pedicure appointments. This is quite the amazing feat! I am rather proud if I do say so myself! 

Exhibit 2

I saw this video on one of my favorite blogs today. I'm not sure how much I necessarily believe it or don't believe it. It's definitely interesting though. I'll have to remember this once Baby is here. I'll keep y'all posted on this so called "baby language."

Exhibit 3

 I found this! I think I can officially add anything and everything mango to my pregnancy craving list. Making lemonade, mango, and fruit in general my go-to's this pregnancy. Anyhow, I found this little gem at the grocery store today. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Mango Lemonade! You may be asking yourself, "What's so interesting about mango lemonade?" Well, my friends, the clearly were thinking of ME when the came up with this concoction. It is absolutely divine!!

Happy Hump Day my lovelies! :)

17 Weeks

Baby M is 17 weeks as of today. Baby is about 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces. Her little skeleton is beginning to change from cartilage to bone. She can move all her joints and now has sweat glands. I hope that means she'll begin her little workouts and I'll feel a lot more movement soon - really, really soon!

I've read that around this time is when pregnant women get a little off balance - something about our growing bellies and gravity. Gravity schmavity. My books tell me to avoid situations in which there is a high risk of falling. Not a problem. They also say to wear low heels. I didn't realize I'd have to give up all my stilettos at 17 weeks. This makes me really, really sad. I guess I'll save them for super special occasions in the coming weeks, however, I'm not 100% ready to give them up just yet.

How far along? 17 weeks

Baby's size? an onion - yuck!

Total weight gain: 6.5 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still rocking the belly band! I wear my maternity shirts once in a while. I really worry about stretching out my regular clothing!
Sleep: It's still going pretty well. I loved sleeping in this weekend!
Best moment this past week: Spending the week with my students. I love my class and we had such a great first week together!

Miss Anything? sushi!!!
Movement: I did feel my first few flutters on Wednesday. It lasted all of 5 seconds but it was amazing and definitely baby movement! I've been pushing on Baby M for the past few days hoping to feel it again, but no such luck.
Food cravings: I'm still loving lemonade and I've added mango anything to the mix. Honestly, I'm so hungry all the time. I eat healthy most of the time, but it's freaking me out because I'm really worried about straight up packing on the pounds.

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken!
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender Prediction: girl - we find out next Monday!!!! Ahhh, can't wait!
Symptoms: Honestly, I feel fabulous now. No more headaches, no nausea, no pains, and great sleep (other than last night). I just continue growing by the second. I'm also still waiting for this so called "glow."

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very, very happy!!
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a little girl or boy! Monday cannot come soon enough. We're also doing a little mini gender reveal with our parents, siblings, and best friends. I can't wait!

17 weeks

I've officially reached the point of no return - the point in which there is NO hiding this bump. I also think I've reached the point that when people see me, I think (or at least hope) they know I'm pregnant and not just overly excited about this new appetite.

16 weeks of BUMP

I'm 16 weeks today, which is basically (okay, not really) 4 months. That seriously blows my mind. I can't believe I'm this far already! There aren't too many extra exciting things happening to Baby M this week. However, she (which should be confirmed relatively shortly) is about 4.5 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces. She's looking more and more like a regular baby these days - her eyes and ears are getting closer to their final positions. Finally, her tiny itty bitty heart is already pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!

How far along? 16 weeks

Baby's size? an avocado - this will make daddy happy! I'm pretty sure he would make avocados and guacamole its own food group if he were allowed to.

Total weight gain: 4.75 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still rocking the belly band and cute maternity tops once in a while.
Sleep: Sleeping and occasional bathroom trips seem to be going well. What's not going well? Waking up early. I've been on my work schedule for two weeks now and I'm struggling folks. I'm basically dead by 7:00 every. single. night. I think my poor husband misses his wife.
Best moment this past week: I loved meeting all of my 3rd graders on Thursday! We had Open House and 26 out of 27 of my kiddos showed up. They're adorable and I'm so excited for this school year! I also spent a lot of time with JP on Saturday and Sunday, which was VERY much needed. I love my man long time. :)

Miss Anything? sushi!!!
Movement: nope - hopefully soon!
Food cravings: My appetite is picking up and I'm hungry ALL the time. So really, I'm pretty much loving all food all the time (other than meat, those issues are still lurking).

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken!
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender Prediction: girl - we find out in two weeks!
Symptoms: The headaches have mostly faded, which is beyond amazing!!!!!!! Other than that and every part of my body changing and growing , the so called symptoms haven't been around much. :)

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: I think I'm happy most of the time, but I've also been so busy and exhausted, I honestly don't think I've had time to feel any emotion.
Looking forward to: Starting class with all of my kiddos today!

16 weeks

I think I've officially popped my friends! Please excuse the lack of makeup.

It's kind of ironic that I've really wanted to pop, yet I'm so nervous about becoming HUGE. JP and I went to dinner last week and mid bite - no joke, I found myself (or perhaps JP) noticed that I was completely 100% STARING - not glancing, side eyeing, looking over my shoulder, or even pretending - to look at this pregnant woman. She seriously could have looked directly at me and I wouldn't have turned away. Anyway, she was SO big. She had to have been at least 8 but probably 9 months pregnant.  

I signed up for this and I will try really hard to embrace my size with every ounce of my being, but oh. my. gosh. I'm going to be HUGE. I'm asking now, in advance, that all my friends and family be nice to me and tell me I look fabulous even though, let's be honest, I know y'all will think I look like a blimp.

It's been a while, so I figured I'd share what Baby M is looking like nowadays.  She (or maybe he - although not likely) is growing away! As if this wasn't obvious based on the above picture.

Well, here goes! Day 1 with my 3rd graders. Happy Monday, friends! :)

Good-bye Summer

It's officially that time of year, the start of a brand new school year.

I met most of my adorable little 3rd graders at Open House last week. I seriously loved every single one of them and I have some fabulous parents. I'm really, really pumped for this year. There were definitely quite a few ups and downs teaching 4th grade last year. However, it was a great learning experience. That being said, I'm SO happy to once again return to where my heart is, 3rd grade.

I've been preparing for the past two weeks. I think I worked at least 10-12 hours each day last week and I even went in yesterday for almost 6 hours. I think it was the first Saturday I've gone into school by choice in I don't even know how long, if ever. However, I love my room. I love my team. I love my kids. I am excited friends, really excited!

I ditched the bee theme and switched to monkeys this year, which was obviously a good choice. :)