19 WEEKS

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain: still at 7lbs last time I checked
Maternity clothes? The top i'm wearing is gap maternity.. it's still a little big, I think it makes my belly actually look smaller than last week.
Stretch marks? getting paranoid about every crease or discoloration I find. 
Sleep: Other than bad dreams about the apocalypse it's good. Scary dreams are the worst! 
Best moment this week: Taking the first bath I have had in.. liiiiike 4 months! I have been so nervous about overheating the baby since I like my baths HOT.  Never underestimate the power of a good bath. Amazing.
Miss Anything? I told Eric after I give birth I would like him to bring sushi and a SF red bull to the hospital for me... I'm sure that will be really great for my breast milk : P
Movement? yes, becoming more and more regular. Eric still hasn't been able to feel though :(
Food cravings: I drank two gallons of orange juice within like two days... that's not really normal.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  i think peanut butter. thinking about it makes me gag.
Gender: we'll see in a week if it's still a boy :) pretty sure it is.
Labor Signs: Nope. 
Symptoms: I've had some round ligament pain & some lower back aches this week. OH! and! I swear I am the clumsiest person alive right now...it's so embarrassing. 
Belly Button in or out? I really should give my belly button a "tracker" of it's own. It just keeps getting more strange looking.
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty normal, driving in the snow made me have a mini melt down the other day, but like usual, it lasted 5 minutes then back to normal. :)

Just when I thought shopping couldn't get any better-- baby shopping is officially my favorite. I know the baby won't need TONS of clothes, but it's really hard to resist how cute they are! Check out some of little baby Anderson's gear he will be sporting in apx 5 months! ( <-- seriously!? 5 months?? scary!!) 

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain: up to 7lbs! doctor says 5-10 is normal right now so i'm pretty on track. 
Maternity clothes? just bought my first official maternity top from gap :)
Stretch marks? still none- but belly is getting itchy so i'm going overboard with the lotion.
Sleep: really good the last week or so!
Best moment this week: feeling really solid kicks, I know by the end of it I may be not such a fan of his little legs being so active but right now it is not getting old at all, makes me smile really big every time!
Miss Anything? we're clearing out some of our storage right now and I miss being able to lift heavier stuff without worrying i'm going to hurt something.
Movement? mmhm. lots at night- eric still hasn't been able to feel it- I can't wait for that!
Food cravings: banana pancakes- as long as eric makes them. & burritos from taco bell.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nah
Gender: boy! yay! since it's our first we were genuinely  happy for either, just really grateful to have a healthy pregnancy so far.
Labor Signs: Nope. 
Symptoms: this week has really been a breeze. the best yet!
Belly Button in or out? still looking kinda funny
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy! feeling very thankful/emotional this week but very happy.
Looking forward to: we just started clearing out our guest bedroom to make room for baby boy so i'm just looking forward to getting my design on and making a cute little space for our little guy.

So, since we found out this week that we're having a boy we (mostly me) have been dying to start buying things. Here's a few of the first purchases we made for baby Anderson-

1. Gap Golden Yellow Onesie- Gap has an extra 30% off online purchases until tomorrow- you better believe I took advantage of that ! :) 

2. Gap Striped Knit Pants- Who says boys aren't as fun to dress? He will be a handsome little man if I can help it!

3. Pier 1 Owl- We bought this cute little owl last year during our first pregnancy, after we miscarried it made me kind of sad looking at it. But with this baby I've decided I still want to keep it around because it makes me super grateful now & reminds me of what a blessing our little one is. <3

4. Britax stroller and car seat- How sleek is this stroller? It was important to me that the stroller we got was not only functional and light but also good looking- SUPER happy with this choice :)

I'm a little BOY! : D

We found out today our little peanut is a BOY! He was very cooperative and hopefully he'll stay like that forever ! He kept stretching his neck out- and check out his cute little crossed ankles. I just love him to pieces already <3

Pregnancy Must Haves So Far

So I have survived my 1st trimester, plus a few weeks, and wanted to share some things that have helped me keep my sanity thus far. 

1. Jolly Ranchers & MINT gum. JR's for my sore throat, cough drops sound disgusting right now so I have been going through these bad boys like crazy. The gum is my trick for heartburn. The dreaded heartburn has possibly been my worst symptom, especially before bed. I tried tums, pickle juice, eating bland food, nothing seemed to help- but surprisingly gum does the trick! It has to be mint though, and preferably sugar free since I have fallen asleep with it in my mouth several times-- oops! 

2. Nobody wants stretch marks.. for the most part there's not much you can do- if your mom had them then you will probably have them. However, my skin routine involves a mixture of Palmer's Cocoa Butter, Bath & Body Works Tahiti Sweetie <-- this smells amazing. and my favorite Need a Margarita Scrub. The scrub leaves your skin a little oily so if that's not your thing I wouldn't recommend it, but with our super dry weather here it's a must!

3.Brah! Extender - It was kind of bitter sweet buying these, I was a little disappointed that I even needed them, but I also am not ready to wear ugly maternity bras yet :) That day will come, but until then I can be a little more comfortable in my cute bras. 

4.Pregnancy Body Pillow- Honestly- you don't have to be pregnant to enjoy this, my husband and cat both think it's amazing. ;) I have had hip pain since day 1 so this was such a relief when the husband got it for me for Christmas. It's a little bulky in our bed but other than that it's perfect!

5.AE KNIT jegging- These are a life saver and not super expensive! AE has a lot of jeggings, but the 'knit' kind are best. They are basically like leggings material but have pockets and look more like you're wearing pants. I bought a few sizes up in hopes that I can wear these for a long time. 

6. So, coming from someone who hates water normally, it's been really hard to drink the recommended amount, like really hard. I know it's not breaking news but lemons and strawberries in my water make it a little more interesting, I am still probably not drinking enough though.

7. There are a lot of pregnancy books out there. I am hoping to get to all the good ones before this is over but for now these are a few I have liked: Expecting 411- This has TONS of info, like a little overwhelming at first but if you're looking for some real info from doctors this is great! I've heard great things about the WTE books, for now I am just using the app and it's fun to track the size and get info on what your baby is up to in there. (note: the message boards are a scary place though). Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy- this books is more lighthearted and a really easy read. The Expectant Father- My husband is actually reading this & mentioning things he's read--not going to lie, I was a little surprised. This is a great gift idea for dads to be! :)

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain: still sitting at about 4 lbs 
Maternity clothes? anything stretchy and long enough to cover my growing belly works just fine!
Stretch marks? nope- using lotions and salt scrubs to try and prevent any- wish me luck! :)
Sleep: depends on the night, sometimes it's impossible to get comfortable
Best moment this week: getting a snow day off work to catch up on sleep and housework! 
Miss Anything? sushi, and i really wanted a bloody mary yesterday while watching football.. :( 
Movement? yes! but it's not regular, and it's always when i'm not expecting it. Except I have noticed baby seems to move around more when i'm talking. I figure it either loves the sound of my pretty voice, or is trying to get me to shut up so it can go back to sleep ;)
Food cravings: fruit fruit fruit, watermelon & pears mostly.
Anything making you queasy or sick: not really anymore, i'm glad that symptom stayed in the 1st trimester :)
Gender: lets hope the baby cooperates enough to tell in a few days!
Labor Signs: Nope. 
Symptoms: still have to be careful not to eat big meals, i get so full it hurts. I've had a bit of a cold this week so i've been feeling like crap but i will say that it's not pregnancy related.
Belly Button in or out? in for now, it looks like it will pop though.
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, except for when i'm driving or playing COD with the husband- then the pregnancy rage comes out. (cod? i know right? it's got to be a boy in there)..
Looking forward to: seeing the baby again of course, i can't wait to start buying all the cute crap they need!  :)