Week 16 – Happy St Paddy’s Day!

St. Paddy's Nails

High Fives for St. Paddy's

Earlier this week I had my 16 week OB appointment.  We got to hear the heartbeat and received the order to get the 2^nd trimester blood work done.  BK is still around 4 ½ inches long but is now 4 ounces big.  It’s back muscles are stronger allowing it to straighten out more.  BK’s eyes are working now and are able to perceive light through the eyelids.  It is also more sensitive to touch and can respond by squirming if the belly is poked. 

16 Weeks

It’s been nice enough to be outside so Bailey and I have been taking a lot of walks this week.  I can’t wait for spring temps…I am so over winter already.  I’ve even begun spring cleaning or really I’d call it move-out-cleaning.  As you can see from the picture above I’ve gone from looking like I ate a little too much to looking like I let myself go, haha.  I guess 7 lbs mostly all in the front will do that.  My pants no longer allow me to sit down without really cutting into my stomach.  I spent many hours on Friday going to THREE different malls trying to find maternity yoga pants.  Yes, I said three.  And it was completely ridiculous.  The first two malls had zero maternity stores. 

I can vividly remember when I wasn’t pregnant seeing those stores all the time.  Now that I need them…they’ve all disappeared?  Awesome.  The third mall only had one maternity store.  Unfortunately, all they had were leggings.  Not quite the same thing.  I despise the look people are trying to pull off when they wear leggings as pants (as in without a long enough shirt to cover their butt).  That is not a good look for anyone; I don’t care how in shape you are.  Even the department stores only had a few racks and most of it was $100 maternity jeans (how crazy is that!?) and shirts.  I found some maternity yoga pants in both Macy’s and Target but they were so short they didn’t even clear my ankles.  I guess people taller than 5 feet don’t get pregnant anymore. 

For funsies I went into Victoria’s Secret, even though I knew all of their pants were covered in rhinestones and had the word “PINK” written across the backsides.  The clothing gods must have felt sorry for me by then because I managed to find two pairs of yoga pants!  One of them even came without rhinestones…I didn’t even know that was possible.  They must have had a rhinestone shortage the week those were made.  The other of course did have the offensive little sparkles but PINK was written very small and my shirts would cover it.  I hope they’ll fit longer than a couple of months because I do not want to repeat that day anytime soon.

Today I had a baby shower to go to for a college friend, Katie.  Trevor came with so that Travis would have someone to hang out with while Sara and I were at the shower.  I am so not looking forward to having to register for my own showers in a couple of months.  There is so much crap babies need and all of it is quite expensive so a shower is a must unless you are super rich.  However, researching brands and sifting through the way over-crowded baby market just makes me want to take a nap.  When registering for our wedding, I knew which things on the “Must Register For” lists that stores and magazines pushed were going to be completely useless.  Baby registries though…no frickin’ clue what you’ll actually use all the time, what you’ll use for about 5 seconds before they outgrow it, and what they’re trying to push onto new parents by making you think you need it.  Yep, definitely not looking forward to figuring all this out ;)

Week 15 – Waiting Game

BK is 4 ½ inches long, 2 ounces big, and the size of a softball this week.  That’s a whole inch and a whole ounce bigger than last week.  No wonder it looks like I had Thanksgiving dinner every night this week.  I can really feel the toughness of the uterus now when I push on the skin in front of my hips.  I even had my first heartburn of the pregnancy occur this week.  I’ve never really had heartburn before so I wasn’t sure if that’s what I was feeling at first.  It’s more annoying than painful but maybe that will change later on.  This week BK’s bones are getting harder and can be seen with an x-ray (that’s a little creepy to me).  It is coordinated enough to move its finger, toes, flex its extremities, suck its thumb and make breathing movements.  I guess if you’ve had a baby before you can feel movement this week.  However since this is my first it seems I’ll have to wait a few more weeks.

We’re doing a lot of waiting around at this point with the house.  It took a week since our home inspection for the real estate attorney to contact us and ask what repairs we are requesting be done.  Now that he’s called and taken down our list, we’re just waiting to hear what the seller will agree to repair or not.  It’s a fun process, lol. 

We had a big snowstorm this week and Bailey has been having the time of her life.  This is the first real snow she’s ever seen and it’s quite clear just how much she loves it.  We’ve done a lot of high-kneed running around the property because of how deep it is in places.  

 

Bailey digging in the snow piles

It’s really shown me just how out of shape with running I am!  The first 2 ½ months of the pregnancy I was exhausted just sitting up on the couch.  Then I had a fun 2 months of sciatic pain.  And now that both of those are gone I’ve been working out again but I’ve had to go back to the old-school method of rotating running 5 minutes – walking 5 minutes.  I haven’t had to do that since I started marathon training 2 years ago.  Oh well, gotta start somewhere.

Trevor's Note:  I don't understand why buying this house is taking this long.  They want to get rid of it and we want to get into it.  Bureaucracy.  I can't wait till Bailey and the baby get to play in our own yard like in the video.

Week 14 – It’s Facebook Official

We made the trip down to Springfield last weekend to tell Trevor’s parents and Tony that there will be a new little one come August.  Trevor was giving his Mom and Dad a digital tour of what the house looked like from the pictures online.  When he got to one of the bedrooms he said, “And this will be the baby’s room.”  Molly captured a picture of Debbie looking quite confused at him, but of course they eventually realized what he really just told them.

"And this will be the baby's room." - Trevor telling his parents (Picture from Molly's blog)

They realized what Trevor was 
really telling them. 
(Picture from Molly's blog)

Excited to be 5th-time grandparents 
(Picture from Molly's blog)

 
We spent the rest of the evening with little Alex & Amelia while Adam & Molly enjoyed a night out.  The next day we went to Virden for Church and then lunch at Trevor’s parents house.  When we finally got back home that night, we made the news of BK Facebook official.  (Because it hasn’t really happened until it’s been announced on social media, lol.)

We had our home inspection earlier this week.  A handful of things were found that we definitely want fixed; mostly safety and plumbing issues.  However, we’re stuck waiting until the sellers sign the contract they made us sign & return last week before we can send over our repair requests.  We also went to Home Depot to get a general idea of prices for all the things we’ll need for the new house.  You can say that trip was a tad overwhelming.  Speaking of homes, the apartment management called us about a week after they sent the dog “eviction” notice to tell us we can keep our puppy and we can also sign a 1 month lease extension while our home is in closing.  I guess they realized they legally can’t evict a dog, especially when no one has complained against it and we signed a contract with the previous management allowing the breed.  And in order for us to leave, they would have to give an official eviction notice, which would give us 30 days notice.  It seems since we would be living there in April regardless, they’d rather have us pay rent for it than living out an eviction notice.  Thank you real estate lawyer for forcing them to abide by their own contracts they make their tenants sign and not just make up rules whenever they feel like it.

In baby news, we are now a week into the second trimester.  BK is 3 ½ inches long, 1 ounce big, and is the size of a fist.  We must be out of fruit at this point.  The neck is more elongated, the chin no longer rests on the chest due to the head being more erect, and it is growing lanugo (downy hair) all over the body for warmth.  I’m doing pretty well.  Sara gave me the tip to use an ice pack for sciatic pain.  Not just for comfort but because baby doesn’t like the temperature change and will move.  Either BK finally got big enough to move into the abdominal cavity like the doctor said it would OR I was able to successfully freeze the baby out and make it move like Sara said it would.  Whatever the reason, the pain moved from my sciatic to the front of my left hip for a few days and now I barely notice it at all.  We had our 14 week OB appointment a few days ago and nothing new except we got to hear BK’s heartbeat again. 

I’ve only gained 4 pounds but it’s all in the front and my pants are really filling in.  Goodbye runner’s body.  I hope to see you again someday.   It doesn’t help that all my clothes are super fitted, but when all the weight gain is in one place, they go from fitting to digging into me real quick.  FYI I know it doesn’t look much different, but the picture above would be a lot less flattering if I were wearing my jeans, lol.  

Trevor's Note:  What a difference a week makes.  Let me run down that list from the previous post again:  baby on the way (a blessing), lease expiring buying a house (a blessing), wife in a car accident (nobody got hurt so a blessing), possible eviction (no longer a problem and a little empowering show them we won't be bullied).  

It was great being able to tell everyone and now that we aren't keeping it a secret anymore I really do feel a lot more support. 

Week 13 – With the Good Also Comes the Bad

This week marked the final week of the first trimester.  BK is 1/3 of the way done baking!  It is about 3 inches long, ¾ an ounce, and the size of a peach.  The intestines are moving from where they’ve been developing in the umbilical cord to where they should be.  The ears and eyes are moving closer to their normal position.  Also the vocal cords are starting to develop.  I feel pretty much the same as I did last week – the same sciatic pain is hanging around, my energy has pretty much returned, and still no nausea unless I’m not the one driving.  I’m pretty sure I don’t look pregnant to other people yet, but I’ve noticed a little rounding to the abdomen area.  It basically looks like I’ve just let myself go a little, lol.  My pants have been only a little uncomfortable on my belly if I’ve been sitting for too long.  I can probably get away with a couple more weeks before I have to go shopping.  :)

Some big and exciting news happened in the beginning of the week.  After looking at an additional 4 properties, we decided to go ahead and put in an offer on that home that already had multiple offers on it.  We knew before finding out others were interested that we liked that house best, and after seeing 26 total properties, it was still our favorite.  It took a couple of days to hear back from the seller, but the realtor called and said they accepted our offer!  To say there is a lot of paperwork to sign when buying a house would be an understatement, but after writing our names probably 500 times, the contract is now filed and our loan is being processed.   Now we just have to get a home inspection and then the waiting game will begin.

Some big and not so exciting news happened later in the week though.  Our neighbor who lives below us complained to the apartment management that our puppy was making too much noise, and the management’s response was to serve us with a 14 day notice to remove Bailey from the property.  Now our lease is up on March 19^th and we were hoping to sign a one month extension so that we don’t have to live on the street while we close on our house.  However, they want us to remove Bailey by March 7^th citing not only is she a restricted breed but she is disrupting the neighbors.  Awesome.  Well since we knew exactly who it was that complained, Trevor went downstairs to talk to the guy who has been a pain to us for months now.  Not only do he and his wife not know how to live in an apartment, but this guy has called management to repeatedly complain about every neighbor that lives around him.  As for the restricted breed business, the previous management granted us permission to have a Husky and the new management has to honor existing contracts.  Also they have been perfectly content to accept our pet fees every month knowing we have a Husky, but now she’s not going to be allowed? 

Well even though Trevor was fuming over this, he put on a calm & pleasant face and managed to convince the guy to drop the complaint.  The next day the neighbor went over to tell the office he’s dropping everything.  However, when we called the office later on, their response was that they already sent the letter to us and they have to honor it.  Umm…what?  A letter someone typed up in Microsoft Word and the two claims that no longer have any merit…this is something they have to honor.  Yep, makes sense.  Looks like it’s time to have our real estate attorney call over and tell them not only are they legally not allowed to do this, but to also stop being douchebags.  I don’t think he’ll tell them the last part, but he should.  Haha

Trevor's Note:  Let me run down a quick list here:  baby on the way, lease expiring, buying a house, wife in a car accident, and possibly getting evicted.  You can understand why I'm shaking while I type this.  What an up and down week.  I can't tell you how happy I am that we are getting a house, but now my fear of being homeless (albeit for a short time) may actually be realized.  

All of this is teaching me so much more about being a man than any other time in my life.  And I've come to the realization that sometimes being a man means you have to get down on your knees and pray.  I don't know what the next few months will bring, but somehow we're going to get through them.

Week 12 – A Lot to Take In

The week started out nice and slow.  My energy started to come back to me so I was able to get a few workouts in.  We made an appointment with our accountant and filed our taxes.  I was even able to catch up on some neglected cleaning.  Then Thursday happened and it’s been pretty stressful since then. 

I met with the realtor while Trevor was at work and we looked at 8 different properties.  Even though that’s a lot of places to see in a day (details definitely began to overlap), there were 3 really nice properties that I wanted Trevor to take a look at for himself.  In the afternoon while I was driving, a car pulled out in front of me and sideswiped the front passenger end of my car.  They dented and scratched up the front fender and bumper as well as scratched up their car, but luckily no one was hurt.  And then later that evening, PetSmart doggie day care called to say another dog bit Bailey on the nose.  She was bleeding, but they cleaned her up and said she seemed fine now.  I’d call that an information-overload sort of day.  

Bailey-Belle before getting her nose chomped :)

"Indestructible" Kong toy - clearly not true

The weekend so far has been spent filing the car accident report with our insurance company, filing the claim with the lady’s insurance company (that’s what you get for having GEICO…you do all the work!), making sure Bailey doesn’t re-open the bite mark on her nose when she’s playing outside, and showing Trevor the 3 properties I scheduled a second look for, as well as checking out a new listing.  The most stressful part of the week has been trying to make a very big decision.  After our second look, we decided there were 2 properties we liked enough to put an offer on.  Now we just had to decide which one to go with.  We learned from experience that investors snatch up properties really fast and move-in-ready homes go just as quickly; so you can’t waste any time. 

All last night we went back and forth between the two places trying to decide which one we wanted more.  We woke up this morning kind of settling on one of them when the realtor called.  She, of course, informs us that the one we were leaning towards has multiple offers on it already, with one offer already in negotiations.  Shoot!  So today we’ve been wrestling with the idea of just going for the other house or putting in our highest bid on the property we want more and hope they accept ours.  Ah, being a grown up.  It seemed so much more exciting and fun when we were younger.  

Well in baby news, BK is about ½ an ounce, 2 ½ inches long, and the size of a large plum.  Hmm, in week 10 it was a small plum.  Sounds like the books are running out of comparable fruits.  Anyway…the digestive system is starting to do its thing, white blood cells are being made, and the pituitary gland is starting to make hormones.  I mentioned earlier that my energy was starting to come back but after this weekend I feel like I could sleep for a few days.  I still have to drive to avoid motion sickness and my back is the same…pretty damn uncomfortable.  Lol.  Trevor talked to his brothers today about all this house news and since he had them on the phone, we figured just go ahead and tell them about little BK.  Again, so much for sticking to the End-of-the-First-Trimester plan. :)

Trevor's Note:  Picking a house is worse than looking for one.  It's such a huge decision.  I am really excited about it though.  In the end though, it will be great to finally have a home for my family.  Thankfully the accident was minor and my family is still in one piece. 

Telling Travis and Adam was pretty fun.  They were both super excited.  I feel bad not telling Tony yet, but he'll be there when we tell Mom and Dad and I'd much rather do it in person.  

Week 11 – “Su-Chin was there and she told me the baby had fingernails. Fingernails!” – Juno

This week the fingernails and toenails are just beginning to form and when I read that I, of course, immediately thought of the movie Juno.  BK is about 2 inches long, weighs about a third of an ounce and is the size of a large lime.  The small intestine is beginning to do it’s thing, the ears are where they should be now, and the mouth is taking shape.  I’m still super tired, the left side of my back hurts more than ever, and if I’m not the one driving the car a wicked form of motion sickness tries to kill me.  But really I’m pretty good all things considered.  My craving last month for Mexican food has been replaced by hot chocolate…and it’s pretty hardcore.  Oh and my pants are all super fitted and because of that, they are starting to become uncomfortable if I’m sitting for too long.  Looks like I better start looking for a good pair of yoga pants soon.

Also on the baby front, I called my other brother, Shane, and told him he is going to be an uncle in a few months time.  The plan of telling people after the first trimester really doesn’t seem to be happening.  However, I figured we’d already told my parents and other brother a week and a half ago.  So since they knew and Shane talks to them on the phone, might as well tell him too.  Let’s see if we can stick to the original plan for everyone else.

 On Tuesday we had our 11 week OB appointment.  We were able to hear the heartbeat again via a fetal doppler, but we didn’t get to see anything this time.  We won’t have another sonogram until about 20 weeks when we find out the sex.  It took her a little while to find BK with the doppler, but when she did, it was hiding all the way on my left side…surprise, surprise.  I could have told her where BK had set up camp from where the pain has been for the past 6 weeks ;)

On the house front, we met with the realtor and looked at about 7 properties.  Only one ended up being put into the “maybe” pile.  Yesterday we had to spend all day in a Homeownership course our lender required that we take.  Some of it was actually descent information and helped clear up the MANY terms everyone uses and expects you to know as well.  However it was still about 6 ½ hours worth of presentations and you can really only take so much of that. 

Trevor's Note:  Don't let Ashley fool you.  This back pain and car sickness is a real problem.  And all these houses are starting to blur together.  I feel a little like Batman now. "By day a mild-mannered teacher.  But by night he transforms into The House Hunter."  I swear I've looked online and in person at 25,000 houses.

Week 10 – Sugar Plums and Grandparents

BK is about an inch and a half long and is the size of a small plum.  It has started to put on enough weight that the books can now estimate the fetus is about 0.18 ounces.  The eyelids have formed and are fused.  The bones are starting to develop and the elbows can even bend.  Also the teeth are beginning to form in the gums.  I still have no nausea, except for motion sickness in the car.  I’ve always had that though, it’s just perhaps more sensitive now.  I have no food aversions either.  Actually my craving all this month has been Mexican food.  I’m still pretty tired all the time and my sciatic nerve hates me.  I’ll still take not being able to walk over nausea any day.  It’s just hard sometimes to remember that when I can’t stand or when I’m up half the night tossing.

Earlier this week we met up to celebrate my Dad’s 55^th birthday at The Cheesecake Factory.  It’s about a month earlier than I planned on telling anybody about BK, but I honestly didn’t know the next time I’d have my mom, dad, and my brother Charlie all in the same place again…not until probably Easter.  So I bought a baby picture frame and put a copy of the sonogram in it to give to my dad for his gift.  When he opened it, he had no idea what he was looking at and even asked “What is it?”  Then my mom leaned over to look and she too had no idea.  Trevor had to point to where the baby was and said “This is a picture of your first grandchild.”  The waiters then came over and my mom in her excitement blurted out to them, “I just found out I’m going to be a grandparent!”  Haha, so much for not telling people yet.

The rest of the week was spent just getting ready for things…looking up properties we might be interested in seeing, researching brands of baby monitors and the like, and sifting through/throwing out the mountain of paperwork in the office.

Trevor's Note:  This week I've been thinking a lot about whether it's a boy or a girl.  I remember as a kid really wanting to have a son when I grew up.  Now that I'm here, I don't really have a preference.  I just want them to be healthy, happy, and be a Christian.  Boy or girl doesn't seem to matter much.  Though it would be weird after growing up in a house with all boys to have to play with Barbie dolls and have tea parties.