favorite thing friday

For those of you who have been following along with my week-by-week pregnancy journey, you'll have noticed a certain trend.

For several weeks in a row my "craving" item has been guacamole!



I took it off recently -- not because I don't want it anymore -- but just because I figured you all could use some variety.

I love guacamole!

Especially now that the bean is on board.

Drew and I were making it at home for awhile, but found it hard to find good quality avocados in Cleveland sometimes. We made 1 really bad batch and decided that the cost just didn't add up.

So my options became:

1) go without guacamole (don't be ridiculous)

2) find a good pre-made substitute at the grocery store

Option #2 sounds good, but wasn't as easy as I had hoped. Even before I got pregnant, but especially now, I try not to eat too many processed foods. Waaay too many guacamole "dips" have a whole lot more in them than just the avocados and spices that I love.

However, luck (and love) found me on the day I ran across my new favorite thing...

Wholly Guacamole



This stuff is awesome!

It has all natural ingredients, isn't too chunky (my personal preference) and has a nice garlicky flavor (again, my fav).

The one problem with it was the price. My pregnant self could eat a 7oz container in about 2 sittings. The cheapest sale price my grocery store ever had was 2 for $7, which wasn't exactly breaking the bank, but still qualified as a treat.

All that changed on a truly magical day last Saturday when Drew and I were at Costco and I saw the 3 tub party pack of Wholly Guacamole.

Be still my beating heart.

Even better yet, the tubs are 16oz each and can be frozen. For only $12 I almost bought 2. Drew asked if I was planning a party and I told him, "yes, the bean and I are partying our way through a bag of Tostitos tonight. Want to watch?"

If you love guacamole definitely give this kind a try. Sign up for coupons on their website and you can get it for even less money!

Only don't let me know if you do -- or the bean and I will be at your door. But we do bring our own chips.

19 weeks

At 19 weeks, the bean and I have really hit our stride.

Time is flying by and I'm trying to enjoy every day. This is such a special time for me! Since I have no intention of being pregnant more than a few times (unlike our friend Michelle Duggar) each week is a blessing!

This was an especially exciting week because I got to see the bean up close and personal on the ultrasound. This was my first ultrasound and I really treasure the images we got there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to preserve the print-outs? My sister-in-law, Raegan, already warned me not to laminate them -- they melt! Thanks, Raegan.

The next big milestone will be 24 weeks when the bean will have viability outside the womb.

Let's go baby bean!

How far along: 19 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 6lbs since getting pregnant
Maternity clothes: lovin' me some maternity pants
Stretch marks: none yet, but my skin is extra dry
Belly button: s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g
Sleep: not as many bathroom trips, so it's great!
Baby movement: yes! The bean is twisting and nudging me a lot now
Food cravings: California rolls and fruit (but not together)
Food aversions: nothing major right now -- I'm just hungry all the time!
What I miss: Ina Garten made a pomegranate cosmo on tv yesterday and I almost fell off the elliptical machine from the daze I went into.
Looking forward to: shopping with Drew for some nursery accessories this weekend
Best moment this week: seeing my baby on the ultrasound
Milestones: the baby is starting to be able to hear my voice

a half-baked bean

Yesterday I had my 20 week ultrasound! For those of you who don't think about pregnancy all the time, that's halfway through!

It was so, so amazing to see the bean on the big screen. I still find it hard to believe how much detail the ultrasound machine can show us!

The bean was super bouncy and kept moving his/her arms in front of the important parts that the technician wanted to see. You know...the heart, the face, etc. Oh bean.

Eventually the bean quieted down and we got some great shots of the face.

The 3D images are especially impressive! They were even better on the screen than on these printouts. I'm pretty sure this was a Zoolander impression

How adorable are the little feet?

The bean was also very camera shy and kept putting his/her hands in front of the face. So cute! I can just hear the complaints about intrusive paparazzi now.

Being analyzed so thoroughly is exhausting....yawn.

The bean has really long, skinny legs. Must take after the daddy as I am of the petite pants crowd. This picture is of the back of the legs and feet.

I can't wait for the next 20 weeks to pass so I can finally kiss those adorable lips! Look at the photo sideways -- the long piece near the bottom is an arm by his/her face and the 2 horizontal lines are the lips. You can also see the nose just above the lips.

Love you, bean!

mango salsa

Anyone want some mango salsa?

At 19 weeks, my bean is all of the ingredients you need!

A few weeks ago the bean was a lime and an onion and now it's a mango...



and a tomato!





Add some cilantro and, ta da!, mango salsa. Delicioso!

This week the bean is working on some major sensory development. It's possible for the baby to start hearing now, so I'm spending a lot of time talking and singing to myself the bean.

The bean weighs 8.5 ounces and is about 6 inches from head to bottom.

This afternoon is our big ultrasound, so look for some cute photos on here tomorrow!

baby dreams

I've been having some really vivid dreams recently.

From what I hear, this is pretty common during pregnancy, but nobody knows why. One dream was wonderful and the other...well, not so much.

A few nights ago I dreamed that I had a beautiful baby boy who was living life with me. We weren't doing anything special, just going to the store and hanging out at home. It was great!

Then the next night I dreamed that my little boy was handed over to me at his birth and he was a plastic doll. You know that old-fashioned kind that has the eyes that open when you sit them up? It was like that and really creepy. That one scared me.

I think all these hormones are getting the best of me!

One thing that seems consistent among all my baby dreams is that the baby is a BOY.

Do you think there's anything to this?

I just put a poll at the side of my blog asking who "knew" what they were having while they were pregnant. I have a strong feeling that this baby is a boy, but I don't have any good reason to think so.

My ultrasound is on Monday and I really want to find out one way or another, but Drew is holding firm on being surprised at the birth. *sigh* He doesn't have much other say in this pregnancy, so I can honor this surprise for him.

I guess.

:o)

I'm not sure how many mamas read this blog, but if you do, please vote and let me know if you had a "sense" of your baby's gender while you were pregnant!

pizza dance

Last night was a pretty exciting one for the Wilkinson family!

For starters, Drew and I went out for dinner with our friends Carl and Karen to Dewey's Pizza. We've only had Dewey's once before and were a little ambivelent about it, but last night it was soooo good! We'll definitely be back!

Thanks for inviting us along, Carl and Karen!



Once we got home I crawled into bed to relax for a little while Drew was checking the baseball scores and I started to feel the bean bouncing around.

I'm convinced it was a happy dance in celebration of the delicious pizza.

Anyway, since Drew was sitting right there I told him to put his hand on my bump and see if he could feel anything yet. It felt pretty strong to me, but I wasn't sure if it would translate to the outside yet.

At some point Drew was watching t.v. and not paying attention at all and *bam* this HUGE kick actually moved my skin.

His eyes got really big and he turned to look at me -- "was that the baby?"

Um, yeah. It wasn't anything I did at least!

So exciting! More pizza, please.

cute baby stuff

So far I've done really well holding back on buying baby things.

We received lots of cute gender-neutral newborn items from the excited grandparents, so I don't need to buy anything for the little one. I know I'll want to get lots of gender-specific things once the bean arrives, so I'm trying to keep it under control until then.

However...

an expectant mom can only show so much restraint!

Check out these adorable bibs I found at Wal-Mart for $2 each. I just couldn't pass them by!

I also found these cutey gowns on clearance at Wal-Mart.

Even if the bean can't talk, the world will know that he/she loves me!

18 weeks

At 18 weeks I've been feeling the bean move! I love it!




I also started wearing maternity pants last week and can't get enough. That elastic band was pretty intimidating at first, but now that I've tried it I won't be going back.

Maybe ever.

Seriously, I love the comfort and support! Drew went to feel my belly the other day and noticed the elastic band. His hand ran up it looking for belly to touch and just kept going...and going...all the way to my ribs!

Needless to say, he was a little surprised at how high it went! It was pretty funny from my perspective. :o) I assured him it would come down from my ribs as my belly goes out more.

At any rate, things are going really well right now. I'm totally enjoying pregnancy now that the morning sickness and exhaustion are behind me. Only one more week until my ultrasound!




How far along: 18 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 5lbs since getting pregnant
Maternity clothes: yes! (well, pants)
Stretch marks: none yet, but my skin is extra dry
Belly button: s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g
Sleep: much up and down at night
Baby movement: yes! The bean is twisting and nudging me a lot now
Food cravings: sweets of all kinds
Food aversions: chicken still grosses me out a little
What I miss: not feeling light-headed after climbing stairs
Looking forward to: ultrasound next Monday!
Best moment this week: feeling the bean move for the first time
Milestones: the bean has a complete set of toe- and fingerprints!

my sweet potato

The bean is such a sweet potato. What a cute veggie to be!



At 18 weeks the bean is about 5.5 inches long and almost 7 ounces. Big enough for me to feel the little kicks and punches that he's perfecting! I've been feeling the nudges more and more over the past few days. I think ever since I was sure that's what I felt last week I've noticed those same sensations and recognized it as the bean.

My baby is also the size of a bell pepper. This isn't quite so cute, but is still better than the onion from last week!




Only 7 days until the ultrasound --- I can't wait to see the little bean's face! Drew is still holding firm on not wanting to know the sex. Personally I'm wavering big time. I really want to know!

We'll see what happens... :o)

presto change-o

We've moved.

Within our house.

Ok, some background info -- when Drew and I first moved to Cleveland 2 years ago we were looking for a house that wouldn't be too big for us, but would be big enough to have room for out of town guests and a baby someday.

The perfect house for us ended up being a townhouse. We have 3 bedrooms and no outside maintanence to worry about. The problem (recently) is that the house is set up for empty-nesters, as opposed to what we are -- people just starting to fill their nest!

The master bedroom is on the first floor and the 2 additional bedrooms are on the 2nd floor. For the first 2 years we lived in the master bedroom on the first floor, which was ideal! However, now that the baby is coming we decided to move our bedroom upstairs to be next door to the nursery.

Oh my, what an undertaking.

Here's the upstairs guest room before we moved.

Here it is now with the walls painted and our furniture moved in.

I love it!

Carrying everything up the stairs was a bit of a hassle, but it really only took 1 night of constant work and we were done!

Of course, we still had to set up the guest room downstairs in what was our former master bedroom. Drew and I haven't ever had guest room furniture and this seemed like the ideal time to buy some.

It just arrived on Saturday and we couldn't be happier.

Check it out....

It's all ready for excited grandparents, aunts, and uncles to come stay with us after the baby arrives!

thankful

Today I'm grateful that God has my baby in His hands.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart."
Jeremiah 1:5

Even since I felt the bean flutter around yesterday I've felt more connected to her. Of course, I loved him since I knew he was in there, but there's something different -- deeper -- about feeling the little kicks and waves.

Of course, I'm doing my best to take care of myself and the bean during this pregnancy, but the pressure to grow and keep healthy a new person is intense! Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed and ill-equipped to do it the best way my baby deserves.

Then I remembered that God has known and planned for this little one long before I ever did. My baby's creator knows his/her gender (that's a secret I'd love to know as well!), but beyond that knows where she'll go and what he'll become. I'll do everything in my power now to keep him or her well and trust God with the rest.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."
1 Samuel 1:27-28

Drew and I would like to have a verse put on the wall of the baby's nursery and I think it might be 1 of these 2.

Anyone have a preference or another suggestion? I'd love to hear them all!

**This was a little deep and wordy -- thanks for making it to the end! Posts with photos of cute baby stuff to come!**

movin' and shakin'

I felt the baby move last night!

Yay!!

It was so exciting. I was laying in bed reading and felt these little flutters on my left side. It felt really different than anything digestion related, so I focused on it for awhile and it happened again!

I still wasn't completely convinced that it was the bean (I didn't want to get my hopes up) but then I thought of a way to be sure...the handy fetal doppler.

Oh, how I love that thing.

I put the probe right where I was feeling the flutters and bingo heartbeat instantly.

It was totally the bean and I couldn't be happier.

I could even hear this "swish" "swish" noise over the heartbeat when the movements happened. It was pretty cool to hear and feel the baby simultaneously.

Keep growing, little bean, now your daddy wants to feel you too!

baby beats

I belong to an online community of moms-to-be and have heard ad infinitum about how much these ladies love their at-home fetal dopplers.

For those of you who don't hear about this stuff all the time, a fetal doppler is a machine you use to listen to the baby's heartbeat. The heartbeat is strong, but still too quiet to be heard with a stethoscope, so you need an amplification system.

Enter the fetal doppler!

These are the same instruments the doctors use to listen to the heartbeat during office visits. Apparently the desire to have one available all the time led to a few companies opening up to offer the dopplers for rental. These high quality dopplers are typically around $500 to buy, so renting 1 for about $25 a month is pretty reasonable!

For the first few months of my pregnancy, I resisted. I was able to hear that heartbeat at my 2nd doctor's visit and felt comfortable that everything was going well.

However...

during this 4th month I started to feel less at ease. I expected to feel some movement by now (but still haven't) and wanted assurance that the bean was well in there.

So...

I caved! I rented a doppler from Baby Beat and haven't regretted it for a minute.




I love, love being able to hear the heartbeat to start and end my day. It's such a nice connection to the bean that Drew and I can share together. I plan to send it back at the end of the month and will be ok with that. It was just what I needed for this in between time. The bean is starting to pop my belly and will be moving like crazy soon, so that should be enough assurance for me.




If you're expecting a baby, I highly recommend it!

17 weeks

The bean took his/her first trip out of the state in utero this weekend. It wasn't specifically to celebrate being 17 weeks, but let's go with that!

In other 17 week excitement, I wore maternity clothes for the first time today and I have to say, it's awesome.

I don't know if I'll ever go back.

As I type this, I'm wearing regular jeans and a t-shirt. Oh well.

All of those elastic waistbands are just so comfortable!

My bump is still smallish, so I was lucky to have this shirt that's stretchy, but not huge -- as many of my other maternity shirts are. Thanks to my father-in-law for picking it out for me!

How far along: 17 weeks

Net weight gain/loss: up 4lbs since getting pregnant

Maternity clothes: yes! (kind of)

Stretch marks: none yet

Belly button: s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g

Sleep: much up and down at night

Baby movement: nothing yet, but I'm on the watch for it

Food cravings: french onion soup more than ever -- I make it at home now, yum.

Food aversions: any kind of chicken breast

What I miss: my balance -- I keep tipping over for no good reason!

Looking forward to: seeing the new Harry Potter movie (not baby related, but still)

Best moment this week: setting up the baby registry

Milestones: the bean can move his/her joints with control, so I can feel kicks soon!

all ready for stew

Well, I'm a little disappointed.

At 17 weeks, the bean is an....onion.



Gross.

Actually, this might explain a lot about me right now.

First some background info for those of you who don't know me in real life.

I hate onions.

For as long as I can remember this has been the case. I don't like them raw or cooked or in any form, really. I can't cut them up because they make my eyes water like crazy. They also make my hands smell awful.

I'm also married to someone who loves them. This isn't a deal breaker, but it's felt close once or twice.

(just kidding)

(kind of)

However.

Just recently, I've had an unending craving for french onion soup. That's right, soup that contains nothing but onions. It's delicious and I can't get enough!!

Maybe it's the "onion" bean inside me asking for it.

I've also been crying a lot more recently, which goes along with the onion phenomenon.

At any rate, the bean is an onion and a turnip.





I don't think I've ever had turnips, except in a hearty winter stew, so this one is a little random, but fine by me.

The bean has a skeleton which is hardening from cartilage to bone and can move all of his/her joints. Pretty soon I'll be able to feel those stronger kicks!

wedding weekend

Hours since we left the house: 56

Hours in the car: 18

Pounds of baby gear that came home with us: 50+

# of people who got married: 2

Years since we've seen our friends from Pittsburgh: 2

Catching up with old friends, seeing our extended family, and getting lots of baby hand-me-downs: priceless!


Drew and I just got back from our whirlwind trip to NJ/NYC to celebrate the wedding of our friends' AJ and Letitia!




It was a really busy (and quick) weekend, but I'm so glad we went. Drew's parents live in NJ, just outside NYC, so we were able to stay with them and visit for awhile. They brought us a ton of great baby stuff from Drew's brother and sister-in-law who live in Maine, so we came home with a carload. Can't beat that!



The wedding was of 2 friends who went to Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon with Drew. We were so glad they wanted to include us in their celebration. One of the best parts was catching up with a lot of our friends from our time in Pittsburgh. I can't believe it's been 2 years since we've seen most of them!





Quite a few of the couples just had babies in the past year, so it was really great to hear some of their stories and get practical advice.

I'll definitely be getting the portable DVD player, Juliana!



Hopefully we'll all get a chance to get together before the next 2 years go by!

strollin' around the house

My stroller arrived in the mail today!



Considering the directions were in Italian (with a couple illustrations), I'm pretty proud of myself for putting it all together. Things seem stable, but I have to find some melons or something to test the weight before getting a real baby in it.



How good do I look behind the wheel handles?!



Yay!

hallelujah for chinese food

I think this pretty much sums it up.

Hands down -- best fortune cookie ever.

16 weeks

We made it to 16 weeks!




The bean is still growing well and seems pretty happy in there.




I'm not usually this formal in my weekly photos, but decided that you all were worth the effort of getting dressed up a little.


Wait, that's not totally true.


Actually, I was trying on dresses to see if any of my formal ones still fit. Drew and I are going to a wedding this weekend and I need to find something to wear! I'm at this really annoying stage where I definitely don't need maternity clothes, but some of my more fitted regular clothes don't fit anymore.

Awesome.

This dress might work, but it's showing a bit much up top, so I might have to find something else. We'll take some photos this weekend to show you what I ended up wearing!

How far along: 16 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: still only up 3 lbs total
Maternity clothes: not yet, sadly
Stretch marks: none (thanks Mama Bee)
Belly button: still an innie
Sleep: pretty good, except for all the bathroom trips
Baby movement: nothing yet, but soon!
Food cravings: still with the French onion soup (I normally hate onions)
Food aversions: as long as I avoid chicken, things are good
What I miss: feeling content this week!
Looking forward to: getting my stroller in the mail
Best moment this week: painting the nursery with my parents
Milestones: the bean is growing toenails!

4th of july fun

This year Drew and I decided to do something special for the 4th of July since my parents were here to visit. We went down to the Blossom Music Center to see the Cleveland Festival Band play their "Salute to the USA!"

It was so much fun!

Blossom is an outdoor music center near Cleveland that hosts all kinds of concerts during the summer. It has lots of beautiful grounds where you can have a picnic...

which we did!

or just walk around and people-watch a little

The concert was amazing -- I haven't heard a live band since this time last year when Drew and I came to see the Cleveland Orchestra -- and these musicians were really fantastic.

I especially liked the conductor. He was a hoot.

The company I was with wasn't bad either!

Thanks for coming with us, Mom and Dad -- it was so much more fun with you there!