beneath the mango tree

how far along?  19 weeks

development: our tropical mango is about 6 inches long and weighs 8.5 ounces. nerve cells are developing in the brain for taste, hearing, sight and smell.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  some maternity. mostly just reaching for the comfy clothing - there are certain things i won't even try to put on anymore.

sleep?  surprisingly, i've been getting through most nights without getting out of bed

stretch marks?  none yet, keeping up with my daily shea butter body cream!

best moments this week:  sharing a meal with loved ones • zumba fitness sunday • enjoying a deep cleansing facial at a local spa

miss anything? no

movement:  maybe something here and there, nothing definite yet

food cravings:  pizza, mac & cheese, olives... not all at once though :) 

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  less than a week till we find out!

pregnancy symptoms:  mildly achy belly muscles, prepping and stretching for our mango

have you started to show yet?  yes, seems like more than ever. (but that's kind of obvious, like saying today i'm the youngest i'll be for the rest of my life). definitely have the belly!

wedding rings, on or off?  on, five years and counting! :)

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  celebrating our five year wedding anniversary tomorrow/thursday (and ten years together!) • attending the jdrf walk to cure diabetes at hersheypark on sunday for our nephew gavin • our 20 week ultrasound and checkup next tuesday to see that baby mango is developing and progressing properly

notes from dad:  This week we celebrate 261 weeks or 5 years of marriage. We have grown, learned and even dreamed together. All these wonderful little moments leading us to right now. 19 weeks pregnant and I am sitting here contributing to our first pregnancy blog. It almost doesn't seem real! I love this life we live. I am so proud & excited to add our little mango. This is a happy anniversary. 

"being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~lao tsu. five years ago, anthony and i were lucky enough to spend a spectacular week at the moon palace golf and spa resort in cancun, mexico. my hope is that we return in another five. :)

timing appropriate to both our little mango and looking back at our wedding day five years ago, i revisited this song this week (a little misty-eyed) that was played during our ceremony on the beach - "better together" by jack johnson

and lastly, here's some randomness from this past week's iphone adventures ↓

although you might not be able to read it, the cast of friends stayed at the comfort inn near our house "welcome friends" (ok, not really, lol)  //  selfie  //  olive bar at the grocery store, yum  //  fender cuddling with our bear

baby bibs from grandma  //  fender looking oh so handsome  //  homemade apple dessert  //  sticking with my 'up' tracking and progress  //  my boys napping on the couch

week 19 down, 146 days to go. almost half way there!

the onion

how far along?  17 weeks

development: baby onion is about 5.1" long from head to bottom and weighs about 5.9 ounces. the skeleton's soft cartilage is turning into bone, we're (both) putting on some fat (or 'fluff' in mama's case) and baby's umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  i can still fit into some non-pregnancy jeans (with my belly band, of course), but pregnancy jeans are really comfy, i must say! 

sleep?  been getting through the night ok... seems like days were long this week and i was worn out by 5pm and ready to come home and relax.

stretch marks?  super-stretching, but always returning to my original shape (like stretch armstrong). really though, none yet.

best moments this week:  cuddle time with my fender on the couch • check up appointment today confirming that everything is still a-ok
miss anything? not too much. well, my husband this week. and maybe a nice cold, seasonal craft beer.
movement:  come on babes, you must be like a miniature thumbelina. thought i felt a flutter once, but nothing definite.

food cravings:  in honor of the onion, i give you my food craving of the week: drywall. ok, not really. i could not stop laughing (i was in tears) when anthony suggested this weirdo food craving from tlc's 'my strange addiction'.

 

anything making you queasy or sick?  drywall

gender:  give us 2 1/2 weeks - yay!

pregnancy symptoms:  things have been going splendid overall! starting to feel large, although i know that feeling won't go away for about another 6 months (even after baby), so i better get used to it.

have you started to show yet?  yup

wedding rings, on or off?  on, and they've actually been a little loose with the cool weather.

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  pumpkin fest this weekend! hopefully the rain holds off a bit.

notes from dad:  dad's been in chicago all week for work, so fender and i have been missing him. he's been working his magic at the rosemont convention center, visiting family and watching waaay too many movies. :)

today's appointment was pretty much just another checkup, nothing too exciting. but at least it was a confirmation that everything is still progressing as it should. phew. seems like i hadn't been to the doctor in forever. quick chat with the doc, blood pressure was taken, blood drawn for the spina bifida test, and i listened to the heartbeat - size of the baby/belly and heartbeat are all good! i scheduled my next 4 appointments, and thank goodness, because i'm a planner - it's nice to have them to look forward to and know what's coming next. happily, i can say that we have the anatomical scan/ultrasound scheduled at exactly 20 weeks on 10/29!

in all it's craziness, here are some recent headlines from the onion. enjoy.

• 'new pro hall of fame exhibit allows visitors to experience concussion'
• 'extremely vibrant town able to sustain two buffalo wild wings'
• 'cereal commercial completely neglects showing numerous life problems character faces beyond breakfast'

so, i get a text out of the blue from anthony last week during lunch reading "i am thinking of a rocking toy... horse, cow, giraffe, dragon, moose or elephant??". i'm thinking... what? will you just look at how cute this rocking horse is? this is the cuteness that he bought.  ↓

from woot.com

just like in this little gem of a photo, princess and i, circa 1986 at grandma & papa's house.  :)

and lastly, how about this beauty... straight off my iphone, no enhancements. this is what an october sunset looks like, our little onion.  ↓

week 17 down, 159 days to go. 

nothing but love for our avocado

how far along?  16 weeks

development: baby avocado is about 4.6" long and weighs about 3.5 ounces. we've yet to feel movement yet - hopefully soon, as avo gets stronger and bigger. tiny bones have formed in our ears and apparently we're starting to hear the outside world. we're growing hair, lashes and eyebrows, and tastebuds are forming!

 

from thebump.com

"what makes good guacamole? how about someone to share it with? if you have nothing but love for your avocados, and you take joy in turning them into guacamole, all you need is someone to share it with." ~jason mraz (he owns an avocado farm outside of san diego)

maternity clothes?  not out of necessity, but yes... i've ventured out to work wearing one of the cute tunics i picked up at motherhood maternity (and it barely looks like i'm pregnant)

sleep?  seems like i've been waking more easily throughout the night, but still doing ok.

stretch marks?  none

best moments this week:  this weather - i love fall! • consignment sale finds last weekend
miss anything? a nice, big italian sub/grinder (no lunch meat allowed). from babycenter.com "it's not safe to eat precooked meats unless they're heated until steaming hot. pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis, caused by a type of bacteria called listeria... baby, not mom, can be affected more by the infection."
movement:  not feeling it yet, anticipating it every day!

food cravings:  nothing really 

anything making you queasy or sick?  nope

gender:  can't wait to find out! should be in the next few weeks, considering the gender reveal and anatomy ultrasound are usually done between 18-20 weeks.

pregnancy symptoms:  still sticking with some slight back pain and headaches. been feeling minor cramping the last day or two - from pregnancybabycare.com: it's common entering the second trimester and is commonly due to round ligament pain - ligaments are stretching, becoming long and thin, pulling on nearby nerves and causing brief pain.

have you started to show yet? yup

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  next checkup appointment on thursday 10/10 (mid week 17) and scheduling another appointment that day for the ultrasound! 

notes from dad:  i ask everyday if the babe's moving. one of my favorite things to eat are avocados with lemon juice and salt, and i make a bad ass guacamole fresh out of the garden. like an avocado, it won't last long - on to our next piece of produce next week.

here are a few photos from the consignment sale in lancaster. there was so much to look at - i ended up spending only $50 total and got quite a few clothes, books and a jj cole bundle me carseat/stroller sleeping bag (for $7)!

rows & rows of clothes! ^

although it's fall, it's not felt like october lately around here, being in the low 80's ^

still not a ton happening. week 16 down, 166 days to go!

lemonade

how far along?  14 weeks
development:  we have a little baby lemon! about 3.5" long and weighs about 1.5 ounces. arms will soon be in proportion to the rest of the body, hands can grasp, facial muscles are forming one expression after another.
maternity clothes?  no, but hoping to get to a motherhood maternity soon. anyone up for shopping with me?  :)
sleep?  falling asleep on the couch has been my thing lately - anthony says there's a lot of 'pre-sleeping' going on here. pre-sleeping: verb. \sleep : the natural state of rest [on the couch] during which your eyes are closed, before you actually migrate into bed.
stretch marks?  nope
best moments this week:  hearing back from the blood work portion of last week's screening to find that all is great! • rooting around at a kid's consignment sale and purchasing our first bunch of tiny clothing • volunteering as one of four zumba instructors at a class at paxton ministries, a community of homes serving people with social, mental or emotional needs - seeing these people enjoy just a 45 minute class of zumba fun really means a lot!
miss anything? not really
movement:  nothing yet
food cravings:  wanting pizza and ice cream a lot lately. i feel like i could have pizza for almost every meal.
anything making you queasy or sick?  no
gender:  still waiting. our next appointment is at 17 weeks on 10/10, but i think that it's just going to be a check-up appointment. we'll probably schedule the big ultrasound for soon after that (hopefully sooner than later). looking forward to purchasing more gender specific clothing and starting to plan for decorating the babe's room.
pregnancy symptoms: had a few more headaches than normal lately, but nothing major
have you started to show yet? yes
wedding rings, on or off?  on
happy or moody most of the time?  h-a-p-p-y
looking forward to:  breathing in some crisp fall air, taking a break this weekend with a massage, and attending another consignment sale next weekend.
notes from dad: there has been some dispute on the size of our fruit this week - i am telling people that we are a lemon and consensus is telling that a peach (from last week) is larger than a lemon. i'm not sure where we got the comparison. maybe we should send the question to mythbusters. week 14 is also week 3 in the nfl. the bears are 2-0 and are visiting pittsburgh sunday night. go bears!

here's part of my curated collection of nursery ideas that i've been gathering on pinterest:

randomness from the week... a selfie, my up progress showing over 100% sleep and steps for sunday, homemade granola, tiny person clothing & dark chocolate covered pretzels:

in honor of this week's piece of produce, i give you u2's 'lemon'... i've never been a total u2 fan (sorry rachell :), so the song was a new one for me and i think it's honestly a bit odd, but every time we mentioned a lemon in conversation this week, anthony started singing this:

told you it was odd. so long, week 14... 178 days to go til march 18.