Checking in with my midwest girls!

[KalonKiki]

Lovely names, ladies! Our name is Liam Van (Van is a family name on DF's side, and Liam will be the 6th generation of the middle name Van).

I'd love to be able to garden, but we live in an apartment complex, so the best I could do is maybe keep a little boxed herb garden, a hanging plant, and a potted plant out on our balcony. It's a really nice complex though. Lots of kids and you can't have a credit score below 550 and can't have a criminal record to live here. There's also a pool (which I can't wait for them to open up for the summer already!), tennis courts, basketball courts, a volley ball court, a small children's play ground, picnic area, and a weight room with a sauna and tanning bed. They take really good care of the complex too. They keep up with maintenance better than any other rental place I've seen.

 

[adopim]

That sounds like a nice complex! We live in a townhome. We are planning on another baby in about 2 years so we'll be looking for a regular house within those next two years. This house will barely accommodate the 4 of us, let alone a third child. The one nice thing is that lawn care is taken care of for us. But they aren't much for yards around here. And the Association drives me crazy. They are ridiculous. I can't wait to move to a "real" house and to finally put roots down.

 

[peanutmomma]

It got HOT today! I did some gardening and I was getting light headed! I will say that it is not as easy to do gardening when you are pregnant. It's hard to bend over for a long time. Are you all feeling like that??

It was 95 degrees here yesterday and we tried to get outside and do stuff with our last garden box after we got home from the doctors appointments. We planted a few things, then we grilled supper after DH and I went to Walmart and he bought me a kiddy pool so I could put my feet in it and cool off. All I need now is a swimsuit so I can sit in it. LOL
On another note, the baby is doing fine. HB is 159 and I asked where my uterus would be sitting at 15 weeks. She found the top of it 1/2 inch below my belly button . Kind of neat I think. oh, and we will be having our anatomy scan and hopefully find out gender (if peanut cooperates) on June 4th a week before we go to St. Louis!!

 

[KalonKiki]

I'm with you there. As much as I love our complex, I would love to be in a "real" house (even if it's just a rental home) before we have our next baby. We can easily raise one child in this apartment, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about raising two here. I just don't think that there would be enough room.

I'll have my fingers crossed for you, peanutmomma! Do you have any hopes or instinctual feelings about the gender?

 

[adopim]

The high was supposed to be 79 today, so I promised my DD that we would go swimming in her kiddie pool today. Might just need to go out soon and show her how chilly it is (for swimming anyway). We are going to get her a new two wheel bike later, so hopefully that will ease her disappointment when she realizes it's too cool to swim.
We are grilling tonight and I'm super excited about it! I've been craving ribs for a while now
My next doctor appt is on June 5. It's crazy to think that I'll be 6 months at that point (and baby will be viable!). It's also when I start biweekly appointments versus monthly.

Hopefully your baby cooperates for you peanutmomma!

 

[liz0012]

hey girls! It was HOT here again today. I hate how Fargo weather goes from snow to 80*. What's with that. I planted some more today. We have a ton of planting to do because I did not want to hire someone to do the gardening, I prefer to do it myself. I find it just takes extra time now and more days I have been feeling the baby a lot lately. I can feel her doing somersaults in there, which is strange, but cool. I ordered a glider today off of the internet and I am excited to get it in. Where are you guys all getting furniture from? When are you setting up the nursery? Ok, time for bed! Good night ladies.

 

[adopim]

I actually am using the same nursery furniture as I used with my first DD. I got the crib and changing table from IKEA. It is all still in excellent condition. My DD is still using the crib (that converts to a toddler bed) but will be moving to a big bed in about a month. It was wonderfully priced too.

 

[peanutmomma]

I am the same as you Liz. I love to do the planting it feels like an accomplishment when everything all comes together and blooms. We are getting my niece's old 4-in-1 crib that converts from my sister. They bought her a new med that will convert to a full/queen later so I am lucky to be getting it. DH finished my rocking chair. So, that is nice to have too. We may make our own changing table as DH dad has a wood shop in the garage. Other than that I am so unsure as we will be going at this alone. So, things are very expensive and we don't have really the money to spend. There is a high chair we saw at Target that converts from infant to a booster seat so you just attach it to a normal kitchen chair and don't have the high chair extra. We may do that. I am using two book shelves stacked on top each other instead of a dresser for baby. I am planning to put vertical dividers to make cubicles.

 

[adopim]

That bookshelf idea is a neat idea! We are getting a dresser from DH's parents so the one my DD uses will be the baby's and she will get the one we get from them.
Everything is so extremely expensive. That's why I went to IKEA for my first. Around $300 got me the crib, changing table, mattress, changing table pad and covers, bumper, quilt, little pillow, and 2 sets of crib sheets. And it is all still in excellent condition.
I got a "The First Years" brand high chair seat that was like that. Converted from infant to toddler to booster seat and just goes on a normal chair. It was wonderful not to have the extra bulk of a regular high chair

 

[KalonKiki]

I should be getting quite a few hand-me-downs from my mother as my youngest brother is currently 2 years old. I'm not entirely sure when we'll start setting up the nursery, possibly in another month. Fortunately we've had a lot of family that wants to help us out (my grandparents want to buy our nursery furniture, my mom has given us a lot of things already, my MIL wants to make clothes and nursery bedding for us, ect).
The bookshelf idea is neat! We have a bunch of bookshelves in our study (which we plan to turn into the nursery) that we plan to take out of there. We're thinking that we'll buy one more tall bookshelf and get rid of the small ones. We really need to organize and remove a lot of things from that study to get it ready for the baby.

 

[craftymama]

This is baby #3 for us so we don't need to buy much. We have almost all of the clothes we had from our other kids, may need to buy a couple things depending on how baby grows, we'll see. We do have to buy a new crib, it's weird to be in search of a crib again after not having to worry about it last time. We gave our crib to my sister when her twins were born 5 weeks early. She had bought a crib used(this is her 4th and 5th babies, and she's had to get a new crib every time.... which is crazy.) and spent the last of the money she had to buy for babies on it and got it home to put together and it was unusable. Bolts were missing, bolts were stripped, even parts of the wood where the holes were at were stripped. A week later the babies came, and ended up being ok to go home after 4 days so she needed something. She's not the most thorough when it comes to buying used items, she doesn't check into things well so I'm not surprised. I figured I have a long way to go, and I can afford a crib more-so than she can, so let her have mine knowing there's no way I'll get it back in one piece lol. I'm at a loss as to how cribs are damaged so badly after one child. We'll buy one sometime around Christmas or New Year, baby will be small enough for the bassinet rocker we have until then, and baby always sleeps in our room the first couple months anyway. We also had to buy an infant seat. Our carseat from our first 2 kids was set to expire well before we planned for another baby, so we gave it to someone so it could get a bit more use before going to waste. Once baby comes and I find out boy/girl, I will be sewing a cribset for him/her, which I'm excited about!

 

[adopim]

Ah yes, the carseat. That is the one large purchase we do need (since we are having another girl we don't need clothes besides onesies). My DD1's expires here right before baby is born. We plan another baby in about 2 years so the one we buy this time will be good for two kids. And DD1 is in a 5 point seat but will be moving to a booster very soon. Her seat she has now will be good for this one too.
Some people are just harder on their things than others. My DD has used her crib for 4.5 years (converted to a toddler bed at age 3). It is still in excellent condition. Haha

 

[peanutmomma]

haven't had a new update on this thread in a while. How is everyone doing?
AFM- I am getting so anxious as I have my anomoly scan and gender scan on Tuesday. Hoping baby Peanut will cooperate with us and show us if we have a princess or prince in there!! I have a new picture on the bump thread in my new bikini. I decided that what a better time than now to NOT have a bikini body, right? LOL I guess many can tell I am pregnant now as I have had quite a few comments the past week or so. I am sad as I have not felt any movements yet and I am so imptient about it as everyone I talk to has felt them already, but not me.
Anyways, hope everyone responds

 

[craftymama]

It's normal with your first baby to feel it later. I was over 20 weeks before I felt it with my first baby. I hope it happens soon for you, I know how exciting that first moment is and how hard it is to wait for it! Once he/she starts kicking your bladder you're going to be laughing at yourself for begging for them to kick hehe. (it's still amazing, even if the bladder shots are a bit painful sometimes!)

As for me, I'm doing ok. Sprained my ankle over the weekend, but it's feeling better today. It had started to feel better yesterday but I overdid the walking on it at work so by the time my shift ended I was limping pretty good again. Got some ice on it and put my foot up, and I feel better than I did last night now. I felt baby on the outside for the first time the other night. It wasn't a kick, I still can't feel the kicks quite yet, but baby had his/her foot or elbow or something sticking straight up into the center of my belly. I could feel a lot of pressure on the wall of my belly so I put my hand there and sure enough there was a tiny bump there. Soon as I put my hand there and grabbed for DH's hand it moved away of course. I tried desperately to get baby to do it again, but nothing. I can't wait for him to feel baby.

I have my 20 week scan tomorrow. I officially talked DH into staying team yellow with me, so there will be no envelope passed to him from the tech. I'm really relieved and so happy I got him to jump on board with me. It was lonely being the only one who didn't want to know! So we're just looking forward to seeing our baby, and I'm hoping there will be no shortening of my cervix. With our son, we discovered my cervix was shortening on an ultrasound a little after this point, so I'm a little anxious about it. I've done my best to stay hydrated better and take it a little easier. Today I am 20 weeks! Halfway there! I feel like it's going to fly by after this! Hope everyone is doing well!!

 

[adopim]

Yep, with my first I didn't feel real movements until 24 or 25 weeks. I did get random flutters before then but not much else. Even this time I was 19 weeks before I felt true kicks (felt flutterings about 14 weeks, but very slight).

Good luck with all your scans! Hopefully your ankle feels better, craftymama!

AFM, I've been tired lately but sickness has seemed to be in the past now. Except for the food aversions I still have. I'm trying to decide if I'm over tired because we have been busy or tired because of the pregnancy. Probably a combination. We drove 5 hours to Watertown, WI for my cousins graduation last Friday and drive home last Saturday. Next week we are driving to Burlington, WI (5.5 hours or so) for a wedding (leaving late Thursday night and driving back early Saturday morning.. Yuck). Then at the end of June we are going to the Wisconsin Dells. At least that is a longer trip and we don't have to leave so fast. But my poor DD will be going with us to the Dells for 5 days and then immediately the next day after we get home going 7 hours up north to go camping with her aunt and uncle and grandpa. Haha, it's going to be a fun but very looooong week for her!
My next appt is next Wednesday (5th) and that's when I start biweekly appts already! So crazy!

 

[KalonKiki]

Good luck with your scan, peanutmomma! I hope that bub cooperates and I can't wait to find out what you're having.

I'm glad that you were able to convince your DH to stay team yellow with you, craftymama. It's so much more special when you both don't know until birth. I hope that your ankle feels better soon!

I felt movement at 17+5, but that's actually pretty early for your first and I was surprised to feel movement that early. You'll get there soon, peanutmomma! I know it takes forever, but it's such an amazing feeling when it finally does happen and I think that having to wait that long makes it even more special.

That's a lot of trips, adopim! I hope that you and your family have fun on all of them.

There's not a lot to update on here. We've been moving things in the apartment around a bit to get it ready for Liam. We also have tons of baby clothes thanks to my mom and MIL. It's adorable how excited my MIL is to be a grandma. She and my FIL thought that they were never going to be grandparents because Colin and Liz are so career minded and ambitious.

 

[adopim]

KalonKiKi, Haha, then the kicks get stronger and you pray they fall asleep for a while so you can get a break. Haha. My darling girl likes to keep me up at night already. Lol.
I also think that my MIL didn't think they would ever become grandparents either. None of her 3 boys had ever had a girlfriend so she never thought any of them were interested in getting married and having families (tho the youngest is only 25). She has my DD as a step-granddaughter and they thoroughly adore her. But she was about a year and a half before she met them (DH and I started dating when she was 11 months old). They never got to experience the infant stage which I think she's really excited about
Luckily, we won't be taking any more road trips the rest of the pregnancy except the hour and a half drives to my parents place. I don't think my pregnant self could handle more 5+ hour drives! Haha. The Dells will be really fun though, I'm super excited to have a real vacation!

 

[KalonKiki]

I'm sure that I'll beg him to stop kicking long enough to get some sleep soon enough!
I'm hoping that we'll be able to take a trip next month to go see my father in Illinois. I really want to see him and my grandparents and everyone else on that side of the family before I have Liam, and I'd like for my grandparents to be able to meet DF.

 

[peanutmomma]

I am going to see my family and friends in St. Louis, MO on the 10th and 11th.

So, yesterday we had a long, but great day! We went to our old job and got a free breakfast. It was fun to see some friends I haven't seen since March when we found out. Then, we went to a Farmer's Market and then we roadtripped to Winona, MN and saw some neat stuff too. At breakfast I all of the sudden got this weird feeling though. I was just talking to DH and then it felt like something hit the inside upper part of my pubic bone/ cervex? It happened out of the blue and stopped me in my tracks! The first one, I just stopped fro a second. the second, hurt and made me jolt. Then they were gone. Nothing til about 11am when my lower left side just below my belly button felt like a quick tickling vibration. Then, nothing the rest of the day, but it was so weird I must point out. Just growing pains?

 

[adopim]

I had odd jolting pains in my cervix area for a while. I just attributed it to growing pains because it was so random. And I never said anything to my doctor but got an ultrasound for a different reason and my cervix length was fine. That's why I just shrugged it off as weird pregnancy pains. I also had the quick tickling feelings too and that also is from stretching of the ligaments.