19 Weeks - Baby Westerholm

This past Wednesday we had an appointment. We had been anxiously awaiting getting to see our sweet little one again, and were so disappointed that we weren't put straight into the sonogram room. We've been so used to getting a sonogram every time we go into the doctor, and this time we didn't. Shucks!

I know we've been spoiled with the frequency of our sonograms, so with all that being said, we did get to listen to Baby Westerholm's heartbeat. We didn't get a count of beats per minute though, just a quick listen, and we were happy about that!

We are scheduled to have a sonogram with the tech on April 13, along with a regular appointment with the doctor.  

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

19 Weeks

Due Date:
August 21, 2015

Next Appointment:
April 13, 2015

Movement:

Yes. I'm now convinced it is the baby moving! I feel movement mostly in the late afternoon and in the evenings after eating dinner, or when I lay down for bed.

Sleep:

Waking up frequently, but still feeling well rested.

What I Miss:

Fitting comfortably in my clothes.
Caffeine

Cravings:

Something salty for a snack and something sweet at the end of the day!

Symptoms:

Vivid dreams

18 Weeks - Baby Westerholm

It's appointment week!!! I'm so excited to go and see the baby. This has been the longest we have had to wait in between appointments...I think...or it just feels that way!

This past week I've continued to feel pretty good! The only thing I've "struggled" with is taking these pictures for the blog. (I'm aware that this is in no way, shape, or form a legitimate struggle. It's just a woman thing, I guess).

I'm normally not someone who likes pictures of myself, so it's been particularly hard to take pictures weekly and try to not pick out my every flaw, especially when I'm gaining weight. I finally get to a point where I have to ignore things, pick a picture, and save it. Someday I'll probably look at these pictures and say, "Look how thin/pretty I look!" <--- I'm not convinced, but I've already done that with high school pictures I thought I looked "sooooo fat" in. 

All that aside, here's a glimpse at the past 4 weeks and how much my belly has changed. We're less than two weeks away from being half-way done with our pregnancy. That's crazy to think!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

18 Weeks

Due Date:
August 21, 2015

Next Appointment:
March 25, 2015

Movement:

Possibly...I've noticed some movement, but it's not the "flutter" everyone talks about. There's a good chance I'm over-thinking this one, but I'm waiting for that moment where I say, "Yep! That's the baby!"

Sleep:

Waking up frequently, but still feeling well rested.

What I Miss:

Fitting comfortably in my clothes.
Caffeine

Cravings:

Something salty for a snack and something sweet at the end of the day!

Symptoms:

Vivid dreams

17 Weeks - Baby Westerholm

Another week down! Still feeling pretty good - less and less normal each day. I'm definitely starting to feel pregnant and starting to look more and more like it, too. I think on Friday I had my first case of heartburn. I've never had heartburn before, so I was initially a little unsure if it's what I was feeling.

NO FUN!!!

The only thing that we thought might have triggered it at dinner was the 3 (!) glasses of tea I had at dinner. I haven't had tea in several months now because of the caffeine, but I figured enjoying it once wouldn't do any harm. Before we even started eating our dinner, I was already feeling the heartburn. I didn't even finish my meal, which was probably the most disappointing part for me! 

I know the fried foods didn't help anything, but I later read that a rapid increase in caffeine can cause heartburn, so I feel like I might've done that to myself! 

Who knows...but I'm afraid of my tea for now. That was no fun and I'll steer clear if I can!

Other than that, things are going really well! I know I'm very blessed to have such a smooth pregnancy with no illness. *Knock on wood!* I'll take a case of heartburn now and then; it certainly wasn't killer, and is much more manageable than feeling nauseous all the time. I hope my good health continues!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

17 Weeks

Due Date:
August 21, 2015

Next Appointment:
March 25, 2015

Movement:

None yet!

Sleep:

Waking up frequently, but still feeling well rested.

What I Miss:

Fitting comfortably in my clothes.
Caffeine

Cravings:

Something salty for a snack and something sweet at the end of the day!

Symptoms:

Tighter clothes
Vivid dreams
Heartburn

16 Weeks - Baby Westerholm

This week was a fairly uneventful week in our pregnancy. We didn't have any doctor's appointments, and didn't notice any drastic changes, but I am eagerly awaiting that first feeling of movement in my belly! My fingers are crossed it happens soon!

Over the past couple of weeks I've really felt like my belly is starting to pop out, but I'm not going to lie...I really feel like it's a food baby, not a real one. It just doesn't look very "babyish" right now. It looks like I'm gaining weight for the winter...ha!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

16 Weeks

Due Date:
August 21, 2015

Movement:

None yet!

Sleep:

Waking up frequently, but still feeling well rested.

What I Miss:

Fitting comfortably in my clothes.
Warmer weather - it has nothing to do with my pregnancy other than I'd like to walk every night again and it's just too cold most nights!

Cravings:

Chex Mix
Something sweet at the end of the day!

Symptoms:

Tighter clothes
Stomach Cramps
Vivid dreams

15 Weeks - Baby Westerholm

Last week we had an appointment and got to see Baby Westerholm again! McKenna was able to go with us and the doctor even let her listen to the heartbeat. She was ecstatic, but when telling her mom about the appointment the first thing was she talked about was "this gel they put on Jessica's belly." I thought that was funny! Of all things and she remembers that?

Baby's heartbeat was in the 150s. The doctor hasn't taken any measurements again (that I know of), so we're still going with a due date of August 21.

Since announcing our pregnancy, I've had countless people tell us their first baby came "late." I'm gathering first babies are known for that, so daddy and baby might be closer to sharing a birthday than we think! (Talk to me in August...I'm sure I won't be hoping for that! It's nine days past our due date.)

The picture above has probably been one of the most difficult to read out of all of them that we've gotten. Dr. Kirchner said it was hard to get a picture without revealing the gender to us. Baby's spine is the thin white line at the bottom, feet are on the left, and head is on the right. I didn't think to ask, but it almost looks like baby was facing this way. Who knows...

Our next appointment is March 25. By then, we'll be almost 19 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

15 Weeks

Due Date:
August 21, 2015

Movement:

None yet!

Sleep:

Waking up frequently, but still feeling well rested.

What I Miss:

Fitting comfortably in my clothes

Cravings:

This week I've been on a Chex Mix kick!

Symptoms:

Tighter clothes
Stomach cramps
Vivid dreams

1 Year Wedding Anniversary

Today we celebrated our first wedding anniversary! It's so crazy to think that a year has already come and gone. We still remember and laugh about so many things from our wedding day.

These are some of our favorite pictures from the entire day. We really had the best time! I don't want to plan a wedding again, but I'd love to go back and redo the day!

Last night, we went to Fogo de Chao on the River Walk to celebrate. Neither one of us had ever been there. Of course, it was right up Brandon's alley. I enjoyed it, too, just not as much as he did!

It was so unbelievable to sit and talk about the past year of our lives. I don't think either one of us thought that we'd be waiting for Baby Westerholm to arrive just one year later.

Today we went to church and served cookies after the service, then were treated to lunch by Mimi (Westerholm). After that, we went home and achieved two (major!) baby "things": 1) we paid for our maternity and newborn portraits and finalized our baby names.

It's been a fun year and it can only get better from here...

Pregnancy Reveal Videos

When we shared the news that we were expecting with our families, we tried to catch some reactions on video. I thought it would be fun to share some of those reactions with you!

All of these were recorded on February 4, the day we had our 12 week appointment. Some of the videos are blurry. In some cases, we were attempting to hide the filming.

Darla & McKenna (Jessica's step-mom and sister)

In this video, we had my Grandma Doris give McKenna an envelope. Inside was our Valentine pregnancy announcement, a picture of us holding a onesie that read "Baby Westerholm Arriving Aug 2015."

DeWayne & Melissa (Jessica's step-dad and mom)

In this video, we gave my mom and DeWayne a pillow that read "PawPaw & Nana, Est. 2015."

Mark & Sharon (Brandon's dad and mom)

In this video you'll first and foremost notice my father-in-law's lack of clothing. I'd explain myself, but you should know him if you know me (and you should know me if you're reading this), and there's really no explanation other than, "That's Mark!"

Sharon, however, does refer to Brandon in this video as "little shit." I know, I know! But, can I please tell you that my husband has rightfully earned this name with my mother-in-law. I feel the need to come to her defense! Can you tell?!

He has previously teased her so much by pretending we were going to announce a pregnancy when we weren't. He has been cruel! Ha! 

I hope you enjoyed them! This night was one we hope to remember for many, many years to come. I can't even watch them or think about this night without grinning from ear-to-ear. We're blessed to have so much love surrounding this pregnancy!

We can't wait to share with Baby Westerholm some day how excited his/her great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, & uncles were to hear of his/her expectancy!