baby bump: 26 weeks

How far along:  26 weeks.

Size of baby:  Head of lettuce.

Maternity clothes:  I'm just hoping my maternity shirts will last me through the rest of this pregnancy without me showing off my mid drift.

Weight gain:  We had a doctor's appointment and I think I've gained about 16-18 pounds. I gained 6 pounds from my last appointment… eek.  But I'm still on track according to my pre-baby height/weight.  

Sleep:  It is still something I excel at.  It's funny because when my alarm is going off in the morning and I'm rolling around and starting to wake up, she starts kicking me.  It's like she's saying, "come on, mom, stop snoozing and wake up!".  She is a much more pleasant wake up call than my alarm. 

Exercise:  Sure.

Best moment of the week:  Celebrating Christmas on my mom's side with tons of family.  I love stuffing that house full of people and food and presents.  It was fun to watch my cousins and cousins' kids open gifts and it was crazy to think that next year we will have a little one "opening" presents.  Or maybe more like playing with the wrapping paper and eating the bows.   

Movement:  All the time.  I felt and elbow or knee or foot or something the other day stick out of my stomach.  I pushed on it and it moved.  So surreal to feel the first little body part!  

Cravings:  Anything.  I'm not picky. 

Gender:  She's a she. 

Belly button in or out:  It's out so much that it's kind of embarrassing, especially if I wear a light colored shirt.  

Wedding ring on or off:  On.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope, I have an iron stomach. 

What I miss:  Doing projects.  We've been so busy that we haven't had time to work on our to do list.  I'm getting antsy to get going on finishing the stairs, dining room table, and all things nursery. 

What I am looking forward to:  Baby showers!  We've set the dates for the showers and my sister is planning away.  I can't wait to celebrate this little parasite with all our family and friends. 

What I am not looking forward to:  The holidays ending and decorations coming down. 

Labor signs:  Nope. 

Symptoms:  Just lots of movement.   

Nursery:  I continue to sit in there planning everything I'm going to do to it.  I think we will officially start working on it the first weekend in January.  Woohoo!

Emotions:   It's amazing how every year at my Grandma and Grandpa Shirley's, the family gets bigger and bigger.  Next Christmas, our daughter will be the first one to open a present out of the entire 30-some member family.  I can't imagine how much different our lives will be next year and for the better.  By next Christmas, she'll be crawling and shoving bows and wrapping paper into her mouth and we'll think it's the cutest thing ever.  We'll have to start talking about Santa next year (even though she will have no idea what we're blabbing about).  And instead of sitting in my pelvis and cramping my lungs while we open presents, she'll be snuggled in my lap and drooling on my arm.  Next Christmas sounds like the best one yet!

Week in review: 

This was a very chill week leading up to Christmas at the farm.  In fact it was so boring that I took a picture of Ehren's juice that he made.  We have a juicer and I think some of the things in here are carrots, celery, spinach, lemon, oranges, apple, and beets.  The colors that are found in nature can be so amazing!  #nofilter

The youngest boys were so excited to open their presents.  You can see grandma watching them in the background.  What is amazing to think about is that if it weren't for my grandparents meeting and falling in love, there would be no "us".  No Linda, Vickie, Janet, Dale, Amy, Ryan, Josh, Katie, Kevin, Derek, Mitchell, Abra, Brodric, Kacia, Holland, Job, Charlie, Sam, and no me and no baby in my belly.  That's a lot of people that stemmed from two people who fell in love in the late 40s/early 50s. 

Holland got some new make up for Christmas and little brother Job wanted to make sure she was putting it on right. 

While we were up at the farm, we got about 8 inches of snow.  My aunt's van got stuck in the middle of the yard and she had to leave it there overnight.  Good thing farms tend to have giant machinery just hanging around that can help out a lot more than a shovel ever could.  

Cozy got a Christmas gift from his dog-loving Great Aunt Janet.  It was funny because it was like he didn't know what to do with himself when he had it on.  He either sat or walked around slowly.  He's gotten more used to it.

Not many pictures from the week but I guess that means I was spending quality time with my family and less time on my phone!