{16 weeks}

How far along? 16 weeks
Baby stats: Baby is the size of an avocado!  After seeing this on my pregnancy app earlier, I needed to have Chipotle to get my guac fix

Total weight gain/loss: Haven't weighed myself since the last appointment.
Maternity clothes? Pants and some shirts. 
Stretch marks? Besides the ones from Aubrey, none
Sleep: Not too bad!
Best moment this week: Finding out that we are having a GIRL!
Miss Anything? Not so much this week! 
Movement: Flutters galore!
Food cravings: Coconut shrimp. And I could eat bacon all day
Anything making you queasy or sick: Ugh, I gag over everything. It's awful.

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Shopping for baby clothes!

As far as belly pics go, this is all I really have. I am slacking in the belly pic department!

It's A....

Today was probably the longest day in the history of my life. Just like this post will probably be the longest one of your day. :)

When I originally booked this ultrasound, I kept in mind that I did not want to sit around all day waiting to go to the doctor's office. I made an afternoon appointment when we had our fetal scan with Aubrey and it was awful. This time - I figure - I'll get it done first thing in the morning so we won't have to wonder all day. Great idea, right? YEAH.. right....

Then we decided that we were going to do a gender reveal party. I still had to go at 7:30 this morning and be tortured all day, knowing the results were in that little envelope and I was just a rip away from finding out the sex of the baby who would complete our family in February.

I kept my cool. After the appointment, Aubrey & I came home (Keith decided to go into work at his normal time instead of going in late, since we wouldn't be learning the sex at the appointment anyway) and did some cleaning. Around 10, we picked up my mom and we went to Carter's to choose a couple outfits! We found two outfit sets that each came with a long sleeve, short sleeve, and those pants with the adorable appliques on the tush. We brought them up to the cashier and handed the envelope over and asked her to box up the right outfit and that we didn't want to know which one it was. 

I, of course, forgot to bring a cute little white gift box to bring and they didn't have any, either (say what?) but thankfully, she was able to go in the back and get us a box they had used previously for shipping. She sealed it up nice and tight with the ultrasound and receipt inside and we were on our way.

We got it back to my mom's and I wanted to wrap it to make it look nice. Yeah, well, that didn't happen

All we had to work with was pink wrapping paper. But what if our little baby was a boy? We found some blue ribbon and no matter what we did, we just could not make it look nice. I literally started sobbing. My poor mom didn't know what to do. Finally we found a cute little box that we could transfer the outfit to. Only problem is, who's going to be the one to open the box and put it in the other? Naturally we did the only logical thing and both did it with our faces pointed toward the ceiling and eyes shut tight. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at that moment. We must have looked so ridiculous! But at least the box finally looked decent:

I left the box there because I knew I would be too tempted to open it if I brought it home.

I went back home and did the finishing touches on everything and when Keith got home we threw a pizza in the oven for a quick, simple clean-up dinner. Then our guests started showing up!

We kind of threw this party together last minute. I wish I would have done more with it but I think it came out pretty cute :)

I noticed that the only cupcake liners I had were blue, so naturally I had to make pink frosting! A bit ticked with the food coloring box directions. This was NOT the shade they were supposed to turn out! Oh well.

These were a huge hit!

Stay tuned for a post of what our family members think we should name this little baby! 

Team Blue!!!

Team Pink was seriously outnumbered!

And I just need to say.. I was Team Blue. You all know that. I thought for sure this little one was a boy! This pregnancy was so similar to my last one in terms of morning sickness and how tired I was all the time. I was so full of energy and NO sickness with Aubrey! But the night before the party, I got this overwhelming and completely irrational fear. "What if we're having a girl, and in 10 years she looks back at pictures from the party and sees that both of her parents thought she was a boy?" The idea seriously got me really stressed out so I decided to switch to pink so at least one parent would be right!

THE BIG REVEAL!!!

I LOVE the look on Aubrey's face at the end! Such a proud big sis!

~

 Baby Sawtelle is a...

GIRL!!!

Old Wives Tales

Today is the big day! We had an ultrasound this morning and the tech was able to tell if there was a baby boy or girl growing away in my belly. I had her put the results in a sealed envelope which is currently in my purse waiting to get ripped open. 

We decided that, since this is our last baby, we wanted to make finding out the sex special. Since we can't cram all of our favorite people into the ultrasound room, we decided to do a Gender Reveal party later tonight. To pass the time I thought it would be fun to take a look at the Old Wives Tales that are supposed to determine the baby's sex. We'll see how accurate they are in about 9 hours! I'll do lucky #7 myths to ensure we don't end in a tie :)

Tale #1 - The Key Test This test involves a key.  If you pick up a key at the top (the roundest part), you are going to have a boy.  If you pick up the key at the bottom (smallest part), you are going to have a girl.  If you happen to grab the key in the middle, congrats, it’s twins!  I grabbed it at the top (I didn't realize that not everybody did this haha, I think it's strange that someone would grab a key by the harder-to-grab part!)

Tale #2 - Wedding Ring Test Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly.  You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth  and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle. My ring swings back and forth

Tale #3 - Show Me Your Hands When the pregnant woman is asked to show her hands, it’s a boy if she keeps her palms down and a girl if she shows her palms up.  Palms up, baby!

Tale #4 - Go To Sleep If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy.  If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl.  When I go to bed at night, I'm on my right side. If I'm laying on the couch watching tv, I make it a point to lay on my left because that's the side you're *supposed to* lay on when you're pregnant. Living on the edge, people!

Tale #5 - You're how old?! The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception.  If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl.  If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way!  25 + 2012 = 2027

Tale #5 - Chinese Gender Chart

Claims to be 90% accurate. If so, there is a 90% shot that Baby Sawtelle is a girl

Tale #6 - Morning Sickness If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy.  If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl.  Sick. as. a. dog.

Tale #7 - Hand 'em over! If your hands are constantly dry, it’s a boy. Pass the lotion!

Based on the answers, Aubrey is going to have someone to dress up like a princess with! Let's see if these old wives know what they're talking about! I am off to do prep for the party!

Cream Cheese Chicken

I have gotten quite a few requests for this recipe, and it really is AMAZING so of course I had to share it. When I ask Keith what he wants on the menu this week, 9 times out of 10 he will request cream cheese chicken. For a while, I wasn't able to make it because my wonderful husband broke my crock pot, but I found an adorable one at Target a week or two ago and it was on clearance so I had to have it.


Cream Cheese Chicken:
1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually throw it right in the crock frozen, so if you put it in fresh, it won't take as long to cook)
1 8-oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter
1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix (we use the Zesty one)
1 can cream of chicken soup


1. Cut up the stick of butter and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Nuke until melted. (Or, a genius idea I had while I was waiting for the microwave to beep, was to just throw it in the bottom of the crock pot and let it melt that way.. thus one less bowl to clean). Mix in the Italian dressing package. 

2. Put your chicken in the crock pot and pour the butter mixture over it.

At this point, your 3 year old will probably want something. Mine, in particular, wanted "coffee". My amazing friend Erin let me in on this secret when Aubrey kept wanting sips of my iced coffee. Pure genius, I tell you.

Anyway, back to the chicken.

3. Cook on high for 4 hours, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. At this point you can either shred it or leave it as a whole breast. I do the latter. Take it out of the crock and throw in the cream cheese (I cut it into chunks to make it melt faster) and cream of chicken soup. Stir until mixed together. Put chicken back in and keep crock pot on "Warm" until you are ready for it. Serve with your favorite sides (I personally love mashed potatoes and broccoli).

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the finished product on the plate because I promise it looks a lot more appetizing.. But I tend to do this thing where I get excited to shove my face and just forget to take pictures. 

Enjoy!

You're Gonna Miss This

It seems like my morning sickness decided to come in for a little visit this week. There were a few days where I just did not feel good at all. 

I was feeling all "oh, woe is me, why does this baby hate me, can it be February yet" two nights ago while I was out grabbing a Dunkachino on my lunch break, hoping it would make me feel better and stay awake for the next 4 hours. I dragged my feet to the car and sat there for probably five minutes, wishing so badly I was going home for the night instead of just going to Dunks and coming back in 20 minutes. I finally stuck the key in the ignition and turned the car on and turned the radio up (is it bad that sometimes I am just too lazy to take Aubrey's Phineas & Ferb CD out of the stereo, so I just put the radio on instead? lol)

Anyway, so I turn the radio up and hear this song that made me instantly stop thinking those negative thoughts and to be thankful for what we have been blessed with.




You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast


A part of me is so, so excited for February to get here and a new chapter in our lives to begin. But that other part of me is trying to hush that other part up, because I know this will be our last baby and I know that I'm going to miss the hell out of being pregnant, feeling little kicks reassuring me that Baby is okay, feeling the excitement of what's to come, and knowing Baby is safe in there. I'm going to miss Aubrey being an only child and getting our undivided love and attention. I'm going to miss sleep and sanity (haha). I'm trying to enjoy these 9 months because we won't ever get them back. This song was just a little reminder to slow down a bit and enjoy the ride. <3

{15 weeks}

How far along? 15 weeks
Baby stats: Baby is the size of an apple! Taste buds and the air sacs in Baby's lungs are starting to develop. Little bean can sense light (flashlight tag, anyone?) 

Total weight gain/loss: + .2 pounds
Maternity clothes? Pants and some shirts. 
Stretch marks? Besides the ones from Aubrey, none
Sleep: I have found myself going out for Dunkachinos on my lunch break to give myself just a little kick of caffeine so I don't fall asleep talking to a client at work.
Best moment this week: Aubrey finally got to hear Baby's heartbeat on our doppler. Every time I would try to find it, I would find it for a few seconds and then Baby squirms away. The look on her face was priceless! We are also super excited that we only have 5 days left til we find out if we'll be buying pink or blue!
Miss Anything? Being able to take my prescription strength ibuprofen for migraines. Tylenol just doesn't cut it! 
Movement: Flutters galore!
Food cravings: Still holding out for coconut shrimp.. I have also found that I am obsessed with Skippy Natural Peanut Butter w/ Honey. I find that it's not as thick as regular peanut butter and the added honey taste is amazing.. especially as a snack with graham crackers at work
Anything making you queasy or sick: Funny story.. one of my coworkers is due the month before me and we like to look at Babies R Us during downtime. A few nights ago, I found the cutest toy that clips to a car seat handle called Captain Calamari.. so of course we start talking about calamari and how they kind of look like a tiny octopus and another coworker chimed in about how people in another country eat raw octopus on salad. I couldn't shake this thought and for a couple hours I was so nauseous that I eventually had to go to the bathroom and get sick.

Have you started to show yet: A bit, yes
Gender Prediction: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, nausea
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Finding out the sex next week.. oh, and football Sunday! Yes this baby is going to be a Pats baby! But super bummed that my due date is just 2 weeks AFTER the Superbowl. Check out the cuteness that is Aubrey watching her first football game back in '09:

First Trimester Favorites

I saw this idea on two of my favorite blogs {here} and {here} and thought it would be fun to look back on the first trimester and remember the things I couldn't live without. This list probably makes me look like the world's biggest fatass. Ah well.


#1. Nesquik chocolate milk powder - I actually rolled my eyes the day that I took Keith food shopping with me (what was I thinking?) and he put this in the carriage. "Seriously? Chocolate syrup is much less expensive and it tastes the same!" Little did I know the obsession it would unleash. It does NOT taste the same. I am officially team chocolate powder. Open mouth, insert foot. Leave the syrup to the sundaes. I seriously can not get enough of this stuff.

#2. The Snoogle! - This thing has been my Godsend not only this pregnancy, but my last two as well. I didn't get it until probably around 32 weeks when I was pregnant with Aubrey but I didn't waste any time pulling it out this time! It takes up half our bed, but the face I make every time I lay on it is identical to the creepy face in the picture. Seriously.

#3. Polar Granny Smith Apple Seltzer - My mother would be so proud. As a kid I remember lugging bottles of soda water up our flight of 17 stairs (but who was counting?) after every shopping trip. I was never a fan until I spotted this flavor at the grocery store. It's not too sweet but offers just a kick of that green apple flavor. I bet this would be an amazing mixer..

#4. Gummy prenatals! - I have a hard time swallowing pills even when pregnancy HASN'T shot my gag reflexes to hell. There is no way I am shoving something the size of a football (slight exaggeration) down my throat, so these things have been super helpful.

#5. Apple Cider Cured Bacon - There really are no words. This stuff is amazing. One of our favorite things to laugh about so far this pregnancy was the night that we were going to make  breakfast for dinner but my morning sickness turned me into a slug. Off to bed I went, only to wake up around 8, sneak out into the kitchen (walking right by Keith), grab the plate of bacon that was left over that was in the microwave, and go back to bed and eat it. He was playing Call of Duty or something equally as awful and didn't even notice me get up. The next morning he commented on how the bacon went missing and we both had a good laugh.

#6. Chipotle is one of my happy places. Not as happy as Target, but it's up there. This is the only food establishment I can go to and not have to ever think about what I'm going to get. Steak burrito bowl, brown rice, black beans (light on the beans, heavy on the sauce), peppers & onions, a little mild salsa, cheese, sour cream, and guac (just in case anybody ever wants to surprise me.. wink wink).