16 Weeks Pregnant =)

Hello 16 Weeks!!!!

I can't believe I am already 16 weeks pregnant! I had a doctors appointment last Wednesday and I go back in 3 weeks when I will be given my script for my anatomy scan! We cannot wait to find out if Baby McNamara is a boy or girl! Expect an old wives tale post soon!!  This week was interesting for me... I have been on half a b6 vitamin and half a unisom since about 8 weeks to help with my nausea and insomnia.  Since I was into my second trimester, when I ran out of unisom I figured it would be okay to stop.  Bad idea! I guess it was helping me way more then I thought because I was miserable until I got my butt to the store and restocked.  I think I will give myself a few more weeks until I try to go off them again.  This week has been okay, not great though.  My headaches are still plaguing me.  I think my next step is to go to a chiropractor.  My hips feel out of whack and I need something (massage, adjustment?) for my neck and shoulders which will hopefully help my headaches!  Evening and nighttime nausea is back.. not as bad as in the beginning but it is certainly not great either.   My appetite still is virtually non-existent.  I live on grapes, pickles, yogurt, hot pretzels, and other various fruits.  I was physically unable to swallow my prenatals in my first trimester without gagging them back up so I had been taking the gummies but I am not back on the pill form now which is a monster to try and swallow. I have also been dealing with a lot of stretching and pulling that can take my breath away at times.  I know it is things shifting and moving but it still makes me nervous sometimes!

How far along: 16 weeks

Total weight gain: This is tricky and not something I am necessarily going to disclose for the world to see.  It is tricky because prior to getting pregnant, I had lost some weight calorie counting.  Once I knew I was pregnant, I stopped calorie counting and ate whatever I could stomach (mainly popcorn, hot pretzels, and fruit).  I gained about half the weight I had previously lost fairly quickly from 6-11 weeks.  Since then I haven't gained any but my doctor isn't concerned.

Maternity clothes: I have 2 pairs of maternity pants that fit and are comfortable but other than that I am still squeezing into my favorite pair of skinny jeans and using the belly band to hold them up! I am not in maternity shirts yet as all my shirts fit fine! Some are getting a little tighter and my Columbia jacket is getting more snug but definitely still manageable! I have been fortunate to get some hand me downs from my sister-in-law, find some good deals, and have a parents of one of my students sell me some of her old maternity clothes for a great price!

Stretch marks: none so far!

Sleep: Eh.  Before I was pregnant it was normal for me to wake up 2-3 times a night.  That continues now and during bad nights will increase to 4-5 times.  I am getting pretty restless and wake up with very sore neck and shoulders!  I have had more energy then during the first trimester but still get worn our very easily!

Best moment of the week:  Going to the doctor and hearing we can schedule our anatomy scan BEFORE Thanksgiving, reading that baby can hear my voice, and (non-pregnancy related), enjoying a good weekend with family and friends!

Miss anything: Dinner.  I miss having an appetite and being able to eat a real meal at dinner time. 

Movement: None yet =( This week is until 20 weeks is when "they" say most people will start to feel movement! I am hoping to feel little baby moving sooner rather than later but I know it may be awhile since this is my first baby!

Food cravings: popcorn as usual, oddly enough: flaming hots (I have indulged and immediately regret it afterwards!), and always fruit and water.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: A  lot.  Foods I don't feel like typing because it makes me sick to think about, and nothing at all! I just tend to feel a constant overall feeling of queasiness. 

Have you started to show yet: I think so! I did get 1 comment this week about my "little bump."  I feel like I have popped a bit more this week but I also have felt like I have been "showing" for awhile then look at pictures and just laugh at myself! What do you think???

Gender: We will find out in a few weeks!! I have had 2 dreams it was  girl, 1 that it was a boy, and flip flop every other day on what I feel like it is. My mother's intuition is failing me here because I really have no clue! Sean thinks boy! We will see!

Belly button in or out: Still in

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Happy or moody most of the time: happy most of the time!

Looking forward to: Baby movement!!!!!! 

15 weeks =)

Wow! I can't believe I am already 15 weeks pregnant! Baby is now moving further and further upwards and making me lose my breath much easier.  Baby is the size of an orange!! I love when the fruit comparison is a fruit I can actually recognize! So, how has my 15th week treated me?

• I am still experiencing round ligament pain.  It is generally felt on my right side.  It isn't the worst and mostly hurts when I sneeze or bend a certain way.
• Headaches have come back with a vengeance this week. I have self-diagnosed them as tension headaches.  Laying down with an ice pack does very little.  Sleep seems to be the only escape from them.
• I have been craving kiddie cocktails this week! Oddly enough I have grenadine in my pantry so I have been making one daily.  They are just missing a cherry which I forgot to buy at the store... other cherry flavored items have popped into my mind as sounding quite delightful: cherry icee, red vines, red starbursts... yum!!!
• Popcorn has been something I have been able to not only eat without feeling sick but WANT my whole pregnancy so far.  None of that low cal plain stuff either, I want the extra butter kind!! 
• Even though the last 2 points were about food, I really haven't had much of an appetite.  I am actually eating less then I did before I was pregnant.  When I eat I make sure I am getting good amount of protein and healthy foods.  I'll talk with my doctor and I am not starving myself by any means, just not very hungry.  Along with that, I sometimes am reminded that I need to eat.  My body signals are all off- I don't get nauseous, shaky, and grumbly tummy like I usually did when I was hungry, now I just get extremely light headed.  
• I feel as though these last few weeks have flown by! Sean ifeels as though it is going slower now! I think the beginning was slow enough considering all I did was lay on the couch debating whether or not I was going to puke (tmi?).   Either way, we are both loving reaching new milestones in this pregnancy! Sean is picking out our child's Halloween costumes for next year and I am imagining the fall season with a 6 month old!  We can't wait!

Overall, this has not been a very eventful week.  I am hoping the headaches let up soon and I continue to get more energy back since I feel the initial "energy surge" has gone away.  I am very grateful for having what seems like a very mild and easier pregnancy then some.  

Any questions?? Just ask!!  

Oh hey... I'm back!

Hi all! So it has been awhile since I have written but I promise I have a good excuse... I'm pregnant!!!

Baby McNamara is due April 11, 2015 and we could not be more excited!!! I keep meaning to journal about my pregnancy but I am awful at journaling.. my mind moves way faster than my hand and it doesn't work for me! I really do want something to look back on and some way of documenting my experience so I am back to my blog!

First things first, I found out on July 31st.  I was 100% I was not pregnant, took a test anyway, and walked away.  Sean and I left for Bears camp and I wasn't feeling too well but that really wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me.  We came home a few hours later and even though I KNEW you aren't supposed to look that long after, I did.  Lo and behold there was a very faint second line.  I had wonderful plans of how I was going to tell Sean he was going to be a dad.  I bought books, a onesie, and was going to buy him a cookie cake.  But, nope, instead I yelled, "Sean! Sean come here! Is that a line????" I worried it was an evaporation line so I took another, or  3 and sure enough all were positive!!! I was in total shock! We both were so excited but also cautious because it was so early.  I couldn't stop smiling or looking at the tests!  I took a digital the next day and there was that beautiful word, "pregnant." We left for vacation a few days later and I hid it the entire time.  It was difficult especially since I really wasn't feeling well!  We told friends and family when I was between 8-10 weeks along.

How have I been feeling? 

Until about week 9, I was feeling awful.  I never got sick but was on the verge plenty of times (sorry if this is tmi).  I was pretty much couch ridden and no fun to be around! I was very tired and barely functioning.  The exhaustion lasted until about 5 days ago.  I am slowly getting some energy back but still get tired very easily!  I have had mild cramping since the beginning and have recently been feeling the wonders of round ligament pain.  Headaches have been a major issue.  I get them easily but they do not go away that easily.  I had headaches before pregnancy so I am not surprised that they have returned with a vengeance.  In the beginning I dealt with some insomnia which only made the nausea worse.  Luckily, that changed and morphed into needing to be in bed by 7:30 every night.  My bedtime has been pushed a little later as I get more energy but I wake up at least 3 times a night (depending on how much I sleep) which isn't fun. 

Pregnancy brain.. wait, what?

It is real people! Just ask Sean.  I will ask the same question 5 times in 10 minutes and have no recollection of my asking or the answer.  I will demand the keys as I hold them in my hand.  I have showed up to gym/ computers/art/music late or early quite a few times already.  I feel like I cannot trust my mind!

How's Dad?

Sean is amazing.  I couldn't imagine someone more supportive or caring.  He is beyond excited, calls the baby "Sloth," and is not afraid to be completely involved! I feel so loved and cared for.  He is going to be an amazing father! I really cannot say enough about how wonderful he has been so far.  I truly am a lucky one! 

Will you find out the gender?

Yes!   It will  be a wonderful surprise when we find out, even if it is early! I can't wait to know if this precious baby is a boy or girl and give it a name (and stop calling it, "it").  I feel like I will get to know my baby in a totally new way then I do right now.  With that being said- we are keeping the name a secret until the baby is born.  We have already changed our minds and want the freedom to switch or choose differently without having to backtrack.  Also, it is just an added surprise for everyone else! =)  What do you think baby will be????

Do you want a boy more or a girl more?

We really don't care.  We both have always imagined a boy first and have more boy names picked out so I think we both tend to lean more towards boy but if we find out the baby is a girl we will be over the moon! Cliche or not, we want a healthy baby!

What are you looking forward to?

Baby movement!! Well, at least feeling the baby move! I cannot wait! It is still a bit early but I cannot wait to feel those little flutters, or pops, or whatever they will feel like! Sean has to wait a bit longer and he isn't too happy about that!

Now that I am caught up (sort of), I plan on updating more often! For now, here is my 14 week photo!

I am 14 weeks pregnant (beginning of my 4th month).  I feel like I have a bump but no one else seems to notice! Originally I had my weekly update picture posted but the angle made the bump look way bigger then it was!I bought my first 2 pairs of maternity jeans and am otherwise rocking the belly band with everything!   As I mentioned earlier, I am feeling a lot better and slowly getting some energy back. My emotions haven't been too crazy.  I am a bit quicker to get angry but it doesn't happen too often.  I have had a few "crazy pregnant girl crying episodes," such as during Jess's birthday episode on New Girl... that gave Sean a good laugh.  Right now, I am ecstatic to be in the 2nd trimester! I can't wait to feel little one move, find out if baby is a boy or girl, and continue to experience this all with the love of my life! 

Any questions? Ask me! I am pretty open about all things pregnancy! Love this experience so far!!!

Summer Lately

Hi all! So my insanely busy summer has slowed down and I finally have some time to write!  June and the beginning of July were so busy but so insanely fun as well! We did so much and spend such good time with family! I would not take it back for anything.

Shortly after we got back from Mexico we drove to VA for about 10 days.  My brother-in-law got married and we were both lucky to be in the wedding.  His fiance is such a great girl and I am so happy to have her aa part of the family!! The wedding was a blast!! The rest of the week we spent sight seeing, eating, and hanging out by the pool with his family.  I always love our trips to VA.  We are able to catch up and relax with his family but it always makes it even harder to leave and be away from everyone again.

We went to Great Falls and did some hiking! 

Us and my in laws! 

Bridal party swag =)

After a wonderful 1.5 weeks in VA, we headed home.  Things were semi back to normal and settled.  We "ran" a 5k with my brothers, my brothers gf, and my dad. Last year we did the Warrior Dash, this year we signed up for the Hit and Run.  It was supposed to be like wipe out, and it kind of was, but it just was not very fun! There were only about 5 obstacles, with long waits and half were partially broken, and it was not very well organized.  Regardless, it was so fun to be there with my family!

  

Something huge happened, my nephew was born!!!! He was 4 days late and a big baby! He was born on 7/11/14 and was 9 lbs, 1 oz, and 21 inches long! He is the cutest boy in the world! I was able to spend the night and enjoy so many cuddles!!  I miss him so; thank goodness for facetime!

I also was able to spend some time/photograph/babysit my 2 nieces! I don't know how I got the cutest nieces/nephew ever but I am a lucky auntie!!

We ended our "busy" season with another wedding! My best friend got married and I was the matron of honor! I made it through without tripping or embarrassing myself which was great! She was a beautiful bride!!

Now, it is the middle of July (how did that happen!!).  We leave for our final summer vacation in 2 weeks (Door County round 3!), and I am starting to think about the beginning of the school year! This has truly been a great summer so far and I am so lucky to have the time to relax and enjoy it off! 

Mexico: Late Honeymoon

Sean and I took a mini-moon after our wedding last March.  We spent a couple of days in Galena which were very nice and perfect for the timing/money we had at the time.  In December, we booked what would be our "official" honeymoon in the Riviera Maya.  We left bright and early Monday morning on June 9th.  My dad was kind enough to drive us to (and from) the airport.  The line to check in was very long but once we got through it we breezed through to our gate.  Luckily we got there 2 hours early because we boarded the plane about 10 minutes after getting to our gate and were in the air 15 minutes early!  ((*** I am sorry for the poor quality of the photos- I did not bring my camera with me so we only had our phones!)

On the plane!

We stayed at Iberostar Paraiso Maya Lindo.  The resort was all-inclusive.  It had 24 hours room service, multiple bars (all drinks free!), ice cream bar, a dance club, shopping center, sports and gym, ocean 50 feet away, snack bars, and multiple restaurants.

When we arrived we went through customs, got our baggage, and were taken to our pre-booked transportation.  We were so excited! The ride to the resort was only about 30 minutes long.  We arrived at the resort, our baggage was taken, and we went to check-in.  They had drinks waiting for us that we were able to sip on while checking in.  We were amazed at our resort! We had never been to anything like it! It was breathtaking! Our room wasn't ready so we headed to the buffet for some lunch! The first thing I noticed was the bread and dessert table! YUMMY!!!  The resort was beyond beautiful. The walk-ways were all outdoors and surrounded by beautiful water features! After lunch, we were taken by golf cart to our room and our baggage was brought to us.  Our room was very nice, and right by the main pool! We unpacked and then went to walk around and see the whole place.  Afterwards, we got out suits on and spent some time by the pool! We then showered and got ready for dinner at the buffet.  The resort provided shows every night so we decided to check one out.  Monday night was "Musical Night" where they performed numbers from Grease, Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia, Lion King, Chicago, and a few others.  After the show we walked down to the beach.  It was so peaceful and gorgeous at night.  We then headed back to our room, ordered room service, ate, and went to sleep!

Tuesday,  I went to the shopping center to get some souvenirs while Sean went to the gym.  We designated Tuesday as our pool day!  We spent all day by the pool, soaking up the sun while layering on 70 SPF. We went in the wave pool, took a free scuba diving lesson around the pool, took pictures (that we did not buy because they were $20 per picture!) with an adorable monkey, and had many delicious fruity drinks!  When we were all pooled out, we headed to the tennis courts! It was extremely hot, but very fun! We saw two animals fighting and falling out of the tree, a giant crab, a few lizards, peacocks, flamingos, and a lot of deer! Sometimes you forget you are in the jungle but we were quickly reminded of that! We had dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant, dressed up, and headed out.  Sean tried wine for the first time and actually liked it!  Later, we had a second dinner at the buffet (fatties, I know!).  We then went to the sports bar to watch the end of the NBA Finals. 

 
Wednesday was the day of our Coba Maya Adventure.  We were picked up at 7:20 by our driver and tour guide, Captain Snake.  He was hilarious.   He had the best accent, told the stupidest jokes, and played music from club, to reggae, to Marilyn Manson. We picked up a few others from different resorts (One very strange lady came with diaper cream covering her entire face) and headed to Coba.  We walked through the jungle quite a bit (This was huge for me as I was terrified of seeing snakes!).  We did 2 separate zip lines which were not at all scary as I expected! It was actually very relaxing and gave a welcome break and breeze!  After some more trekking through the jungle, we came upon the cenote .  We repelled into the cenote (about 65 feet down).  It was dark, creepy, and beautiful.  The water was an amazing temperature.  Sean did the Indian Jones ladder climb back up while I opted for the lazy route and was pulled back up (no effort on my part whatsoever).  After leaving the cenote, a Shaman did a Mayan purification ceremony and then we headed to the canoes. We canoed across a lake and then enjoyed a traditional Mayan meal (which was delicious!).  After the meal we headed to the Coba Mayan Ruins!   Unfortunately, we have no pictures from the first part of our adventure.  Camera and phones weren't allowed.  They did have a photographer but it was going to be a lot of money for not a lot of pictures so we opted out!

The ruins were beautiful! Most we were able to just look at but we walked about 2 miles to the tallest Mayan pyramid (134 feet) which we were able to climb! The 134 foot climb in 95+ degree weather was difficult but so worth it! The view of the jungle was breathtaking! The breeze was wonderful up there as well! Heading down was easier, scary, and exciting as an iguana crawled right past me!  We made the long and hot walk back and treated ourselves to some icecream!

After getting back to the resort we showered.  Since our reservations we not until 8:30 we had first dinner at the buffet.  Later, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Steakhouse.  We ended the night at the Galaxy Dance Club.  Drinks were still included in our all-inclusive stay, the music was loud and awesome, and the club was oddly Star Wars themed! It was a blast though!

Thursday was our last full day in Mexico.  We ate breakfast and headed right for the ocean.  Playa del Carmen was about 50 feet away, had an abundance of seating, a bar, and snack bar as well!.  The sun was shining and hot! The water felt incredible! The waves were about 7 feet high and so fun! I was tossed around like a rag doll which gave Sean a lot of laughs! I left with a scraped leg after a wave tossed me into a rock! The majority of the beach was sandy but occasionally you'd hit a rocky patch in the water.  We took a lunch break and spent some time in the pool to get a break from the salt water and waves.  Sean played some beach volleyball with a bunch of people while I sipped my Miami Vice.  We layed on chairs on the beach and both took lovely naps.  The waves and overall atmosphere of the beach were so relaxing!  We headed into the ocean one last time and then went back to our room to shower.  We relaxed and enjoyed Mexico for a bit and then headed to our reservation at the Gourmet restaurant.  The restaurant was very fancy, you were required to dress up, and it was a new experience! Sean and I had to keep reminding each other to keep our elbows off the table. Naturally, we had our 2nd dinner at the buffet a little later.  We went to the show they were playing which was fun.  We headed back to pack and then went to sleep.

 

Thursday we finished packing, ate breakfast, and checked out.  Our car service had us at the airport 3 hours early so we had a lot of time to kill! We ate at Johnny Rockets, talked, read, and enjoyed the cheers of the whole airport everytime Mexico made a goal in the world cup!  We finally boarded the plane and headed home.  Our trip was amazing and better then I even imagined.  Being disconnected from technology was so nice.  It was so wonderful to just be with each other and enjoy the trip! I wish I had more pictures but do not really regret not bringing my camera.  I wanted to just be there and not worry about capturing everything!  I think we were there for the perfect length of time, we got semi-tan (tan for us!) and just had a blast!!! 

I know most of you probably did not read all of this and it was a very long post but I wrote it mostly for myself.  I wanted it here so I could look back on it and remember all the details of our trip!  If you did read it all- Kudos to you!!! 

We are on to our next adventure soon as we head to VA to enjoy time with the McNamaras!

Courtney's Baby Shower

My sister's baby shower was a couple weeks ago.  That last week before the shower was very busy/stressful! I was packing up my classroom, preparing for a substitute, getting ready for Mexico, and doing last minute preparations for the shower at the same time! Now that it is all over, I am very happy and I think everything turned out great!

 


The morning of the shower I woke up very early, made some last minute decor, picked up the cupcakes, and headed over to my parents to help clean and decorate. At about 11:30, I realized guests would be arriving in about 30 minutes and rushed home to change, pick up balloons, and get my butt back to my parents! Thankfully, I made it back before anyone arrived to an empty house...

cookies, oversize licorice, m&ms, cupcakes, puppy chow, and homemade Preggatinis. 

As guests arrived, we had a lot of appetizers for people to snack on.  Everyone arrived pretty much on time which was nice.   I had the guests who are moms fill out an "Advice for the Mommy-To-Be" sheet while everyone else had a celebrity baby name matching game.  Courtney won that game but graciously allowed the 2nd place winner to get the prize! ;)

 



We ate shortly after- we had Jimmy John's subs, fruit salad, pasta salad, and taco dorito salad (whoa we had a lot of salads!) As everyone finished eating they gathered around for the "Price is Right: Baby Edition."  I had bought various items and the guests had to guess who much each item cost.  The guest with the closest total won a prize!

Once the game was finished Courtney opened her presents.  As she opened her presents everyone filled out baby prediction cards.

  

We took pictures with the guests and then spend a few hours relaxing outside! The weather was gorgeous and rain held off until everyone went home!

 



The shower went without a hitch and I think everyone had a wonderful time! My sister looked beautiful for the shower and I know she really enjoyed it! She got so many wonderful gifts and people were so generous! Everyone is so excited for this baby boy's arrival!

F I V E on Friday

Well, this Friday is particularly wonderful as it is the start of my summer!  I celebrated by grabbing myself a Caramel Coolata from Dunkin Donuts after work.  It was delicious!

O N E
Speaking of the end of the school year... I really loved my class this year.  I loved teaching first grade so it does make me sad to leave them! One of my room parents made me a scrapbook with pictures from all our class parties and field trips.  All my students were in it.  There was a also a super sweet note and gift card included.  It was such a thoughtful gift.  I love that I will have it as a great reminder of my first, first grade class!   Today was field day, I am drained from being in the sun but it was a really great day.  Summer is here and I am beyond excited!

T W O
Tomorrow is my sister's baby shower.  I feel like I have been going non-stop getting stuff ready for it! I have realized that Pinterest creates very unrealistic expectations about what kind of party you can throw on a budget! But, I think my mom and I managed to put together a really nice shower and I know my sister will love it.

T H R E E
Mexico!!! We leave in a few days for Mexico and I cannot wait! We booked this trip what feels like forever ago and it is finally here! We have everything we need (including SPF 70 sunscreen) and are ready to go! I am hoping for great weather but truthfully I am just excited to get away with Sean.  We have never done anything like this and it is sure to be an adventure! I will do a post on Mexico at some point as well!

F O U R
Wedding city! My dresses are getting taken in right now, my shoes are ready to go, and the checks are written out! We leave for VA a few days after getting back from Mexico! I am really excited to see family and spend a really good amount of time with them! The wedding should be a blast! I can't wait! I am just hoping my sister doesn't go into labor while I am 12 hours away!!  Come July 12th, wedding number 2! I am so excited to see my friend get married.  I am not going to lie though, the speech I have to make gives me no small amount of anxiety...

F I V E
Did I mention my nephew could be born at any time? Yeah, my sister is 35, almost 36 weeks! Whoo Hoo! Sometime (hopefully in July when I am officially home) I will have a nephew! Can't wait to get my baby fix!!

Well, that is all I have for you! When I get back from all my vacations I will do some posts on all these exciting events! I have to say, I am an extremely blessed girl to have such wonderful things to look forward to!!