Halfway there!

Hello Friends! It has been too long since I've updated our baby status and at Michaela's request - here goes a Week 20 update!

Can't believe I'm already halfway done with my pregnancy - it has been amazing and so enjoyable - thanks to my freakishly calm hormones and apparently relaxed baby in there! She doesn't move around too much - guess she likes to sleep a lot - must be a mama's girl already! I could sleep 12 hours a day. Maybe this is a sign she'll be a sleeper, and if we're lucky through the night, too! The picture above was from the Northwood Prom on Saturday, April 17 - I had a good time with Michaela and Mom - it was so wonderful to see the kids act like young adults and look beautiful and handsome - some really cute dresses - and some awful ones, too. The dress I am wearing should be familiar - I've only worn it one other time when I changed into it at my wedding for the last dance and departure! I may have worn it on my honeymoon, too but I dont' remember. Maybe I'll take my daughter to prom when she is old enough one year!

As I'm sure you've figured out - we're having a precious little GIRL! As soon as we were told, Shawn literally threw us fists up in the air and announced that we would not have a baseball player. A professional baseball playing brother and brother in law is enough for now! She can still be a tennis player though:) Baby Brighton weighed 8 ounces about 10 days ago and was 3 inches long. Since then my belly has grown a bit so hopefully she's packing on some much needed weight and length - she was average in both at the ultrasound. (she just kicked - she doesn't like being talked about like she's not here). I asked how to make her gain some weight and was told that women who gain 50 pounds have big babies and women who don't chow on unhealthy foods during their pregnancy have little babies - as long as I'm eating enough fruits, veggies, dairy and protein and stocking up on vitamins we'll have a healthy girl!

At this point, baby Brighton can taste the food I'm eating and I'm trying to eat healthy foods that hopefully she'll like as she grows older. I am starting to feel the ligaments and muscles in my lower abdomen area begin to stretch and sometimes when I go from a sitting to a standing position it is a bit painful - I tend to feel it more at the gym. When I sit sometimes I can feel my insides being pushed upwards which is a weird feeling. Baby Brighton is sitting really low - still and most of her kicking is well below my belly button - which hasn't popped yet! According to the bump, she should be the size of a cantaloupe, which, to me, is a rather sizable fruit. I could not fit a cantaloupe in my belly right now, so not sure she's quite that size yet, maybe in another week or so.

I've started to get my registry in order - overwhelming to say the least!!! I've probably spent around 24 hours total just browsing through Target and Babies R Us baby items and reading reviews to try to figure out what to get. It's difficult to keep track of how many of this and how many of that to get and what is and what really isn't necessary. To a first time Mom EVERYTHING seems necessary, but when I read reviews I realize that some things are simply a waste of money and will not be used enough to spend the money. Besides a newborn won't know the difference anyway! We were blessed to be offered a a stroller, car seat with two bases, swing, high chair, and never used diaper genie by a colleague of mine who has a 20 month old. All of it is still in great condition and looks brand new! We're being sold all of these items for such a steal and we're probably saving over $350!!! I am probably going to try to find a crib on Craig's list, but I did find one for under $200 that I like! If anyone has advice to share on items that I should definitely buy or items that I could skip over let me know! I'm also kind of lost as to how many items of clothing to get for the different ages in months (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, etc) and which pieces of clothing to get (onesies, gowns, etc.). They grow so fast, but my child will be a fashionista indeed!

Mark your calendars for August 7! I'm about 90% sure this is going to be our baby shower date! Shawn and I are going to try to secure the Briar Chapel Club House, but need to get on the ball before the dated is scooped up by someone else. We've decided to have one big co-ed shower/party so that ALL of our friends and family can come and celebrate and welcome baby Brighton into the world! We're so grateful for all of our friends, both men and women, and want to share this event with everyone at one time! We're thinking a big barbecue! If the date changes I'll let you all know - but be on the lookout for invitations this summer! If you need to update your home address with me, please send it to me at meganjohnson.mj@gmail.com!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weather! We certainly are doing just that - Shawn and I have been working in our yard for about a month now - we're building a pond, taking down overgrown red tips, digging up stumps, planting a rose garden, sewing new grass, and planting lots of new plants in the front along with shipping in new dirt, mulch, and pine straw. It has been a project around here, but things are finally starting to shape up!

xoxo
Megan

From the Avocado to the Onion

No post last week while Baby Huber was an avocado! I LOVE the fruit and veggie comparisons I get from The Bump! The "onion" is about the size of the palm of my hand with a crown to rump length of about 5 inches and a weight around 5 ounces. Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. His/her umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints. He/she is all about practice in preparation for birth by sucking and swallowing, the heartbeat is regulated by the brain and about twice my own heart rate. Life happens fast! I still haven't felt any movement from the inside, but am looking forward to the first punch or kick!

This past weekend Shawn and I visited Barnes & Noble to get pregnancy and gardening books. I bought What to Expect When Expecting and What to expect the First Year. I have almost finished the 600 page "expecting book" - it is great and really makes me feel at ease about the changes I my body is going through - they are all extremely normal. In fact, I'm pretty boring compared to some of the horror stories other people have told me about their pregnancies! My worst complaint is a headache! I did have a fairly severe headache on Sunday which was about the 3rd day in a row I had experienced a headache. It finally subsided on Monday night and I haven't had much of one since!

This past week I had TONS of energy and feel about as normal as a pregnant woman can feel at the gym. I can do just about everything I could before but I try not to get out of breath which makes me knock the intensity down a couple of notches. I do get out of breath sometimes just by walking up the stairs at home and by 4th period at school when I talk I get out of breath. I have become fairly forgetful, too, and feel like I'm losing brain cells and gaining pounds in the form of cottage cheese!

Last weekend I babysat a two year old boy (son of two of my co-workers). I got to witness my first diaper change (thanks, Ashley!) and got some tips from a Mom! I felt a little uneasy at first being that I had never been around a small child and had no idea what they were or were not capable of doing on their own! He was such a joy to play with - we spent most of our time in the backyard with a football, soccer ball, kickball, and basketball. I hope I get some more experience before my little one gets here!

We find out the sex at my next ultrasound on April 8!

I had my 4th month doctor's appointment with my lovely Dr. Rahangale at UNC. I've seen her four times now, and I'm seeing her in April, so I hope I don't have to trade her out for the other four at this point. So far each of my appointments have gone smoothly because I am such a boring patient - what they want until "labor day"!! I did get to hear the heartbeat Thursday which is always reassuring because I know that he or she is still thriving!

Week 18 here we come! :)

xoxo
Megan

The Naval Orange

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the
very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone."

15 weeks and 4 days

We've heard the heartbeat many times (and I think our dogs can too!), but no kicking yet!!! I should start to feel kicking in about a week once I'm into Week 16 - I'll keep you posted. My dogs have gotten very protective over me lately - when I'm sitting on the couch they both want to lay on my stomach - and not because it's a big cushion yet. We're convinced that they know there is a baby inside there!

We are still overjoyed that we have been given this precious gift and Shawn looks at me with these little puppy dog eyes every night and reminds me that we're going to be parents soon - he is so cute:)

We still don't know if we're having a boy or a girl, but I'm convinced that it's a boy and have been from the start. I seem to be holding most of my weight in my rear end and legs and I'm carrying really low with a round belly. I've heard these are signs it's a boy from some mothers and a girl from other mothers.

No morning sickness or true nausea to report STILL!! Hooray! I definitely have my days where I do not feel up to par, but things are going very well and are actually quite easy thus far. Comfortable clothes and flat shoes are a priority - I wasn't saying that even 5 months ago! High heels and pencil skirts are in the dark corners of my closet nowadays. Even though there is no morning sickness I do have headaches every single day. I go to bed with one, wake up with the same one, and teach all day with one. I starting getting headaches exactly when The Bump told me I would - at the start of the second trimester.

I now know 4 other girls that are pregnant so it's exciting to be able to share our experiences together. We're all within about 2 - 3 weeks of one another.

I had a magnificent weekend in New Bern this past weekend with some amazing AGD women to celebrate the marriage of Neda and Harold! The weekend was a blast and it was so nice to see Heather and Angela. Even without the alcohol I was still able to cut a rug like a white girl all night long at the reception.

Shawn sold his Infiniti yesterday to prepare for a sedan. Shawn was very sad to see his sports car go. Even though I hated that car I will miss it - more for him than for me. I couldn't imagine putting my child in the back seat even though Shawn seemed to think it would be just as safe as the tahoe - hmmm....maybe he was trying to convince me that we didn't need to sell it. I think we are going to get a Honda Accord - not sure who's going to get which car now??!! I love my Tahoe, which I'm glad we bought now that a baby is on the way!

The pictures were taken last night! We'll be posting new pictues each week!

The Lemon

Time for another weekly update on Baby Huber!! He or she is growing so fast! I never knew how much a baby develops each week, but it is crazy how a cell becomes a human with nails, hair, eyes, organs, a voice, breath, and life! We are still overwhelmingly excited! This week Baby Huber can suck his/her thumb, wiggle his/her toes, make urine, and breath amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop. Thin hair is also growing to keep the blossoming baby warm! How cute! - or not really so cute yet......

I had a great night at Lindsay's engagement dinner with friends - how nice it was to go out with a large group of wonderful people, something we don't get to do too often in the depths of Chatham County. I had great conversations with some new moms and dad's; comforting and scary all at once - but I got some great tips from some awesome new parents.

I'm so ready to register (and actually started yesterday) and can't wait to know if our little lemon is a boy or a girl. We are really fascinated with going green and providing our baby with the most organic products as possible. Seems like so many "things" we buy for our babies are actually unhealthy for them at such a fragile age unless they truly are organic. A bit more expensive, but our baby is priceless.

Not much to report about me, still pregnant which is the most important thing! It truly has been easy going. I'm in my second trimester so the fatigue has really worn off and I actually have some energy by the end of the day. I've been really busy in the evenings so getting a work out in has actually been difficult - hence the legs and butt rapidly changing right now! I hope I fit into my bridesmaids dress this weekend - yikes! Still no morning sickness to report :) Fingers crossed!

I'm just staying really healthy eating lots of foods with calcium and Vitamin C and D and taking my daily prenatal vitamins! Drinking water seems to be my biggest struggle, especially teaching rambunctious children that shouldn't be left alone for more than 30 seconds! I've got to get better because the water really does make you feel quite normal all day and night.

Hopefully we're going to start taking pictures of the bump tonight - I've been nagging at Shawn to take them. We'll start posting a new updated picture each week!

xoxo
Megan

Here they are, the first pictures we've taken!

The Peach

Baby Huber is now the size of a peach, which is supposedly 2.9 inches in length. Today, I am 13 weeks and 2 days along in this amazing journey that keeps getting better everyday! This weekend, Shawn and I spent our precious Friday night at the mall trying to find clothes that were comfortable for me. We had no luck at all until we entered the meca of maternity clothes - Pea in a Pod and Motherhood Maternity. I purchased the most comfortable pair of Seven's I've ever worn - it was well worth the price tag. Mark my words, I will wear these well beyond the 9 months of this pregnancy! They even look better than any jean I have owned. I got to put on one those mock bellies to see what I'd look like in clothes at 7 months! It's really to prove that you can wear the same size pants then as you can now if (in theory) only your belly gets larger. Gym time will be a must to stay fit! I also got some really comfy cargo pants and three of the cutest dresses I've ever owned! I'm gonna want to get pregnant again so soon!

Nothing really new to report. I'm breaking down and getting my hair done next week. I'm in a wedding next weekend and it's been 4 months since my hair has seen a highlight! Speaking of hair, mine has gotten really thick and wavy and is growing like grass on a chia pet! I wear it curly everyday to cover up my 2.5 inch long roots! I do feel like I finally have the slightest "bump". We're going to start taking pictures this week to chart the growth of my belly! I will post as we take the pictures!

Time for dinner - my favorite time of the day:)

xoxo
Megan

The Plum

So it's Week 12 of my pregnancy and I couldn't feel any better than I do right now!! Shawn and I are both floating on cloud nine and are giddily excited to welcome our new addition to the world - even though this has become such a scary place!! We really want to include all of our friends and family in sharing the next 6 months with us because it is such a wonderful time! I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that I will become a mom very soon.

So just an update - I'm in my 2nd trimester which began on Friday, February 19 so that puts me at 12 weeks and 4 days today! I had motherly instincts right around the new year and mentioned to Shawn that I thought I might be pregnant. We kind of just waited around for the "you know what" and it didn't come by the first full week of January, so we took a home pregnancy test on a Sunday evening. It came out positive! We literally studied "the stick" for a good 15 minutes to make sure we knew what we were looking at! I took a 2nd pregnancy test about 5 days later just to make sure because I was heading to Charleston for a Bachelorette weekend with friends.

I kind of knew I was pregnant when my PMS was multiplied by a thousand - moodiness, extremely sore boobs, cramps, tiredness, hunger to the max!!! All that has since submisided thank goodness. I still only wear a 32A bra - DARNIT!

Early on I was really tired, always extremely hungry, had no energy, boobs hurt, didn't really crave much (except for milk), my hair grew extremely fast and is so long right now, my hair wouldn't take color the last time I got it done, and the other normal prego stuff. I also burped a lot, had super bad gas, constipation one day and not so the next; after I ate I always felt bloated and my stomach was actually in quite a bit of pain - like when you where ultra tight jeans and it's tight around your waste - yeah, that feeling everyday around 2:00 which lasted until bedtime.

So, now - all that has pretty much gone away. I am not always hungry and am actually eating healthier than normal, but eating about 5 or 6 times a day. I am still at the gym as much as possible, but don't push it as hard (apparently the HR isn't supposed to exceed 140). I have a lot energy right now and am not nearly as moody - Shawn's favorite!! I actually do not feel pregnant at all (maybe that means I'll have a girl ;) )

I've already had three ultrasounds. At Week 8 I experience a significant amount of bleeding one day and went in for an emergency ultrasound two days later. Everything was fine and the ultrasound technician explained the cause of the bleeding which was not coming from the baby. We got to hear the heartbeat and see a blob of a baby. We got pictures and they're proudly hanging on the fridge at home. Oh...I had met with a nurse prior to this ultrasound - apparently you just take a home prego test, the hospitals trusts you and basically gives you an orientation style appointment with a nurse. Then I had the ultrasound, then I met with my doctor. I actually have 5 doctors and have the potential to see all 5 at any appointment so that they all know my case so that the on call doctor knows who the heck I am when the baby comes! I love the doctor that I have seen. She is young (early 30's) and is from India I think. I'm actually seeing her again this week on Thursday!

So, I had a 2nd ultrasound with the "K-mart" ultra sound with my doctor and got to hear the heartbeat again. Then I had a 3rd ultrasound on Friday for the downsyndrome/trysimony 18 test and the baby was huge!! Well, only two inches but PLUM SIZE which was a major growth spurt from week 8. All of the tests from Friday came back negative which is GOOD news!

Funny story: At my first visit to the hospital with the nurse at "oreientation" I had to get my blood drawn - 5 whole entire viles of it! I had been at the hospital so long that it had been about 3.5 hours since I had eaten anything. So, the nurse could not get the needle to such any of my precious blood, so she kept digging a little deeper as my temperature began to rise and my each breath became shorter and shorter until apparently I broke into a full on sweat, held my breath as she stuck me for a second time, got a vile of blood (I do not remember this) and yelled "Theresa." I guess Theresa and a slew of overweight nurses and a lanky doctor came rushing to my side as I slumped down in my chair while my poor husband could hear all of this happening from behind the partition. He ran around, too, and thought that I must be spraying blood, but instead my eyes had rolled back into the back of my head and I was white as a ghost. They told me I was out for about 30 seconds and when I came to I thought I was waking up from an entire night of dreaming and I remember people yelling at me in my dream. Shawn said they were also slapping my face and shaking me in real life. It was the most bizarre feeling. It was so hard to open my eyes - or I guess roll them back to the front and all I could see was a bright white light until I focused in on "Theresa"!! My savior Theresa!!

So, they all told me to go around the corner to the cafeteria, eat some fattening food (friend chicken, green beans, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes) and then come back and get the rest of the blood drawn. This time the lovely nurse put me in a room on a bed!! She knew better the 2nd time around! All was well in my world and then I went back to work!

Maybe you had to be there - but everyone knows me at the hospital now and I get treated extremely well. UNC has been so accommodating with my work schedule and have been able to schedule all of my appointments during my planning period.

My due date is September 3, but who knows if the baby will come on that day or not!

Okay, that's way too much for everyone to read! I'll try to update once a week when I become more pregnant than the week before! You can't really tell that much yet unless I wear a dress that hugs my waist.

I hope that by blogging about this it will also prepare all of my non child bearing friends for what's to come in the future!! It is wonderful!

xoxo
Megan