24 weeks, 6 months, and Dr. appointment update :)

Hello all! I decided to post today because I wanted to wait until I went to the doctor. I am officially in the last month of my second trimester. At my next appointment I will be in my FINAL trimester. Seeing as this trimester has flown by, I am sure the last one will go equally fast.

My appointment went really well today. My blood pressure and weight gain are good, and Morgan is measuring right on schedule. Mom came with me today for support since Brad had to work. She was so happy to hear Morgan's little heart beating away. I asked my doctor about the EXCRUCIATING leg cramps I have been waking up to. I had another one on Sunday morning that almost brought me to tears. I screamed I was in so much pain and poor Waylon and Brad were scared half to death. Fortunately, my leg cramps are a normal "phenomenon" of pregnancy and nothing to worry about (NOT a blood clot, WHEW!). She suggested I drink more water and stretch some before bed to prevent them. I will give anything a try.

This week I have definitely been feeling more pregnant. At night I get very uncomfortable and I have not been sleeping as well as I used to. I can only imagine how uncomfortable I will be in February. Brad is very supportive though, and helps me as much as he can. We also hired someone to come and clean once a month to help me out. It is not good for me to breath in the fumes from the chemicals anyways. The house was cleaned today and I swear it is like Christmas morning when I come home to a clean house. Don't worry, we do clean more than once a month, ha ha. She mainly does the bathrooms and the back breaking stuff I should not be doing. You may ask yourself, "Hm, why doesn't Brad just do it rather than paying a cleaning lady?" Well, that is a very good question, and the answer is, BRAD DOES NOT CLEAN. Oh well, I don't cut grass or change the oil, so I will try not to judge.

Stats...

How far along? 24 weeks/6 months!

Total weight gain? 15 lbs! Yowzas. I know my Mom's scale is different from the doctor's scale, and I weighed at a different time of day, fully dressed this time, but good Lord. Time to slooooooow down. I still need to get through the holidays!

How big is the baby? Over a foot long and 1.25 lbs. (at least I can blame 1.25 of my 15 to Morgan, hehe)

Maternity clothes? Yepp. They are so comfy.

Stretch marks? Not yet. But this weight gain better slow down or I will start to look like a road map.

Sleep? Not great. Leg cramps and constantly wanting to change positions is making it harder.

Best moment of the week? SEEING my stomach move. I have been feeling the kicks for a while now but this week was the first time I could see my stomach move. So cool.

Movement? Yep!

Cravings? still milk.. Weird.

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? In and stretching. I MAY be an outy by the end of this but still kind of early to tell.

What am I looking forward to? Getting past my next appointment. I have to get the gestational diabetes testing done AND get my RH negative shot. Fun fun. But more importantly, after the next appointment I will get to go every 2 weeks!

23 weeks!

VERY soft pink. Hard to tell the walls are even painted in these.

Where to start? This week has been a busy and productive one. On Saturday, me, my mom, and Brad's aunt, Lori, finally tackled the baby registry at Babies R Us. It was SO overwhelming. It is amazing to me how one little person can require so much stuff. Lori was an awesome guide though, and I couldn't have done it without her. I am glad I opted for Brad not to join because I think the whole process would have been way too much for him. He trusts my judgement, and knows I will probably get my way even if he does have an opinion on something, ha ha. Sunday, Brad and my Dad painted the nursery. I went with a VERY soft pink. It is exactly what I wanted and it goes perfectly with the bedding. I can't wait to get the crib up and start getting the room in order. Also on Sunday, my mom, Nanny, and I went and did my Target registry. There was not much to add there. Just a few things that I didn't see or didn't think to add to my Babies R Us registry. We are so fortunate that Lori has donated an entire baby girl wardrobe to us. I went through all of the clothes she gave us on Sunday night and I can't wait to start dressing Morgan up! Now all I need to worry about is getting the items off the registry so that we have everything that she will need.

On the pregnancy front, I am DEFINITELY starting to feel the strain of being pregnant. It is difficult for me to change positions and I am getting tired so quickly now. I better toughen up though, because I still have 17 weeks to go and I plan on working up until the day I go into labor. I really have not had many other symptoms, so I can't complain. It seems that Momma and Morgan are healthy and normal.

I have included some more nursery pics, but please don't judge yet. We still have a lot of organizing and setting up to do! I will try to add more as we make progress.

Stats...

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain? +12 lbs. Bleh, weighed at Mom's yesterday. That means I averaged a pound a week since my last appointment, which I guess is normal. It's just weird seeing these huge numbers on the scale!

How big is the baby? About 12 inches and over a pound!!! Crazy...

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Oh yes. I love every minute.

Best moment of the week? Seeing Morgan's nursery coming together!

Movement? All the time. She is a busy lady. :)

Cravings? MILK!

Gender? Girl :)

Labor signs? NO. I got a childbirth book from the library today to start educating myself on the process. I still need to sign up for classes at the hospital.

Belly button in or out? In

What am I looking forward to? Organizing the nursery! Nesting instincts are in full gear.

22 weeks!

Oops! I was a day late again this week. Last night I was exhausted and had zero motivation. I was so tired I almost felt sick. Then in the middle of the night I woke up with the most painful Charley Horse in my leg. I literally screamed and woke Brad up. Looks like labor should be fun... ha ha.

This week has been okay. Brad got back from his cruise on Saturday afternoon and had lots of pictures and stories to share. He and his family had a great time and the weather was awesome for their entire trip. I really wish I could have been there with them! Morgan started kicking much harder while he was gone so I was hoping when he got back he would be able to feel her. Well, 2 nights ago he finally felt it! It was so amazing for him to experience it too. He thought it was really cool, but she hasn't cooperated since. It's almost as if she knows he is there and stops kicking! We will keep trying though.

The crib bedding just came in today. I was so happy to see it sitting on my front porch. I am very happy with it. It looks even better in person than it does online. Now all I need to do is pick a paint color so we can get going on the nursery. I will try to include pictures next week of any nursery progress. Yay!

Ok here are the stats...

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain? Not sure, +9 total was my last weigh in but that was 2 weeks ago.

How big is the baby? 11 inches and almost a pound!

Maternity clothes? Yes! Pants with panels are the best. Haha I don't want to ever have to zip or button pants again.

Stretch marks? Nope. Still lathering the belly daily though.

Sleep? YES! I have been super tired lately. I think Morgan must be burning up my energy.

Best moment of the week? Brad feeling our sweet girl kick. I don't think that will ever get old.

Movement? Yes! And lots of it.

Cravings? None.

Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL. So excited about all the pink bows and pretty outfits.

Labor signs? Heck no. But I thought to myself last night that if labor feels like a uterine Charley Horse I am in deep trouble. That thing had me in tears. I have had my fair share of stomach aches though (aka, gall bladder not working and appendix rupturing) so hopefully I am more prepared than I think.

Belly button in or out? In and stretching.

What am I looking forward to? Decorating the nursery. I can't wait to see everything all together.

21 Weeks

We can officially count DOWN to my due date now. Only 19 weeks left to go. I can hardly believe it!

Obviously we had a very exciting appointment this week. Last Wednesday we found out that our sweet baby is a GIRL. Morgan Reese Hooper is doing very well. She was measuring right on schedule and the ultrasound tech said everything looked great. We feel so blessed.

Brad is away on a cruise this week with his family. I wish I could have gone, and I miss him SOOOOO much. We have only talked for a few minutes since he left last Thursday. He comes home Saturday afternoon, and I can't wait to see him. He deserves the vacation though. He works very hard and usually does not have much free time just to have fun.

I'm a tad irritated this evening so I am going to keep the post short this week (Just so you know, if there are 6 leftover cupcakes, and the preggo has not had any, I suggest you not eat all 6 of them. How rude). Here are the stats...

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain? +9 lbs per the doctor's scale.

How big is the baby? About 11 inches crown to heel and 3/4 of a pound!

Maternity clothes? For the most part. Definitely pants but still getting away with some non-maternity tops.

Stretch marks? Not yet!

Sleep? Yes. Hope I can keep it up!

Best moment of the week? Seeing my beautiful Morgan on the ultrasound. I cried many tears of joy.

Movement? TONS! I finally felt her from the outside with my hand. I can't wait for Brad to get home so he can feel her.

Cravings? None this week. Appetite is slowly going back to normal. I'm not as ravenous as I was last week.

Gender? GIRL!!! (I know, I know, I was wrong and YOU were right)

Labor signs? No sir

Belly button in or out? Way in

What am I looking forward to? Giving my amazing husband a huge hug when he gets home Saturday.

20 Weeks = 5 months = HALFWAY THERE

It's finally here! The halfway point has arrived. I have been pretty good about taking at least 1 or 2 pictures of myself every week, even if they are just on my iPhone. I save them in a file named "Preggers" on my laptop and then divide them up by week. It just seems amazing to me how big this file has grown! In 2 short months, I will be in my third trimester. Craziness!

I said last week that I would wait to post until tomorrow, but I have a feeling that with all the phone calls and visits, it just won't happen. I will certainly put up a FB announcement after my appointment, so stay tuned. We are scheduled to have the ultrasound at 2:30pm at the Johnston Willis office. Conveniently, Obama will be right down the road at a fire station to make a speech on his "Jobs Act" at 2:45. I decided to take a half-day off and leave work at 12:30 tomorrow so I don't have to rush to the appointment and stress about the crazy traffic. I figure I will go to Chesterfield Towne Center, get some lunch, and walk around a bit before the appointment.

It is so funny to me that 99.9% of people have guessed that I am having a girl. Only me and 1 or 2 of my friends have thought boy. In fact, Lauren Hill and I are the ONLY ones who have thought boy from the beginning. All of the old wives tales point towards girl (how I am carrying, heart rate, etc..) but something just keeps telling me boy. I have also heard how a mother's "gut instinct" can often be wrong. Hopefully little Hooper will cooperate tomorrow and the guessing games and pregnancy myths can be put to rest.

Now, onto the survey!

How far along? 20 weeks down, 20 to go :)

Total weight gain? +7 total but I have not weighed since last time. My pregnancy app says that I should be up to about +10 by this point. I think I probably hit the mark. We will know tomorrow.

How big is the baby? This is the week where measurements switch from crown to rump to crown to heel for length, so baby is about 10 inches long and about 11 ounces now.

Maternity clothes? Yes! Just bought some more this weekend. I needed another pair of jeans and one more pair of work pants. And let's be honest, I bought some cute tops too. :)

Stretch marks? Nada

Sleep? Yep. Been doing great with sleep actually. Hope I can keep it up.

Best moment of the week? Tomorrow! I will get to see our sweet baby again AND find out if we are having a Morgan or a William.

Movement? Yes! Tons of movement. I notice it most when I am sitting and slightly leaning forward. I love every single kick, jab, punch, and flip.

Cravings? Cheeeeeeeseburrrrrgerrrrrs. Ok this weight will definitely come on faster now. My appetite is in full gear.

Gender? TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? In

What am I looking forward to? Seeing that ultrasound screen tomorrow and knowing that our baby is strong and healthy!

19 weeks

Sara about 29 weeks, me 19

This week, or shall I say weekend, was definitely a busy one. Friday night was Amy and Eric's rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I got ready at work and headed straight to the rehearsal at Oak Grove Baptist, which was conveniently only a minute from the school I work at. The rehearsal and dinner were wonderful. Saturday I got up bright and early to get my hair done, then I met up with the other bridesmaids at the salon where Amy was getting ready. Brittany and I went to the church first, and ended up setting off an alarm because no one was there to let us in. Whoops! No harm, no foul. The wedding was BEAUTIFUL, and if you live in Richmond, you know that Saturday was the epitome of good weather. It was 75 and sunny all day. Everyone seemed to have a great time at the reception. It was amazing to be apart of their special day. Sunday was Sara's baby shower. As you can see by the picture above, she is about 10 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy. It is amazing how much the body can change in such a short time. She looks absolutely wonderful and she received a ton of great gifts, which also helped me think of some essentials for our registry. Overall, the weekend was a ton of fun, but so exhausting for me. I have never been one to stay up late and maintain a busy schedule, so this was exceptionally difficult for me now that I'm pregnant. I crashed Sunday and Monday night, and now am feeling somewhat human again. Of course, it was completely worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

19 weeks seems absolutely crazy to me. Only one more week until I am officially half way through the pregnancy. One of my apps today said that I will start to grow more quickly now, so the bump should really be making a strong debut soon. As far as symptoms go, the only new thing I have noticed is a change in my appetite. I am starting to understand why pregnant women eat all the time. I have been hungry for just about anything! I need to watch it though because I don't want to bombard my baby with junk food. More fruits and veggies definitely need to be added to my daily diet. Another thing I have noticed this week is my inability to move like I used to. Getting up from the couch from a laying position, or getting out of bed, is becoming more challenging. I can only imagine how comical I will look by the end of my pregnancy. I am starting to notice movement more frequently now. Today at work little Hooper was very busy. It is such a cool feeling so I can't wait for Brad to feel those kicks and punches from the outside! I have placed his hand on my stomach a few times just for fun, but he loses patience quickly and I don't think the movement is strong enough for him to feel yet anyway. Other than the complete exhaustion from this weekend, baby and I have been doing GREAT! Now, on to the survey...

How far along? 19 weeks, holy crap

Total weight gain? Ok so I weighed on Mom's scale on Sunday and I was up 3lbs from my last appointment. That brings the grand total to +7lbs

How big is the baby? 6 inches and about 10 ounces

Maternity clothes? Mostly. Still wearing some non-maternity shirts while I can but they aren't really long enough. I have given up on the belly band. It just isn't comfortable.

Stretch marks? Not yet...

Sleep? Oh yes, and lots of it.

Best moment of the week? Seeing my beautiful best friend get married.

Movement? Yes! One of the ladies I work with was talking to me about it today and she described it as a muscle twitch. I thought that described it perfectly.

Cravings? Nothing special, just food in general. Yikes.

Gender? Holy moly we find out a WEEK from tomorrow. Brad and I are so freakin excited to know. Everyone keeps saying girl because of how I am "carrying," but my friend Sara, pictured above, completely breaks the "if your carrying low you're having a boy" stereotype, because she definitely is having a girl. Most people think girl, but I have felt boy from the beginning. I have also had 2 dreams that the ultrasound said boy. 8 more days and we will know for sure!!!

Labor signs? Noooooo

Belly button in or out? In still.

What am I looking forward to? My appointment and ultrasound next Wednesday at 2:30pm. I am going to be a nervous wreck in that waiting room! Because my appointment falls on a Wednesday next week, I will just post when I get back from the doctor (after I make all of the necessary phone calls to family and friends of course). Stay tuned!

18 Weeks and on the MOVE!

Hello everyone! So sorry I am a day late posting this week. Brad and I decided to run some errands last night and by the time we got home I was too tired to post.

This weekend was a very productive one. On Saturday my parents and I went to Farmville (Brad was hunting) to visit my brother and his girlfriend. They had not seen me in quite a while, so they were excited to see my growing belly. Ricky's face was priceless. He acted like he had never seen a pregnant woman before. It was so nice seeing them though. I can't wait for the holidays roll around so that I can see them more! On Sunday my parents came over and helped Brad and I with what started off to be a simple, "clear out the closet in the nursery" project. However, as it turns out, Brad and I are Stage 1 hoarders and we spent almost 5 hours cleaning out all of the closets in our house to make room for new baby stuff. My dad also worked on fixing up the walls in the nursery. Mom and I spent a lot of time going through things and getting rid of stuff. Who knew a 1400 sq/ft house could contain so much CRAP! A big thanks goes out to Mom and Dad who devoted their entire day to helping us out. We couldn't have done it without them!!! I have included a "before" picture of the nursery this week. Poor Waylon thinks it's his room.

On the pregnancy front, things are moving along as scheduled. About 2 weeks ago, I felt what I thought was movement, but I was not 100% sure mostly because I didn't know what it felt like. Well, this week our baby has been on the MOVE! I tried taking a nap on Saturday before our trip to Farmville, but little Hooper was too busy for me to sleep. It was such a cool feeling. The movement is not regular yet, which I have read is normal at this stage. Some days I feel a lot, others I don't feel anything. I can't wait until the little kicks and punches are strong and frequent enough for Brad to feel. As you can see by this week's picture, the belly is coming along slowly. I have to admit that I am a little discouraged that I am not showing more at this stage (ALMOST HALFWAY). I look pregnant to family and friends who knew what I looked like before, but because of my body type (long waisted and curvy), I think most strangers would not be able to tell yet. I guess I am just ready for our wonderful news to be obvious to everyone!

Ok, here are the stats...

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain? Not sure, have not weighed since my last appointment. Probably around 5-6 lbs if I had to guess.

How big is the baby? About 5.5 inches in length (the vegetable/fruit comparisons are too vague)

Maternity clothes? Mostly, yes. Still wearing some non-maternity pants with my belly band and non-maternity tops if I need to do laundry. All non-maternity loungewear still fits :)

Stretch marks? No, but I am becoming very "veiny." My veins are SO dark. Looks like varicose veins may be in my future.

Sleep? Yep! I ususally wake up once between 2 and 4am to use the potty but I fall back to sleep immediately.

Best moment of the week? Getting my house in order and finally being able to visualize a completed nursery, feeling those awesome kicks, and seeing my brother and his girlfriend.

Movement? YES YES YES

Cravings? None. No aversions either. My appetite seems about the same, which is good.

Gender? 2 more weeks!!! AHHHHH

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? Way in.

What am I looking forward to? My best friend Amy gets married this Saturday and I am so excited to be a part of her wedding. Also, my good friend Sara has her baby shower Sunday. YAY! Fun-filled and very busy weekend ahead.