25 Weeks

Maternity clothes: So thankful that Sara let me borrow some jeans for Colorado!
Stretch marks: Not yet - this Shea Moisture stretch mark cream from Buy Buy Baby is working so far... but I have a long way to go.

Sleep: I keep waking up once in the middle of the night, but other than that it's good
Best moment this week: Colorado trip! More below.
Movement: Stronger kicks
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Symptoms: Hiking in CO really kept the ankle swelling at bay.
Belly Button in or out? Out!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Taking baby girl backpacking in Colorado one day

This weekend we went to Colorado to visit Mitch's family. We had such a wonderful time! On the flight out we spent some time thinking about names. Still haven't selected, but we've got a few we like.

We went on 3 hikes. The first was a 1.5 hour hike at Alderfer / Three Sisters Park in Evergreen. It was a beautiful day and we made it back to the car just before the rain came.

The next hike was on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped in Grand Lake at the East Inlet Trailhead and took a little walk. We saw a beautiful waterfall and again made it back to the car just before the rain. Rain in the mountains is pretty much my favorite thing.

Later we drove up Trail Ridge Road. Just spectacular up there.

The next day, Mitch and his brother summited Long's Peak! They started at 3:45am and summited at 9:30am. The trail is 14.5 miles, 5100 feet elevation gain, and the summit is at 14,255 feet. It's the tallest peak in RMNP. Mitch has attempted it twice before but couldn't beat the weather. This time, it was perfect. Congrats hubby!!

The next day, we did our last hike. It was a 6 mile round trip from Bear Lake trailhead to Jewel Lake. We hit the trail at noon after a delicious breakfast at Big Horn Restaurant. First we hiked an unimproved trail which was a lot of fun and got us away from the crowds. We ended up at Jewel Lake about 1:35pm and had our lunches (sandwiches made at the Big Horn). The water was incredibly clear, cool, and refreshing. We could see Long's Peak from our lunch spot. About an hour later, we started back down the trail. I turned on my GPS tracker for the return trip. 

I felt great on all the hikes. I was the slowest of the group, but it was still doable. I'm glad we went when I was only 25 weeks and not much later. This was baby girl's first trip to the Rockies and I hope that she loves them as much as we do! 

24 Weeks

Total weight gain: 17 lbs, doctor says I'm right on track
Best moment this week: Couldn't pick just one....

• Getting baby's room cleaned out and painted! We're not allowed to call it the "junk room" anymore. Thankful for friends who wanted to take my file cabinet and Mitch's old couch. It feels so good to have a clean slate in there, and I am looking forward to decorating!
• Had a great visit at one of the potential daycare locations. 
• It was a hoot taking Mitch to the baby stores for the first time. We laughed so hard we cried when he was looking at the baby baths and found one that's just basically a bucket. He was very interested in everything, which made me really happy.

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back
Movement: Mitch felt her move for the first time last night!
Food cravings: Mitch is craving chocolate cake 
Symptoms: Swollen ankles
Belly Button in or out? Borderline
Wedding rings on or off? On, but sometimes they are tight
Happy or Moody most of the time: Had a couple tears this week
Looking forward to: Introducing her to Dr. Seuss and all my other favorite books
Not looking forward to: Glucose test
Next on to do list: Buy a crib and dresser/changing table

Before: 

After: 

21 Weeks

Time to walk up 4 flights of stairs at work: 47 seconds 
Sleep: Crazy dream about scuba diving in Japan which led to being kidnapped
Best moment this week: Picked up a load of free baby gear from Nick and Krista! We got a snap-n-go stroller with the car seat, 2 car seat bases, and a smaller/lighter stroller, too! 
Movement: Stronger kicking, but not very frequent. 
Food cravings: Not a craving, but we found out that if I blanch or boil broccoli, instead of roasting it, it doesn't give me indigestion!  
Belly Button in or out? In (sort of) 
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm just a happy girl, what can I say? 
Symptoms: Mitch likes to tell people that I have the "symptomless pregnancy" :)
Looking forward to: Results of my work group's baby name vote. Should be entertaining! A couple of the nominations: Felicia Allison Bland (FAB) or Paige Uriah Bland (PUB).
Best advice I got this week: Make sure to take one last shower before you head to the hospital because you don't know when you'll be able to take another one.

Public Service Announcement:  Don't tell a pregnant lady that her belly looks so "small" or "big" or anything like this or this or this. If you must say something, "You look great!" is safe. 

First load of baby stuff! This was from Nick and Krista!!

20 Weeks - Half Way!

Total weight gain: 14 lbs (uh oh! ate too much in Mexico!)
Maternity clothes? I love dresses :)
Sleep: Still good
Best moment this week: Passing the half way mark!
Miss Anything? Not really
Movement: A big kick last night at dinner! It was so weird!
Food cravings: Anything edible, all day long
Symptoms: Swollen ankles
Wedding rings on or off? On
Belly Button in or out? In
Next on to do list: Get vacation pictures online
Mood: Good
Looking forward to: Painting the nursery with mom and dad