24 Weeks

First of all, I would like to say Happy Fathers Day! Its a day late but better late than never, right?;) I am so thankful for the wonderful father that I have, who has always been there to support and love me through out my 25 years. And I am also thankful for my wonderful husband, who I know will also be an awesome father! I can't wait to see him in action! :-D

This is me and my father a few years back :) <3

This past week was quite a slow one, to say the least. It seemed to drag on, but I guess that's what happens when the previous weeks are full of activity. :) Yesterday, I got to go swimming for the first time this summer and I foresee much more of it in my future! Feeling weightless in a swimming pool is pretty heavenly when the back aches start to become a problem from baby weight. It's crazy how heavy you feel coming back out of the pool, though! That's when you can really feel the difference.

24 Weeks

Size: Your baby is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of hers are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now her locks are white since there's no pigment yet.
(http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-24.aspx) 
I love learning each week how little baby Harper is growing! :-)

Total weight gain/loss: On track :) 

Maternity Clothes: My wardrobe has been pretty 'blah' lately because the things I could easily wear in the beginning are becoming less wearable now and I really just don't want to spend any more money on maternity clothes. Maybe I will just live in a bathing suit and go to the pool for the rest of summer! Sounds like a great plan but not all that realistic, unfortunately. ;) 

Symptoms: I have been feeling pretty good this past week besides the usual back aches and some what tiredness. :-) I feel like being pregnant has been very good for me! I am overall a lot less worried/anxious and I have become more confident/"mother bearish." Some thing about my pending motherhood has made me a lot more assertive and I'm liking it. :-)

Cravings: I made blueberry muffins randomly late last night, which really hit the spot.  :-) I've been craving Potato chips but have been pretty good at grabbing a bag of carrots instead... Not easy but it does fulfill my craving for crunch and in a healthier way. Don't get me wrong though, I do have some chips every once and a while. ;)

Movement: She has been very aggressive lately. Its to the point where I can see her moving, which is really cool/weird. :) She is getting so big so I can only expect the kicks to get even more aggressive from here on out. 

Registry fun: So I started the process of registering a few weeks back when I had a lot of time off of work. I wanted to go ahead and get all the big stuff out of the way, until we knew the gender.  :) And a heads up for my other first time mommy-to-be friends, there is SO MUCH baby stuff out there and some, if not a lot of it, is unnecessary. And trying to figure out what is and what is not necessary takes a lot of research and/or experience. Having taken care of a child from infant age to a year + has been helpful. However, I have still found myself frustrated and overwhelmed by it all. I checked out many informational blogs and websites to try and narrow it down. Thank goodness for pintrest! :)

Any who, I have registered at two places which may have complicated things but just happened to be the way it worked out.We just got a baby store version of Bed, Bath and Beyond called BuyBuyBaby in our area and was told that I just had to register there because it is floor to ceiling baby stuff! (not gonna lie, it is a fun store for baby stuff). Then we went for Babies R Us, which is more available to everyone, since apparently there are not a lot of BuyBuyBaby's around. Both stores are so great to work with! Babies R Us has a much better online registry and they gave us a free bag of goodies and coupons when we registered with them which was a really nice touch! Plus we found that some of the bigger items were a bit cheaper price-wise there. BuyBuyBaby has more product and a larger variety of it so you have more choices. :) They also have great nursery furniture and a lot of it. We ended up getting our crib and dresser from there which is being delivered this weekend so I am excited to see it all set up!