25 weeks.

After sweet little baby J decided to "hide" from us at our big 20 week ultrasound we got a chance to try again this week at our next appointment! And what a joy it was to see this precious, precious little face!

We caught quite a bit of footage of baby sucking his/her thumb which was absolutely adorable. It was even a bit touch and go for awhile that they would stop long enough for us to get a view of them without their hand covering their face! It is so fun having this sight right on our refrigerator to stare at. 
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Well, its week 25 around here, and it's been a good month overall... baby and I have stayed healthy (despite dad's attempt to infect us ;) and are feeling quite optimistic that we're in the clear! It was a lot of fun to bring in the new year and think about the fact that the next time we celebrate New Years Eve we will have a 7-ish month old! It's birth year, baby! We had some wonderful friends in town that baby got to "meet" and as we only have about 15 weeks left, it's been fun talking "all things baby related" with a little more intention as the end is kind of in sight!
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How big is baby // just under 2 lbs, according to this week's visit! This whole "size of a fruit" thing I'm just totally over - maybe it's my practical side, or maybe it's denial, but I'm sorry there is no way that I have a 13 inch cantaloupe inside of me... we'll just stick with what the doc says. :)

Development // one job and one job only - grow! It's been fun knowing that baby's hearing is developing, so lots of singing, music, and listening to daddy talk have been going on around our place. That fabulous face is almost fully formed - with hair, eyelashes and even eyebrows! 

Sleep // well, up until a few days ago I was all ready to still proclaim that I was doing awesome.... but I am starting to notice some "changes" to put it lightly. Getting a little uncomfy, but I've rigged a few tricks to help I think. I miss sleeping on my back!! And leg cramps are for the birds. 

Missing // sleeping on my back and sleeping on my stomach are the two big ones. 

Craving // still doing cheese! I've gotten back in my green smoothie routine, and am liking those, clementines, and applesauce. Noticing that anything refreshing is my friend.... as says every pregnant woman in the entire world.

Best moment of the week // passing my glucose test, seeing our sweetie's face for the first time on that ultrasound screen, and finalizing my maternity leave and post-baby work decisions!

Looking forward to // some big changes coming up around the johnson household! I'll save that for later. :) We are also excited to be narrowing down names. We are both really looking forward to having just one boy name and one girl name picked out so we can start to pray and talk more specifically about the baby!

22 weeks

It's been a bit longer than I had hoped before another baby post.... but better late than never is the "blog theme" I'm running with this month. :) Jared, baby, and I are doing awesome, and we are so thankful to have a healthy, (very) bouncy, little one we know is growing away in there! 

Although we are not finding out the gender of baby, we had a great 20 week "halfway" appointment, and are so thankful we got to see the development and progress that baby has made. As of right now, I'm measuring about a week ahead (which, apparently doesn't mean that much) but the nurse did comment that our baby has long limbs..... haha. So we'll see what that means. Good eater baby? Earlier baby? Bigger baby? I'm trying not to think about the latter... we are just so thankful that he/she is getting good grub in there :) 

We are really enjoying this stage of the 2nd trimester. I definitely popped right around week 20, and noticing more growth it seems (sometimes) each day. I'm very thankful that I've had great energy and great sleep so far in this trimester, and aside from a few bouts of nasty round ligament pain, it has been smooth sailing, and I couldn't be more grateful. We had a phenomenal long weekend in New York City two weeks ago (post coming tomorrow), and although it might have been adrenaline, we walked about 33 miles in 3 days, and baby had no issues! What a trooper. That's the beauty of the 2nd trimester that everyone talks about.

Highlight of our week (aside from Christmas and this wonderful family time we are having right now) has been that Jared felt the baby for the first time! I had been noticing the stronger movement and it was so exiting to be able to feel it on the "outside" rather than just the inside! I can tell with these stronger movements how it is going to be difficult to fall asleep sometimes... although I'm still having no problems with that right now... when the baby gets going I know it's only going to be a matter of time. 

Right now we are in the early stages of staring to register, and finalize the bigger items like car seat/stroller, etc. that we want, and we actually purchased our crib a few days ago on a killer sale! First baby purchase and we made it a good one! We both love it and although it will be awhile before we start setting anything up, it was kind of fun to bring it into the house and think about getting the room put together.
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It was kind of crazy this Christmas thinking of how different our lives are going to look next year at this time. Although it was our last Christmas together just the two of us, we know how much better adding another will be, and we cannot wait! 

Happy 22 weeks, baby J! We love you so much!

17 weeks.

My usual "type A" tendencies have all but left me thus far this pregnancy. I have to think though, that it is slightly refreshing, and although I haven't documented as much as I thought I would, or started thinking about anything gear/nursery related, or read any books, I have truly enjoyed the slow pace, ease of mind, and ultimately, just drinking in this time. I realize I still have time, but am so thankful that the Lord has granted me peace and a calm spirit right now.

From what I have heard, I truly believe I have had it pretty darn easy with this baby. Thankfully I made it through the first trimester with only about 4 consistent weeks of daily nausea, no sickness, and lots, lots of sleep. Certain things that were a part of my daily diet have become like, the worst idea in the world to me... but aside from not being able to drink my green smoothies, I have truly enjoyed these first 4 months! 
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How big is baby // right now, baby is the size of a (big) onion, about 5 inches in length and 6 ounces. 

Development // putting on fat + muscle is the agenda right now! we have a fully formed little one in there, and his/her only job right now is to grow, grow, grow!

Sleep // i toss and turn a lot during the night, but all things considered, i am sleeping quite well. just my one pillow, and usually only one bathroom break early in the morning. oh, and the wackiest dreams.

Missing // red wine if I'm being completely honest, and seeing the eggnog show up in the grocery store has me pining for that as well. 

Craving // cheese. cottage, string, off the block, shredded in the bag.... we have bought more cheese in the past months than i think we have our whole entire marriage. that craving started right away and hasn't subsided.

Best moment of the week // pretty sure i felt those "flutters" for the first time this last week, but haven' had any quite as obvious since. looking at some carseats and cribs. starting to tell my clients at work. 

Looking forward to // our 20 week ultrasound coming up in 3 weeks. although we won't be finding out the gender, i am still beyond excited to see how much growth and change has happened in there! 

lori + baby showers

2 baby showers 2 weeks in a row. And 2{ish} weeks away from being an auntie. This weekend I had the pleasure to host a baby shower for my dear sister in law, Lori. It was an intimate group, and we had a lot of fun talking all things baby. 

We had a nice brunch, and a relaxing morning. I really enjoyed having a smaller group as we could really connect. Jared was glad we had leftovers from a smaller group, too. :)

We had some newer moms in this group, and it was fun hearing and talking about their experiences, sharing advice with Lori, and things to prepare for. I love baby talk. We played a few games - measured her tummy - she just loved that - and opened her goodies. So fun to fill a car with gifts! Love you Lor! So excited for the coming weeks....

And a few pics from her first shower last weekend - hosted by a wonderful family friend, and filled with just as much conversation, laughing, and food.

My beautiful sister in law...

The soon to be aunt, great-grandma, mommy, grandma, and cousin!

It's coming so soon! Every day I'm getting more excited... it was a joy to celebrate your coming arrival, little one! Come soon! {just wait until mommy has her bag packed, please.. she'll thank you.}