15 Weeks

I am putting my pride aside and posting my first belly pic. Yes, I have a gut and a butt, but I still want to document this precious time in my life. I can say that the baby is beginning to make an appearance! Here I am at 15 weeks prego!

How far along: 15 weeks and 1 day
Baby's size: an apple - about 4 inches long and about 2.5 ounces
Maternity clothes: Still a few pants and shirts. Since my belly is getting bigger, maternity pants allow me to breath easier.
Stretch marks: nope!
Sleep: A little better since I started sleeping with a pillow between my knees.
Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat today at our appointment! It was strong at 158 beats per minute!
Miss anything: still not being able to sleep on my stomach.
Movement: Possibly - can't really figure out what I'm feeling.
Food cravings: still nothing specific - the peanut butter crackers I was eating as a snack are now not so good.
Anything making you queasy or sick: onions and peanut butter crackers
Gender: not yet - we just scheduled our ultrasound when we will find out - 4 weeks!!!
Labor signs: nope
Symptoms: back pain and headaches
Belly button in or out: in - mine may take a while to pop out because I have a "black hole" belly button, at least according to Mike :-)
Wedding rings on or off: on
Happy or moody most of the time: It depends on where I am. If I'm home, I'm typically happy. If I'm at work, it's a toss-up.
Looking forward to: Starting to pick out a neutral paint color for the nursery and really thinking about what furniture to get!

Second Trimester

On Wednesday I entered the 2nd trimester! I am thrilled to have made it to this milestone and can't wait to see what is in store for Mike, the baby, and me these next few months! I have been pretty tired lately due to work being busy, but other than that I have felt great.

I'm behind on "belly pictures", but I have been keeping up with my mirror-turned-chalkboard where I update the baby's size and include other neat information. I found this idea on Pinterest and am having so much fun! Here is the one I did for 14 weeks -

Warning - I am NOT an artist

How far along? 14 Weeks and 2 days

Maternity clothes? a few pants and shirts - I have been feeling claustrophobic in my normal clothes
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep: not very good since I am no longer sleeping on my stomach. I wake up constantly with back and hip pain.
Best moment this week: crossing over into the 2nd trimester!
Miss Anything? sleeping on my stomach and cherry coke
Movement: none that I've noticed - I hope to feel him/her soon
Food cravings: nope! I really haven't had any true cravings, just a better awareness of what I actually want to eat. I have become stubborn about what/when I want to eat.
Anything making you queasy or sick: onions
Gender: ??? We will find out in late March, but I'm predicting boy! We shall see :-)
Labor Signs: negative
Symptoms: back/hip pain, mild heartburn, huge appetite
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but tired most of the time. The more tired I am, the more moody I get.
Looking forward to: Thursday when we go back to the doctor and get to hear his/her heartbeat again! I do wish we could have an ultrasound, but we have to wait until 20 weeks :-( I'm also going shopping with my mom and sister tomorrow to look for decor for the gender reveal party!

From 2 to 3

Yes, that's right. Our family is expanding from 2 to 3! Mike and I were thrilled to find out I was pregnant on December 4th.

The positive tests brought about joy and anxiety all at once. Since we had suffered a miscarriage in August, we were excited and worried out of our minds at the same time. Due to my previous loss, I had to go in for immediate blood work. Praise the Lord, everything came back just as it should be. We decided to wait to tell family until after our first appointment and ultrasound. On December 29th, we saw our little baby and heard his/her heartbeat for the first time! What a relief! We immediately took the ultrasound pictures to share the news with family!

We went back to the doctor on January 26th and were able to hear the sweet heartbeat for the second time. What an amazing sound! This last appointment made this pregnancy feel more real and I am finally getting to the point where I can enjoy this new journey - instead of being filled with fear. Of course, I still have my moments.

Baby Fleisher is due August 15th, and we can't wait to meet our new addition! I plan to use my blog as a journal of sorts to help document this time in our lives. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has planned for Mike and I over the next 6 months. But, I truly cannot wait to see what He has planned for our little son or daughter!