19-20-21

 

20 Weeks                                 21 Weeks

(Yes, we forgot to take a picture at 19 weeks. I promise we'll do better!)

There are lots of new experiences that have come

with this pregnancy over the past few weeks...

Purchasing a Boppy pregnancy pillow.

I had always thought it was a high-maintenance thing to do - until I really needed one! After many restless nights and lots of online research, I decided upon the Boppy brand total body pillow. Although I'm still working to overcome my tendency to roll onto my back (which this pillow doesn't really help), I am definitely getting a more comfortable night's sleep!

Transitioning to maternity clothes.
Although I have a few items that have transitioned well into this stage of pregnancy, I have discovered that the Bella Band will only get you so far. This past week I made a trip to Motherhood Maternity and Gap Maternity to find some more comfortable workwear. I wouldn't have needed to make this outing if only I could wear yoga pants to work every day!

Adding an antacid to our medicine cabinet.

I have never been one to take lots of medications, but the recent development of heartburn has made it necessary to take extra measures. Maalox tablets have been a life-saver!

Taking prenatal yoga classes.

For about a month now, I have been attending a weekly prenatal yoga class at Hobbstudios in Fort Worth. Although I've been practicing yoga for the past three years, there are a lot of poses that need modification! Katy is an amazing instructor and the classes are small (only four people will fit in her studio). I always leave feeling refreshed - and a little bit more prepared for the journey still ahead!

Feeling Baby Rich movin' and groovin' in my tummy!

For the past few weeks I have felt what can best be described as a growling feeling in my stomach - but it was a little different from when I'm hungry or thirsty. At first I wasn't sure if it was really our little jellybean moving around, but the more and more I've felt it the more sure I was that Baby Rich is exercising its little limbs. Clay will occasionally put his hand on my belly in hopes to feel a little kick, but I think we're still a ways from that milestone. :)

So many new experiences - and so many more to come!

A Taste of Spring

I seized the chance to enjoy some of the amazing springtime weather this weekend. There were many others taking advantage of the weather too - dusting off their shorts and flip flops to take their dogs for a walk. (I know - shorts in January?!!!) Because my job will require me to work on Saturdays for the next month, I figured I should capitalize on this opportunity - although I passed on the shorts part. ;)

My dirty little Honda made a trip to the carwash. Now it's all sparkly and pretty.

The previously empty flowerpots on my porch are now filled with some beautiful kale, pansies and herbs.

Although the temperatures have plummeted once more and Al Roker says winter weather is on its way, I still have a little taste of spring to tide me over until the real thing gets here. :)

Blue Or Pink?

On Friday we had our almost-20-week sonogram. It was so much fun for Clay and I to see Baby Rich again! Even more amazing was to see this precious little one as explained to us by the sonogram tech (and yes, we needed an interpreter!).

See what I mean?

(Now that it has been explained to me, I can tell that this is a back view of our little jellybean.)

As I mentioned before, we did not find out if Baby Rich is a boy or a girl - and we won't be finding out until June 11th (or somewhere thereabouts)!

What do YOU think: is Baby Rich a boy or a girl? We'd love to hear your predictions. :)

Weekly Wows

What a week this has been...

I've been having a little trouble with my sewing machine, so I took it to Richland Sewing Center in Hurst last weekend to see what was wrong. Besides the fact that I had the bobbin in backwards, the service man recommended that I have the machine cleaned and oiled. Even though it was apparent that I had no clue what I was doing, both the men (yes, men do work at a sewing shop!) in the service department were so nice to me and explained everything in terms that novice-sewer-little-me could understand. And when I went to pick up the machine, they even loaded it into my car for me (and I don't think it's because I looked like a helpless pregnant lady). Let's just say I am now a Richland Sewing Center customer for life - and you should be too!

I have discovered my new favorite dessert: Oikos chocolate Greek yogurt with raspberries. It is SOOO good, and it has less sugar in it than other non-nutricious sweet things I might want to eat (like Girl Scout cookies).

Speaking of Girl Scout cookies, did you know that you don't have to pre-order them any more? Girl Scouts now peddle their cookies with boxes in hand rather than the old-fashioned order form, which I remember from back in the day. (Geez - that makes me feel so old.) If only they had gone to that method sooner, it would have spared me much grief and competition with the younger, cuter Girl Scouts who would steal all my customers at church.

My sister-in-law let me borrow the Perfect Pregnancy Workout DVD, which I tried out last Thursday night. Let's just say I had no idea what I was getting into. First of all, the instructor has performed with Cirque du Soleil for many years and plans to film something for them only six weeks after giving birth, so she is in incredible physical condition. She is "one of those" pregnancy ladies who has crazy muscles in places I didn't even know existed! Not only that, but she is pretty far along in her pregnancy (think close to 30 weeks) and yet she is doing exercies that would wind me even in a non-pregnant state. I only did the beginner level of each exercise and was definitely feeling it for a few days afterwards. But then again, they say giving birth is a phyically-challenging experience which you should train for. I just think I like the prenatal yoga-style of training a little better. :)

My dear, sweet grandmother Ruth - or Mema, as I called her - went on to be with the Lord early Friday morning. She fought for the past four months to overcome the effects of several strokes which caused her left side to be paralyzed, and made incredible progress despite the difficulties this caused for everyday activities like getting out of bed, eating solid foods, and talking with those she loved. A final stroke last weekend left her completely paralyzed, yet she still fought to her very last breath on Friday. I was lucky that we were able to make the drive to Tennessee to be there for her service over the weekend. It was amazing to hear the stories of her 92 years of life and to remember all the memories she gave us. We will all miss her dearly, but we are so glad she is in a place where there is no more suffering and look forward to joining her there one day.

First Nursery Purchases!

So I finally broke down this week and purchased two small items for Baby Rich's nursery:

A brown polka-dot fitted crib sheet (on sale for $5!) and an LED bluebird nightlight, which doesn't have to be plugged in! It just sits on the beside table and you press the top when you want it to glow - so cool. I found both these items at Target on one of those dangerous browsing trips I sometimes take. :)

Clay and I haven't really decided much of anything on the nursery, and it was starting to stress me out. My dear, sweet sister-in-law in all her wisdom suggested that we decide on colors and at least that will appease my nesting instincts for now. So the other night, I was sitting in our living room watching TV when I looked over at this stack of books on the media console:

I thought to myself, I really like those colors together. And then a light bulb went off: Why not put them together in the nursery?! I'm such a genius. ;D

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. We have decided on colors. We have a night light and a crib sheet (for the crib that is yet to be purchased). And - thank goodness - we have 21 more weeks to get ready for Baby Rich!

16 & 18 Weeks

16 Weeks

(We had just flown in from LA at midnight last Sunday and picture-taking wasn't high on our radar.

Sorry for missing the 17-week pic!)

18 Weeks

I had an appointment this week and everything looked good. Our 20-week sonogram is scheduled for January 21st, at which time we will NOT be finding out the gender - just that we have a healthy baby with all its parts! We thought it would be more fun this way. :)

It is absolutely crazy to think that I am approaching the halfway mark of this pregnancy. There are days where I still cannot believe that there is a little life growing inside of me - it still seems so surreal. I am continually in awe of God's amazing creative power in the way that He shapes each and every life, and that He already has great plans for Baby Rich. It will be so exciting to see it all unfold!

Coast-to-Coast Christmas

Whew! Do any of you ever feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? I know I sure do! We had two wonderful weeks of travelling from coast to coast to spend time with family and loved every minute of it - but we sure do wish there had been a few days of catch-up before heading back to the real world.

Our journey started with a trip to Tallahassee to visit my family. It was such a nice and relaxing time to spend with my mom and dad, as well as my sister, grandparents, aunts, and cousin.

We made gingerbread houses

shot at bottles with the BB gun

took funny family photos

enjoyed a Christmas Eve bonfire

hung our stockings by the chimney with care

and spent a LOT of time at this table eating my mom's fabulous cooking!

Our time spent together made me wish that Florida weren't so far away. :(

After a week near the Gulf Coast, we hopped a plane and headed westward to meet up with Clay's family in Malibu. Clay's sister Katie and her husband Jeremy were on leave from the Marines, so it was the perfect time for us to meet up for a Rich Family Trip. And boy - did we pack it in! ('Tis the Rich way, after all. :))

We went to Disneyland 

visited the Getty Museum

played lots of games

had fun with Jaxon

watched the Rose Parade

and (some) attended the Rose Bowl Game!

What an amazing two weeks! We were so blessed to be able to spend this time with family making memories and having a blast. It was also particularly fun to think about this time next year and all the memories that are yet to come! ;)

Better Late Than Never

Do you think it's a good omen to be starting 2011 and I'm already running behind?

But after our coast-to-coast Christmas - two weeks of travelling from Florida to California and back - it only makes sense that I would be a little slow in welcoming the new year. After all, I'm still not quite sure which time zone I'm in!

Updates from our holiday travels and belly pics coming soon, I promise! Better late than never, right? ;)