Half way!!

So, I was officially at 20 weeks last Saturday. I took this pictures Sunday night before going to bed....which is why I look a little tired. My check ups have been great and so far everything is going very well! I had some swollen ankles during one of the days I was visiting Meghan, but I think I was just on my feet too much that day (shopping) because they haven't been swollen since. I am definitely "showing." It literally seems like I woke up one morning and there was this belly! It is noticeably harder for me to get around, particularly when it comes to bending over to pick things up. While shopping with Mom and Meghan, I found some really cute organic crib bedding, and Mom and I started a registry for me at target. Thank goodness she went with me because the amount of STUFF is just overwhelming. She was a great help for choosing items that are actually practical! Here are a few pics of the crib (without bedding or a mattress). :)

Gobble Gobble!

The latest and greatest is that my Mom came for Thanksgiving for the first time ever! :) It was such a treat to have her here! Mom arrived on the Friday before Thanksgiving and then she and I took the train to see Meghan in the Bay Area for two days. The train ride was nice and relaxing, and Mom whooped me at Gin Rummy. I apparently am not too great at that game! While at Meg's, we ate at some delicious restaurants and did some Christmas shopping. Mom went with me to my 20 week appointment, where she was able to hear the baby's heart beat and meet my midwife, Alison. It was so great to have her go along with me to an appointment.

Than, Meg and Aaron drove up on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with us also. We had a small gathering of 7, including Matt and Shari! I think smaller groups are often nicer, and the dinner was delicious! I think we ended up with more pie than anything: 3 pumpkin (mom and I ate one well before thanksgiving), 1 pecan, and 1 chocolate pecan. Delish! After dinner we played card and dice games, during which the rest of us took most of Meg and Aaron's money. hehe. :)

Sadly, Mom had to leave for the airport Friday morning, but only after Meghan and I rushed out the door for some Friday door buster shopping. Unfortunately, 6am is not early enough to get the really good deals! I didn't take any pictures with my camera (so I will have to post some when Mom or Meg send me theirs), except for a few of Jasen putting up the Christmas lights outside and me watching him for moral support. Meg stayed until Sunday, which was great since we got in some more shopping and scrabble.....and maybe a few naps.

I'm really excited to be spending Christmas with Jasen and Matt this year,and be there for the Smith Christmas celebration. I will surely miss the Big Family Christmas celebrations! Only a few weeks and I will be flying back to Illinois (Mom and Dad are waiting to celebrate Christmas until I arrive!)

18 weeks (plus a few days)

So here is my (approximately) 18 week photo! This baby is definitely growing, and more and more people are noticing. :) One of my coworkers approached me today and asked if I was expecting. When I told her that I was, she said, "I knew it! I could just sense it!" I wanted to respond by asking her if she meant her sense of sight, since I feel like it is pretty obvious at this point. But, I think she meant she has some sort of sixth sense, so I left it at that. I have been feeling, for the most part, really great. My appetite is definitely starting to increase and the nausea only comes back if I don't hit my 60 grams of protein goal for the day. Apparently the average woman doesn't have an issue meeting the recommended daily requirement of protein, but it seems I tend to have some difficulty with it. I think that is because I really try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies....which, although good for me, are not high in protein. Also, it seems that nuts are really tough for me to digest at this point, so I'm left with trying to eat organic dairy and meats....and lots of organic omega rich eggs.

This weekend Jasen and I did a lot of work around the house, including putting together the crib! I will have to post some pictures of it, as it turned out beautiful! It seems to be very well made and it really met our expectations (you really never know about things that you only see online- sometimes the pictures can be deceiving). We have been prepping for Mom's upcoming visit, hosting Thanksgiving, and our upcoming annual Holiday Party. I definitely cannot do as much as I used to, but I'm helping Jay as much as I can!

Thanks to all of those who have voted on the baby name polls.... :)

P.s- current cravings include pickles (such a stereotype, i know!), nachos and cheese, and ....finally.....chocolate! Jasen is doing his part to keep it all under control ;) Some of you might know that the chocolate craving is welcomed, since I basically have not wanted anything to do with sweets for the past 4 months.