Elyse Love ~ 24 Weeks

24w4d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: So you know how I failed the initial glucose test? Well, turns out I also didn't do so hot in the weight gain department either! The nurse practitioner that I saw on Monday told me not to freak out, because in all honesty I didn't gain a single pound for the first 4 months of this adventure. However, I'm definitely trying to be a little more health-conscious. Dieting is obviously not an option, but better choices certainly are! I don't want to be reprimanded at my next appointment...that's for sure!

Gender: We're having a precious little baby girl...Elyse Ann. I'm proud to admit that we haven't gone completely overboard in buying stuff just yet, but I know that once the nursery starts coming together and the closet gets more organized...the clothes and shoes and bows will start free-flowing into our house!

Movement: YES!!! A ton of it! Nick actually felt some very subtle movement earlier this week and I can't wait until he can see her move and feel her consistently! I just love all the little flutters...the hard kicks, not so much! ha! But regardless I love feeling her and knowing that she's moving around in her warm little place!

Sleep: Sleep is still great, you know, minus the trip to the bathroom every night! I've been trying to drink plenty of water but monitor my intake later into the evening...this seems to be helping with my nightly bathroom trips!

What I miss: Hmmm...at this point it's all just starting to become my new way of life for now. Sure, I miss some foods and I miss being able to work as hard and I miss being able to look the same in my old clothes...but the rewards are starting to look sweeter & sweeter as we get closer to the end of the 2nd trimester! I can't believe it's almost less than 100 days until she arrives!

Cravings: Still nothing too weird... As I mentioned above, I'm really starting to watch my food intake. No, I'm not dieting but I'm also really trying to avoid the "I'm pregnant so I can eat WHATEVER I want" mentality. I know this will be good for both Elyse & myself in the long run!

Symptoms: Well it's certainly a growing belly that is most obvious right now! I'm thankful for the lack of any other major symptoms besides a few extra pounds...

Maternity Clothes: The dress I have on in this week's photo is one from The Limited I picked up back in the late summer. It's the perfect item that will "grow" with me and will still be cute & stylish even after Elyse arrives. These are my favorite pieces to buy right now...stuff I will be able to wear before, right after, and even after I hopefully get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight! I do have to say that I received my first pair of maternity jeans in the mail this week from Old Navy. They were seriously a God-send! So much more comfortable than my old jeans with a Bella Band...thus, I think more maternity pants will be in my very near future!

Best Moment this week: Definitely not my experience yesterday! One of our mutual friends is trying to build up his photography portfolio so we met up to have some maternity photos taken. We have plans to take some more once the nursery is finished and once I'm a little further along, but I can't wait to see the finished photos. You can bet I'll share a few once I have them in my possession!

Baby To-Do List: With all the craziness from earlier this week we really haven't gotten many baby things accomplished. However we have major plans for the weekend which include completing the cleanout of the nursery & painting! I think for now we're going with one solid coat for the whole room with accents of color...I can't wait to see it start coming together!

And of course, here's the belly photo...