Baby Butler is 16 Weeks!

Baby Growth:

It is mind blowing to me that this little baby can look totally like a baby….arms, legs, hands, feet, and a sweet profile…yet is only as big as an avocado! Babies truly are a miracle & evidence of God’s amazing handiwork.

My Symptoms: This sinus junk is for the BIRDS!! 3 weeks later and I am STILL congested…and it is wiping me out.  I keep hearing/reading I could keep this for the remainder of the pregnancy, but I SURE hope not! Yuck!! I’m trying to drink a LOT of water today to help flush it out. I’m sure Jon is ready for me to stop whining about it too…

Other than that just some shortness of breath. I cleaned a lot last week & it seriously felt like a work out! I love being able to deep clean when we have time off work….there is nothing better than a clean house!!

Weight: I honestly have NO idea. I need to weigh to make sure I'm keeping it under control, but I haven’t weighed at all this week.

I will say that my belly is looking pretty sweet. My belly button is even starting to pop out (flatten out) after I eat1! Ha! Big Jon HATES belly buttons (can’t stand having his touched) and thinks it looks so weird.

Check out this BUMP!!!

Gender: We FINALLY had our big gender reveal!! It wasn’t that hard to keep it a secret and we didn’t tell ANYONE before, so it truly was a surprise for everyone (even my mom)! But I’m glad everyone knows now…my family especially was DYING to know Baby Butler’s gender! They even tried bribing Jonathan, but I was impressed that he didn’t spill the beans.

I’ll blog about it ASAP…I am so, so glad we decided to do it!!  I do NOT like planning showers & parties, so I was putting it off and dreading it. Thankfully it’s totally my family’s niche, so they pulled it off & everyone had a blast. It was such a fun time surrounded by our loved ones who already love this sweet little blessing so much….

Can’t wait to tell you that Baby Butler is a ….

Maternity Clothes: It’s time. I feel like I look like a scrub every day & wear the same outfits over & over because I’m just wearing the clothes that fit. I can still fasten my pants (most of them), but it’s definitely time to bust out some maternity clothes. I looked for some maternity clothes several times over the break…and maybe I am looking in the wrong place, but most of them are just NOT cute to me- especially the pants (what I need the most). And I’m cheap,so that is a tough combo.  Honestly, I’m a dress person anyway, so I think dresses are the only thing I’ve even bought for the last couple of years (I still wear lots of clothes from high school & college).  I have a feeling it’s going to be a cold winter here in GA this year, & I have car rider duty OUTSIDE….so I’ll have to dress warm.  I typically do lots of layers when it gets cooler, so I’ll just stick with that- and lots of those clothes can double as maternity anyway. (It’s really the pants I’m having the issue with.)

I was fortunate enough to have some friends let me borrow some clothes, so I guess it’s time to dig them out & go through them. I did, however, wear my first “maternity" shirt on Thanksgiving….

Movement: Ahhhhhh!!!! I FINALLY felt some movement!!! I’ve only felt it once, but I have no doubt it was the baby. I was in Target one afternoon (looking for maternity clothes, shocker) & I felt this little tickle in my belly. I stopped to see if it would continue…it felt just like a little butterfly tickling the inside of my tummy. It lasted for a while, so I knew that’s what it was. I immediately started squalling (these hormones sure are something) and called Jonathan to tell him the news. I can’t WAIT for more of that! It was absolutely precious!!!

Sleep: I am finally sleeping better, for the most part anyway. There are a few nights this past week I had trouble breathing….not sure if it was from being stopped up or what. I even used my inhaler one night.

I had the whole week off for Thanksgiving & was PUMPED about sleeping in….but I woke up at 7:50 every morning. I was hoping for at least 9! (We stay up late…)

Last night I had a TERRIBLE nightmare and felt like I was awake during most of it. I ended up hitting snooze about 15 times this morning, NOT wanting to get up at all….these pregnancy dreams are crazy! (Speaking of dreams, I had 2 family members & a close friend have a dream about Baby Butler’s gender- and all of their dreams were CORRECT!)

Cravings: Smoothies!! I haven’t been eating quite as healthy as normal, so I decided this was a great way to make sure I’m getting plenty of fruits & veggies. Here’s my recipe (I don’t really measure anything so I’m just guessing):

• 1 c water
• 1-2 cups each of spinach & kale
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 c mixed berries
• 1 banana
• 1/2 green apple (with skin)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tbsp almond butter

It’s good…..and makes me thankful for my awesome blender!

What I miss: Week 16 was an AWESOME week, and I LOVED having the whole week off work.  I felt like  I can’t say I really missed anything this week…In fact, I felt like I could really focus on taking care of myself and enjoy the pregnancy, and I still managed to to my Bible study, clean the house & decorate for Christmas, work out, and still cook dinner! It was FABULOUS!!! I think future pregnancies will be much easier when I’m not working full time. I’m managing, and kudos to the women who do it with all of theirs…but it is tough. (Pregnancy is bringing the wimp out in me! It is HARD WORK growing a baby though…)

Some of my favorite things this week??

Laughing at with Big Jon & his crazy ‘do’s’….

Spending time at my parents…

Taking pictures of this BEAUTIFUL family that I love dearly….

And buying chairs for our new farmhouse table! I LOVE HomeGoods…you just can’t beat their prices!!

(This wasn’t a very good “What I Miss” section….maybe it’s more of a “What I LOVED & what I’ll miss NEXT week” section…)

Work Outs: I went on a few light walks this week, but nothing to brag about. I did an upper body workout one day and was super surprised at how weak I am. I’m used to being strong & lifting big girl weight….but I can’t and that’s okay. It felt really good to feel a little sore….

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: Oh gosh, there were SO MANY this week!!!

Feeling the baby move was beyond incredible! That is such a neat little gift God blesses us with!

I LOVED Thanksgiving with our families & showing off the “bump.” We have such supportive, loving families…and they are making this even more special.

Spending time with Big Jon was a BLAST! I love how much we laugh together & TRULY enjoy each other’s company.

Enjoyed decorating for Christmas too! There is nothing like a warm, cozy house…with candles lit & a Christmas tree glistening. We are turning into quite the homebodies! We even had dinner with Ryan & Dana one night, and all our big plans of going out ended up as dinner in & talking lots of future plans, investment ideas, & politics.

And of course, the BIG REVEAL!!!!  We had so much fun with our friends & family! I loved seeing everyone’s guesses….and everyone’s faces when we released those balloons!

Questions/Concerns: One of me teeth hurts a little….It just started last night. Fabulous, huh? That’s about it…

Goals for next week: Start stretching more. Go on some walks & continue with the smoothies. Limit sugar (between Thanksgiving & the party, I have been doing some serious damage). Read more of Babywise. Get in bed early earlier.

Thoughts: I FINALLY “feel” pregnant!! I LOVE knowing the gender, talking to the baby, feeling the movement, and seeing the bump grow. 4 months…I can’t believe it! I’ve known for so long that I feel like I’ve been pregnant for forever…so I’m glad it’s finally starting to feel REAL.

Baby Butler is 15 Weeks!!

Baby Growth:

Baby Butler should be weighing around a half of a pound by now…around the size of a naval orange. (I LOVE oranges, by the way…and I heard on Dr. Oz the other day that they are an awesome way to help whiten your teeth naturally.)

 

My Symptoms: I feel GREAT as far as the pregnancy, but I have a serious cold/sinus infection (started last week) that has totally WHOOPED my tail. I am not a fan of medicine so I’m trying to let it run its course…but I sure have felt yucky. I have stayed on the couch pretty much every afternoon this week till bedtime & have been wiped out! I look and sound as bad as I feel.

Jon is trying his best not to catch it…and went so far as to write his “name” (nickname: Bean) on his cup. Yea, we’re super classy over here in the Butler house & sometimes we mix our cups in Red Solo cups. I always use his cups and it drives him crazy….ha!

Oh, and between these hormones & OmegaPlex, my hair is OUT OF CONTROL! It is huge, long, & growing like a mad woman. I can barely do anything with it so I usually rock it in a pony tail…(It is SO thick & takes FOREVER to work with….which doesn’t really fit into my whole “20 minutes to get ready” routine.)

The girl who cuts our hair has been slammed & hasn’t had time to squeeze us in, so we’ve both been growing our hair out. I guess Jon has “pregnancy sympathy” and is trying to rock his like mine. He’s giving “No Shave Hair Cut November”  a whole new meaning, & just might kill me for posting this!! Ha! Good thing I had a crush on Patrick Swayze & Billy Ray Cyrus when I was little & don’t mind mullets…. (redneck kid or what?!?!) ANNNND, when you’re as hot as he is, you can pretty much pull off anything….

Weight: According to my scale in my bathroom, I’m up about 9-10 lbs since I first found out. I’m pretty sure my belly button is starting to pop out too! Ha! I’m rubbing oil all over my belly 2-3 times a day. It’s not uncommon to see me walking around with my tank top lifted massaging my belly. I will be 4 months on Tuesday (tomorrow)…

Gender: Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! WE KNOW!!!! I am so stinkin’ excited! Jon & I decided we wanted to find out, but didn’t expect to be able to until 20 weeks. I had an appointment on Wednesday & thankfully got to see Tiffany again….I stinkin’ LOVE her! Anyway, she snuck us back for an ultrasound and we got to watch Baby Butler for about 15 minutes! It was absolutely precious!!! The baby was moving ALL around like a crazy lil thing, and Jon pointed out it kept holding its hands to its face/forehead in the EXACT same position I was while laying on the table. (I had one hand at my mouth and the other draped on my forehead.) After about 15 minutes, we determined we could come to a safe conclusion about Baby Butler’s gender!!

Sorry…we can’t tell anyone until we’ve told our families! We are trying to get together a fun little gender reveal, and obviously we want to do it quickly because Big Jon can NOT keep a secret! (But we weren’t prepared to do it so soon!)  I am trying to be very cautious with my words too so I don’t accidentally spill the beans.  So, I can’t tell you what we’re having, but I can tell you that we are VERY excited!! The heartbeat was 153 this time if that means anything to you and you want to guess….(and my skin has been very dry, I was sick for the first 11 weeks and then felt better except for being exhausted, and have been craving mostly sweets).

The whole reason I was considering waiting was  watching Rachael’s video from giving birth & her whole family meeting their newest addition for the first time. They had kept the gender a surprise and the whole family was SO excited & emotional….it was really, incredibly sweet. I bawled through the whole video & thought that would be such a cool moment…

But after some thought, we decided to go ahead and find out.  Jon wanted to know, and more of me wanted to find out than didn’t…(mostly to be prepared and have the nursery done before- and NOT in gender neutral).  Meeting your little one for the first time is such a cool moment in itself (even without the element of “surprise”). I know both of our families are absolutely tickled to death too…and it is killing them we haven’t told them the gender yet! (This is Jon’s parents first grandchild, and my parents 11th- the tie breaker….they have 5 boys & 5 girls…)

I do have to say that I have YET to feel pregnant until finding out the gender. Something about knowing what our sweet little blessing is really helped me connect even more and made it more real in my mind. I am more excited than ever!! I finally “feel pregnant” if that makes sense.

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing my clothes for now… but it’s time to at least start thinking about maternity pants & new sports bras. We went on a date night (dinner and a movie….it cost almost $60….ridiculous!) & I was SO uncomfortable during the whole movie. Between my full belly, tight jeans, and stuffy nose, I was breathing super loud & annoying even myself. And some of my sports bras that I really like because they’re tight & supportive (that’s all I wear, all the time) are SO stinkin’ tight!

Movement: I think I might have felt a few little flutters one day this week when I was lying really still, but I honestly can’t tell.  Could be just gas.

Sleep: I can’t seem to get enough…

But I do feel like this cold is part of God’s way of helping me slow down. I obviously can’t do it on my own, and I know you HAVE to rest & take care of yourself when you’re pregnant. Maybe this is his way of helping me prepare for life right after baby too….I KNOW I’ll have to take my time to recover & rest lots.

Cravings:  I have been cooking more this week, but haven’t really been eating it.  Jon has been working late on a side job, so I just make it for him and put it in the fridge. I decided on Wednesday I wanted some cereal (enough to get off the couch & drive to the store to get myself some) and have been eating it every day. I haven’t had any super intense cravings this week though…

What I miss: Energy!!! I have been on the couch EVERY day this week! I honestly am not even sure I sat on our couch before I got pregnant….so this is all new to me. I don’t even have a clue what to watch on t.v. and don’t understand for the life of me how in the WORLD people watch 4-6 hours of t.v. a day!?! There is NOTHING on!!!! I’ve been watching some Dr. Oz reruns, Criminal Minds, & DIY…but I am super bored.

Work Outs:   This cold has me out of commission so I didn’t work out this week, but I decided I am I’m going to order some prenatal yoga DVDs. Any recommendations??

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: Watching Baby Butler on the ultrasound and finding out the gender!!! Ahhhh, melt my heart!

I know all these are all pretty much the same, but you can see the bump a little differently in each. I promise it is WAY bigger looking in person…I’m going to have to find another way to capture it so you can see.

(Uhhhh, P.S., No WONDER Jon keeps commenting about my booty….This was the first time I’ve really seen it…I swear, between my boobs, butt, & belly, I think I will qualify for my own zip code soon!! Thankfully they seem to be all growing OUT rather than wider…)

Questions/Concerns: None this week. Praying for Baby Butler as our next appointment is the BIG one (20 weeks) where you check all the organs for development.

Goals for next week: And THIS is a week when I’m especially thankful for my job! We have the WHOLE week off (I think I’m the only person who is okay with the furloughs because I REALLY enjoy having the full week off at Thanksgiving!) and I am beyond excited to rest, relax, and spend time with my family & friends. Jon & I have some plans to meet with our accountant, go car shopping & baby browsing, & maybe get my rings sauntered. Other than that I’m going to enjoy lots of sleeping in (hopefully), working out (since I won’t be exhausted from teaching all day), & eating some yummy food.

Baby Butler is 14 Weeks!

Baby Growth:

Baby Butler is the size of a lemon…which seems a little strange because I think of a peach (comparison from last week) as being bigger than a lemon. Still, what a tiny little thing!

My Symptoms: Not really having any “pregnancy symptoms” this week. I have been fighting a sore throat & lots of sneezing, but I think it’s just drainage. (All my kiddos at school are coughing and sneezing everywhere….yuck!), so I think I’m just fighting off all their little germies. I also read that a stuffy nose is common around this time during pregnancy and I can  probably “chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." That has made me extra tired and not want to do ANYTHING except sleep.

Weight: Same as last week. I’m up about 7-8 lbs since I found out I was preggo @ 4 weeks. I swear half of it is in my boobs- they are monsters!!

Gender: Scratch last week’s comment. Now Jon thinks Baby Butler is a boy. I still have no feeling one way or another….and EVERYONE is telling me something completely different! Some people swear it’s a girl and others swear it’s a boy! Haha…I have come to the conclusion that everyone’s pregnancy is different and there is no way to really know. We are leaning more towards finding out now though…mostly for preparation. As cool of a surprise as it would be, a new baby brings plenty of excitement even without keeping the gender a secret.  Plus, we would love to have four, so we have a few more opportunities for secrets down the road.

And we don’t really have a preference one way or the other anyway.

Maternity Clothes: My belly is BIG….and everyone is starting to comment on it!! I was feeling pretty self conscious last week because most of my friends who are due around the same time as me aren’t showing nearly as much as I am….I even feel like my belly button is starting to pop out! Jon suggested that it’s probably because my stomach was so tight this summer (thank you Advocare, and I look forward to getting back to you post-baby!). I know everyone starts showing at different times so I don’t know if that’s the reason or not, but I’m just going to go with that!

THIS SUMMER:

Anyway, I never thought I would be self-conscious at all while being pregnant…and honestly I think it’s annoying when pregnant women harp on weight gain all the time! I mean seriously, keep it within reason & be quiet about it! You have a BABY inside of you! (although unlike what most people keep saying to me, I do not feel like pregnancy is an excuse for free reign to eat whatever you want!) But after hearing about 37 people say “Are you SURE there aren’t twins in there?” I started to feel a little embarrassed and wonder if I was too big. I talked to Jon about it and he was extremely reassuring, so I’m over that now. I have a sweet little miracle growing inside my belly, so I’m just gonna rock that thing!

I know better than to compare to others anyway. This is MY pregnancy and MY sweet little bump…so I am going to enjoy it!

As far as maternity clothes, I am still wearing my regular clothes but I am having to unbutton all my size 6’s. I am definitely getting wider & my boobs & booty are both growing (maybe that’s why Jon can’t resist me right now!). Fortunately I wear a lot of layers and long tops anyway, so most of my shirts are fine.

Movement: None yet, but I’m more ready for it than ever! Emily kept joking that I’m in ‘pregnancy denial,’ but I think part of it is that I don’t FEEL pregnant yet.

Sleep: FINALLY sleeping better!!! And way more! I’m not sure if it’s because of the cold or what, but I have been exhausted! I’m thankful my body is making me slow down because I don’t think I know how to do it on my own. On the afternoons I don’t have anything to do I’ve been enjoying serious business naps on the couch, and I’ve been getting in bed around 10 or 10:30…which is much better for me!

I’m missing Sleep Works (if you have trouble sleeping, you should definitely look into it- AWESOME stuff!), but I think the tart cherry juice seems to be helping before bed.

Cravings: I haven’t had any consistent cravings this week. One afternoon at school they had some Papa John’s pizza in the office and it smelled AWESOME, so I wanted some for dinner. Big Jon is the MAN and took care of it for me while I laid on the couch like a total bum.  It wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping and I haven’t had any cravings other than that really. I did throw out the ingredients for s’mores because I was getting a little ridiculous…

I have finally started eating some salad and veggies again too. Thank goodness Costco sells Olive Garden salad dressing because that’s about the only way I’m getting it in.

And I still can’t really do meat. I had some bbq this weekend (it was SO good- thanks Z & Em), but most meat is still grossing me out big time. I also had some delicious pasta & portbello mushrooms at Chelsi’s…and that was delish too! YUM! that is one of my favorite thins right now is enjoying so many different types of foods. I have been eating the exact same things every day for the past few years since I started eating clean (and it doesn’t bother me one bit to do that), but right now I am eating ALL kinds of different things and really enjoying it.

What I miss: Clear skin. I’ve always had problem skin, but it’s worse than ever and so annoying.

Work Outs: I don’t think I even worked out ONCE last week!! I have something to do every night this week too so I doubt it’ll happen this week either- which I hate (I really want to start walking). I have GOT to get a grip and stop doing so much….it’s ridiculous. Everything says I should be getting some energy back by now, but since I’m so crazy busy all the time, it’s just not happening.

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: Seeing Chelsi & Emily, for sure!!

Jon & his new buddy, Daisy. She loved him!

 

Chelsi was a FABULOUS hostess and has done so much to make their house super cozy & cute!! She & Chad both have done a lot of work to the house and I LOVE that her style is totally shining through. She made us a super yummy dinner too, and they were nice enough to wait around till 9:00 till we got there to eat!

I LOVED seeing Emily’s house for the first time too…she’s done an awesome job with everything (especially for someone who doesn’t think they’re good at decorating?). I also REALLY loved meeting Britt & Kye and seeing them parent in action. I always brag about them to other people, and I have a feeling our parenting styles will be very similar because we have VERY similar beliefs & are hard core about them.  It was fun talking to someone who believes so strongly and passionately about the same things we do…that doesn’t happen often.

**Another fun pregnancy moment…

I LOVE when people say “OMG, are you expecting?” and I look at them like they’re crazy and shake my head no.  I did it twice at church yesterday…..I just can’t help it- it’s hilarious to me!!! (Don’t worry…I do tell them!)

Questions/Concerns: I have a mole that just came up and I’m always worried about skin cancer because I used to be such an IDIOT about the tanning bed and sun (that’s why I bought a spray tan machine). I don’t really  have any pregnancy questions or concerns yet though….other than if there is anything I need to try to get for the baby during Black Friday. Any suggestions or recommendations?? I’m not usually a big Black Friday shopper. I’m actually not a big shopper period because we hardly EVER spend money (except on food- of course!!).

I have no clue what I’m going to register for yet…still waiting on Emily to write her “Registry Recommendation Post” AND for Christmas break to even start thinking about that.

Goals for next week: We are still focusing more on our marriage (and I’d say it’s working..I feel like our marriage is better than ever, our bond is stronger, and I’m even more in love with Jon today than ever before!)& preparing our hearts for parenthood.  In my opinion, that is the MOST important thing you can do to get ready for a baby….well above preparing for a nursery, registering for gifts, reading all the books, or making sure you have all the gadgets.  Besides, I’m still not even 4 months yet!  Jonathan is going to an awesome men’s Bible study about being a father right now and I am so thankful for that. It allows us to have time to talk about parenting and our goals in raising children. I love those talks! We are also reading a few parenting books right now…

We are going for a check up this week too, so I’m going to write down any of my questions (although I still can’t really think of any?) for the doctor. Excited to hear that sweet little heartbeat again! I also get to see a different doctor in the practice and he is several of my friends’ favorite, so I’m looking forward to meeting him.

Thoughts: I am so ridiculously thankful for Jonathan. I am more in love with him than ever and that makes me so excited to bring a baby into this world with him. I am thankful for SO MANY of his qualities and that the Lord knew exactly what I needed in a man. He is an absolutely incredible husband and always puts me and my needs first. He’s such a hard working provider for our family and handles everything so I can focus on what I need to do. My heart beams with pride that I get to be his wife…and I truly MEAN every word of that!

This week he has been even more complimentary of me than normal and I appreciate every word!! He acts like I’m a supermodel or something….which is cracking me up because I feel more unattractive right now than ever. Whatever, I’ll take it!

My husband is SO stinkin’ HOT!!! Goodness I LOVE him!!!

Baby Butler, you are one lucky little thing because yo daddy is THA MAN!!!!

Seeing Old Friends…

I am SO excited to get to see some sweet friends this weekend!!!

I have known Chelsi & Emily for FOREVER!!

Chelsi was my best friend all through middle & high school, and even though Emily & I met in elementary school, we became close our senior year. (We all three ate lunch together too one year in high school…Emily always kept it interesting to say the least!) They were both in my wedding & I was in both of theirs too (sorry ladies….it was pre-clean eating & pre-Advocare!). I don’t get to see either of them very often because they both picked up and moved about 4 hours away from me (and really close to each other!), so I am PUMPED to get to spend some time with them this weekend!!

YAY for sweet time with old friends!!