20 weeks and 4 days

This weekend was fun and relaxing. I think Taylor and I needed a little get away. We met up with his family Saturday night and it was really really good! We ate steak and went to see Carolines condo in Fort Worth. Everything turned out well!! So a first happened this past week... A lady in the elevator at school noticed I was pregnant! She was the first to ask me how far along I was (other than people who already know, or who I tell). Anyway, it was pretty exciting because now I feel like I look like I am pregnant rather than a fat cow. Friends and family still dont know what I am having... my mom is super irritated about it.. HAHA! My family thinks its a boy and Taylors family thinks its a girl. I guess we will see soon! So far everything is moving along smoothly this trimester. Its different being pregnant... I notice strollers and babies everywhere I go. I get really hungry all of the sudden. But my hair and nails look fabulous!

So another breakthrough has happened in the past few weeks as well... Its time for Maternity Shopping my friends! I officially cant fit in most of my clothes! I had to resort to my moms flowy tops this weekend because my clothes I packed didnt fit over my belly. My belly band is uncomfortable over my jeans and even though my shirts arent skin tight normally, they sure are now. I want to resort to leggings and dresses to give my belly room to breathe! I know its stupid to say that I feel fat because I am well aware that I have a child growing inside me. I am supposed to "get fat" and have a belly but I am just SO NOT used to it. I mean, I understand the feeling of being bloated, but usually just a little bit of "suck in, turn to the side" action does the trick. With a baby, there is no sucking in! So I have to get used to my growing belly, and its still small! It is exciting when people notice though. At least then I dont feel like I have a beer gut!

Things I miss:
-Eating raw salmon.. Yum SUSHI!
-Sleeping comfortably on my stomach
-Rigorous Exercise
-Excessive amounts of caffiene
-WINE, and other alcoholic beverages
-Sleeping through the night without having to pee a zillion times
-Not smelling everything all the time
-Being able to fit comfortably in my normal clothes
-Staying up past 11 without saying "its bedtime!"


Ok, time for work!

Love,

Alyssa and Poppy-pants

P.S. my nail color is called "poppy"

20 weeks!!!

So I finally reached mid point! A few significant events have happened in the past couple of weeks since I last posted...

First and foremost, I lost my beloved ween been (Kobi). It was probably one of the hardest things I have been through and I am still getting used to it. He has been gone a week now and I still miss his pitter pattering on the hardwood floor, taking him to go potty, and especially cuddling with him during naps and bedtime. Taylor had come home to find him already passed and had to call me out of class. I hope and pray that he went peacefully. And of coarse, not that I didnt know already, but I have amazing friends. They all came over to support me and help me burry my baby. Tara even drove from San Marcos! I think we all have a special place in our hearts for ween been! He will be forever remembered, forever loved, forever missed and forever alive in my heart <3


On a happier note... I am half way done! Now its just time to get bigger! My tummy has grown a lot and I actually feel like I look pregnant now, rather than a bloated mess. Previous symtoms have died down and new ones have sprung up. Some new things I am experiencing are INCREASED APETITE (yay, I love food!), restless nights, congestion, back and leg aches (especially when standing for a long time), and the best one... FETAL MOVEMENTS! Thats probably my favorite! I love feeling the baby move. I can still semi lay on my stomach, so thats when baby moves most because its squished... poor baby! But I like to feel it! I am feeling it now more so just sitting up and when I am really still. I can feel little kicks and punches. Its still hard to feel on the outside because its so small but hopefully within the next few weeks it will be easier. We went to our midpoint check up last week and baby has grown a lot! Its a banana baby now, equipped with all its parts if you know what I mean :) So, we found out the gender! Mostly to make me feel better about Kobi. Our initial plan was to wait but we decided we wanted to know sooner so we went to eat at Olive Garden and opened the picture and it was a...... hehe just kidding.. Come to the gender cake party to find out! Other than that everything looked good and things are rolling smoothly. I cut back on job hours because I was getting really stressed out. School has been good. I have my first exam tomorrow, which I am totally unprepared for but we just wont talk about that right now. Taylor has been doing well in school too. This weekend we are going to Dallas to hang out with my mom and brother and we have some cool stuff planned. I am also going to see Tara after her Walk! I dont think she knows I am going yet...

So here is a picture of the baby... I cant wait to tell everyone what it is so I can stop calling it an "IT"!

Love,
Alyssa and Banana baby

So, I havent posted a picture in a while... this is just the most recent one! I am officially showing! Still small, but definitely there! These past few weeks have been good and busy. I finished P3 and Tara completed her Weekend this past weekend. Good stuff... I am ready to be done with Pathways though. It has been an amazing experience but I feel like I am ready to take control of my life. Thats the kind of stuff we will learn in P3 so it will be good stuff. Other than that, Taylor and I have been excellent. Trying to make time for each other, class, and extra activities is tough. I am in the process of cutting back more hours on work. I wanted to quit but they are giving me an opportunity to facillitate groups which will be a really good opportunity for me. So, I might stick around but not as much. I really need more time to focus on school. Last week I was behind and really stressed... I would rather focus more time on school right now than a job. So we will see how that goes. I got a new car too! I wasnt expecting to get it so soon but we ended up getting a good deal. Its a Jeep Grand Cherokee "Cherry", fully loaded and freaking awesome! I love it. It is a lot bigger than my other Jeep so I am still getting used to parking. It was fun to drive to Dallas though!

So pregnancy is moving along and going really well so far. Now that I am in month 5, things are going more smoothly. Some symptoms are: acne (ugh, still!), tiredness though not as much, breast tenderness, itchy belly, back and leg aches, dry skin, irregular bowels, weird appetite although I am eating more, waking a lot during sleep... Thats all I can think of for now. Taylor has been amazing and supportive throughout all of this, which makes me so happy. He tells me I am beautiful even though I feel fat, and will rub my belly and kiss it and talk to the baby :) So sweet. We are both so happy and ready for this new experience. I think we are also both grateful that this has helped us to grow up a little more. We are at the point where growing up is ok; we have lived a lot and had our fun college moments. This seems right for us right now. Anyway we are planning the gender cake party and we are excited for our friends and family to come down and support us. Big ultrasound is this week! I am so pumped and ready to see my little mango... Its finally starting to feel real! Oh! And I joined a Mentoring Moms bible study yesterday! It was really cool and inspirational. They meet at Oak Hills every 1st Monday of the month. Theres free dinner and guest speakers and small group talk. I'm pretty sure I am the youngest and only unmarried one there but its ok! Everyone was nice.. they even brought their babies! Well, some of them did. Its neat to get to know other moms and their experiences, I feel like I am going to learn a lot. Its nice because none of my friends have babies yet so they dont realy understand what I am going through, not in a bad way, just in a "they havent been there yet" way. But its a good thing because now they want to take care of my baby because they dont have kids of their own yet! Which will be nice! I love my friends! hehe

Ok, working still... UGH!

Love,
Alyssa and Mango