20 weeks

I'm a bit past 20 weeks, but this photo was taken last week at the 20-week mark by my co-worker/photographer, Chelsea.  I hope it doesn't seem self-absorbed to post weekly photos.  One of my co-workers moved away to South Carolina (miss you, Dana!) and requested weekly updates.  I figure I might as well share them with everyone else!  (The ugly black blinds are at work, not my house.)

In other updates, we ordered furniture for the nursery this weekend.  Wow, what an overwhelming (and expensive) purchase.  It was fun though, and I'm happy with what we picked out.  One thing checked off the list, a million more to go...!!

Is It A Boy?

Good evening, friends. This is Jason, as Ashley has let me guest blog tonight to ask a very important question: the doctor says it’s a boy, but I am not so sure myself. I have three alternative prognostications:

1) Jack-O-Lantern:

This photo looks very seasonally appropriate to me. The nose is a perfect triangle. The eyes are glowing. And the mouth is a perfect example of a toothy grin. Maybe he’s just dressing up early this year…

2) Skeletor:

This one frightens me a bit. The deep eye sockets…with no eyes. The evil scowl. I believe that the power of Grayskull may very well be camped out in my wife’s belly.

3) Michael Jackson:

Now this one just makes the most sense to me. Look at that hand position. He’s reaching for his little fedora and I swear he would moonwalk if he had the room. All these kicks I am feeling are probably dance moves. And think…Michael Jackson passed away not too far from the time we conceived. Coincidence or reincarnation? If he comes out in February with one little white glove, well, then…I rest my case.

Speaking of prognostications…I predict this is the last time I am allowed to guest blog.

It's a BOY!!

It's a BOY!!  We had a great appointment this morning and learned that we will have a little boy!  The baby is healthy and measuring right where he should be.  The due date is estimated at February 12th.  Let the fun begin!

19 weeks

Hard to believe we're at 19.5 weeks already!

Milestones this week:
-Baby is moving around a lot.  Most movements can be felt if you hold your hand to my tummy.
-Morning sickness is better, but not gone.
-Clothes are getting TIGHT.  Time to start wearing those maternity pants more regularly!
-Strangers are noticing that I'm pregnant.  Most of them still don't have the nerve to say anything (just in case they're wrong), but the ice cream lady did today!

I'll post again on Wednesday after we (hopefully) find out the sex...

Boy or girl?

One week from today, we will find out if Baby Huffman is a "he" or a "she".  The Chinese calendar says it's a girl.  Jason's co-worker's "pencil trick" says it's a boy.  I think it's a girl.  Jason thinks it's a boy. All I know is it's a 50/50 chance!  What do you think?

Good husband

During pregnancy, for obvious reasons, there is a lot of attention on the woman.  I'd like to dedicate this post to all of the dads out there who have supported their wives through pregnancy - and in particular to my husband, Jason.

Jason has been incredibly involved in this journey from the beginning.  When I took the pregnancy test, he was right there with me, waiting for the results.  He's been to every doctor's appointment except one (he was out of town).  In the first 12 or so weeks, he asked me every day how I was feeling (sometimes this was annoying to me but I know he was just concerned :).  The day we announced the pregnancy to the world, he gave me the most wonderful gift - a beautiful old rocking horse that I had spotted months prior to the pregnancy and fallen in love with.  Many nights, he gets in bed and reads his "Expectant Father" book.  On a more practical level, he took over grocery shopping (which he hates) the week that work and life in general sent me into a fit of tears.  Between my mom's and Jason's help, I have hardly touched house-cleaning supplies in 4 months.  Last weekend when I ran out of time to go birthday present shopping for the 2- and 5-year old boys across the street, Jason went to Target and Toys-R-Us in search of the perfect gifts.  He's done all of this (and more) while keeping up with his regular responsibilities and going through a particularly stressful time at work.  One of my goals is to shed the "grass is always greener" mentality and appreciate what I have here and now.  I am grateful for the support I get from my husband.  This experience is so much better with a partner!  Now, if I can just get him to fix dinner, everything will be perfect...

18 weeks and counting

Wow, time is flying!  The first 12 weeks of pregnancy went by very slowly, and now it seems like I can't keep up.  New photo below.

Baby is moving more and more, and last night, Jason felt it for the first time.  He described it as a "heartbeat".  Very cool!

I wore maternity pants for the first time this week...maybe I'll start wearing them all the time...even after pregnancy I mean.  They're comfortable!  Why do we wear pants with such constricting waistbands on a regular basis??

Less than 2 weeks until we find out the gender...

Cravings

A lot of people have been asking if I have any cravings.  Nothing ever stands out in my mind, but I know I'm not eating the same as I did pre-pregnancy.  For example, I recently rediscovered Lucky Charms after a 10-year hiatus.  They have been totally hitting the spot, and definitely my breakfast of choice these days. (Mornings are still rough, so whatever sounds good in the morning goes!)

More than once, I have eaten dill pickles immediately followed by ice cream for my evening snack.  I always thought that stereotype was a joke, but not in my case!  If I ever eat them together, then I'll seek help...

Other cravings have included Cheese-Its, Doritos, ham and cheese sandwiches, and cheese sticks (see a pattern here?). 

Despite my not-so-healthy cravings, now that I feel better most days I'm trying to eat as balanced of a diet as possible.  As my appetite grows, it gets easier to include all of the food groups somewhere in there!

17 weeks

My baby bump grew exponentially overnight.  Here is the first official "baby bump" photo at 17 weeks.  (Good thing this was taken before dinner at Chipotle, or it would have been even bigger!)

I've been feeling the first flutters of movement for the last couple of weeks.  At first I was unsure if it was the baby, but now there is no doubt in my mind.  Every time I feel the little "butterflies" in my tummy, I lose all concentration on whatever I'm doing and obsess over feeling the next movement.  It will be even more exciting when they are powerful enough for Jason to see/feel.

Moving into this phase of pregnancy may be more difficult physically, but mentally it is better.  I tend to worry less (I'm told I'll never be worry-free) when I have reassurances about the baby.  The growing belly and baby's movements are nice daily reassurances that things are progressing as they should - not to mention exciting!