Overview Weeks Fourteen, Fifteen, and Sixteen

WEEK 14: This week my belly popped out a lot! I had cramps for a day, like the ones I had in the beginning of my pregnancy. Last time I had cramps, I asked my doctor if it was normal and she told me cramps are a good thing. That means the uterus is stretching and getting bigger for the growing baby.  So, I figured the cramps this time around are from a growing uterus and baby. The next day after my cramps I had the biggest appetite ever. I can't even list everything I ate that day. Sweet, salty, carbs, you name it, I probably ate it. The next day after my buffet, I popped out. The baby had a growth spurt! Well after the growth spurt, Tommy and I went to the mall to buy more maternity pants. That one pair in my dresser isn't going to be enough. We went to H&M, but their selection was eh. We went to Motherhood Maternity and they had a great sale. I purchased two pairs of stretchy nylon work pants. One maroon pair and one olive green pair. I also bought two pairs of maternity leggings. One black pair and one olive green pair. I also bought maternity underwear, I won't go into color detail about them.

The baby: is the size of a lemon! The baby's face can start to make expressions like squint or frown. Some babies even start growing hair this week! I wish I could just watch my baby whenever I wanted and see the baby swim around, flex, kick, squint, frown, everything! 

Mommy's Health: Besides my belly growing, nothing has really changed. No major cravings, little headaches here and there, and sleepy some days. I cut down on the cheese, causing my digestive system to be a LITTLE bit more regular. But, still uncomfortable.

WEEK 15: Tommy and my gender reveal party was on Sunday, November 10th 2013! Yes, I know the sex and I also know you're all dying to find out, but you have to wait until I tell you all about the party. DON'T CHEAT AND SCROLL DOWN...it will ruin the moment.

Here are the invitations we sent out:

Here is our house all decorated for the party:

The party started at 2 p.m. and as guests arrived in pink or blue, they put a tally mark on the white board in the correct (girl or boy) spot. The white board was by the front door so guests could vote as soon as they walked in. 

Tommy was in pink and I was dressed in blue:

After everyone arrived, we ate lunch. The theme for lunch was Polish food. Tommy is half Polish and half Italian. I am Polish, Dutch, French Canadian, Ukrainian, and a million other things, except Italian. So, obviously, the only ethnic background Tommy and I share is Polish. And so does our baby, we are all polish! Hence why we had Polish food for lunch. The menu consisted of:  kielbasa and sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, pierogis, and salad. Everyone enjoyed the food and talking about the baby. 

About an hour after lunch we played some games! I previously picked out five flavors of baby food and put them in bowls, then I blindfolded Tommy with a pink blindfold. I showed everyone else the flavors. I fed the baby food to Tommy, and he had to guess the flavors. Some of these flavors smelt (and according to Tommy) tasted horrible. Tommy guessed one out of five baby food flavors. He did not guess the apricot, sweet potato, green beans, or chicken and gravy (he almost throw up after tasting the chicken and gravy) He did guess pears correctly. It was a funny game and everyone laughed at the faces he made after I fed him the baby food with a spoon and the famous "airplane" noises.

People were getting antsy and were dying to know when I was going to cut the cake to find out the baby's gender. So I moved quickly to the next game. For this game, I wrote some famous "old wives tales" on a white board. One column for "it's a girl if..." and the other column for "it's a boy if..." Everyone helped answer some of the questions and I colored in the pink or blue heart to represent girl or boy. I totaled up the number of pink hearts and the number of blue hearts. Blue hearts won! But did that mean I was having a boy? (just a little bit longer and you will find out the gender!)  

After the "old wives tales" game we counted up the tallies on the Girl VS. Boy board that the guests voted on when they walked into the party. Here were the results:

 

12 guests voted boy/15 guests voted girl

 

 

We made coffee, put out the deserts: Kolaczki (Polish cookies), cheesecake, and drum roll please...THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE CAKE!!

We brought out the cake and everyone knew the time had come to find out the news. Tommy and I cut the cake together. As we were cutting the cake, everyone was silent and I was pretty sure no one was breathing. You could hear a pin drop. But the funny thing was, the first time we cut the cake, we cut a small corner...which was just white cream. My face dropped and the first thing I thought of was, "OMG THE BAKERY FORGOT TO COLOR THE CANOLI FILLING PINK OR BLUE, THIS CAKE WAS THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE PARTY!" Everyone was still silent, probably trying to figure out what the white filling meant. Tommy could tell I was about to freak out and quickly suggested we try cutting deeper into the cake. Not taking any chances, we cut a huge piece right in the middle of the cake. Luckily the filling was colored...

 
That's right! WE ARE HAVING A BABY BOY!!!!

The news didn't even sink into my head yet and I had about thirty people throwing themselves at Tommy and me to congratulate us with hugs and kisses. Tommy and I were crying and I still had no idea what was going on. It was the MOST overwhelming experience I have ever had, I could hardly breath. As soon as everyone gave us space, I looked at the cake, saw the blue filling, and had a moment with my husband. Everyone watched as Tommy and I held each other crying with joy.

Then we took pictures with parents, siblings, cousins, and friends.

Once we all calmed down, It was time to open presents. I asked everyone to not bring gifts because it wasn't a baby shower and I wasn't having this party to receive gifts; however, they brought gifts for us anyway.  And the gifts were so precious and thoughtful. We got baby toys, onesies, diapers, socks, keepsakes, books, a picture frame, stuffed animals, and baby shoes. I am so grateful for the gifts, but more importantly grateful for the family and friends that could attend and share this special moment with us. Even though I thanked everyone, I want to thank my mom again for making the kielbasa and sauerkraut and kolaczki, my mother-in-law for making the cabbage rolls and cheesecake, the bakery for making the beautiful cake, our family and friends for coming and the lovely gifts, and my sister for helping me clean up after the party... THANK YOU!!

The baby: is the size of a navel orange! The hair on our sons head is growing and the skin is translucent with blood vessels forming underneath the skin.

Mommy's Health: I couldn't be happier.

WEEK 16: On Friday, November 15th 2013, Tommy an I registered at Babies R Us. Aunt Heather came (my sister) and waited for a half hour before complaining to leave! (I was shocked it wasn't sooner) Three and a half hours later, we left with a good start on our registry. I did a lot of research prior to registering, so I pretty much knew what I wanted. Plus I am able to go online and add or subtract items whenever I want. One of our family friends, Missy, helped me big time with the registry. Over three hours on the phone together, we were able to add things I had forgotten and she gave advice on things Tommy and I were on the fence about. THANKS MISSY!

Tommy and I also registered at Target for the furniture and Bed Bath and Beyond for the crib bedding and nursery decor. THE NURSERY THEME IS: NAUTICAL. Anchors and lighthouses and boats and ship wheels and light blue and dark blue and white! (more to come on this)

Tommy and I had a doctor's appointment on Monday, November 18th, 2013 at 4:15 p.m. before I stepped on the scale, I told the doctor's assistant, "I predict I gained somewhere between five to seven pounds." Which I thought was a logical estimate because I can't fit in my pants, I've been eating more than my husband, and my boobs got bigger. I stepped on the scale and saw that I only gained one pound. I couldn't help but yell, "NO WAY!" We went into the room, the assistant took my blood pressure (which is great), and we waited for the doctor. My doctor came in and saw I only gained a pound. She told me my weight is in the average range, but on the lower side. She wants me to gain four pounds by the next visit (which is in a month). FOUR POUNDS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I EAT ALREADY!? This baby is devouring everything I eat! There is no way I only gained a pound. Boys and their appetites... It's starting already! My doctor asked how my bathroom issue were and I told her I cut back on the cheese and my bathroom issue is much better now. I have been getting small cramps after I pee and I asked the doctor why that's been happening. She told me as long as I am not bleeding or curled up in a ball from painful cramping to not worry. She said my cramps are from an irritated bladder. The baby is constantly growing and my organs are constantly moving around to make room. Then we heard our SONS heartbeat. He didn't move around as much as last time and the doctor was able to find his heartbeat quickly and monitor it for over thirty seconds. His heartbeat is in perfect range!  
The baby: is the size of an avocado! His limbs are much more developed. His legs and arms are longer and he is able to control more of the movement. Over the next couple of weeks he will DOUBLE in size (YES! Hopefully this will help with my weight gain!)

Mommy's Health: I am happy and healthy and so is the baby! No cravings, eating regularly, going to the bathroom regularly, little headaches, not that tired. YAY!

As you may have noticed, I am writing in blue because we are having a BOY!! Many people have been asking us if we had thought of a baby boy name yet. We have a couple picked out, but still undecided. Don't be disappointed, just think, It's something for you to look forward too!