23+ Weeks

How far along? 23w 5d (A little late this week). Almost 6 months! 
Baby Size? 1.5 lbs and about the size of an ear of corn.
Stretch marks? No.
Sleep: Jet lag was tough the first few days in CA but the last 2 have been really great. In fact, last night I fell asleep by 8pm and got up at 7am! 
Best moment this week: Finally seeing my awesome family and they threw me a surprise baby shower!! I got to see some amazing friends...many I haven't seen in years! Pictures to come soon. Also, seeing Clay play several volleyball games (he's pretty phenomenal!). Moroccan Oil (see below).

Miss Anything? Not this week!
Movement: Her movement are getting stronger and I can somewhat predict when movements are coming.

Food cravings: Champagne, root beer, and anything strawberry.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of spoiled food and mildew. Had a little accident earlier today. Even thinking about it makes me queasy.

Labor Signs: No. 
Symptoms: The plane ride was brutal for swelling in my hands and ankles. I was hoping that after we departed the plane everything would go back to normal but that wasn't the case. Heartburn has been really awful this week too. Also, I finally found out why my hands and arms have been falling asleep. I have a pretty bad case of carpel tunnel which is common for 20% of pregnant women. I've been using wrist braces as night and so I think that's contributed to my sleeping better. Unfortunately, without them, I can't really use my hands without them going tingly and numb.  As far as my brittle hair goes, my sister introduced me to moroccan oil that has worked miracles so I can check that off the symptoms list!
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? On. Engagement ring, off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to? The rest of the time we have in CA (family time, massage, watching Clay play more volleyball) as well as a special sonogram on Wednesday to verify gender and we will have a video of baby to share! And of course, we are looking forward to flying to Minnesota to see the Westman family and another baby shower!

22+ Weeks

How far along? 22w 4d. 
Baby Size? About 8.5 inches (it can vary anywhere between 8-11 in. this week) and 1.2 pounds. 
Stretch marks? No.

Sleep: Praise God YES!! Fell asleep by 9pm every night and was up about 5am every morning. It was glorious. 
Best moment this week: Hearing Esme's heartbeat again and feeling her jump like a jelly bean a lot of the day.

Miss Anything? Cider.
Movement: So much.  She kicks me awake in the morning so I don't have to set my alarm for work and I can feel her thudding on the outside of my tummy with my hand :)

Food cravings: Still strawberry popsicles and also rootbeer (another thing I've never care for before pregnancy) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of fish. On a happy note, I can eat salad and chicken again!

Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: I can feel my stomach muscles ripping apart. I hope they will fit back together! Also, sore feet and tailbone and heartburn.
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but moody when I'm really tired.
Looking forward to? Flying to CA on WEDNESDAY! 

Esme's Retro Nursery

It was a busy week purchasing items for Esme's nursery. Originally, we were looking at the Hudson iron crib (which was pictured in an earlier post) but the company that distributes it didn't answer my emails so I opted for another crib. This was actually really fortunate because I found a rocking chair that will change the tone of the room. It's a red leather retro rocker! I apologize for the small picture size. Anything bigger makes it blurry. David and I will drive down with a rented van to Bewdley, Worcestershire tomorrow to pick it up.

To go along with the red rocker we purchased a large chevron rug and a wall art/night light (Vintage style marquee lighted letter) from Urban Outfitters as well as a Jenny Lind crib from Amazon. We saved a bunch of money getting the new crib (over $300) so I splurged on the night light (bought with saved birthday money!)

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After we purchased these items I started looking into bedding for the crib.  I used my all-time favorite nursery for inspiration.

I absolutely adore the woodland flower dust ruffle but I was unable to find it anywhere. After hours of searching the Internet I found that it was actually a Pottery Barn duvet that was converted into a crib skirt. I am currently bidding on eBay for this duvet. Hopefully I win!

The next obstacle I encountered was actually making the duvet INTO a bed skirt. I called my MIL (since she knows sooo many crafty people) and asked if she knew anyone who could sew. Little did I know that David's aunt Karen is a whizz with a sewing machine. What a blessing!

Now I have to find some sheets that look nice with such a busy pattern-but that's for another week...

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Also in this nursery they have a vintage slag hanging flower light I think is amazing. I have not been able to find one yet but I check everyday on different websites that sell lights similar to this one.

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Finally, two more pieces were purchased for the wall. One came from the jessicagswift shop on Etsy.com
 

The other wall decoration are three individual ceramic birds which come from ubranoutfitters.co.uk.

That's all for now but I'll keep you posted on any new ideas/developments. Also, if you have any ideas to share I'd love to hear them!

21+ Weeks

How far along? 21w 4d.
Baby Size? About 8 inches and 1 whole pound.

Stretch marks? Nope. All my books are telling me I should start seeing them by now so fingers crossed.

Sleep: <quiet sobs from tired delirium> No.

Best moment this week: Spending quality alone time with David this weekend and enjoying the time we have left before Esme arrives.Also, I received a gorgeous hand-made baby shower invitation for our shower while we visit Minnesota in a few weeks. It was made by David's aunt Karen and I think Grandpa W had some input too! I absolutely love how involved our families are.

Miss Anything? Nice hair (it's getting worse), coffee, stamina.
Movement: Oh yeah. Especially after a dinner of fish and chips. Also, she waked up early-about 6 am. 

Food cravings: Edy's strawberry frozen fruitbars (oh yummmmmy). 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Salad is my nemesis...still.

Labor Signs: No. But I have some pains that I can only imagine are similar to miniature contractions. I usually have to stop what I'm doing until it passes.
Symptoms: I run into things a lot and knock things over. Also, RLP is worse this week. Bummer. I think this week is my last playing volleyball.
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!
Looking forward to? Tuesday we have a 22 week midwife check-up and I hope we get to hear Esme's heartbeat again. Also, we are looking forward to our 3 week-3 city trip home in just over a week! It can't come soon enough.

Hopefully in the enxt few days,I will have time to post a few of the nursery purchases we made this week....

20+ Weeks

How far along? 20w 4d.
Baby Size? About 7 inches and 11 ounces.

Stretch marks?Not yet but I had a nightmare about them last night-probably because my tummy is so itchy!

Sleep: I actually had a few good nights this week! Praise God! Hallelujah! Yeehaw!!!

Best moment this week: Seeing our little Esme on the scan and finding out she's doing great! We also loved all the feedback we got from you last week. We are so blessed to have amazing family and friends like you! Thank you for those of you that provided us with important life lessons. Feel free to pass more along in the next few months as they come to you. We also added another lesson to the teaching jar this week from H. Jackson Brown Jr. "Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."

Miss Anything? Most women love what pregnancy does for their hair and nails, Unfortunately, I am not one of those women. My hair and nails are sooo brittle. I also miss normal hormones in which the state of my hair and nails DOES NOT cause tears. Oi. I also miss watching television shows without cringing or freaking out. Example: David and I were going to watch Criminal Minds the other night and it was about a stolen baby. I freaked out and repeatedly yelled at him to turn it off, turn it off, oh my gosh turn it off. And finally, I miss getting up the stairs without a running headstart.
Movement: She's very active about one in the morning and when I'm hungry.

Food cravings: Chocolate, coffee, anything salty (especially dill relish), hamburgers, marshmallows and fluff (the last two I have not given into...yet)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still poultry and also vinegar.

Gender Prediction: No more prediction needed! It's an Esme and we are incredibly excited!!!

Labor Signs: No. 
Symptoms: See the Miss Anything question. Also, I'm still having RLP but not as bad as last week. 
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on, for now but when we are in Virginia I will have my engagement ring re-sized to fit my sausage fingers. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Oh, so happy!! Shopping for adorable baby girl clothes, accessories and decorations help with a good mood too. Even David's getting "into" it. Here are a few of our favorite purchases this week. 

(I've ordered about 8 other cute flowery headbands as well. If she comes out anything like I did, she will need to look as girly as possible so nobody asks how old my little boy is.)

Looking forward to: Purchasing Esme's crib this week. I think I found the perfect iron crib that can be passed down through the generations. The picture below is the crib but we will get it in white. You can see the white on the Juvenile Heirlooms website. I didn't post the picture here because the linen they display it with makes it look funny.

 A few extra pictures for you...

Boy or Girl?

Oh my what a day! It began with no sleep (too much excitement for me to sleep and David was working a mid) and lots of anticipation. The appointment was at 9:50 am but we arrived just before 9:30am. I think David was shocked that, for once, I was ready to go early. They called us in at exactly 9:50am and started the scan right away. We were planning on getting a video of the scan but learned that it wasn't allowed (booo!). The technician said she was going to check Wee's heart size, valve development and rhythm, head size, brain development, facial features, spine, bone lengths and abdominal measurements. Wee was a little squirmy and it took some poking and prodding to get the right pictures based on the baby's position. Wee decided to play hide and seek behind mommy's belly button just to make things interesting.  Finally, after several jabs to my full bladder, Wee rested in a good position and we were able to see all the little fingers and toes and the technician was able to check out Wee's development. We were told that everything looked wonderful and right on track for a healthy baby (Yippy!).  Yes, yes, I'm getting to Wee's gender...

David and I would like to present to you...

Baby Esme Sophia Westman! She's a little gymnast in there hanging out in her pike position.

For the next several months David and I would feel privileged if you had any insight to share on raising girls, or children or just important life lessons. We have a jar in which we are writing down everything we'd like to teach our children/family so we'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, beliefs, feelings and convictions in regards to essential lessons a person MUST learn in order to lead a happy, healthy, faithful life.

Thank you everyone for sharing in this exciting news. We look forward to showing off our lovely Esme in July.

19 + Weeks=Half Way!

How far along? 19w 3d.
Baby Size? About 6.5 inches and 10.6 ounces.

Total weight gain: I plead the fifth. I may omit this question altogether.

Maternity clothes? Yes. Most of the time. I really do adore maternity pants. I may wear them forever.

Stretch marks? None so far but I've been feeling REALLY itchy. I was advised to absolutely not itch in order to avoid SM's. I've also added an extra daily dousing of cocoa butter.

Sleep: I may omit this question as well due to redundancy.

Best moment this week: Feeling more flutters and counting down to Tuesday's scan.

Miss Anything? Deli sandwiches, martinis, running (who'dathunk), my teammates and a vertical jump.
Movement:More and more.

Food cravings: Still fresh fruit juice (David got me a juicer and it's AMAZING-just like him), hamburgers, dill pickles and coffee. I have finally developed an intollerance for candy (modern day miracle).

Anything making you queasy or sick: salad, salt and vinegar chips, poultry and hunger.

Gender Prediction: Several women this week told me I'm definitely having a girl based on my pregnancy thus far. How do I contradict thier wisdom and experience? SO, I'm thinking its more girl than boy now (60-40).
Baby names picked out? Boy: David Lloyd Westman III, Girl: Esme Sophia (pronounced Ez-may).

Labor Signs: No. 
Symptoms: limp and dry hair, weight gain, cravings, excessive crying, lethargy, lots of ear wax (who knew?) and round ligament pain (ouchie!).
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy usually but had a momma bear moment that took an extraordinarily long time to get over. Note: no one lost a limb so restraint was exhibited.
Looking forward to: Tuesday's scan, buying specifically boy or girl things and prenatal yoga on Wednesday.

18+ Weeks

How far along? 18w 4d 

Total weight gain: 21 lbs

Maternity clothes? Some of the time. I only have one pair of regular jeans (no stretchy waist) left that I can wear but my maternity jeans are super comfy.  

Stretch marks? None yet. 

Sleep: :(

Best moment this week: Learning to decipher between tummy growls/digestion and baby flutters.

Miss Anything? Sleep, wine, working out and of course, volleyball.
Movement: Some!

Food cravings: chocolate, smoothies, fresh fruit juice, coffee, milk and HAMBURGERS (this prompted me to search all over London for a hamburger on Saturday...not McDonalds though).

Anything making you queasy or sick: still salad and chicken.

Gender Prediction: As it gets closer to the day we find out I get more and more unsure. So, 60% boy, 40% girl. Only 9 more days to go!

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Same as last week: heartburn, exhaustion, activity, and hip pain. It appears that walking all day Saturday has sprained both of my ankles as well.
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? On in the morning, but they get tight mid-day.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week!
Looking forward to: Warmer weather, visits home, finding out Wee's gender and next week marking the 1/2 way point!

17+ Weeks

How far along? 17w 4d 

Total weight gain: 19 lbs

Maternity clothes? Still wearing a lot of my regular clothes but adding bits of maternity items here and there.   

Stretch marks? None yet. 

Sleep: Ha ha ha ha. 

Best moment this week: Visiting Prague, coming home from Prague and the new mattress arrived! 

Miss Anything? America, sleep, strenuous exercise...
Movement: I think I feel little flutters every so often but I have to be sitting still to feel them. 

Food cravings: Pasteries, coffee, gravy, oranges, peanut butter.
Anything making you queasy or sick: salad and meat (but not sausage...very odd!) 

Gender Prediction: BOY! We will find out (hopefully) in 16 days!

Labor Signs: No 

Symptoms: Heartburn every so often, out of breath during minimal activity, dehydration, and hip pain! 

Belly Button in or out? In. I'll be surprised if it does pop out, my belly button is cavernous.
Wedding rings on or off? On, although I learned I need to take them off when I fly otherwise they cut off circulation. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Both-depends on hunger and hydration level-also sleep (being woken up!)
Looking forward to: Sleeping on the new memory foam mattress, finding another prenatal yoga class to take and finding out Wee's gender in a few weeks.