Week 25

How far along?   25 weeks

Total weight gain:  I decided to stay away from the scale at the gym because it was making me depressed -- but I'm probably a few pounds more since my last appointment with the pounds of chocolate I'm consuming.  So we will just say 11 lbs +

Have you started to show?  It's obvious now, but a few very nice people still say they are cautious to ask just in case.  I mean really - what do you think - that I swallowed the ENTIRE turkey at Thanksgiving?!?

Am feeling:  A wicked case of leg cramps hit me this week in the middle of the night.  Like 5 different times.  Jump out of bed screaming bad.  I will now be chugging water and stretching on a nightly basis to avoid this. 

Best moment this week:  Seeing my cousin Aimee ~ I can't wait for her to move home so she can be a part of baby boy Burkert's life for good!! :) xoxo

Miss anything?  Having the energy to stay out and socialize with people. 

Food cravings:  When will the healthy food cravings kick back in??  Still obsessed with chocolate.  Obsessed.  : /

Maternity clothes:  Got depressed when I went to the mall to hopefully buy some non-maternity clothes.  Yah, that didn't go so well.  I ended up with a necklace.  Accessories it is!

Sleep:  See above - leg cramps are the devil!
Movement:  He moves all the time, but a few days ago we tried the flashlight on the belly thing and woah did he start kicking!!  I felt bad, but it was so funny!  I guess those books are accurate - he could definitely sense the light ... and did not like it so much! 

Gender: Boy -- and baby boy might have a name!! 

Looking forward to: Using our new treadmill!  We decided to take the plunge and get a treadmill for the basement.  I have a feeling it will be getting a lot of use after the baby is born.  Also really excited for my parents to come home for the holidays and spend time with all my family.  Brunch with Santa at Westmoor is next weekend.  Equally excited for the food and to see my nieces and nephew all dressed up for Santa! 

On a side note, two days after I stuff my face with whatever I can cram into this belly I have my O'Sullivan test for gestational diabetes.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a little afraid.  My diet lately has not been the best, so hopefully my pancreas has been cooperating and continuing to produce enough insulin to counteract my intake.  We will see !!  

Week 23/24

How far along?   23 weeks .... and 24 weeks. Sorry, trying to play catch-up because things got busy over the holiday and call weekend.

Total weight gain:  Well, the official weight gain at the doctor is 11 lbs.  I knew that damn scale was off at the gym!!!  LOL! 

Have you started to show?  Yes.

Am feeling:  Good - the back pain comes and goes.  I've been able to get back to running (at least a day or two a week if I mix it in with the elliptical), which makes me happy :)

Best moment this week: Ordering all of our nursery furniture and bedding!  I can't wait for it all to come!  We also had our first fire of the year and watched ELF (my fav!).  Now, if only this preggo could stay awake through a movie, I would enjoy it a lot more!!  Also, had our Dr. appointment this week and so blessed that all is progressing well.  His healthy heart is beating at 156 bpm. 

Miss anything? Clear winner here - alcohol.  I've been craving champagne for some strange reason.  It just sounds so good right now!  Probably because I can't have it!

Food cravings:  Sweet and salty - pretzels and chocolate are such an amazing combo!

Maternity clothes:  Living in leggings these days.  They are so comfortable!  I've had to transition to some big-belly friendly pants also for working out. 

Sleep:  Sleeping well, just difficult to move around once I'm down.

Gender: Boy

Looking forward to: The HOLIDAYS!!!  This is my favorite time of year - I've been listening to Christmas music since mid October.  At least now it's socially acceptable.  I can't wait to pick out our tree and decorate it with the new ornaments I bought this year! Bring on the movies -- Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and Elf will be on rotation from now until December 25th.  

Week 22

How far along?   22 weeks

Total weight gain:  12 lbs 

Have you started to show?  Okay, this is obvious now :)

Am feeling:  Fine -- lots of kicking going on in there.  

Best moment this week: Registering for all things baby.  It was overwhelming, but made me so excited for baby showers and the baby to come!!!

Miss anything? Not really, but was having a lot of back pain which I thought was associated with running.  So, I stopped running and BAM! No back pain.  Therefore, I miss the running but don't miss the back pain.  ;)

Food cravings:  CHOCOLATE.  Seriously can't get enough.

Belly button in or out?  Belly button is getting quite shallow!  Still an 'innie' for now :)

Maternity clothes:  I'm all leggings and maternity tops at this point.  Thank you to my wonderful sister for sharing some of your maternity clothes!

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well, but all of a sudden I'm waking up at night again to go pee. Ugh!

Gender: One sweet, little BOY

Looking forward to: A massage this week, starting prenatal yoga and turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving which is my last call weekend of the year! :)

Week 21

How far along?   21 weeks

Total weight gain:  12 lbs

Have you started to show?  Oh yes ~ that 12 lbs went somewhere!!

Am feeling:  Energized!

Best moment this week: Celebrating my husband's birthday -- and looking forward to his next knowing we will have an 8 month old boy!

Miss anything? Being able to take whatever meds I want.  My Advil bottle was staring me down this week when my back was killing me!! 

Food cravings:  Chocolate.  I had a healthy dinner the other night of sea salt chocolate covered caramels.  Totally fat-free.

Maternity clothes:  Finally invested in a pair of maternity jeans.

Sleep:  Sleeping great - minus this stupid sore throat/cold!

Gender: BOY!!

Looking forward to: Our next Dr. appointment and Thanksgiving!

Week 20

How far along?   20 weeks -- HALFWAY THERE!!!

Total weight gain:  10 lbs

Have you started to show?  Yes.  Random people are congratulating me and asking when I'm due, so I think it's safe to say yes to this one.

Am feeling:  Good with the exception of sacral pain.  It only happens after I run or lift too much ... I'm having a hard time accepting that I may have to start transitioning to an elliptical...

Best moment this week: Matt finally felt him move!  Baby was kicking away while I was watching the Country Music Awards -- obviously he likes country music!  My kind of guy!! :)

Miss anything? Wine.  Surprised?

Food cravings:  Still on this Starbucks kick -- but back to my white mocha. 

Maternity clothes:  Incorporating more and more each week.

Sleep:  Sleeping well -- even made it a few nights without waking up to use the bathroom at 3am!!

Looking forward to:  Buying more boy clothes and getting the nursery together.

Week 19

How far along?   19 weeks

Total weight gain:  8 lbs

Have you started to show?  yep!

Am feeling:  More like a normal person, just with a full belly!

Best moment this week: feeling more movement inside

Miss anything? Oddly enough, sprinting.  I miss my interval workouts!

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular - Halloween candy is quickly disappearing though!

Maternity clothes:  Started with the belly band this week, but still wearing my own pants.  Leggings are my new best friend.

Sleep:  Still sleeping well - end up on my back during the night though, which is freaking Matt out

Gender:  IT'S A BOY!!

Looking forward to:  Decorating the nursery and deciding on a name for baby boy!

Week 18

How far along?   18 weeks

Total weight gain:  5 lbs  (I've reached my college weight! Yikes!)

Have you started to show?  Yes - I walked into a room this week and the first thing out of a patient's mouth (that I don't even know) was "congratulations!"  So ... yes, I think it's safe to say I'm showing.  But how BOLD! ;)

Am feeling:  Really good -- still able to run, so I'm thankful for that!

Best moment this week: I had SO many amazing moments this week, it's impossible to pick one! 
1.  Our ultrasound.  The last time we saw our baby, it was the size of a blueberry and looked like a little bean.  Seeing it flip around inside me was amazing - and tears streaming down my cheeks the entire ultrasound! 
2. Our Gender Reveal Party.  We found out the sex of our baby surrounded by those we love the most (minus a few!).  It was so exciting!!  Next post will reveal.
3.  Feeling the baby kick.  This baby is very active in there!

Miss anything? Drinking -- I just wanted some champagne or wine to celebrate the baby reveal!

Food cravings:  Everything that I shouldn't -- chocolate, taffy, candy, .....  what happened to the strawberry craving?!?

Maternity clothes:  Started to wear a few tops mixed with my own.  If the tops are long enough, I am still wearing my normal pants, just unzipped a bit or the hair band through the button

Sleep:  It's getting harder and harder to quickly switch positions - but still sleeping well

Gender:  Thought girl all along until our ultrasound.  After the ultrasound I kept referring to the baby and pictures as "he" or "his".  I switched to boy, but for our party still predicted girl (wishful thinking!)

Looking forward to:  Feeling baby kick from the outside so Matt can feel it too!

Week 17

Dropped the ball on a picture this week -- sorry!  I will make up for it with the next few posts! :)

How far along?   17 weeks

Total weight gain:  4 lbs

Have you started to show?  Yes! 

Am feeling:  Blessed.  It's an amazing feeling knowing that there is a little person growing and developing inside me.  Thank you Lord for giving  us the opportunity to go through this journey.

Best moment this week:  Having the week off to plan for our gender reveal party and getting caught up on reading all my pregnancy books!

Miss anything? Not really - there's too many things to look forward to 

Food cravings:  Sweets and croissants.  You know, the healthy stuff!

Food aversions:  I'm skipping this question until I actually have one again! :-)

Maternity clothes:  Still wearing my own tops, but definitely rocking the maternity pants now.

Sleep:  Getting up to pee every night at 3 am doesn't interrupt my sleep too much 

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Seeing our little peanut on the ultrasound and finding out the sex of our baby with some of our closest friends and family on the 19th!!

Week 16

How far along?   16 weeks

Total weight gain:  3 lbs

Have you started to show?  Yes - there is definitely a little bump going on now.

Am feeling:  Great with the exception of some sacral/low back  pain

Best moment this week:  Feeling a firm 'thing' also known as my uterus very present in my belly.  It feels like I swallowed a little melon whole

Miss anything?  Beer/tailgating at the Badger game

Food cravings:  I am going to go broke if I keep up this Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte obsession!

Food aversions: Nada

Maternity clothes:  Ordered my first maternity pants this week ... jeans and black work  pants, so we'll see how those go once they arrive

Sleep:  No problems there!  Considering ordering a pregnancy pillow though.  Hmm...

Gender:  I have such a strong feeling it's a girl - I think I will be in shock if it's actually a boy! 

Looking forward to:  Our ultrasound next week and finding out if we're having a he or a she!!!

Holy Hill

Well, fall is definitely here and I'm loving it!  We are trying to come up with active things to do because my workouts are getting boring since I can no longer be on my back.  So, we took a trip to Holy Hill this weekend to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves.  Matt and I were both tired after climbing a million stairs to get to the top of the viewing tower - but the quad burn felt great and the view was well worth the hike!

Week 15

How far along?   15 weeks

Total weight gain:  2 lbs

Have you started to show?  A little more each week - definitely having trouble zipping all my pants though!

Am feeling:  MUCH more energized - I feel like myself again, for the most part

Best moment this week:  Feeling the top of my uterus finally in my belly and my first prenatal massage.  Heaven.

Miss anything?  Red wine - had a few sips at dinner this week and boy did it taste good!

Food cravings:  Apples - good thing they're in season ;)

Food aversions:  Again, nothing specific

Maternity clothes:  Still leggings and unzipped pants - wearing a lot of loose-fitting tops too!

Sleep:  Still sleeping great, but starting to have some lower back discomfort

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Our next appointment and ultrasound where we get to find out the gender!!

Week 14

How far along?   14 weeks

Total weight gain:  0 lbs

Have you started to show?  There is a tiny bump there, probably only noticeable to me

Am feeling:  More like a human ... a very bloated human

Best moment this week: Planning our gender reveal party - I CANNOT wait to find out what we are having!!!

Miss anything?  Enjoying a beer with football games :(  Why is it that all I miss is alcohol?  Hmm, guess I'm still a true Harwood ;)

Food cravings:  Strawberries still - our baby is going to come out RED.

Food aversions: Nothing specific

Maternity clothes:  Just maternity leggings on the weekends

Sleep:  Sleeping great - glad I have always been a side sleeper

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Finding out the sex of the baby - the countdown has begun! I can't wait to start decorating the nursery.  Also, my first Badger game of the season coming up in October!

Week 13

How far along?   13 weeks

Total weight gain:  0 lbs

Have you started to show?  Still looking like I'm over-indulging, but today the first 'stranger'/patient asked out of nowhere if I was pregnant.  Yikes!  Aren't you not supposed to ask that until it's VERY obvious?!? 

Am feeling:  Much better now! :)

Best moment this week:  Hearing the heartbeat -- baby's heart was pumping at 150 bpm

Miss anything?  Wine.  Walked by a sale today of my all time favorite Pinot Grigio and it was torture.  I was drooling ... then a tear.  

Food cravings:  Strawberries and pumpking spice lattes. 

Food aversions: None specific this week.

Maternity clothes:  Just wearing the maternity leggings for comfort.  Jeans are getting a bit too uncomfortable.

Sleep:  No problems there!

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Getting a real baby bump and finding out the baby's gender at our next appointment!

Better Than a Hole in One

Wanted to share with you all how I broke the news that we were expecting to Matt.  I knew the way to his heart was through golf.  So, I woke up at my standard 5:00 am to go to the gym.  I was a little late, and had bought like a million pregnancy tests so I figure, what the hell, see what happens.  And it happened.  I had to do a triple take and make sure I wasn't just seeing things that early in the morning.  Yep, confirmed.  A + sign.  I wasn't expecting it, so I had no idea what to do with the news.  Matt was sound asleep and I wanted to make sure it wasn't bogus, so I went and worked out.

When I came home, he had already left for work.  So I took another test to confirm.  Another +.  So I took another.  + again.  Okay, I'm finally starting to believe this is legit.  So I started brainstorming ways to tell him the news.

I texted him later that morning after I had my plan all set, asking him to go to Westmoor for pasta night (our fav!) and play a few holes of golf before.  He had no objections.

I had already given 3 golf balls - a pink labeled 'girl?', a blue labeled 'boy?' and a white labeled 'Baby Burkert, EDA 4/22/12' - to the pro who kindly placed them into the cup on the first hole just before we teed off.  By the way,  I was way off on the due date, lol.  I forgot how to calculate it!! :)

I could hardly contain my excitement (and therefore, could barely hit the ball) and just wanted to get to the green.  Once we did, I just picked up my ball (so I could document).  Matt putted his ball and was confused to find all these balls left in the cup.  I said, 'well, why don't you just grab them.'  And boy, was he surprised with what he found!  I think he said 'oh my God, are you serious?!' about 5 times!

Needless to say, we are very excited for the arrival of our little one!

Week 12

How far along?   12 weeks

Total weight gain:  -1 lb.

Have you started to show?  Again, rounded and full look going on. 

Am feeling:  Better in terms of nausea, but still tired and what's up with the headaches this week?  Ugh!

Best moment this week: FINALLY sharing the news with whomever we see!  The cat's out of the bag, whew!  I am NO good at keeping secrets like this!!

Miss anything?  Feeling more energetic and Advil.  Oh, and clear skin!!

Food cravings:  Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks - so happy those are back :)

Food aversions: None

Maternity clothes:  Rocked the maternity leggings once this week, but also have been unzipping my pants a bit to make them more comfortable.

Sleep:  Waking up 2-3 times a night to pee, but otherwise okay

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Hearing the baby's heart beat at our appointment next week


We were lazy and forgot to take a picture this week -- whoops!  Will have a 13 week one for y'all next week.

Week 10

How far along?   10 weeks

Total weight gain:  -0.5 lbs

Have you started to show?  The belly is a little bit rounded these days ...

Am feeling:  MUCH better in terms of nausea (what's going on?!?), but still very sleepy

Best moment this week:  Telling all my college girls :) and learning that there is such a thing as alcohol free wine.  Who knew?

Miss anything?  Clear skin

Food cravings:  Strawberries

Food aversions:  Still the coffee thing ... 

Maternity clothes:  Nope

Sleep:  Sleeping very well! 

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Getting a real baby bump and not just feeling bloated 24/7!

Week 9

How far along?   9 weeks

Total weight gain:  -0.5 lbs

Have you started to show?  No, I just look like I ate a few too many brownies -- make that fried food at the State Fair!  Umm, deep fried Snickers is incredible (even if it is 5,000 calories!!)

Am feeling:  TIRED -- I could take a 3 hour nap every day, easy

Best moment this week: Telling more family that we're expecting!

Miss anything?  Not feeling nauseated, COFFEE and good workouts

Food cravings:  Strawberries and carbs, Starbucks white mochas

Food aversions:  Coffee (used to be my morning staple)  :(

Maternity clothes:  Not wearing any yet, but we did go purchase a belly band.  I'm sure that will be put to use very soon as my pants are getting a little snug by the end of the day!!

Sleep:  Any second I can

Gender:  Still predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Telling the rest of our family and friends!!

Week 7 .. Wait Week 8!!

Well, we thought we were 7 weeks along, but it turns out our first ultrasound proved otherwise -- and we are having a St. Patrick's Day baby!! The first words out of my mouth were "Oh no, that kids going to be a drunk mess on their birthday every year when they get older...I hope it's not actually  born on March 17th!'". My astute husband informed me that only 5% of babies are born on their due date. PHEW!!

We also seem to have surpassed the curse of Matt's law school -- no twins here!! Just one sweet baby :)

Here's a look at our very first picture of baby Burkert!

How far along?   Well, I thought 7 weeks, but ultrasound measurements say 8 weeks!

Total weight gain:  - 2 lbs - blame the nausea on that one!

Have you started to show?  No

Am feeling:  EXHAUSTED, NAUSEATED, YUCK!

Best moment this week:  Seeing the heartbeat on the ultrasound

Miss anything?  Not feeling nauseated, coffee, WINE :(

Food cravings:  Yo Mama frozen yogurt

Food aversions:  Coffee (used to be my morning staple)  :(

Maternity clothes:  Nope, but ordered my first maternity clothing item -- maternity fleece lined tights, greatest invention ever! :)  You can find them here at shopbop.com

Sleep:  Any second I can

Gender:  Predicting girl

Looking forward to:  Telling the rest of our family and friends!!

Baby Books: Of course, reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, but have also found the Mayo Clinic's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy very helpful!