25 WEEKS!

how far along? 25 weeks HELLO 3rd [and final] trimester!

how big is baby? 13.5 in, 1.5 lb [the size of a rutabaga]

belly button in or out? hasn't creeped out any more than last week..phew!

sleep? been having crazy realistic dreams! Some good, some not so good. My favorite one this week was a dream I had where it started out after the birth was over [thank goodness] and it was just me and josh and baby girl sitting there in the hospital room and it was perfect. I woke up teary eyed- it was so real!

craving? Fall soups! mmm!

feeling? feeling good. and also super stressed. I feel like the time is going by so quickly, and there is still so much left to do!

gender? girl (and she's already so fashionable thanks to the darling outfits we've been receiving!)

movement? still tons of movement. and it will never ever get old.

showing? I feel like baby bump has really grown the last couple of weeks. makes me nervous for these last 3 months! yikes!

best moment of the week? josh and I went to this huge family farm where they had a big apple orchard, tons of raspberry bushes, and a large pumpkin patch! It was soo much fun! I love Fall!

looking forward to? making apple crisp with the yummy apples we picked, and also carving our pumpkins!

24 WEEKS!

how far along? 24 weeks
how big is baby? 12.5 in, 1.25 lb [the size of corn]
belly button in or out? still creeping out..making me nervous! haha
sleep? insomnia. I think the birthing nerves are responsible for the lack of sleep.
craving? giant green salad. and bread-sticks from Olive Garden. ha
feeling? been feeling good. my poor ribs though..so much pain.
gender? she's already a daddy's girl..
movement? holy cow! this girl is crazy! I have a feeling once this girl is walking it will be a constant chase. Shes busy in there!
showing? oh yeah...feeling HUGE. how do I still have 3 1/2 months?
best moment of the week? I got to teach a skin care class for a Relief Society night. Love my career!
looking forward to? my 24 week dr. apt! [minus the glucose screening I'll have to do..I hate needles!]

23 WEEKS!

how far along? 23 weeks

how big is baby? 11.5 in, 1.1 lb [size of a large mango] still can't believe she is in pounds!

belly button in or out? still just slightly poking out

sleep? ugh. sleep has been on and off. I sleep with 9 pillows and still struggle getting comfortable! haha

craving? cereal. I never used to really like cereal and now I can't get enough.

feeling? feeling okay this week. been feeling some aches in my back

gender? GIRL

movement? lots of movement! She is so active and I love it!

showing? I feel like I really 'popped' this week! Hello bump!

best moment of the week? all the trees starting to turn...Fall is my favorite!

looking forward to? Fall-time activities [apple orchards, apple cider, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, etc]

22 WEEKS!

how far along? 22 weeks

how big is baby? 11 in, 1 lb! [the size of a spaghetti squash]

belly button in or out? slightly poking out

sleep? besides the usual bathroom trips I slept pretty good this week!

craving? jamba juice/smoothies

feeling? feeling good! Been doing some reading to prep for this baby girl. Nerves are definitely starting to kick in.

gender? baby girl :)

movement? love her little kicks..baby is a night owl like her mama!

showing? yes, especially when I try to wear my smaller clothes. officially used the hair-tie trick to hold my jeans together...no shame.

best moment of the week? walks to the park with my little sweetie. The weather is perfect right now!

looking forward to? my next dr apt in a couple weeks..I love getting to hear her heart beat!

21 WEEKS!

how far along? 21 weeks

how big is baby? 10.5 in, 12.7 oz [the size of a banana]

belly button in or out? still slowly creeping out

sleep? slept much better this week! Thank you baby girl!

craving? Mexican food

feeling? feeling really good this week!

gender? sweetest little girl

movement? yes! LOVE IT

showing? weirdly not feeling huge this week..but still definitely showing

best moment of the week? getting ready for our cruise!

looking forward to? OUR BABYMOON! [It was a blast! We went to the Bahamas. The sunshine and gorgeous water was just what this mama ordered! My parents went with us and we had the best time!]

GENDER REVEAL!

It's a....

 GIRL!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness! We couldn't be more thrilled! I was absolutely shocked when she told us it was a girl! I don't know why, but my whole pregnancy so far I thought little baby stewart was a boy..but nope-- GIRL! And I am stoked! Shopping has already begun...oops! Josh is so excited too! He admitted [after finding out] that his guess was always girl. haha He told me he really wanted a girl, and lets be honest..she's already got him wrapped around her little finger! The whole appointment was amazing. We both loved seeing her! She's beautiful. She was showing off her heart really well..the ultrasound girl kept saying..I can't stop looking at her heart, she's just showing it off so nicely and it's so nice and strong! haha However, she was being really shy when it came to her face! Shy like her mama. :) She kept putting her little hand over her face, and eventually turned towards my spine to hide! It was so fun to see her moving around and to see that everything was looking perfect and she is growing strong and healthy! The doctor came in and said, "everything looks great you guys. all the right parts in all the right places. healthy baby. congrats!" SUCH A RELIEF! We feel so blessed. I could've stayed in that ultrasound room forever watching our baby girl. After an hour though, pictures were printed and we were done. We love looking through the pictures at our baby girl. Obsessed already? Probably.

 Our appointment was bright and early! This was my alarm so I would be excited to be waking up so early. ;)

Here she is! Here's our BABY GIRL!

the 3D ultrasound was UNREAL! there is that cute little arm covering her face!

 seeing her little feet was one of our favorite parts! soo tiny and cute!

 we love you already baby girl!

xoxo

 

20 WEEKS!

how far along? 20 weeks [halfway!]

how big is baby? 6.5 in, 10.6 oz [the size of a small cantelope]

belly button in or out? slowly creeping out!

sleep? didn't sleep good this week..excitement is probably to blame ;)

craving? sweets..mainly candy! yikes.

feeling? tired.

gender? we find out in two days. TWO. BOY? -or- GIRL?

movement? lots! baby is low and loves to use my bladder for a punching bag.

showing? tummy keeps on growing slowly..i love it.

best moment of the week? our trip to Minnesota! Josh showed me around his mission, and we went to Mall of America! AMAZING!

looking forward to? our appointment in two days..can't stop thinking about it. I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve! tooooo excited!

19 WEEKS!

how far along? 19 weeks

how big is baby? 6.0 in, 8.5 oz [the size of a heirloom tomato]

belly button in or out? flat

sleep? still struggling with falling asleep..and still getting up to pee, a lot.

craving? water. I am thirsty ALL the time! can't drink enough. which explains my getting up to pee a lot in the night issue..haha

feeling? pretty good!

gender? one week. AH!!

movement? loving the little kicks & flutters

showing? oh yes! glad people are starting to ask if I'm pregnant instead of thinking I'm just chubby. ;)

best moment of the week? Josh felt baby kick!!! I think it freaked him out..and it was just a little kick..but SO glad he happened to have his hand on my tummy when baby decided to give a kick!

looking forward to? next weeks ultrasound- finding out gender and getting to see the little babe and how much it has grown! Last time we saw baby it looked like a small peanut (9 weeks). Mama is still thinking boy..dada goes back and forth (still not wanting to be wrong). Either way, he/she is already a Bronco fan!

18 WEEKS!

how far along? 18 weeks

how big is baby? 5.6 in, 6.7 oz [the size of a sweet potato]

belly button in or out? flat? haha

sleep? I have been having trouble falling asleep right away. hello 2am.

craving? did someone say jimmy johns? mmm..

feeling? feeling good! been growing muscles & a baby!

gender? 2. more. weeks. people.

movement? YES! and I love love love it!

showing? maternity leggings might be the best thing to ever happen to me.

best moment of the week? feeling movement, it is a crazy feeling!

looking forward to? Josh being able to feel baby move!

17 WEEKS!

how far along? 17 weeks

how big is baby? 5.1 in, 5.9 oz [the size of an onion]

belly button in or out? in..but slowly getting flat

sleep? getting up to pee a lot..luckily I fall right back asleep

craving? jimmy johns. everyday.

feeling? good! starting to notice aches and pains but nothing unbearable

gender? still don't know! can I be 20 weeks already?!

movement? I swear I felt little flutters between weeks 16 & 17!

showing? the bump is definitely growin'!

best moment of the week? feeling those little flutters..I hope it wasn't just me going crazy!

looking forward to? finding out that gender...I want to start shopping! :)

16 WEEKS!

how far along? 16 weeks

how big is baby? 4.6 in, 3.5 oz [the size of an avacado]

belly button in or out? in!

sleep? still sleeping pretty good! and lots!

craving? pickles! (I loved them before pregnancy though..)

feeling? feeling good! The throwing up has stopped!

gender? still don't know. mama thinks boy. dad wont guess because he doesn't like to be wrong. ;)

movement? not yet

showing? little bump is forming..mostly feeling bloated. haha

best moment of the week? camping in Bear Lake with friends and family

looking forward to? baby wiggles!

14 WEEKS!

how far along? 14 weeks

how big is baby? 3.4 in, 1.5 oz [the size of a lemon]

belly button in or out? still in

sleep? yes. I'm sooo tired! all the time.

craving? fruit!

feeling? still off and on nausea...but feel like it's getting better? [PLEASE]

gender? don't know yet..we won't find out until 20 weeks!

movement? not yet..I can hardly wait for it though!

showing? a tiny bit..definitely looks like a food baby

 best moment of the week? announcing on social media that we are having a baby! [pictured above is how we did it!]

looking forward to? no more nausea/throwing up

xoxo,

The Stewarts

BABY BUMP UPDATES.

Hi Friends & Family!

I realize that it has been forever since I last blogged. I had every intention of getting all caught up on our TWO AND A HALF years of marriage on here....but then...SURPRISE, I got pregnant! So, I decided that I would fast forward past some really fun trips and events that have taken place over the last two years and start off my series of BABY BUMP UPDATES! I promise that's a strong word....I will try my hardest to go back and share stories and pictures of the events that I've passed over once the little babe gets here and I'm home-bound for a while with nothing better to do. ;)

We found out we were expecting when I was about 5 weeks along.We happened to be on a vacation in San Fransisco at the time...so that trip will always hold a special place in our hearts! We had so many emotions, freaking out...scared...happy...excited...is this real life?...lets take 5 more tests just to be sure..etc. But mostly we felt blessed. Josh and I are super excited about this precious little addition coming to our family! We can't wait until January! My official due date is JANUARY 25th, 2015.

I know..the lovely 'pee stick picture' you were all dying to see. I had to add it..this is how I journal our lives people! Keep scrolling... I promise there aren't anymore. ;)

From week 5 to week 6 was bliss. I couldn't stop smiling..I was too excited! And then week 6 hit. haha Week 6 is when the morning [ALL day] sickness kicked in. And it was in full force.  
I have never been so sick in my life.
Lets just say that from week 6 til (almost) week 8 when I went in for my very first appointment I had lost just over 17 lbs. For those few weeks I literally could not keep ANYTHING down. Not even water. It was awful, and the toilet was my BFF. It was like an out of body experience for me. I wasn't even myself those weeks. I think it was pretty scary for Josh. He didn't like that he didn't know how to make me feel better and he hated seeing me like that. He just kept saying... "um, you're looking really skinny......is that normal?" haha Looking back I probably should have gone in to get an IV and get some fluids pumped in me..oops. Gotta learn sometime right? Bless my husbands heart...he took such good care of me. Everyday I laid in bed feeling like the worst wife in America. Josh would go to work all day, clean the house, cook himself dinner, do his laundry, and take care of me. The smells were the worst part of morning sickness. My sense of smell was SO strong. Everything made me gag. Poor Josh would eat his dinner out on our front porch just so I didn't have to smell it. [the smell of chicken still makes me gag because that's what he was eating a lot while I was going through this..haha] His cologne made me throw up. Wearing shirts that came anywhere near my collarbone made me throw up. The smell of the freezer made me throw up. Basically anything and everything....made me throw up. My peppermint essential oil saved my life. I would rub it all over under my nose and that helped to not be able to smell anything. [[I think I went through a whole bottle by the time my morning sickness stopped.]]  Josh kept wanting me to tell my mom or sister so that I would have someone to talk to and relate and ask questions...but I was too stubborn! I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone! So for weeks I (lied) to my family telling them I went to Girls Camp [I was really supposed to and the weekend we were supposed to leave is when the morning sickness kicked in], and kept dodging their calls, facetime calls, and texts!  Finally when I was almost 9 weeks and still sicker than a dog I asked Josh if we could tell my parents. By this point I was emotionally drained. Being sick for weeks on weeks is really mentally draining, and all I wanted was to be able to talk to my mom about it. (I knew she would understand because she suffered from morning sickness terribly with all three of us girls!)
So on Father's day we Facetimed my dad "to tell him Happy Father's Day". Earlier that day my parents were in Soda Springs to celebrate Father's Day with my mom's side of the family. My mom kept trying to get me to Facetime them while they were there so I could tell my Papa Happy Father's Day when I called my dad. I knew I wouldn't be able to hide the fact that I was so sick...so I didn't want to do that. Being sneaky, Josh and I called my Grandpa on the phone to wish him a Happy Father's Day before my parents got there. Then I just texted my mom & dad and told them to call us when they made it home from Soda and we would talk to them then. When they called Josh and I talked to my dad for a bit, wishing him Happy Father's Day and asking how Soda Springs was. It was so hard for me not to cry/throw up. I was feeling so sick...and seeing my dad and mom made me want to cry. [hello pregnancy hormones!] After a little bit I said.."hang on mom & dad, Josh wants to show you something..." I turned the camera around to Josh and he was holding a sign that said... "I'M CELEBRATING FATHER'S DAY TOO! #babystewart2015"
[I can't find the picture of the sign..it's driving me crazy!] My parents were ecstatic! I didn't know this, but Carly was also in the room...so she found out that day too! haha We were planning on waiting to tell her in a different way..but I was excited that she knew too! Next was to tell my sister Erica and Brother in law Nate. I had found this darling shirt on Etsy for my niece Ruby that I just had to get! About a week after we had told my parents & Carly the shirt finally came so I mailed it off to my sister! Ruby had left her binky in California when they were visiting, so I told Erica that I had mailed it off and to watch for it. The day the packaged arrived she sent me a picture of Ruby wearing the shirt and Erica bawling. They were too excited! Here's a picture of the shirt on darling Rue..

We were right in the middle of moving from California to Wisconsin during all of this sickness/excitement...and so we decided to wait until we stayed with Josh's family in Utah on our drive through to tell them. We couldn't wait to see their faces! The whole family (even his grandparents were invited over for dinner...which was a bonus for us to have everyone there!) was sitting around the kitchen table and we had just finished up dinner. We were just chatting when Josh went outside to the car to grab this little box. When he came back in he just set it in front of my mother in law Angie. She opened it up and read it and just kind of looked puzzled. She thought I was going to make a diet coke with lime! haha Then it hit her and she screamed! Everyone looked at her and began to pass the box around. Everyone was so excited! Immediately Josh's brothers began to talk about who was going to be the favorite! It was so cute how excited they were! Josh's parents will be first time Grandparents and they are so excited!

Once everyone knew it was really starting to feel real. It was so fun to finally be able to talk about it... secret was out! ...to our families anyway. We waited a few more weeks to share the news with the rest of the world. ;)

We had our first ultrasound at 9 weeks right before we left California. It was surreal. Definitely one of my favorite moments of this entire pregnancy was hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time. At this point baby didn't really look like much...but baby was in there and had a nice strong heartbeat and we were instantly smitten.

Okay...now we are caught up on the first few months of pregnancy so far, and how we told our families. The baby bump updates will now all be very similar. I am going to answer the same few questions each week to see how things progress and add a few baby bump pictures as well!

Thanks for all of the love and support we have received at this exciting time in our lives!
xoxo,
The Stewarts