Baby H: Weeks 13-16

As I'm starting to write this blog post, I'm kicking myself thinking, "This is why you should have stayed on top of blogging!" I'm looking through Facebook and Instagram, trying to spark memories of what all went down weeks 13-16, ha! Poor kid, momma is already failing at keeping up with your life. Maybe this is that "pregnancy brain" thing that people are always talking about. ;)

So, here are the highlights:

Weeks 13-16 were great! The second trimester sort of came out of nowhere. I remember counting the weeks and looking at online pregnancy websites to confirm I'd actually made it. I felt great! The morning sickness portion of my pregnancy was over and, although most people still thought I'd just eaten one too many cheeseburgers for lunch, I was starting to feel pregnant. It would still be some time before I felt recognizable kicks, but I definitely could feel life/movement and it was a pretty incredible thing.

I had my second doctor visit during week 13. Luke got to go to this one and since he didn't get to see our baby on the sonogram when my pregnancy was confirmed (week 9), my doctor was so sweet to do another sonogram for us so that Luke could see our little peanut in action! I also felt sort of dumb at this appointment because my doctor asked me if I had any questions for her and honestly, I hadn't thought about it, so my answer was no. After the fact, I felt so dumb. Of course I had questions! I just wasn't prepared. That set me on track to have plenty of quality questions for my 17-week appointment. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to ask questions again!

During week 14, we closed on our house!! It was the best feeling to know that this whole ordeal was finally over and maybe I'm being sarcastic, but if we don't move for another 20 years, I'm cool with that. The only downside was that we still had another two weeks before we could move in because the sellers were renting back from us while moving their family to El Paso. But we did the best we could to get ready for the move and then waited impatiently to get our little family up to the northeast part of Houston.

{Officially official homeowners}

During this two week moving wait, I was blessed with the opportunity to help host a shower for my cousin's fiancee, Haley. These lovebirds had a country, shabby chic wedding this weekend in Brenham, so that was the theme we went with for her shower. It was so nice getting to see and catch up with so many of the women from my dad's side of the family that drove up for the shower. Mom and I were in charge of decor, shower games, and cake. Mom rocked the decor and flowers like a champ! I got Haley's shower cake from Memorial Bakery and it turned out SO good! It was marble cake with a butter cream frosting in the middle and butter cream icing. Yum!! Shower games went great and we all had a really nice time catching up.

{At Haley's shower}

{Awesome cake!}

This must have been the month of wedding showers, because the following weekend, Luke and I drove down to Corpus Christi for a couples shower for one of his best friends, Jake, and his fiancee, Holly. They had a really cute nautical theme for this shower and Holly's family cooked a fabulous meal. I'm really glad Luke and I got to make their shower because a few weeks down the road at their wedding, Luke would be a groomsman, while I'd be in Waco for Baylor homecoming. I'm thankful I got to celebrate this sweet couple when I did.

{Jake and Holly at their couple's shower}

By week 16, we were moving into our home (praise Jesus!). Luke drove down to Hallettsville the night before the move (this is where all of our big stuff was in storage) and loaded up the trailer. That Thursday morning, September 25th, I met mom at the house where the cleaning crew was already working on getting the house ready for Luke's arrival. Mom and I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a few extra cleaning supplies and then we ran to HomeGoods to look for a few items that were on my to-buy-for-the-new-house-immediately list, like new bath towels, bathroom mats, etc.

Once Luke arrived and the cleaning ladies had left, the real work began. We unloaded everything into the garage so that from there, we could clean/dust everything before it got moved into the clean house. Also throughout the day, our cable was set up and both our new mattress and washer/dryer set were delivered. It was like Christmas in September and I loved every minute of it! Mostly, it just felt so good to have a home base again. A place that when we said, "I'm coming home," to each other, home really meant home. This was something that Luke and I had been praying about for over a year now and in God's perfect timing, it was happening.

{New washer and dryer from mom and dad = early Christmas present!}

{New yard tools for a man with his very own yard]

As for my actual pregnancy and the baby? Well, here's a little look at the ol' bump during weeks 13-16. :) I still hadn't gained any weight at this point, but I will say that I noticed a new level of exhaustion during these months. It wasn't the same as in the first trimester when I slept all of the time though. It more like every day was enough. After waking up early, working a full day, coming home, and making/eating dinner, I was done. I noticed a decrease in my workouts about this time too (up until this point, I was running/walking/using the elliptical 3-4 times/week) and honestly, I regret not pushing through this. But since day 1 of my pregnancy, I've really wanted to listen to my body. So I was confident there was a reason for the rest I was getting. I was also really enjoying no more nausea and food starting to smell normal again! During these weeks, I craved meat, cheese, and eggs. This is Luke's kid to the extreme!

{Left to right: Working out at the gym at my office around 13 weeks, 14 weeks at work, and a comparison of 4.5 weeks to 15.5 weeks}