21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Baby Craun's size:  A banana. Someone please explain to me how he was a cantaloupe last week and he's now a banana. I'm totally confused. Is a banana heavier than a cantaloupe? I feel like I need to go buy some now to figure this out.  

Total weight gain/loss: I have finally moved into the gain side. I gained about 1.5 pounds over the last week of eating eating eating. So now I'm at +0.5.

Maternity clothes: I got a dress for Christmas from my sis, and I bought a pair of black maternity pants. I didn't really need to because the belly band was working but maternity pants are so comfy.

Stretch marks? Nope but that vertical line that pregnant women get on their bellies beneath the belly button is starting to show. I think a spray tan will hide that nicely :) Plus Brian says I look like a ghost.

Sleep: My poor hips. I think Coco might murder me in my sleep because it seems that she'll finally get comfy and then I'll move.

Movement: Lots. I can't wait for Brian to be able to feel him kicking and punching me.

Symptoms: Heartburn has made an appearance but I think that might be related to the excessive amount of sugar I've consumed this last week.

Labor signs? Nope

Food cravings: Sushi and cold turkey sandwiches are still being craved and really missed.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my back. I find myself laying like that in the middle of the night, then I enjoy it for a second before rolling to my side so I don't deprive the baby of oxygen. I was really missing alcohol during the holidays but then I remembered that I don't miss hangovers at all.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Best moment this week: I got an awesome Christmas present from my parents: Meowsic Keyboard. Brian and I were over at my parents a few weeks before Christmas and she had this keyboard out to wrap for Brinley. I had a little too much fun playing with it - the keys meow! I half-seriously said that I wanted it so I could torture our cats and so our little guy could have it, and my mom really got it for me! What is my life coming to?

Weekly wisdom: People are name torturers! Everyone understands why we aren't telling people Baby C's name, but they like to have fun guessing. And the girls know I'm a horrible liar and my poker face has gone from not very good to not present at all. So now Baby C's name will be Don Juan Diego Craun until he's here.

Looking forward to: Finishing the artwork. We finalized everything that will be in his room so now I get to work on it the rest of this week! Mobile pieces are constructed and will be assembled once the room is painted and crib location is determined. Meg was commissioned to paint one piece since I'm not so good at painting. Bri helped me make something super awesome, and I finished the other piece that goes with it. Today I finished the bulletin board, so that leaves two more pictures and then his name to mount. Almost there!

Happy New Year!

Pictures I made inspired by things I found in a mag and on the web - don't ask me from where because I can't remember!

The pieces of the mobile my mom, Brian, and I made.

Made use of the rainbow of Sharpies I made Brian buy a few years ago.

20 weeks - Halfway!



He wanted it known that he's sticking his belly out.



How far along? 20 weeks

Baby Craun's size: He's the size of a small cantaloupe. Or muskmelon. Whichever you call it.

Total weight gain/loss: -1.0  

Maternity clothes: Finally used my LivingSocial coupon at Worn on 42nd and got a cute top and dress not meant to be for pregnancy but they work!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Better, but I injured my hip running this summer and the pain is starting to come back. I need to remember to do my exercises...

Movement: A ton! He was moving so much the other day that he made me nauseous. I can't wait until Brian can feel him moving too!

Symptoms: Some nausea and hip pain. But mostly feeling pretty good, just in time for Christmas!

Labor signs? Nope

Food cravings: Sugar cookies! Popcorn balls! Anything peppermint (which I think the kitties like too; they've been stealing the candy canes off the tree). I don't think I want to report out my weight gain next week...Still missing cold turkey sandwiches. Jimmy Johns just doesn't taste the same warmed up.

Miss anything? Adam and Ally! Sugar cookie dough is right up there. And sleeping through the night without having to pee a bajillion times.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Best moment this week: I got an amazing present from my hubby (early Christmas present / thanks for having my baby present). He's pretty much the best ever. I had a great morning today with Bess hanging out at La Mie (yum) for a few hours, and then got the cutest little Vikings onesies for next football season at Target on clearance. They're a horrible team but I still have to show my purple pride. Now to find Saints onesies to support Bri's team. Also, and this is the crazy cat lady side of me speaking, but I think Coco is wising up to the fact that there's a human in my stomach. She was looking at it weird the other day and has taken to kneading and laying on just my stomach and not on my legs like she used to. She's going to freak the first time she feels him kick while she's laying on me.

Weekly wisdom: Daycare searching sucks. Out of all the daycare centers around us there are only 3 that I'm even willing to visit. I still have to search through the registered in-homes too...yuck.

Looking forward to: Christmas! And I'm so looking forward to relaxing with family and friends over the holidays and break. I get to see Eric and Chase next week, Sarah and Brandon soon, and we're spending NYE with some friends.

Merry Christmas all!

Love,
The Crauns

19 weeks

How far along? 19 weeks
Size of Baby? He's the size of that mango in my hand, and weighs 10 ounces.
Total weight gain/loss: I gained about a half a pound in the last week so now I'm -1.5.
Maternity clothes: Mostly the stuff I bought at the beginning of the school year. And Belly Bands.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: So much better now that I have the body pillow, although our bed is a little crowded. And the only time I'm not coughing (from drainage) is when I'm sleeping on my side.
Movement: A whole ton when I lay down at night! We had the anatomy ultrasound today and when we first got there he was moving so much that his heart rate was 172. By the end of it he settled down, and his heart rate dropped to 148 where it's usually around when I go in for appointments.
Symptoms: Congestion and coughing. Feeling a little better this week compared to last week.
Labor signs? None
Food cravings: Hmmm...crab rangoons.
Miss anything? Still missing sushi and cold turkey sandwiches. And missing my brother and Ally - wish you could come home for Christmas!
Belly button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Best moment this week: So far, today's ultrasound. Everything is looking good and developing normally. Brian asked to see him in 3D, and he looks so weird (see pics below)! Second best, a gift from Brian's aunt Kathi. She knit a cute little blanket and the tiniest, cutest little booties. We also shared the news with Brian's grandma Mary. Brian secretly told her the name we picked out and she didn't dislike it too much. Boys names are so hard!
Weekly wisdom: Rest! I keep pushing myself to get everything done on my to-do list, but once I slowed down and slept, I was able to kick the sinus infection and get my rate of coughing down. Next up, increase water intake during the first half of the day. I discovered that the less I drink after 5:00, the more I sleep through the night.
Looking forward to: Christmas! Presents are wrapped (well the ones I purchased anyway...Brian's slacking), and I have all the ingredients to make mint cookies. Dad's prepared to make some virgin jello shots for me to take on Christmas while Mom, Dad, and Brian take real ones. And Jen and family are coming to town on Christmas day. I can't wait to see the girls (and I guess her and Ryan) and to see what Jen got Baby Craun!

Hard to tell but he has his arms and hands by his face. The little lump kind of in the center is an eye (hand's covering the other one) and his mouth is open just a little bit.

His profile. Brian was concerned after seeing the 3D one that he didn't have a nose, but there it is.

And this is why when I first found out I was pregnant all I could think about was the dancing alien popping out of the dude's stomach in Space Balls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZUVeMtYXc). Brian thinks he looks like a wet cat with it's ears pulled back. Either way - creepy.

Nursery plans

I'm so excited to start working on the nursery!

Here's what the room looks like right now:

It was my closet room but that has since been moved to the woman-cave in the basement. The shelving is all built in, and that will remain chocolate brown.

Here are our plans so far:
Walls: Baby blue and white horizontal stripes. Sorry Mom! And Jen, I'm not so sorry...pay back :) Here's the inspiration:

Bedding: We purchased the Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt from Pottery Barn Kids. It's on back-order online and not sold in stores, but on a very lucky day I happened to be in the store shortly after someone had returned it. Of course I bought it! Since I didn't feel like dropping ridiculous amounts of money on the complete bedding set, we'll get the rest of the bedding from Target. We'll probably just have a plain white crib skirt with blue gingham trim (THANK YOU Mom for being so crafty!). I haven't decided on a bumper yet, but found some breathable ones online. There's so much controversy around crib bumpers now that it kind of freaks me out! Sheets will probably just be solid, lighter versions of the other colors in the room.

Mobile: I'm so excited to start making this! I found this picture somewhere online and decided to make our own version. It'll be one of my projects over break.

Rocker: I'm thinking a wooden rocker like my parents had in their room when I grew up, painted red and made more comfortable with some thick denim cushions. Pretty sure my mom doesn't want to re-re-finish the glider we got from Brian's grandma years ago, so we'll be getting something new/used and inexpensive.

Art work: I'm so excited to work on this too! Here's some inspiration, and you can see the finished results in a few months.

Picture bright handprints on white canvas

I love these dots!

To go with the rising sun.

A fun way to match the quilted caterpillar.

A photo arrangement done by Laura Widness of Ruby Shoes Photography (check her out on facebook - she did an AMAZING job on our engagement photos!). We'll arrange the art over the crib in a similar way with the long one being Baby C's name, which is top secret!

Thought this was pretty cool. Maybe a neat way to decorate a boring lamp?

Crib and changing table: We are very very fortunate to be purchasing a used crib and changing table from a family friend. Thinking of leaving it the pale wooden color it is, painting them white to counter act all the color, or painting it to match the shelving. Or maybe painting the table green but that all depends on whether or not we get a bright red rocker. Thoughts?

Here's the color palette for the room:

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks (a little late on the posting...this was actually last Wednesday)

Baby C's size: About the size of a sweet potato

Total weight gain/loss: Still at -2 overall. How I have this belly and haven't gained any weight is beyond me. I wonder how this will change now that I'm done with my 2011 Race-A-Month challenge and I'm not running on weekends...

Maternity clothes: Mostly my old stuff with a few new tops mixed in. The 2-cup increase in my boobies is making it really hard to fit in my old clothes. Totally rocking the belly band and rubberband look with my pants.

Stretch marks? Nope. Cocoa butter is my best friend right now.

Sleep: Total garbage. I wake up most nights every few hours to pee or blow my stuffy nose. We bought a body pillow for me yesterday and I actually slept through most of the night last night. I kind of miss those first few months were I could sleep for hours.

Movement: I *think* I felt movement last week. Felt like little flutters. Very weird.

Symptoms: Stuffy nose all the time and my lower back and hips are starting to hurt. The extreme exhaustion and nausea of the first 4 months is mostly gone!

Labor signs? nope

Food cravings: Craving healthier stuff but still have those times where I just want everything you eat when you're hungover - pizza, wings, fried food. I've noticed the times when I want those foods is when I feel the nausea, just like when I was hungover! Still can't eat yogurt and eggs. Vom. My addiction to sugar is in remission. And pretty much every time I watch tv or see a billboard with some sort of remotely appetizing food on it, I suddenly want it. Hello Burger King chicken sandwhiches.

Miss anything? Cold turkey sandwiches, sleeping on my back and stomach, beer (who would have thought - I used to hate the taste), shopping (all those cute fall clothes!), sushi, allergy meds, cold meds, all my pretty high heels collecting dust in their room, smoked meats (hmmm...pulled pork sandwiches....ribs)

Belly button in or out? In still. I'm pretty freaked about what my belly button is going to turn into by the end. Ew.

Wedding rings on or off? Mostly on, but sometimes I'm too hot to wear the diamond part. Haven't needed to take off my actual wedding band yet.

Best moment this week: I'm starting to look less like I ate too much and more like I'm pregnant. And even though this was techinically last week, I'll share it here - at 17 1/2 weeks we found out that we're having a BOY! Yay! Brian and I already figured out how we want to decorate the nursery. More on that later.

Weekly wisdom: Goodbye my lovely high heels. I'll see you in a few years, and likely then only for special occassions. This week I bought a few pairs of wedges and a pair of flats. Maybe I'll wear a few heels now and then, but my klutziness makes it so I need to remain closer to the ground.

Looking forward to: Christmas break so I can start all the fun art projects I have planned for the nursery!

Ven conmigo!

"Ven conmigo!" Pretty much the only thing my husband knows how to say after a few years of Spanish back in school. That, and "Actividad Dos". For those of you who can't translate Spanish, "ven conmigo" means "come with me", and I thought that would be an appropriate name for my first post in our family blog. That's right, family. I'm starting this blog to chronicle (get it, Craun-icle; I'm a nerd) our journey from just the two of us to parenthood.

Each week I'll post some info how how things are going, based on a blog a friend showed me on Pinterest.

My last hurrah before baby-making was a week-long trip to Mexico. And right after we returned, I started feeling just icky. I just felt pregnant. Many negative pregnancy tests and a few weeks later, this happened: 

So faint, you could hardly tell. I showed Brian right away, and then texted this picture to my mom and sis. I was so excited and scared, and a little shocked that it happened so fast. I'm a horrible liar and did a horrible job keeping it a secret. Especially when I had to tell coworkers just two weeks after this because a student was in the crux of a major meltdown and I was worried I'd hurt our little peanut if I assisted in anyway. Our due date is May 9th, so close to Brian's birthday and Cinco de Mayo. Bess insists on a Mexican name since there are the two Mexico ties :)



At 12 1/2 weeks we had the big reveal during the Charles City-Des Moines weekend on 10/30/11. We'd already told our really close family and friends. Long running joke - Brian's mom doesn't like redheads, and everyone has been harrassing her since Bri and I started dating that one day we'd have a little redhead. So here's how we told everyone at the party:

The party was my first experience as a real pregnant lady around everyone boozing during the football game. Hawkeye football, well football in general, and beer just go together. This is going to be a looooong fall. Boo.



Here's me sucking in...that's all baby bump at 12 1/2 weeks. I just look like I ate too many tacos. 

Courtesy of Vi and the Mexican theme, here's our little one's picture from the first trimester screening: