23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs at the appointment, 3 weeks ago now

Maternity Clothes? yes

Stretch Marks? no

Sleep: been actually sleeping really well. It is slowly getting tougher to roll and get comfortable. It is my back that bothers me the most.

Best Moment this Week: We had an amazing week.  We really enjoyed our small vacation together.  Friday, we left for Door County. We did some shopping and stayed the night.  We found a nice little hotel that had a fire place to sit by.  It was wonderful to spend the time together, talking exploring, and seeing Nolan move for the first time.  Saturday we went exploring more in Door County and through the state park.  We visited an old light house, visited a nature preserve, climbed the 75 foot tower, and ate some delicious custard. Saturday night, we went out to Half Empty with some friends.  Not going to lie, it is kinda fun getting carded when you are almost 27 and 6 months pregnant! Sunday was Easter in which we enjoyed the time our families. Monday finished painting the nursery, and then we went to a Brewer game.  It really was an amazing week, we enjoyed so very many moments that we will truly have for a long time.

Miss Anything? wine tasting....that was hard not to be able to do on our trip!

Movement: lots!  We have now seen it, it is getting regular and stronger, AND he had the hiccups!  It was crazy that it really felt like hiccups and if kinda felt bad for him, like you would for anybody stuck with the hiccups!

Food Craving? none really

Anything making you queasy or sick? phlegm still bad.  

Bellybutton in or out? starting to poke out, but not inside out yet.

Wedding Rings on or off? still on

Happy or Moody most of the time? Very happy this week!  We enjoyed so many moments! I was sad when Alex went back to work on Tuesday because the amazing week is over.

Looking forward to: This whole pregnancy to continue to go so well.  I cannot wait to enjoy the next weeks feeling our son and knowing he is getting stronger and growing bigger.

This is the first photo with the hands on the belly.  It is crazy how much baby and I are growing.  It is the most happy I have ever been with extra weight and inches!  I love it!

Alex and the dogs wanted to play too!  This is what they looked like 23 weeks in!

visiting the lighthouse in Door County

The nursery is painted!

We splurged on nice seats at the Brewer Game

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs

Maternity Clothes? yes.  With the recent snow, I am back to my bigger sweaters.  I do NOT want to be pregnant in the winter!  

Stretch Marks? not yet

Sleep: Actually doing pretty well.  Finally got all the pillows figured out and all ready to go, unfortunately, Alex cannot say the same.  I have figured out how to make sure I am comfortable, not both of us....I'll keep trying!

Best Moment this Week: Beginning spring break today (Alex is off too!)  We slept in, went to Lambeau, ate at Curley's, and watched movies! Great start to break!

So proud of Alex who was promoted to Walgreens pharmacy manager this week!  He is enjoying the change.  We are so proud of him for all he has gotten done in only 9 months of having his license!

Miss Anything? not really, thought wine at the wedding would have been nice.  

Movement: like crazy!  I am starting to be able to predict when Nolan will kick.  He can also be prevoked....like the doctor running the doppler over my belly. He kicked it, swam away, and when the doctor found him he kicked it again!  Little stinker!

Food Craving? opposite, not really wanting anything.  Basically in the make myself eat at meal times and whatever the meal that day is I make myself eat.

Anything making you queasy or sick? not really

Bellybutton in or out? in, but moving out

Wedding Rings on or off? on

Looking forward to: The rest of our babymoon/spring break.  We are going to Door County, celebrating Easter, and a Brewer Game on Monday.  We are really enjoying our time together.  

Nolan's first time at Lambeau

Nolan's first trip to Lambeau, and his adorable little outfit from the pro shop!

21 Weeks...and test results

How far along? 21 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 9lbs

Maternity Clothes? Yes, mostly all now.  Still wearing some bigger sweaters because I refuse to buy winter maternity clothes because I'm not supposed to be pregnant in the winter ;)

Stretch Marks? no

Sleep: Still been doing pretty well.  Wake up a little more with being on my back which is starting to be painful (but probably good so I dont stay there to long).

Best Moment this Week:  Seeing our little somebody is a BOY. We are going to have a son!  It is amazing to keep saying it.  

We did get to do some shopping for Nolan which made boy so much more real.  Let's just say--This girl is crazy about a sharp dressed little man!  (haha, now the song is stuck in your head)

We also got amazing news on Tuesday.  Our tests are in and they are negative.  This means Nolan's DNA shows no chromosomal abnormalities (including Down Syndrome). We are so happy that our little boy will be healthy. There are no words for the relief the two of us are feeling!

Miss Anything? Being able to pluck my eyebrows.   I cant reach the mirror anymore.  I am going to have to purchase a mirror for the back of our bathroom door so I can get closer....

Movement: Yes!  At the reveal, I felt my stomach get really hard and as I put my hand on it, I felt a butt or head roll across/fill my hand and then slide away!  It was so amazing.  I feel quite a bit of movement all through out the day....and it's getting stronger.

Food Craving? no

Anything making you queasy or sick? Sunday morning, Alex and I were walking the dogs to my parents for breakfast.  We let the dogs off their leashes at the end of their driveway so they could run up to the house.  They decided to stop in the middle of the yard and eat something.  I dont know what it was, but I know it was most likely something dead that had been there all winter.   I got so nauseous I threw up the second I got in the door, then again down the hall.  Don't worry, I felt completely fine afterwards and ate 2 Eggs Benedict.  

Have you started to show yet? Yes, but I do have people say I am tiny and not even showing at all, until I turn....from the side I have a bump.  It is getting bigger daily though!  My little 4 year old friend made sure to remind me when he stated, "Whoa, Mrs. Gloudemans, I see your baby is growing big!"  At least he specified it was the baby!

Bellybutton in or out? Inching it's way out!

Gender Prediction: No more predicting....IT'S A BOY!  Nolan Alex Gloudemans

Wedding Rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Enjoying the movement, the day dreaming about our little boy, and maybe a little shopping....
Also, we are looking forward to our doctor's appointment on Tuesday to hear that everything is ok and just double check that information!

Labor Signs? no, but Braxton hicks maybe?  A cousin did say she started getting braxton hicks that started at 24 weeks and went through to she delivered....she said the doctor just told her to drink more water, when you are hydrated they are better.  I KNOW I don't drink enough water so that is very likely.  I will definitely mention it to the doctor, and drink a lot more water.  

Anything Else? The name.  We are so proud of the name we chose for our son.  Nolan was my grandfather Nolen Chew Sr, my uncle Nolen Chew, and my aunt NoLynn Chew.  We are so proud to pass on the family name.  Alex is obviously after Alex...it is a family tradition for the Gloudemans to name their first born son after their dad.  We are so happy to be welcoming our wonderful, adorable, son, Nolan Alex Gloudemans in August!

It's a.....

Our friends, the Poppe's, received the envelope on Monday night and prepared the box we made the weekend before.  We tested the rope, the ability to keep the confetti in, and such before bringing them box. They filled the box and we were very careful not to talk to them all week. ;)

On Saturday we had 35 of our family and friends join us in our house to eat, socialize, and pull the cord!  We were so excited!  My heart was beating so fast!

And it's a......BOY!

We are excited to meet our son: Nolan Alex Gloudemans in August.  

The name, Nolan, was my Grandpa Chew, my uncle, and even my aunt's name.  They all spelled it differently (Nolen Sr. Nolen Jr. and Nolynn).  We are so excited to carry on the family name and meet our little guy!

20 Weeks

It has been a very emotional week this week!  Feeling our baby move and seeing our baby on the ultra sound was amazing.  We loved every minute of movement, and picture of every body part that was all measuring correctly and there.  We could not believe how awesome the experience was.

We went to see the Dr. post ultrasound.  He reiterated that things were measuring well, the only "interesting thing" he found was a spot on our babies heart that was showing up as bright as bone when looking at the films.  After researching it it is really called: "Echogenic intraventricular focus (EIF) — a bright spot on the baby’s heart, which could come from calcium deposits."  Ok a spot on the heart, we can deal with that since all 4 ventricles were there and all else appeared well. Then, he continued to give us more information.  

These spots are a soft indicator for downs syndrome.  "A soft marker is “soft” because it’s simply not a very reliable indicator of Down syndrome."  "These markers are not problems in and of themselves: They’ve just been shown to turn up more often in fetuses with Down syndrome. But false positives are extremely common, and markers will be found in a whopping 11 percent babies who don’t have Down syndrome."  Hearing these numbers are both terrifying and a relief.  Our baby has a mark on it's heart that could mean downs but it also could be absolutely nothing. 

They have this AWESOME new test that is apparently a new wave of prenatal medicine. With a simple run-of-the-mill blood draw in the normal crook of your arm, they can separate the mother's DNA from the babies!  HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?  The procedure, according to my doctor, is on its way to replacing amniocentesis (thank goodness!)  They did the blood draw and have results in about a week.  We will know in about a week if our baby has downs or not.

The thing is, absolutely no matter what, we were going to love this baby.  Absolutely no matter what, we were going to be ecstatic for his/her entry into the world.  We were going to be the best parents we could be no matter what, but it was still so overwhelmingly scary. The unknown.  We thought not knowing the gender was hard, wow- this was a tough one.  We knew God would not give us more than we could handle and if He decided we were chosen for a journey with a child that happened to have downs, we would do the best we could to be great at it, but that doesn't take the fear away.

Going to work on Tuesday was rough.  I was crying on my way to work, I was crying at work, I was crying every time I had to tell someone (simply because my tear stained eyes wouldn't go away so I had to explain myself).  By the time people knew, more prayers were given, confirmation that all would be ok regardless, and I had time to tell my story, take some deep breaths and still feel the kicks growing stronger in my belly, I was fine.  I have been fine since.  All is going to be fine.  I don't know what it entails and I won't until the blood test results come in, but regardless, things are going to be fine.

So now that I have made it through the research, the tears, the happiness, and the love of my husband and unborn child, I am on the exciting journey of cleaning my house to prep for the gender reveal this weekend.  OUR babies gender reveal.  The excitement brings me to a whole new level of tears!

(my info on soft indicators was found here)

How far along?  20 Weeks, half way!
Total Weight Gain: 9 lbs (3 since last Thursday's weigh in)
Maternity Clothes? yes, moving into them in all areas
Stretch Marks? not yet
Sleep: Actually doing pretty good, thank goodness.
Best Moment this Week: Seeing our baby, 4D ultrasounds are amazing!!!  I think it looks like Alex!
Miss Anything? not really
Movement: yes, and growing stronger.  I actually even saw 
Food Craving? none really
Anything making you queasy or sick? doing pretty good but some mornings are sketchy after the vitamin... I just eat more then.
Have you started to show yet? yes!  Actually I popped Monday morning but Alex didn't see me leave for work.  When he showed up just a tad late for our ultrasound, I was already on the table (they were only checking ovaries, they promised only me-no baby parts until he got there). He walked in and actually second guessed himself and thought he walked in the wrong room because my belly had grown that much!  It still sticks out when I lay on my back.  I am so happy to see my beautiful baby is growing more and more every day that I am so excited about this belly!
Bellybutton in or out? In, but on its way out!
Gender Prediction: I honestly will be surprised either way as I keep getting gut feelings both ways.  That being said, If I see pink this weekend, it would surprise me more than if I see blue!
Wedding Rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? I feel this week makes it rough to answer, but I was happy most of it besides the day-long bought of tears on Tuesday.
Looking forward to: THE GENDER REVEAL IN 2 DAYS!  I can wait to find out if we are having a son or a daughter!

I think baby looks like Alex here.
That is the knee on the far right, baby all curled up!

I think baby looks the most like Alex here.
That is the knee on the far right, baby all curled up!

A perfect little foot!  Both feet have all 5 toes, and
both hands have all fingers and thumbs!

Baby is a gymnast like mommy!  Feet way up by its head!
Want to see something entertaining? Show this picture
to a group of 4 year olds and they all start laying on the
floor reenacting this position!