Our Pregnancy Journey - Month 5

MONTH 5:

Baby is the size of a sweet potato > zucchini > endive > bok choy > ear of corn

WEEKLY RECAPS:

WEEK 18:

Baby is about 5 1/2 inches, the size of a sweet potato and weighs about 7 oz.

I'm still waiting for that cute "baby bump" to arrive, but so far, I still look like I've indulged in one too many Thanksgiving meals followed by a couple pub crawls...

I think I felt baby move (the butterfly wing flutter feeling) twice now. I'm excited to start feeling her more! Our doctor said that I have an anterior-facing placenta, so I may not feel the baby move as much before week 24.

We had our anatomy scan this week, which came with a range of feelings including excitement, anxiety, pure joy, gratefulness, back to nervousness, intermittent feelings of calm, and a host of other feelings.

My husband is always the continual optimistic person in our relationship, while I'm more the realistic one. We balance each other out well in most respects. Even though we've been praying for baby every night, we know that our baby and her health is out of our control and in God's hands. We knew that no matter what may happen, God would equip us to handle whatever situation we were in. We went into the scan with grateful hearts though, being able to carry the baby this long so far and thanking God for his answered prayers along the way.

Thank the Lord, the scan went well and our baby's report came back healthy! The anatomy scan ultrasound was such a special memory for us as we were able to see the various parts of our baby girl, watch her little movements, and confirm with the US tech that she was healthy! The picture of her foot was one of my favorite images we received. We are getting so excited to meet her!!

CRAVINGS:

Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

WEEK 19:

Baby is about 6 inches long, the size of a zucchini.

Nothing too crazy to report. We are still on the house hunt and scouring all the real estate ads on a daily basis. We found one house that we were BEYOND excited about (and WAY underpriced). It was everything we were hoping for and so much more with newly remodeled kitchens, bathrooms, the cutest screened in porch with exposed brick wall, huge windows, beautiful landscaped fenced-in backyard, a craft room (few people would appreciate this more than me), renovated garage with tons of storage and organization options, adorable room for a nursery with window seat, room for a large photo studio, and an amazing neighborhood complete with pool, playground, clubhouse, walking paths, and tennis courts... This could have been our one-and-done home! After only being listed for a day, the next morning we went to make our offer, but unfortunately we found out, the house sold the night before! I'm sure this heart-breaking feeling of disappointment is a rite of passage for every soon-to-be home owner, but it definitely took the wind out of our sails. We continued to be on a roller coaster ride with the realtor for the next month as they kept giving us false hope that the current buyer may back out and our bid would then be accepted, but a month later, they finally settled, and it was time for us to move on.

This seller's market was not so fun for a buyer as every time we thought we found another home, we'd find out an hour later that it was already under contract. We're trying to remain hopeful and patient, but it's been tough with such a short deadline to find a place. So thankful for friends that have been praying for us and have offered us a place to stay in case we need it while continuing the home search.

CRAVINGS:

Sweets and more sweets... probably also due to the stress of house hunting and trying to figure out life!

WEEK 20:

Baby Everley can now stretch out so she can be measured from head to toe (instead of crown to rump like the previous measurements). She is about 10 inches long, the size of an endive.

I'm starting to feel her move a lot more now. Hubs has finally felt Everley Jewell move too, and it was so sweet to watch the expression on his face the first time he felt her move.

My baby bump is finally making her presence known. I definitely feel "wide" and it's been a little challenging not fitting into any of my normal clothes, but thankfully Hubs has a plethora of t-shirts for me to borrow. If you see me out and about, I'll either be sporting one of his T's or a flowy maxi dress. Pink Blush is my new favorite maternity clothing website for adorable dresses. I also had my first stranger rubbing my belly experience the other day...

With all the craziness of the move and house hunting, we had to cancel our Baby Moon to Europe that was supposed to take place this May. We are learning even more to give up control and go with the flow. We are also currently working on getting the home ready to sell in Omaha, Nebraska so we went back to Omaha for a week to move extra furniture out, put in a new kitchen floor (tutorials to come on the "Home Makeover" page), fix up things, and start staging it. Nothing like being ambitious while pregnant. Hubs was a trooper as we worked from 7AM until almost midnight every night. He even woke up one morning at 6AM to make returns to Home Depot/Lowe's and came back with breakfast and coffee for me before 7:15AM... He's a keeper!

Here's the new kitchen floor we installed:

CRAVINGS:

Oreo & M&M milkshakes... I have a feeling our baby girl will have quite the sweet tooth like her mama. I'm trying to limit these cravings as best as I can but they are quite intense... and stress definitely amplifies them.

WEEK 21:

Baby girl is about 10 1/2 inches long, the size of a bok choy and weighs about 3/4 of a pound.

Baby is definitely a mover and a shaker. She also apparently takes after her mom by being a night owl as she has a definite active period around 11:30PM each night... It's been fun to actually watch her move now with her cute little movements in my stomach. Sometimes it feels like she is tickling my rib cage...

The stress level has continued as we try to figure out where we will live since we have to be moved out of our current rental home next month. Spending hours a day on realtor.com and other real estate sites without any luck yet has added to the stress level. Lowering our expectations and realizing we will probably never find another home like our first find, we are trying to remain open-minded and optimistic that God still has a good plan for us.

One thing I've found comforting during this time is taking a few moments every couple hours to watch baby girl move as it reminds me to change my focus and perspective to the bigger picture of life and how much we have to be grateful for. When all is chaotic, we have little Everley to be so thankful for, and the thought of her makes everything right in the world. Even if we don't have a home or nursery decorated by the time she gets here, we will get by with the love that we have for her and each other. So grateful God has entrusted this precious life to us.

CRAVINGS:

McDonald's breakfast burritos... I haven't had these in years, but apparently they are hitting the spot.

WEEK 22:

Baby Everley is about a foot long, the size of an ear of corn and weighs about a pound.

We celebrated our first Mother's Day this past Sunday. Hubs made me breakfast in bed which I'm always a big fan of. :) He also found two bottles of non-alcoholic wine as a special treat... I still need to do a little research on these first, but they may be a good alternative to enjoying a glass of wine on the patio this summer if they really have 0% alcohol. Hubs for the win!

Miya was geting a little jealous of all the attention baby bump was getting so I had to include her in one photo. I've been trying to encourage hubs to gain some sympathy weight so here's an updated food baby bump pic as well... he has some work to do to get caught up to me still.

Breaking news... we may have found a home! After hours upon hours of realtor.com, over 40 house visits, one too many disappointments, a few pregnancy meltdowns, daily prayers, 4 offers placed, and 5+ letters written to various sellers, we have finally given an offer and officially signed a contract. We have learned a lot in this process about ourselves and the home buying and building process, but through it all, so thankful we make such a great team together. We will have to do some remodeling, but with a little love and effort, we are hopeful that we have found a place to call home for the time being.

Thank you all for the prayers during this crazy time and also those that helped us in the search! We appreciate you all!

CRAVINGS:

more McDonald's breakfast burritos...