How far along? 17 Weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: still about 2lbs
Maternity clothes? A few here and there.   
Stretch marks? Nope :)
Sleep:  Pretty darn good - After I get comfortable that is.
Best moment this week: It was my birthday! It was a fun and relaxing day. 
Have you told family and friends: Yes! 
Miss Anything? Still trying to locate my brain ha!
Movement: YES! Last night I was laying on the bed waiting for Kyle to come and there it was! I think it was more clear because I was laying still. Best birthday gift of the day!
Food cravings: Still Orange soda it's heaven in a bottle
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope feeling great!
Have you started to show yet: I'd have to say yes
Gender prediction: I'm getting some mixed signals from friends and family but so far the vote for Boy is ahead!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! 
Looking forward to: Our first Anniversary and Kyle's birthday in October!



How your baby's growing: (from BabyCenter.com )

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.

You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

 

 ** Can I just say that the balance deal...coming in hot and heavy for this one!  I would have guessed that my balance would be pretty stable being that I am so close to the ground already, but nope. 

Hello Week 16!

How far along? 16 Weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: About 2lbs
Maternity clothes? A few here and there.  
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep:  Still depends on the night. Lately I have to get up at least once for a drink and bathroom.
Best moment this week: Getting some energy back! I can actually make it though a day! 
Have you told family and friends: Yes! 
Miss Anything? My BRIAN! I swear I don't know where it has gone to!
Movement: None so far, but from my understanding it's still quite early.
Food cravings: Orange soda and fruit!
Anything making you queasy or sick: The only time I get queasy is if I don't eat and my stomach gets empty.
Have you started to show yet: YES! Or at least we think so.
Gender prediction: Boy! - our gut says boy..but who knows!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! 
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move and our dr. appointment on Monday

Week 15 - A Colorado Adventure!

Week 15 is a little different! We went to Colorado for the week and stayed with some great friends, Eric & Lori Chester, while we hunted. This was Marquette & BabyO's first elk hunt!!! It was a really exciting time.

Kyle had been chasing this elk (he named him Big Daddy) for 3 seasons. When we first arrived and Kyle saw him he said "Well hello old friend". You could almost feel them sizing each other up! Kyle and I stalked him all week and finally early Sunday (9/16/12) we had him in view, watched him, and Kyle got the shot! It was a rush of emotion for us both, but for Kyle it was the day he had waited 3 years for!

We had some delays throughout the day, one being it was stinkin hot and we had to get the meat down off the mountain and to a game processing place asap. The delays and the fact that we were in the bottom of a steep canyon led to a 15 hour day of retrieving him out of the bottom.

It was exhausting hauling that Big Daddy out of there, but oh so worth it.

So sorry for no belly picture this week, but we were really excited to have our first elk hunt as a family! One day Kyle will look back and tell our little one "See this big boy, he is your first elk" :)

Week 14

How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 1 lb? maybe?
Maternity clothes? My sister-in-law loaned me a few of hers. The maternity pants feel better than my jeans, but I can still fit in mine (with a hair tie lol). Oh and yoga pants = my best friend! 
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep:  Depends on the night. Sometimes I sleep great, and other nights my dreams are so intense I wake up a lot.
Best moment this week: Being able to share the news with everyone! 
Have you told family and friends: Yes! We have officially told everyone now. It feels great to have the news out!
Miss Anything? I really miss my energy, but ITS THE SECOND TRIMESTER!! So I should be getting that back soon!
Movement: None so far, but cannot wait for it to come!
Food cravings: Real food!! Like spaghetti and mashed potatoes and anything home cooked.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The only time I get queasy is if I don't eat and my stomach gets empty.
Have you started to show yet: YES! It just popped out last week! It's not big, but it is noticeable.
Gender prediction: Boy! - our gut says boy..but who knows!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! 
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move and heading to Denver soon!



What Baby Ostrand is doing according to BabyCenter.com:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

So far I'd say I've had it pretty easy. The first trimester was a little uncomfortable. I didn't get sick unless I didn't eat. And even then it was just mild nausea, and if I ate it was gone right away. I've had to go to the bathroom more and more often, and from what I've heard that doesn't go away! (This symptom makes for some funny stories when I'm on the road with Kyle) I also have been very tired, so I am really excited to be in the second trimester and get some of that energy back!!  Then just last week this bump just popped out of no where!! Kyle is adorable and loves it already!! I love to watch him bond with BabyO too! It really is the sweetest thing in the whole world.

The big question we've had is if we will find out what we are having....well let me tell ya about this topic! At first it was an absolute NO WAY! We wanted to wait and for it to be a surprise. It's not like you can sneak into the Christmas closet and find out what you're getting...oh no! You really don't get to know. So we were really excited about that! I am terrible at not knowing things and having to deal with surprises - and Kyle loves that , of course! So when we went into our first appointment  at 11 weeks we got to do a full ultrasound and she even did a 3D ultrasound!! It was amazing. Well, during this ultrasound we got a glimpse of the bottom area of BabyO...lets just say there was either something there or there wasn't (sorry!! For now we aren't going to tell!! ) The tech said well I can't say definitively! THAT'S ALL SHE WOULD SAY!!!  After that I had to know...no questions asked...I gotta know!! You can't just gimmie a glimpse then say oops! Sorry you actually can't know! OH MAN! I was anxious!! (well I AM anxious!) The trick was going to be convincing Kyle that he wanted to know what BabyO is!! So that's where we are on that BIG question...We are going back and forth! Kyle still thinks it would be great to have it be a big secret, but I think he secretly just likes to watch me squirm and he actually really wants to know! 

We love yall! Thanks for all the encouragement, support and prayers.

Baby Ostrand: Coming March 2013!

Thats right!! Our family is expanding! 

We couldn't be more excited for our new blessing. I thought I had a grasp on how extraordinary this blessing was, but then we went into our first appointment at 11 weeks and the Lord totally blew my mind away.  Seeing our little bundle of joy kicking and moving around was breathtaking. It had all its fingers and toes and was moving like crazy! I couldn't feel it, but there it was as active as can be. It brought tears to my eyes to see the Lord's work so vivid in front of us. Seeing our child is for the first time is something we will never forget. Truly a miracle. 

 We wanted to come up with a fun way to show the world we were expecting so we had the postcards from the top made and sent out to our immediate family and closest friends. It was a fun way to announce it, since calling everyone would be hard for us. Then we decided to get to work and make this chalkboard! It was fun!! Kyle cut the wood and is making a frame for it. I painted it with chalkboard paint and came up with what to write. It was fun taking the pictures too!

A dear friend of mine and photographer, Katie Mayfield of MerylMay Photography, took these adorable pictures of the tiny shoes for our announcement we sent out. She is the best!!



Thank you everyone for all your support and love. We couldn't, nor do we want to, go through this without you. Your outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming and humbling. You mean the world to us!
Thank you from all THREE of us Ostrands!