Baby Schlyper: Week 20

At 19 weeks Baby Schlyper is the size of a banana.

Sleep Schedule: Heading to bed at 8:30 and asleep by 9. It's been working well for me.

Clothes: I've pretty much "popped" out now. I'm almost unable to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans and I have this unmistakable roundness protruding. I've started wearing maternity shirts more comfortably now.

Movement:  I get some slight flutters here and there. After our appointment on Friday, we learned that I'm not feeling the kicks quite so strongly because she's kicking my placenta. Her kicks should get stronger in the coming weeks as she grows.

What I Miss: Sushi. Not being queasy in the mornings.

Cravings:  Cottage Cheese. Pineapple. Mexican food.

Food Aversions:  Nothing really. But sometimes I'll just see or smell a food and think "yea, no thanks."

Symptoms: I'm still getting the queasiness again after breakfast until lunch. It gets pretty bad but I try to keep a steady stream of snacks at my desk and talk walks around my building at work when it hits really hard.

Best Moment of the Week:  Finding out we're having a baby GIRL! Hannah Joy Schlyper :)

Looking Forward To:  Next weekend- on Friday we get to see Hannah again and check on her spine and then my mom comes to visit for the long weekend!

What's in a Name?

Well, a lot actually.

Naming our baby girl was so important to me. This is the name she will carry with her for the rest of her life. She'll write it on every piece of paper, sign it for every card, spell it out on many phone calls and hear it over and over her entire life.

Introducing...


Hannah, meaning "Grace of God", is a woman of incredible faith in the Old Testament. She was the mother of Samuel the Prophet- who later became the last of Israel's judges, its first prophet, and counselor to Israel's first two kings, Saul and David. We look forward to teaching her more about Hannah as she gets older.

And I hope that one day she will grow to love her name and appreciate it as much as Rian and I do. Because if you ask us, it truly was the Grace of God that brought Hannah to us.

We love you so much baby girl.

It's a Baby Girl.

We had such an incredible time this weekend celebrating our Baby GIRL! To be honest, it took almost the whole weekend for it to truly sink in that it is a girl. I had just been so convinced that it was going to be a boy that I hadn't even taken a lot of time imagining life with a little girl. And of course now that I have, I'm just ecstatic.

The ultrasound was crazy. Seeing her hands, feet, brain, heart, etc. was just beyond surreal. When she told us it was a girl we both asked "are you sure!?" It was great! We learned a lot about her positioning too- her placenta is right at the front of my belly which explains why I'm not feeling the strong kicks. She's kicking at the placenta. I still feel the flutters occasionally, but that's when she shifts positions. Also, because of her location we'll have to go back in two weeks to check the bottom of her spine. The doctor came in and assured us that everything looks great, he just can't see that last bit toward her tailbone and wants us to come in when she's bigger so he can check it off the box. So while I'm a bit nervous to have to come back, I feel re-assured knowing that her heart, lungs, brain, etc. are looking perfect.

Elizabeth was hosting Wine and Dine this past weekend at our house and she was doing a taco bar/fiesta these. So we figured a pinata stuffed with pink candy would be a fun way to tell our friends.

We also had a great time celebrating Mother's Day on Sunday. I felt so loved and spoiled (thanks to Rian and the boys). Rian's parents come in town for the weekend and it was especially nice to be able to all go out to Mother's Day brunch together.

All in all- a lovely weekend. We love you so much baby girl!

Baby Schlyper: Week 19

At 19 weeks Baby Schlyper is the size of a mango.

Sleep Schedule: Going to bed around 8:30 p.m. I read at night but only last about 30 minutes, so I'm usually completely out by 9:00 p.m. It works well for me and I feel pretty rested for the most part.

Clothes: I'm finally starting to "look" pregnant. My belly has started to pop out more and my jeans are getting awfully tight in the stomach.

Movement:  I think I may be feeling something..but I just can't seem to definitively identify it as kicking.

What I Miss: Sushi. Sushi. Sushi.

Cravings:  Cottage Cheese. Pineapple. LIMEADE. And tacos. Lots and lots of tacos.

Food Aversions:  Nothing really. But sometimes I'll just see or smell a food and think "yea, no thanks."

Symptoms: I'm getting the queasiness again after breakfast until lunch. And my hips are starting to get a bit sore, so I've been doing prenatal yoga at home.

Best Moment of the Week:  Babysitting my nieces. Playing games, telling stories and lots of hugs. Baby Schlyper is so lucky to have them for cousins. And for what it's worth- Kate thinks I am having a girl and Kaia thinks I am having a boy. I am siding with Kaia- I think it's a boy too ;)

Looking Forward To:  THIS FRIDAY! Rian and I are like kids at Christmas- we can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. When people ask me, I can honestly say that I am so excited either way. There are so many FUN things about each. I don't have a preference, I just have a feeling it's going to be a boy. Either way, kids are such a blessing and I'm confident that God has made this child exactly for us.

What do you think Baby Schlyper will be?

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How the Dogs Feel About Spring.

We are having an unsusally sunny and warm spring over here in Portland. Typical weather in May consists of a few sunny days but still lots of drizzle and much cooler temps.

So needless to say, after 6 months of winter (November-April), the dogs have been SO excited to bask in the sunshine. I'm not exactly a big fan of the "heat" (granted it's only in the 70s & 80s but cut me some slack because I'm pregnant and all of the heat tolerance I developed from living in Texas my whole life essentially evaporated on my third year out here).

However...I still love to see the boys enjoying so much time in the sun. Portland dogs seriously need all the sunshine they can get.

Baby Schlyper: Week 18

At 18 weeks Baby Schlyper is the size of a Sweet Potato.

Sleep Schedule:  I solicited some advice from Facebook and had so many sweet friends give their input on a pregnancy pillow. After considering all advice and doing my own research, I settled on the Snoogle. It arrived Friday and I am HOOKED. It's so wonderful and I'm so grateful to already be sleeping more comfortably.
Clothes: Everything is still fitting for the most part. Which I'm both grateful for and a bit anxious about. I want to start "showing" but I'm happy that I'm managing my weight well and still able to wear what I already own. But I'm hopeful that as the weeks carry on I'll get more of a baby bump going on.

Movement:  I think I felt my first kick last week, but it's still so hard to distinguish. Here's to hoping I feel this soon!

What I Miss:  Rian has sushi for lunch on Sunday and I nearly leapt over the couch and ate his entire plate.
Cravings:  Pineapple. Cottage cheese. TACOS. I want tacos for pretty much every dinner. And really only the ones we make at home.
Food Aversions:  Nothing currently.

Symptoms: I was having restless nights of sleep but that has changed since the Snoogle. Otherwise, I'm grateful to feel so normal.
Best Moment of the Week:  Finally finishing our room swap. The house looks pretty different but it's so much more functional for a family of three now. (Or five if you count the dogs. Which- of course- we do.)
Looking Forward To:  Still May 10! We have to wait until week 20 which is a total test in patience since so many people find out at 18 weeks now. But we are hanging in there and just excited for that date to arrive.

Baby Schlyper: Week 17

At 17 weeks Baby Schlyper is the size of an onion.

Sleep Schedule: I'm back to turning in around 8:30 p.m. And to that point- I'd just like to say that it's a large expectation to say that exhaustion and sleepiness will subside during the second trimester. Last I checked, I'm still growing a baby. And that is seriously tiresome.

Clothes: Still getting a bit snug after meals. I wore a maternity shirt this week and it looked huge. We'll see when I will eventually start showing.

Movement:  I should be feeling movement very soon. Still nothing yet :( But I'm really hoping for this soon.

What I Miss: I missed wine a lot this week. I was a bit stressed about a few things here and there and would have loved to just relax with a glass.

Cravings:  COTTAGE CHEESE. I can't get enough of it. We buy 3 (yes 3!) cartons of it a week. Thankfully it's low in fat and loaded with protein. I'm also loving pineapple.

Food Aversions:  Nothing anymore really.

Symptoms: I still get the occasional headaches, but otherwise feeling pretty normal. And I am very grateful for that.

Best Moment of the Week:  I'd just like to say that week 17 was a roller coaster. It included a lot of the Boston Marathon and West, Texas aftermath. It was a really intense week and more than anything I just felt grateful for the life I have. The people that I love and that love me. The country I live in. Just a lot of emotions- amplified by the exponential amount of hormones flooding my body.

If I had to define a best moment, I would say it was realizing that I'm bringing a child into a world not riddled with war and terror, but rather overflowing with generosity, selflessness and perseverance.

Looking Forward To:  May 10th!!! I'm getting more and more excited to find out the gender every day.