Weeks 16 and 17

Saw this. No, we wont do this to our pumpkin but thought it was cute!

The weather is not the only things a-changing in the Mikulin household. Although, can I please take a second to express my undying love for cold weather???? Sweaters, scarfs, and boots make my heart grow so big! I dont know if I could live where it gets down to sub-zero temps all the time, but Texas winters make me so happy! But along with the change of the season, Lil Miss Suzy Homemaker over here is a-changing too. It seems as if I woke up one morning, looked down, and all of a sudden- BAM- bump! Im finally looking less like Ive overdone it on the doughnuts and more like I belong in the Mommy-To-Be club. I was even told "Aw you look so pregnant" the other day. Which Im guessing was meant to be a compliment. :) Either way, Im definitely not wearing tents and mumus, Im quite proud of my bump and showing it off! (Read: Im holding out on buying maternity tops). Although I have transitioned into the elasticy waisted pants, which are super comfortable. 

We've also started going to our Centering classes at our birthing center. For those who I havent told, we are going to give birth in a free-standing birthing center with certified nurse midwives. After watching Ricky Lake's documentary, The Business of Being Born, as well as the documentary Pregnant In America, our minds were completely changed. I 100000% suggest them to anyone pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. Their are both on Netflix btw. Education is POWER! Anyway- we are going au natural for this adventure. Our centering classes are essentially our monthly check up but with all of the other March couples. We go in to the center, meet and talk as each mama has her individual check up with the midwife, then we all go to the yoga studio for our monthly class and to have an open discussion. Its so much better because its so stress-free and educational! Love it!

This last week we also started with our first big baby purchases! The crib and the changing table!!!!! After a lot of research, we found the perfect sale of these safe, all wood, crib and table. Mark kept saying how well it was made (gotta love my engineer husband). Even though we dont know the sex yet (so soon!) we found this white set knowing it will go well regardless. Once we find out the gender (Oct 14th- Gender Reveal Party! Post to come!) we will make more sex-specific choices. But these are what we purchased. (Side note- a huge thank you to my Dad for helping us!) Both available at Kids R Us.

Delta Venetian Convertible Crib

Delta Martine Sleigh Changing Table 

So like I said, Willow (its going to be weird to call this baby something else....I think he/she has a nickname already) is starting to make him/herself known these days! Here I am at 17 weeks along with those oh-so-fun FAQs. :)

How far along? 17 weeks

Maternity clothes? Purchased one pair of maternity jeans and maternity slacks. Other than that, just buying things a "few" sizes bigger than I usually wear. 
Stretch marks? No. But that reminds me to buy stretch mark cream today. Just in case. 
Sleep: Im falling asleep fine (because Im usually exhausted) but I wake up in the middle of the night a lot and then its hard to fall back to sleep. Good practice for things to come I suppose.
Best moment this week: Our first centering appointment and meeting the other March mamas! Oh and buying the crib and changing table!!!!!!! 
Miss Anything? After working an AWESOME event this last weekend, I realized how nice it would be to have a nice cold beer or glass of wine after a long night. Oh and goats cheese. Weird I know. 
Movement: Not sure. I thought maybe I felt something the other day, but then attributed it to gas. Really excited about this one! 
Food cravings: Have I mentioned how much I love sweets lately? Its so not me. But its true!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish. Seeing it, smelling it, anything- ugh!
Gender: Ultrasound on the 10th, but we wont find out until our Gender Reveal Party on the 14th!!! SO SOON! 
Labor Signs: No. 
Symptoms: Still some Round Ligament Pain but more than anything else- headaches!
Belly Button in or out? Still very in.
Wedding rings on or off? Always on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part but we found out this weekend that once I start crying it is extremely hard for me to stop. Kinda scary since I can usually calm myself down but it was just one moment. The first and hopefully the last.
Looking forward to: Our Gender Reveal Party on the 14th!!!!!!!!!! And to really feel some movements. :) 

Well thats all for now folks. Thanks for reading! I will most definitely be posting as soon as we find out what the sex is after our party! AUGHIMSOEXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots'o'love!

Susannah, Mark, and (for the last time) "Willow"!