21 weeks.

At 21 weeks, it's crazy to think how much I already love this baby! Every kick makes me melt. I pretend this little babe and I have a secret where he or she shares its kicks with me, like, "Hi, mama! I love you!" Especially since they're few and far between when Zac tries to feel. :) 

This week I've been craving sweets like no other. All I want is dessert. It's so hard to get a grip on a definite craving with this pregnancy. And, oddly enough, I haven't gained any weight this week. I'm still up 10 pounds. I can still fit in some of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but I'm learning that stretchy is my friend. :)

A few days ago, Zac and I went to my mid-pregnancy ultrasound to check up on this little babe. Our ultrasound technician  Robyn, was amazing! So much fun, and had us laughing the whole time. She said that baby is doing great, with no problems! A healthy little one! We also got print outs of its face and head, but no profile, since it had its head buried deep inside my pelvis. We learned that this baby is very stubborn, and very active with all its strong kicks (I started feeling kicks at 16 weeks).

Our first box of diapers came this week, and every now and then, I open up the box, take one out, and just look at it. Then I tell Zac, "Awww, it's going to poop in this!" And I just think it's the cutest thing ever. :) We're also getting started on the nursery since we're more than halfway now. We have the colors picked out, and need to buy a few a lot of things. We've held off doing anything big so far, so it's exciting to start crossing things off our list!

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the cutest little clothes.

Our online order for a few baby clothes came the other day, and inside were precious little baby clothes for our little babe. I know everyone says to not buy newborn clothes, because they grow out of that size so quickly, but how can I not? They're so little and adorable! 

I thought buying gender-neutral clothes would be hard, and I guess it kind of is, but there are some cute ones out there! I'm beginning to like them more than gender-specific clothes, even! 

We saw our little babe a couple of days ago while at an ultrasound appointment, and it was so surreal. It wouldn't let us get a clear shot of its profile, though. Dang it, baby! I think it's finally settling in for Zac. He's going to be such a sweet papa; I can't wait to see him with our baby.

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on the third day of summer.

Since we did absolutely nothing to kick off the first day of summer, we made burgers tonight with potato wedges and corn on the cob! Our kitchen and front room were filled with smoke by the time we were done cooking, but by golly, it was delicious! It was the perfect (and belated) way to bring in the summertime.

Earlier today, after our 4-hour nap, we drove around north Orem to look at all the rich and fancy houses up on the mountain. We like to do this together every so often, and point things out to each other that we would want in our future home, like wooden shingles in the exterior and white trim and a big backyard with big, mature trees! My dream home would include all of that. :)

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20 weeks.

I'm at the halfway mark today!

At 20 weeks, I'm starting to feel more uncomfortable as the aches are coming in. I'm up about 10 pounds now, and this week, my thoughts are, "Baby Swenson, what are you doing to my skin?!" I've got dry knuckles on both hands and weird spots on my neck, to name a few.

On Fathers' Day this last week, Zac had his hand on my belly, near the baby (not on top of the baby), and the baby kicked so hard that Zac felt it, and I actually saw my belly move! It was absolutely insane. It had us laughing for a good few minutes. :)

This week I've been craving chocolate and popcorn, and, you know, food in general. I thought I loved food before being pregnant. I was so wrong! I've noticed that my belly gets so much bigger after I've eaten something (these pictures were taken right after dinner at Cafe Rio). I love that I'm finally starting to look somewhat pregnant.

I've been on the lookout for cute baby clothes, and have bought a few things since finding out we're having a baby. I'm growing quite the collection. I bought some little baby moccasins today, and I cannot wait for them! I decided that I really don't like maternity pants, but maybe they'll fit better once I have a big bump. And today I showed Zac You're Having my Baby by Paul Anka, and told him he has to sing it to me.

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at the carnival!

Last weekend, after going the night before with Bernz and Wes (and getting half-off Applebee's appetizers afterward!), Zac and I went to the carnival in Orem, and my gosh! It was so crowded. But it was a blast! We got to watch the parade go by, where we flicked ants off our blanket, and we bought him a fancy shirt with an even fancier fox on the front. We love foxes.

 

When it was dark, we went straight to the spot where our blanket was laid out and waiting for us and watched one of the greatest firework shows I've seen yet! The whole time, I was thinking about when I was younger and would watch fireworks, dreaming of one day watching them with my love. That night I was! And I was like, "Whaaaat?"

 

When we got home, after speed walking a total of 3 miles that day, we made homemade funnel cakes (because who wants to spend $5 for one funnel cake?) with raspberries on top. And I'm pretty sure they were even better than the ones at the carnival.

 

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happy fathers' day!

Happy Fathers' Day to my wonderful papa, father-in-law, and my sweet, sweet husband who will be a papa himself in just 4 1/2 months! These wonderful men mean the world to me, and I'm so glad to have them in my life.

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19 weeks.

At 19 weeks, this little baby is half a foot long! It's kicks are getting so strong, and I'm now able to feel the flutters when it moves (surprisingly, I could feel kicks long before moves). I'm starting to miss some of my regular clothes (like the yellow skirt I tried to squeeze into for Daniel's wedding), but I ordered some pretty maternity clothes last week, and they should be here any day now! New clothes make me happy.

This week my biggest craving has been donuts! I've craved one every. single. day. But I haven't given in yet (mostly because I'm too lazy to go get one), so good on me! I'm also still craving the usual orange juice, cinnamon rolls, root beer and carbs. At least one thing in there is healthy. ;) So far I've gained about 9 pounds.

These past few days, it's been really easy to feel the baby kick from the outside, even I can feel it (I couldn't before). We're starting to add to our collection of baby things (I feel like I'm so behind, but I'm probably just fine). My favorite thing to shop for is clothes. They're so little! We're going to start buying diapers next week. Crap just got real.

My biggest symptoms lately are round ligament pain and achy joints and and a sore lower back. Nothing too bad. I don't have heartburn yet (yay!), but when I get hungry, I get hungry. I kind of feel like a rabid beast when I eat after a long while of not eating. It's very attractive. I spend about 70% of my day thinking about this little babe. What it's going to be like, what it will look like, and what it will be like when it's finally here. I'm so excited to find out!

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some popcorn, m83, and a blanket fort.

Last night, while the wind was roaring outside, making us not want to leave the house, we decided to build our very own blanket fort to hang out in. We used every blanket we had in the apartment, and popped some popcorn, put some M83 on the record player, and talked mostly about how we're going to be parents in just a few months, and what we think it will be like having a little baby with us all the time. The baby was kicking so hard, and Zac got to feel a few of those little kicks. We decided that when the baby is here, we'll build a fort for him or her and hang out as a family of three.

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when we could see the entire happy valley in one spot.

Last weekend, Zac and I drove the long and windy road up to Squaw Peak to watch the sunset over the valley. We sat in the back of the car with our blankets and sat close and took pictures. We tried to find our apartment and other landmarks that we know, like the Riverwoods and UVU. It was beautiful up there, and everything was green green green.

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daniel's wedding.

My big brother, Daniel, got married on Friday to a gorgeous girl named Erika. It was the first temple sealing session I've been to since my own wedding more than two years ago, so it was special. Daniel and Erika were both just gleaming; you could tell they were so happy and excited! When they got out of the temple, we took family pictures under the hot sun, and Matt even wore the tie Daniel made for him last Christmas, so it was a good day. (And would you look at my baby bump! Sheesh!)

After eating some of the best food of my life at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (the best food of my life, probably because I was sooo hungry by the time we started eating) and listening to a few good toasts and skits, we headed down to the reception in Pleasant Grove. We took a few minutes while Daniel and Erika were standing in their line to decorate Daniel's car in a very sexual fashion. You really cannot except less from the Barlockers, though.

Zac and I spent the rest of the night catching up with some of my really good friends, drinking Italian soda, and dancing outside. We sent Daniel and Erika off under a pathway of sparklers, and stayed late cleaning up balloons and streamers. It was such a good day, and I couldn't be more happy for my brother!

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18 weeks.

I think I'm actually starting to look pregnant now--just a little. I'm up 7 pounds, and I think I finally figured out what my cravings are: orange juice, root beer, cinnamon rolls (or just cinnamon in general, really), and carbs! So we bought 2 jugs of orange juice last week, and we're down to the last few ounces. I drink a glass every morning, and it is wonderful!

This little babe is still kicking all the time, and they're getting stronger and stronger. I can feel a couple every now and then when I'm standing. Whenever I eat something, the baby kicks more than usual. It's going to love food like I do, I think. My belly is noticeably bigger this week (at least to me). I'm still so excited for when I look really, truly pregnant.

This week, at Daniel's wedding (more at that later), I had so many wonderful people come up and tell me congratulations on being pregnant! I was flattered as they kept asking me how far along I was, when I was due, or how cute my little bump was. It never gets old, really. :) I think a few people were bummed when we told them we weren't finding out the sex.

I still feel great! I have no new symptoms, and I can still handle most smells and tastes (except ranch--gross). We're starting to buy a few things here and there for the baby, and we're planning on stocking up on diapers next week. It's all becoming so real!

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walking through the jungle.

On Sunday, in the early evening, we went up to Bridal Veil Falls and walked the trails there for a few miles. The weather was perfect up in those mountains, and we kept seeing ugly, black beetles. But it was so enjoyable, and put me in such a good mood. It felt like we were walking through a jungle, with all the sounds and birds and green everything. If I could, I'd go up there everyday and just walk and walk. 

We talked about our little baby, and how Zac would go up there to longboard before we even met, and about how stupid people were for not using the lines painted on the trail. And every now and then, we'd do some shakes because one of us would walk through a spider web. 

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