Its a Girl!

On our third time trying to tell if Baby H would be a girl or a boy we found out at 21 weeks we will be having a little GIRL!! We are so excited!
At my 20 week appointment, we went to a different doctor for a 3D scan. After not finding out at 16 weeks, we were certain we would be able to find out at 20 weeks. Well once again Baby H did not want to show.
At this appointment they also were looking at all of the organs. I was so nervous through all of that while he was looking at everything I almost forgot we were going to find out the sex. After about a 40 minute ultra sound I asked the doctor to check the sex and the baby had it's legs perfectly crossed at the kneess. We were able to see a very clear picture of both knees on top of each other. We were laughing at this point because wanted to know so much what the baby would be so go figure we wouldn't be able to tell. We tried everything we could to get the baby to move but no such luck.
The doctor was very nice and could tell we really wanted to know so he let us make an appointment for the following week.
Well we almost missed that appointment also because the bus on my field trip broke down but the doctor stayed open until 7 that night so we were able to make it. He said it wasn't the best picture but he couldn't see any boy parts so he was 99% sure we are having a GIRL. 99% was good enough for us to believe.
So lots of pink will be coming into this house!

20 Weeks. About to go into the doctor thinking we will find out boy or girl.

And no such luck :)

I am sad we don't have any pictures of when we actually found out but things didn't go as planned. I was planning on getting back from my field trip at 3 and going home to shower and changed into nice clothes so we could go out to dinner to celebrate. Well our bus broke down and we missed our 5:30 appointment. I litterally hopped off our new bus at the train station in my sweat pants and rain coat to run to the doctor to make it by 7. I was so exhausted from our trip and Zann was leaving the next morning for the US so we just came home and celebrated with some frozen pizza and I was in bed by 8:30. But most importantly we found out about our baby girl and she is healthy!

Baby Bump -20 Weeks (half way there!)

How Far Along: 20 Weeks. I can't believe I am half way there! It seems like the time has gone by so fast but at the same time I feel like I have been pregnant forever. Its hard/exciting to think in this same about of time we will have your precious little baby with us. That makes it seem fast but it feels like so long ago we were in London and found out we were expecting a baby and eating dinner with Liz D.

Night number 2 of knowing I was pregnant



Size of baby: Baby Hawkins is weighing in at about 10 1/2 ounces and is about 10 inches long from head to heel. So baby H is about the size of a banana. That seems alot bigger to me than a tomato but we'll take it :)

Baby Development: Baby H is starting to swallow more and getting it's metabolism going.

Gender: Only two more days until we might be able to find out. I seriously couldn't sleep last night I was so excited.

Movement: I have been feeling the baby move around all the time in the past week. It feels like bubbles popping in my stomach. Over the weekend I couldn't feel the baby that much but think he or she must have flipped around and was moving toward my back. Then tonight I think he or she flipped back because I felt some strong movements and Zann could for sure feel them on the outside of my stomach. Its just the neatest feeling!

Sleep: Still waking up at least once a night and I don't think that is going to go away. The other night I got the worst cramp in my leg and that kept me up for a while. When I woke up in the morning it felt like it was bruised or I have done about 1000 calf raises.
Cravings: Icecream, juice, and fruit. I just finished eating an ice cream brownie sundae with heath bar on top. Yum! I have also been making fruit smoothies for breakfast before school. I think this summer when its so hot I am going to live on ice cream and smoothies. I have also not been in the mood for any Asian food which I normally love. We have had it once and it tasted find once I started eating but I do not like the thought of it.
Symptoms: I am still feeling great. My stomach really feels like it is starting to stretch though. I have not been able to eat as much at one time. I have eaten too fast a couple time and eaten more than I should and then it feels like my stomach is going to burst open.
We are going to the doctor on Wednesday evening to see Baby H in 3D. I can not wait! I will post updates when we get back!

I feel like my stomach looks bigger in person. I was looking in the mirror and thought it looked bigger there but not so sure...

Wahooooo for making it to 20 weeks!!!

Baby Bump 19 weeks

How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Well I missed the 18 week post so this will be a little recap of both weeks. Things have been super busy with getting close to the end of the school year so no time for the blog.

Size of baby: Baby H is growing growing and is about 6 inhces long head to bottom which is about the size of an heirloom tomato (the fruit comparisons crack me up each week that I get emailed). The baby now weighs about 8 ounces and is in a major growth spurt.

Baby Development: Baby H has now developed smell, taste, hearning, vision, and touch in its brain. So the baby can now hear us so we better watch what we say :) The baby's arms and legs are now the right proportion to the rest of its body and tiny little hairs are growing on his or her's head.

Total Weight Gain: Not so sure. I'm sure I will be surprised at the doctor next week because I feel like I have packed on the pounds in the last couple weeks. My legs feel tired from carrying my heavy self around all day.

Gender: I have had dreams about the baby being a girl 2 or 3 times this week and about it being a boy once. So we will see.

Movement: I think I can officially say I have felt the baby now! I have felt small kicks every day for about 4 or 5 days and Zann could even feel it last night on top of my stomach. I also feel like a baseball is rolling below my belly button sometimes.

Cravings: I have been trying to eat a little bit healthier these past two weeks but its hard to stay away from pizza, bread, and baked goods. We also made a trip to McDonalds last week for dinner since we had coupons and dinner for 2 would only cost 30 dollars (with out a drink)!! Then a little boy at school brought me a lemon bar last week and I thought it was the best thing I had ever had and needed another one immediately. I went right after school to buy the ingredients but put off making them until the weekend. Those have been a nice treat all week.

Feeling the baby move has been the best feeling in the world. All weekend I was getting worried because really felt like I didn't look pregnant. Well my prayers were answered when I woke up Monday morning becuase I could notice a difference how I looked with a shirt on. The bare belly still does not look pregnant at all but clothes make it look so much bigger. It was weird to think about being almost 5 months pregnant (half way there!!) and not being able to see a difference or need new clothes. From the day I found out I was pregnant I thought all about maternity clothes and what I should order and how my belly would look, then 5 months later it just looked the same. I know this is a silly thing to worry about and I will be kicking myself at the end when I am too big to even more. So for now I will be happy my jeans still fit and I can still move around very well.

Every day it seems like it is getting a little bit more real that we will really have a newborn little baby with us in 5 short months. We are so grateful and really can't believe it. Zann and I have been talking about all the things we can't wait to do with the baby.

Last night we were wondering what the baby would look like? Would he or she be born with hair or no hair? What color would it's hair be when it grows up? Will he or she have big teeth like me? haha I feel like we have so much to look forward to right now!

Here I am at 18 weeks

And 19 weeks

Last week my sweet kiddos at school were so excited that it was Mother's day. They made me this cute card and brought me flowers on Friday.

 " Mrs. Hawkins, Happy Mothers Day! I hope you have a great time with Zann, your baby, and family. You are the best teacher!"

Last weekend was really rainy so we decided to clean out our guest room turned nursery. We had some things to donate so we were able to do that and move our guest bed down to the cellar. I wanted to make sure all the furniture is going to fit in the room so we moved the crib up. Obviously it is not put together correctly but we were able to get an idea. Right now it is put together as a toddler bed so Zann just needs to get some screws to put the rails on. This will probaly be a summer project since we have a while to wait :)

We also have this beauty to fix up. We bought this from a site like Craigslist here. The size was perfect for the room and I really like how it has the border around the back part that can hold the changing pad. We plan to paint it white. This will also be a summer project since we need to sand it first then paint it piece by piece on our patio. This is where we will keep Baby H's clothes and we will put the chaging pad on top.

Next big project will be picking out bedding. I seriously can not wait! Only one more week until we know pink or blue bedding and I can stop spending hours beyond hours on the internet looking at things. haha

Baby Bump- 17 Weeks

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: The baby is about 5 inches long from its head to its bottom. Last time we were at the doctor, he said he/she was about 17 cm including its legs which is about 7 inches. So this week I am guessing that has grown to about 7 1/2 inches. The baby wieghs about 5 ounces and is the size of a turnip.

Baby Development: Little baby can now move its joints and is starting to develop sweat glands

Total Weight Gain: As of last week I had gained almost 3 kilos which is about 6 pounds. I feel like if I post this for other people to see then I have a reason to hold myself accountable and try to watch how much I eat.

Gender: No news yet. Everyone in my family and most people at work tell me they think its a boy. One friend at work thinks its a girl and Zann's aunt. Kathy, had a dream we are going to have a girl this week. She used to have dreams about what her friends were having, and she was only wrong once. We are going back to the Dr. on the 25th, so maybe we can find out then.

Movement: I haven't felt anything that feels like a kick or an arm, but sometimes I can feel something hard in my lower stomach. Also a couple times a day it feels like I have a baseball moving through me. I am guessing this is might be the baby moving positions but am not sure. Zann has tried to feel for something but can only feel that my belly is a lot harder below my belly button.

Cravings: This week I have not been eating as healthy. I have felt like having pasta for dinner almost every night, but I have tried to be good and resisted a couple nights for us to have some vegetables also. Tuesday night I kept telling Zann all I wanted to eat was Cheez-Its and pretzles together and a bag of gummy bears. I could not get that out of my head. Zann was so sweet and came home with all sorts of treats for me the next day. They don't sell Cheez-Its here or anything close so Zann found lots of other goodies for us.

I also have discovered something at school that will not be very good for my weight gain. We have a wonderful cafeteria at school and they make fresh muffins, croissiants, and bagels (which is the only place in Switzerland you can find bagels) every morning. I almost always bring my breakfast to school but it is nice to go down there if I don't have time to bring something. Well last week I found out they will make you a breakfast sandwhich if you request it early. I have just let myself have one a week but they are to die for so it might become a problem :)

And yes that is a cheese bagel it comes on with cream cheese added to the bacon, egg, and cheese.

Symptoms: I am still feeling great most of the time. After work this week I was pretty exhausted and only made it to the gym one night.

Best Moment this week: My stomach is starting to look a little bit like I am pregnant which makes me so excited.  It makes it seem much more real to us. We are both just so excited and talk about the little baby all the time. Our biggest blessing has been to hear that our little baby is healthy and I am so thankful for this everyday.

These pictures were taken about 10 second apart and look totally different. 

We started watching a birthing class video and that has made it seem like "ok this is really going to happen". I know its really early to think about this but a friend recommended it and she needs it back next week. Zann is now a pro a figuring out what all the numbers the doctor will rattle off mean. He is going to have to keep practicing since everything we will be hearing at the hospital will be in German.

Last time we were at the dr's he signed me up to deliver at Hirslanden and I received my introducation package from them earlier this week. It looks like it has tons of great information, but too bad I can't read any of it since it is in German :(

I am going to have to find a patient German speaking person to translate the binder and folder for me. It has many cute little pictures that help your get an idea of what it will be like to deliver a baby there. I am very excited about going to this hospital. First of all it is literally right across the street from our house, but it is also very nice inside and Roger Federer's wife delivered thier twins there.

It's a....

Very healthy looking baby. haha

We weren't able to find out if we are having a boy or girl yesterday but are more than happy to report that everything looks great. Baby Hawkins is moving all around and even learning how to suck its little thumb.

I think I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday. It was such a neat feeling. I can definitely feel the presence of something in my stomach and it has begun to get a little bump, so in next weeks picture you might be able to tell.

Cheers to five little fingers!

16 Weeks

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Hawkins is now about the size of an avacado. 4 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 1/2 ounces.

Baby Development: The baby has started growing toenails. How cute is that?? It's head is also more erect, and it's eyes have moved closer to the front of his of her head...so that's good.  The little baby's heart is working hard, pumping 25 quarts of blood everyday. A big growth spurt is about the happen. In the next couple weeks, he or she will double its weight and add a couple inches in length.

Total Weight Gain: I will see on Wednesday. Two vacations in two weeks has sure not helped.

Gender: We might be able to find out at the appointment on Wednesday. We are like two kids at Christmas excited!

Movement: I haven't felt anything that I have known for sure is the baby. A couple times I have felt little bubbles which according to Baby Center is the first signs of feeling the baby.

Cravings: Lemonade and drinks with ice! While Zann enjoyed the specialty beers of Belgium, I enjoyed all different types of lemon flavored Fanta, icetea, juice, and ice cream. I am loving drinks with ice in them so I have been using our one little ice tray to stock up on ice.

Symptoms: I am feeling great and besides always having to go to the bathroom don't even feel as if I am pregnant.

Best Moment this week: While we were in Brussels, Zann and I found a shady spot to take a nap one day. When I woke up I swear my belly had grown it was much harder below my belly button. It has felt like this two other nights but not as much during the day.
Today we went and picked up a dresser for the baby's room. Now, I'm starting to have a picture of what the nursery will look like. I can't wait to start picking everything out!
We also both made lists of names that we like for a boy and a girl and shared them with each other.  It was the first time we have talked about names at all so no decision has been made. But we were both very happy that we were on the same page!!

We had such a nice long weekend away and then relaxing for two days. Tomorrow is back to reality. I am going to the doctor on Wednesday morning so I will update with any new we learn then!

About to take the baby belly outside for some exercise!

A little tiny bump is on the way. Mrs. TenHoeve and my mom brought me a couple of these maternity shirts and I am loving them!

Bulletin Board Make Over and Apt Updates

I think my nesting hormones are starting to kick in and I have felt the need to update many things in our apartment. This is not the easiest task when there is not a Target or any other store to buy cute pillows or fabric. So I had to get a bit on the creative side. I found inspiration to update our bulletin board from Honey We're Home .  It was serving its function but looking a bit bland in our kitchen.

I ordered 2 yards of Lovely Lattice fabric from fabric.com and a lady that works with my dad was nice enough to deliver it to me in Zurich. I ordered extra so I could make a runner for our kitchen table. First, I spray painted the frame of the board in a gray color. The selection of spray paint here is very slim and the title is in German so I have no idea what kind I bought.

I had paper taped on the board so the paint would not get on the cork but it was a windy day and I was tired of fighting with the paper so this is how it ended up.

Next I traced the fabric to fit the board. Then I ironed it a couple times and glued it onto the board.

Then I tried adding white tumb tacks for the border but they didn't look right with the off white in the fabric so I decided to spray paint them gray. I did not realize how time comsuming spray painting tacks is but it was worth it.

Here is my crazy contraption in the process. I tried putting them in the box, spraying then shaking the box to get the pins at a different angle but they were getting all sticky. So here was the solution. 400 pins put into a card board box to paint. I was pretty proud of my creativity here.

The view from my bedroom window of the crazy set up drying. I also spray painted our desk organizer to match.

And the final product!

With the left over fabric from the bulletin board I decided to make a runner for our kitchen table. The table is nothing fancy so this brightens it up a little bit. I just used Stitch Witchery to put it together which was very easy and it seems to be holding up well.

Since the kitchen got a change, the family room needed one too. I ordered 4 pillow covers from etsy.com in the same Lovely Latice fabric. My Dad's coworker also brought these over for us. I just had to buy 4 inserts from Ikea and a new look for the family room.

Ordering the pillow covers was such a easy and reasonable way to change up a room. When you only have one room to in your apartment besides the bedroom it gets a little boring after a while. I will definatley be switching out pillow covers to change things up from time to time.

I also ordered this needle point pillow from zulily. I actually ordered two so we would have one on each couch. But one never showed up. I was pretty dissapointed but there are not any others in stock :(

Now if we could just figure out a way to make our pictures stay on the wall. The walls are cemement so drilling is a big process and one we will have to fix when we move out. Velcro had been working for a couple months but now it keeps giving out.

The pink paper on the wall is for a picture project coming soon. You can see the frames next to the couch. Now I just need to find a way to order the correct size pictures.

15 Weeks

15 Weeks

No update from 14 weeks because I was too busy enjoying my time with my Mom, Susie, and the TenHoeves in Italy. Here is a pic from our trip that you can kind of see my belly in.

How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Size of baby: The babe is 4 inches long crown to rump so maybe about 5 inches with its little legs. This is about the size of an apple and he or she weighs 2 1/2 ounces. 

Baby Development: The babe can move all of its joints and limbs and can sense light.

Total Weight Gain: Not so sure. I forgot to weigh myself at the gym the past two days. Probably a little too much after all our yummy food in Italy.

Gender: We can possibly find out next week.
Movement: The babe is moving all around but I can't feel it yet. My stomach will feel really tight sometimes or I will feel a small cramp so maybe that is the baby moving.

What I miss: I did miss out on the wine in Italy but there were plenty of other good things to make up for it. 
Cravings: Last week of course it was pizza, pasta, pesto, and gelato. Today I woke up having to have chocolate. I found a bag of chocolate chips in our basement and ate a good portion of that. I told Zann that it wasn't a craving it was a necessity because there was nothing else I could think about besides chocolate.
Symptoms: Tonight I was moving very slowly. I went to yoga this morning and was feeling great. Then I went for a walk while Zann was running and I seriously felt 9 months pregnant.  I was walking so slowly and could not get my legs to move any faster. My stomach felt so tight so maybe the little babe was growing or moving.
Best Moment this week: Having my mom and sister around for a couple days after our trip was so much fun. Mom and I did some shopping downtown, and we moved around our guest room furniture to see where we will put the baby furniture. I am so glad we did this because things didn't fit where I was expecting. We did move everything back to its original place, so guests are still welcome :)

So no sign of a real baby bump yet. In the morning my stomach is so flat that I swear I'm skinnier than before I was pregnant. Then, by the end of the night, it really fills out to the "I ate too much" look. When I push my stomach out as far as I can it looks like I am 6 months pregnant. It is so weird. I guess my skin is just getting ready for the growing it will be doing soon. Next week, I'll have to wear a tighter shirt that shows the shape more since the tunic doesn't really give the full effect.

13 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights 13 Weeks

How Far Along: 13 Weeks
Size of baby: 3 inches long (the size of a small shrimp) and weighs an ounce.
Baby Development: The baby has formed tiny finger tips
Total Weight Gain: about 3 pounds
Gender: Hopefully we can find out at the next appointment on April 27th but the Dr. said we maybe have to wait until 20 weeks :(
Movement: Can’t feel it yet.
Sleep: Pretty good, but still getting up at least once a night.
What I miss: Nothing right now but I know I am going to be missing a glass of wine at the end of this week while we are in Italy.
Cravings: Fruit in a big way. I bought 25chf worth of fruit yesterday at the grocery store and have already eaten about 1/3 of it today.
Symptoms: Feeling great!
Best Moment this week: My Mom, sister, and the TenHoeve girls are coming this week for a girls road trip to Italy. We are also picking up some baby furniture tonight from a friend.
Quote of the week: “Mrs. Hawkins I think you need extra chocolate so you get one for you and one for your baby.” “The day your told us you were having a baby was the best day of my life!”- 2 of my students

Not too much of a baby belly yet. It just looks like I have had too many burritos at Chipotle :)

12 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 12 Weeks
Size of baby: The baby is about 2 inches long (the size of a lime) and weighs about a half of an ounce.

Baby Development: The baby's reflexes are starting to develop and it can open and close it's fingers and toes.

Total Weight Gain: about 3 pounds
Favorite thing to wear: My clothes all feel tight but I don't really have a belly yet. I am in the in between stage but I can't wait for my mom and sister to bring me some new things this week!

Gender: Hopefully we can find out at the next appointment on April 27th but the Dr. said we maybe had to wait until 20 weeks :(

Movement: I can't feel the baby move but it sure is moving all around. The doctor had to move it into a different position for measurement this week. The doctor was poking my stomach and we could watch the baby move and jump all around.

Sleep: Pretty good, but still getting up at least once a night.

What I miss: Subway! I think I am just missing all convienent American places to get something to eat fast. I have no been in the mood for cooking lately.

Cravings: Smoothies in a big way! We finally found some frozen fruit and Zann and I have been having smoothies everyday. We have even had them at dinner time a night or two. We jut put in yogurt, a bananna, frozen berries, and ice so at least its a little bit healthy.

Symptoms: I have had a bad cold all this week so it has just wiped me out. I did not make it to the gym one time this week.

Best Moment this week: Going to the doctor and seeing the baby move all around and tell my class about the baby.
Telling my class was the funniest thing. I brought them cookies and told them we were going to have a celebration at the end of the day. When I told them I put the baby's picture on the Smart Board and they just starting screaming and clapping. Then the girls started all chanting "its a girl, its a girl" and the boys "boy, boy,boy". If anyone in the school did not know I was pregnant, they do now because the whole school heard the children screaming. They have been rubbing and kissing my belly all day.

Quote of the week: My class said some pretty funny things and I am sure they will say many more.
"I thought when I looked at your stomach it looked bigger today"
" You're going to have a baby? Oh no my mom said that hurts soooo much!"
"We can't wait until you get really fat"
"I will give you two chocolate, one for you and one for the baby"