______ Retchless: Week 28 {and a name reveal}

We'll get straight to the fun part...Baby R's name. I decided that we throw it around pretty loosely and Noah will tell you if you ask him, so we might as well share it so that I can start referring to him by his name! Coming in May:

Cooper William Retchless

His middle name he will share with Scott (Noah's middle name is Scott so each boy has a little bit of Dad in their name). As for the first name...it came after a long list of vetoes! Cooper was never a name we considered for Noah but as soon as we found out we were having another boy I was on a mission to get the little guy named. So, I began my list and would run prospective names by Scott who would put them through his magical nickname filter (the man can come up with a nickname in 2 seconds, flat...which often ruined names for me in a total of 4 seconds). One day on a trip to Napa we were throwing names around in the car and I threw out Cooper. "Coop" or "Cooooooooooooop" was the immediate response, both of which I was ok with and as a result the name just kind of stuck. So, come May, we will be Hangin' with Mr. Cooper ;-).

And, just for fun, some other names that were on my list that either got vetoed over time by Scott or by the nickname test:

Samson, Edison, Graham, Cole, Sebastian, Miller

And, a few girl names that I have had in my back pocket (unless there is an "oops" we won't be needing any of these!):

Felicity (ugh, can I name my little boy this, PLEASE?!), Eleanor, Vivienne, Genevieve

And, now, on to the weekly update:

Size of Baby: Large Eggplant (2.25 lbs, 14.8 inches long)

Workouts: 3 Bar Method classes and 5 Nana walks. Does shlepping a 26 lb. toddler to/from the beach count as a workout?! If so +1 for that endeavor. 

Also, I braved the scale this morning. I have been eating well and working out and the scale is being kind. I think you may have guessed, and I might have mentioned it directly, but I am having a hard time with the body changes/weight gain this time around. Overall, I am right near where I was with Noah, I just feel different. My body definitely remembered how to be pregnant and is filling out a bit more quickly/differently this time. I have good days and bad, and as the bump grows it is easier to embrace the ever expanding thighs and cellulite that is marching across my backside. But, I can't pretend that I am on Cloud 9 and having these, "all of this means that the baby is healthy", and "what an amazing process to be able to grow a baby" moments. I do LOVE feeling my little guy jumping around inside and actually love the belly aspect of it...it's the rest of the bod that is tough for me. 

Phew...sorry, just felt like being honest on that front in case any one else is struggling with the same thing. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Getting anxious for spring to hit so I can put on some of my maxi dresses & skirts...getting tired of the same 3 outfits!  

Movement: Kicking machine! AND, he finally cooperated for Scott to feel him! Hopefully there is more of that in the future.

 

Symptoms: Nesting! My need to organize, clean, and throw stuff away is out of control! I walk into a room and immediate find something that needs to be "nested". I think since the boy's room doesn't need a lot of work I am taking my preparation out on the rest of the house. 

Also, an update on the emotional roller coaster...I saw my doctor and we upped some of my vitamins and so far I think it is making a real difference. I am now taking daily:

3000mg DHA 

2xVitamin B Complex Capsules

Vitamin D (can't remember the exact amount and I'm too lazy to look)

Pre Natal Multi Vitamin

Colace

My bedside table pretty much looks like a pharmacy but if it keeps the crazies at bay, I will keep taking the 12 pills daily! 

What I Miss: Wine. Still.

Girl or Boy: Boy!
 

Belly button In or Out: Flat but seriously on the verge of popping.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing to report. 

Best Moment This Week: Seeing my doctor and confirming that all of my hormonal-ness was totally normal and that there are a number of avenues I can pursue to deal with it. I am starting with keeping up my exercise (pregnant or not, this is my sanity saver), date nights with Scott, and the vitamin changes. Should I start to feel whacky again, I am going to give acupuncture a try. All in all, it was just nice to hear have him acknowledge that what I was feeling was very normal AND want to help me enjoy my pregnancy and feel happy versus just dismissing it as "hormones" and sending me on my way. 

Cauliflower Retchless: Week 27

Size of Baby:2 lbs. 14.5 inches

Workouts: 4 Bar Method classes, 4 Nana walks (all 30+ minutes), and a Dish hike (The Dish is a local hiking spot that is 3.2 miles of hilly terrain but is all paved so it is perfect for the Bob). I felt great this week and was so so happy to be back in the swing of my workouts. 

Also, just a random tid bit...while we (Kristina, Noah, & I) were at the Dish we saw a coyote that was far too friendly! I acted like a crazy person doing everything the sign at the trailhead said to frighten him away. I don't think I was necessarily intimidating but the coyote left for fear of the insane person on the trail! 

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Need to remember that I feel better about myself when I actually get dressed versus living in yoga clothes! 

Movement: Still lots on the inside but Baby is still being stubborn about letting Scott feel his kicks.

 

Symptoms: Hormonal. Is that a symptom? As I mention below we watched a movie on Valentine's Day...there should have been a warning that emotional pregnant women should watch with caution. I ended up in tears and couldn't get it together! Story of my life lately.
 

What I Miss: Wine. Still.

Girl or Boy: Boy!
 

Belly button In or Out: Flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing to report. 

Best Moment This Week: Will you believe me if I say Valentine's Day?! I am probably one of the more anti-Valentines people you will meet. I just don't get into it and really see it as another day. However, this year I really enjoyed making Valentines for Noah's class and spending the evening with my two favorite boys who made me a delicious dinner. We followed that up with the movie About Time and it turned out to be the perfect date night in.  

Wait! I have another favorite moment. Family Adventure Day! Scott and I tend to get stuck in a rut on weekends and have found ourselves lazing around the house pretty much until we decide we need to start thinking about lunch. While weekends are made for relaxing, it was high time we started doing something a little more exciting. So, we decided to adopt an idea from our friends and have at least one adventure each weekend. After spending the better part of Saturday in our PJs, we hit Sunday running and went to the San Francisco Zoo. While it has nothing on my beloved St. Louis Zoo, it was a great day out and we got to see lots of animals (even a 10 day old giraffe!). The whole family had fun and Scott and I gave ourselves 100 parent points each for making a fun morning for Noah! For the record, he got a bubble gun which was far and away the highlight of his visit...so much for zoology! 

 

My right arm makes my back look like Quasimodo!

Scallion Retchless: Week 26

Size of Baby: Length of a scallion (14 inches) and about 2 lbs.

Workouts: 2 Bar Method classes and 2 long Nana walks. I couldn't get into a single Bar Method class all weekend...frustrating!

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Need to remember that I feel better about myself when I actually get dressed versus living in yoga clothes! 

Movement: Still lots on the inside but Baby is still being stubborn about letting Scott feel his kicks.

 

Symptoms: Oh, nesting. I am on a rampage! This weekend I decided Noah's closet (i.e.-my second closet, coat closet, and every possible random item that needs a home closet...vacuum, golf clubs, files, wedding dress, humidifier, Halloween costumes...you get the idea) needed to be cleaned out. So Saturday morning and I pulled absolutely everything out into giant heaps on Noah's floor. By Sunday night I had piles for Goodwill, the trash, and the attic and a beautiful closet that has room for Baby's clothes, toys, & a few remaining odds and ends. I resisted the urge to pull down every single baby item from the attic while I was up there...have to pace this nesting thing!
 

What I Miss: Wine. Still.

Girl or Boy: Boy!
 

Belly button In or Out: Flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing to report.

Best Moment This Week: Tackling the closet. I was having anxiety about where all the stuff was going to go for two kids and now I have empty drawers and a closet full of possibilities! 

My photographer and I are two ships this week, thus the selfie and photobomb by Noah. Really I was just in PJs every morning when he left and sweats by the time he got home ;-).

Rutabaga Retchless: Week 25

Size of Baby: 13.5 inches and 1.5 lbs.

Workouts: 3 walks in St. Louis. 2 outside and one on the trusty treadmill. Hard to squeeze in work outs between all the wedding fun!

Maternity Clothes: Yep! I am currently on the hunt for a pair of giant sweat pants that could be considered socially acceptable for school drop off. While elastic waisted jeans are great, sweats win!

Movement: More every week! Starting to feel a bit more from the outside but not reliably.

 

Symptoms: Hip pain while sleeping. I don't recall having this with Noah but when I was sleeping without my Snoogle I would wake up in the middle of the night with achy hips. Seems to be better now that I'm back in my bed though. **update: I looked back at my 25 week post with Noah and, sure enough, hip pain!
 

What I Miss: Wine. Still.

Girl or Boy: Boy!
 

Belly button In or Out: Flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary. I have a hankering for sushi but that is just life, not pregnancy!

Best Moment This Week: Robert & Teresa's wedding! And while the bride and groom looked lovey, this guys stole the show for me ;-):

Teresa is all about soccer so the Sambas were a huge hit! Plus, we didn't have to battle with him over footwear (which was nice since he had to wear a button down, vest, jacket & bow tie...that's a lot of Skittle bribes!)...he was more than happy to wear his "soccer shoes"!

Whoa baby belly. It was feeling especially large this afternoon. I think it is about half that size in the morning.