Week 22

I know it has been a while since I last updated you with all the questions.. There just wasn't much exciting stuff happening and not a lot of changes. Plus I was waiting for a really good belly photo since this one will be my last until Christmas time!

How far along?  *22 Weeks.
Total weight gain/loss?  I am at my pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?  Yes, we even went shopping and got a few things. But I'm sure I will be needing more soon.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I have been sleeping just fine. But I have had a few weird dreams... 
Best moment last week? Finding out our little on is a girl, everything ultrasound related, and watching my belly move because of kicks from baby.
Movement?  I have been feeling movement like crazy. Funny thing is that I can usually predict when baby will be active.
Food cravings?  I still want fruit and sweets. Ice cream always hits the spot but in all reality when does ice cream not hit the spot. 
Labor signs? None.
Belly button in/out?  In
What I miss:  Bending forward with ease. 
What I am looking forward to:  I can't think of anything at the moment.
Milestones: Passing the halfway mark. I can't believe how fast everything is going.

Here are a few pics for you since I couldn't pick just one....

I know some of them are really dark again. I hate it when the sun sets a little too quickly. But some still look kinda cool Things have been going better lately with the morning sickness. I still have my days every so often but I have learned what needs to happen when I feel certain ways and I know when to stay away from certain foods as well.  I have an appointment next week and I am looking forward to that.
Hopefully the next time we take some pictures we can get some better ones that aren't so dark. Good think I have my own personal photographer that we can go out when needed and I don't have to pay for it!

Medieval Times - Baltimore-Washington D.C. Castle

Skyeler and I wanted to go on a date and we have been wanting to go to Medieval Times again since the Baltimore - Washington D.C. Castle is literally a 10 min drive from our house. The castle is located in the mall that we usually go to and so it temps us again and again. So finally we got some discount tickets and we went.

We took the new camera and Skyeler never put the thing down he wanted to capture every moment. Ok so he did put it down while he was eating since he really didn't want to get dragon meet (chicken) and bbq sauce everywhere. Skyeler also made a 20 min video and would love to share it but it is to big...

Yes I know, Crappy pic. But it was from my phone...and we had the red lights on us.

We voted for the Red Knight and we were very happy to find out that there was a new story! So no bad night at the end. Basically you had a bad guy come in and demand the hand of the princess and what not so the winner of the knight tournament got to fight of the bad guy and his minions! Overall it was extremely enjoyable. The choreography was really good all except for the first duel. They could have done better but the others made up for it. (I love the sparks that come off of the swords when they hit) We had quite a few people in our group that was interesting to listen to. They were a couple rows behind us and I would assume they (she) was black. You could hear her yell to the King "You tell 'em King!" and when the bad guy came out all the "oh no he didn't". It was just really funny. I hope that Sky and I can get another great deal and go again before we go. Especially since we have our 5 year anniversary coming up! Should I surprise him and just go? I know we already know the story but it is the over all experience that is fun!

I think baby is a fan of Medieval Times. I say this because she would not sit still and lets face it that place is awesome! Either that or it was the Pepsi and all the yummy food that we all love!

Hopefully I can get Sky to edit a smaller video to share and find where he put the pics. That way we can share some better pics.

What a wonderful day.

Well long story short, Skyeler was able to come with me to my appointment and there were no issues when I went to pick him up. The appointment went well. It was LONG but it went well. There are no concerns and I don't need any follow up ultrasounds.
Our ultrasound tech was new and so we were there for quite a while but it is okay. It just means that we got to watch the screen for a lot longer than what is normal. We got a few pics that are worthy to show off. We don't have a good profile pic but I am happy with what we have. I know that some of these are obvious but I am going to label them anyway.

Arm

Back profile. This is Sky's favorite for some reason. He may be teasing but it is kinda cool looking.

Arm covering the face. Baby sure loved to have the face covered.

Face

I am just amazed at ultrasounds. Especially when they move it around so much and you get completely confused at what you are looking at. I like to say that I am ok at looking at ultrasounds because I had an intern with and OB/GYN in high school and got to watch a lot of these but the doc was ALWAYS explaining what things were.
It was so comforting to see the baby move. There were times when we were all looking at the screen and baby would move and I just had to say that I felt it. Other times we were waiting for the tech so Skyeler and I would sit and watch my belly be kicked by baby since they were strong enough to be seen on the outside.
Over all it was a great appointment and a great day.
I will post 1 more belly pic soon, but then you will have to wait till you see me in person! :)

*on a very random side note, I will be changing the settings on my blog soon to make it a private one... Just so you guys know.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, your only a day away!"

For about a month I haven't been able to think much of anything else (besides heading back to Utah) than what is going on in my life tomorrow. Tomorrow is Oct 16th and I have my 20 week ultrasound in Bethesda at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Ever since I made my appointment back in September I have been hoping and praying that Skyeler will be able to come with me. To me it is such a big deal that he is there. I have always in-visioned my husband coming to every OB appointment with me as we anticipate what will be happening next and just being able to allow our relationship to grow and become more close with our excitement in this adventure. But so far he has only been able to come with me once to anything and that was taking me to the E.R. to get my 2nd I.V.  So this has been far from what I have wanted. BUT....... luckily Skyeler's sergeant and instructors have given him the go-ahead to be able to come with me and to get out of class and for me to be able to drive him during the work hours. (I wasn't able to drive him to an eye appointment a couple months ago because he can't ride in a POV privately owned vehicle during the work hours). Again I hoped that this would happen but I never thought that it would because hey... it is the Army. So as of now it is just making sure Skyeler gets his name on a sick call list in his ACU's at 4:30 a.m. (Yes, they are that technical/picky that they have to be in uniform just in order to sign a sick call sheet.) I am a little anxious about him getting his name on that list because if he doesn't he can't go with me. Needless to say I have been a little worked up about everything going smoothly.

I am very anxious for this appointment tomorrow. I know that this are going well with the little one, but there is always this worry deep down that I can't shake. I constantly have to know that baby is ok, and I hate how my appointments are 6 weeks apart from each other. I want appointments at least every 4 just so I can listen to a heartbeat or something. I know that I have been able to start feeling baby move and baby has been throwing some harder ninja punches but if I am not feeling them constantly my worry starts up again. I am sure that is all very normal, especially after losing one. I don't think one ever really gets over that. I do know that it has effected this pregnancy. 

Wish me luck tomorrow... I can't wait to be comforted about how things are going and to have Skyeler with me. We don't know for sure if we will find out the gender or not. It all depends on baby and I still haven't decided when or how I will inform family. It has been really hard for me to be so far away and not get the feedback from family and friends in person. So even if we do find out, we might not say anything until the family is together in person for Christmas.

A New Camera!

So maybe about 2 weeks ago Skyeler and I made an investment and got us, a.k.a. Skyeler a new camera. We got him a Nikon D3200, some lenses, and a few filters! Skyeler has really missed having a camera since he graduated BPS in August and we knew that if he wanted to make an amazing portfolio for job hunting he would have to have something now to be practicing with and furthering his skills. So we buckled down and got it. Since then he carries this thing with him everywhere and takes many opportunities to use it. I am glad since I didn't want to make an investment and have it sit in a corner.

Skyeler has taken many pictures ranging from spiders, me, scenery, to me, and did I say me. He gets really good practice when he is taking pictures of me since I still can't keep my eyes open with a flash.  But here are a few pics that he has taken recently.

Scary Spider who is missing legs.

Reflection

Sunrise at Burba Lake

The darker pics were taken at Burba Lake and it was quite dark outside. He was able to take these pictures without the flash but since he didn't use a flash they are a little bit more grainy etc... But I still think the turned out. I probably say that because I just thought I looked really cute in the pictures.
We are still waiting for some of the tree's to turn colors so we can go take pictures of them. We mostly have a few tree's that are red and the rest are still really green.
So what do you think?? I know I will miss this Lake when it is time for us to come back to Utah.
I think it will be interesting having Skyeler as a photographer. At least I don't have to search hard for someone to take maternity pics for me! Maybe need someone to take OUR pictures but I'm sure the other talented photographers in the family would be willing to trade!

Decisions, decisons. So much to think about.

The past couple weeks I have been thinking ALOT about my trip back to Utah after Skyeler is done with training. There is so much to do and to think about that I want to be prepared early even though that is a tough thing to accomplish, especially in the military. It is hard to plan anything when you don't have the right papers and you just don't know what is going to happen.

Here are a few what if's or possibilities that have been going through my head.

- What if we can't get out of our housing contract when we need to. It does say that we need to give a 30 day notice and have orders to break the year lease and be in the house at least 6 months. We will barely hit 6 month in mid November. I want to leave before December. I don't want to have to pay December's rent because 1-it is expensive, and 2- I am ready to be home.
- Skyeler wants to drive home with me. So do I stay in Maryland until he his done and drive home from Maryland, or Sergeant Bennett (his platoon sergeant) told him the other day he could drive to Fort Benning, GA for his airborne training. So do I drive with him to Georgia right after graduation and possibly stay with a friend who lives a few hours from Fort Benning.
- Do I just drive home with someone that is willing from Maryland (possibly my dad) after Skyeler's graduation just so I can be home earlier and get things done... such as get Skyeler ready for School or apartment hunt, and find an OB? Plus not having to be in a car longer than possible while I'm 6-7 months pregnant.
- How will my body handle the LONG drive? How will the baby handle the long drive? Will my Hyperemesis work with me long enough to get home? Yes, I still have morning sickness and it sucks and it makes me slightly worried about the drive home.
- If I do drive with Skyeler to Georgia what roads would be  best. Should I go up through Kansas, Colorado and a little into Wyoming (states that I have been to) or should I travel along the southern states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico (states I haven't been to) and up through Blanding, Utah and make a stop to see Skyeler's family. And if we take that route how long do we stay? Sky hasn't seen the majority of his family since Christmas last year and he saw his parents the weekend before he left in Feb. He has been quite homesick. So I would feel bad saying Hi and Bye within a day because I'm anxious to see my family. But we could just make a trip in January or New Years. UGG more driving....
- If we go through the southern states will we avoid possible snow and more dangerous weather conditions than if I traveled from Maryland through the northern states or even through Kansas from Georgia. Plus how much time will I have to get back to Utah and will we make it for Christmas in Bountiful?  
- How much crap will I be able to fit in my car and how much will I have to ship home.

These are just a few thoughts that I am constantly thinking about... They are some big decisions and I don't think they will have a huge impact on my life. But I just worry about driving all the way around the country 6-7 months pregnant. In all reality I just want the car and my stuff to magically appear in Bountiful and that I could just fly home. I would love to drive with Skyeler home but I think I will be quite anxious to get home and have the drive over with. Plus I hope I'm not a cranky pregnant lady through the whole trip. That could get old FAST!

So for those who read this, what would you do if you were in this situation? Do you have any other options that I am not seeing? What roads do you think would be safer to travel. I am willing to drive more miles if I know the weather would be better. (and I know you can't predict the weather) I think that there will be a difference between Colorado and driving through the Rockies and driving through Arizona. I know we are a ways out. But it is going to come fast and I just want to have my options.

Get us back to Utah!!

Ok so not to bash on Maryland or our experiences out here but Skyeler and I are really excited to go back to Utah. Mainly due to the fact that in South Salt Lake an old high school is being transformed into a Film and TV STUDIO!!!!

We are so excited for the opportunity to have more stuff come to Utah that is film related. Skyeler picked a good career choice when it comes to all the incentives and other things that make Utah a good choice for Film. But now a studio.... I really hope Sky can get a resume in ASAP and that he will be qualified to get a job there.

I really do feel like doors are opening for us whether they be big doors or small doors. I think that no matter what if Sky does or doesn't get a job at this new studio that it will be beneficial and help Skyeler out with his career goals.