"Catch Up Time" Weeks 17-22

I promised I would update my blog, and I haven't, so now its "catch up" time! :) Oh gosh, what has happened since 12 weeks?! Well, to start, 11 weeks have gone by and on Saturday I'll be 23 weeks along. More than half way through the pregnancy, which seems unreal. I can't believe there are only 4 more months until we have our little one here. :)

 I feel so much better than the first trimester, and have enough energy to work out now. I was a little worried, because as of last Dr's appointment I had already gained 16 pounds, which is more than half of what I should in the end. The Dr. told me during the pregnancy I should gain around 25-30 pounds, so I'm trying to stay within that. It's hard though because anyone who knows me, knows I love my sugar! :)  

Since I last posted, we found out we're having a BOY. :) Justin is very excited for a a little "mini-me" to surf and play with. I seriously think he is mostly excited about playing with all his toys! If we go into Target, Walgreens, or anywhere there is some type of toy that we pass, Justin is playing with it, putting it on his head, throwing it across the aisle, etc. He's a big kid. :) I'm positive our little man will be constantly entertained!

I have felt "baby boy" kick since about 16 weeks. At the beginning it was usually when I needed to go to pee and he was kicking on my bladder. It felt like someone was flicking me from the inside of my stomach. Other times it would feel like a "pop" like popcorn popping in my stomach. Now I feel and see sharp kicks and elbows. He's very active in there. I swear he doesn't have very long "sleep cycles" which makes me a little nervous! When I'm running around work I don't feel too many kicks, its usually when I sit down and relax, or after I eat. He seems to like food too...just like his parents :)

We haven't purchased anything other than a few clothes for the baby yet, so I feel unprepared. We're planning on moving to a bigger place, but we are still deciding, so we don't really want to get a room ready until we know where were gonna be. That part is frustrating, but as soon as we know, I'm going to be decorating like crazy! I'm having a hard time trying to find bedding. I don't really like any out there and wish I could sew, and I'd make my own. Time is running out, so I gotta get a start on it!

Well, here are some belly pics. We've only taken them from our phones when people wanna see pics of the progress. I haven't really "popped" until the last couple weeks. Even now, my stomach isn't round like most pregnant women I see. I swear it just looks fat, so people are pretty daring when they ask when I'm due. Thank goodness I am preggo, or that would be really awkward :)

17 weeks:

18 weeks:

19 Weeks:

Baby boy at 20 Weeks, Sucking his thumb. About 11 inches and 12 Ounces :)

20 Weeks:

22 Weeks:

At 22 weeks, I've read he weighs about a pound and 11 inches long so far. As big as a papaya. :) 

12 Weeks 4 days

We had a Dr.'s appointment this Wednesday, and everything is going well, the baby's heartbeat is 168 bpm and it finally looked like an actual baby this time! It was crazy to see it bouncing around in my belly when I couldn't feel a thing. We saw its little arm wave and its hand showed its little teeny fingers. It was the cutest thing we've ever seen! My eye teared up a little (due to increased hormones) :) Both of us used "him" to describe the babe. We don't know what it is, but it was weird we both said "he". We'd be happy with either a boy or girl, but I know Justin would love a little "surfing buddy".

Friday.... March 30th: We had a Nuchal Translucency test done, which measures the fluid behind the babies neck to see the risk of down syndrome. They also tested the crown rump length to determine the age of the baby. Baby Ackerman was just bouncing around like crazy and kicking all over the place, so it was really hard to measure. But she said s(he) was about 12 weeks 4 days. This appointment was really cool because we were able to see our baby on a big monitor and she pointed out the spine, we saw both sides of the formed brain chambers and the legs, arms, hands and feet. Justin said the baby has a pointy nose like me, and big hands and feet like his daddy. Oops, did I say "his", well its kinda habit now because the Tech said she can't be 100% positive because its so early, but we think we saw some boy "parts". Sometimes this is confused with the extension of the tailbone or the umbilical cord, but it did look like a penis. So, until we get confirmation again in a couple weeks, we aren't positive on the gender.

Here are some pics of a baby we're already in love with:

Look at its long little legs:

You can see a clenched hand, and its little foot in the top left corner:

This is my favorite pic, where he/she just has its feet up, Just Chillin' :

Day off!

I finally had a day off work, so Justin and me got some lunch and ate at Aliso and took a little walk on the beach. It wasn't the warmest day, but it was nice and sunny.

Here are a couple pics. My belly looks pudgy, but hey, I'm pregnant!

 11 Weeks:

Something new to post! :)

Lately I've been busy working, and haven't had much to post. But I suppose this one will make up for the lack of excitement! :) We found out January 28th that I am pregnant, and had our first Dr's appointment on Valentine's day. At that appointment, we found out I'm a little over 6 weeks, had our very first peek of the baby on an ultrasound and heard the heartbeat!

February 28

We had our second Dr's appt. today, and the baby was measured 8 Weeks, 4 Days. The same exact as my niece Kayla!!! :) We are so excited to have the same due date, October 6th, 2012. We are very close, were both each others bridesmaids, and are so excited to have our babies around the same time.

RIP Kaiser XOXO

Unfortunately last Friday we had to put our 16 year old dog Kaiser down. It was a very difficulty decision, but it was what was best for her. She's in a better place now. She had a wonderful 16 years and was loved very much. Justin's mom brought her home when she was a puppy, and she was immediately loved. She will be missed....

here is a tribute video Justin made for her:

Happy Birthday Justin

I haven't posted for a while because I've been so busy working, and the last thing I wanna do when I get home is sit at a computer. But I got Justin a laptop for his birthday yesterday and now it will be easier to post things, because I can multi-task this way. :)

Justin turned 34 yesterday and I surprised him with a night at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. It is so gorgeous! It was so hard for me to keep the secret so long, but I was able to until we were like one street over and he guessed correctly. :) Here some pictures of our stay. If you are ever in Laguna Beach, you should just walk into the lobby and see how gorgeous the view is. The water is always super clear, and the grounds are very beautiful. We were only like 5 miles from our home, but it felt like we were in paradise.

Harley on his way to the Kennel:

Treasure Island:
View from our room:
Chocolate Covered Strawberries--Yum!

For Dinner we went to Nick's in Laguna. It was so yummy! A few close friends joined us. It was nice for Justin to have a stress free day and to be able to catch up with his buddies :)

Birthday Boy:
Us:
Justin and Doug:
Josh and Marisa:
Jason and Karina:

Elora! :)

A few weeks ago, Justin's sister Elora came to visit CA and stayed with us. We hadn't seen her in a while, so it was great to spend some time with her. :) I didn't post anything because I didn't think there were any pictures, but I just found some on my camera :)

This is Justin and Elora on their hike: