18 Weeks

How far along? 18 Weeks (1/30/12)
Maternity clothes? I got spoiled this weekend and got quite a lot of cute maternity shirts and pants from my mother! I am still wearing my regular shirts, but using a tie to expand the waist of my pants. Very classy, I know!
Sleep: Lots of bathroom breaks throughout the night and I can’t seem to ever find a comfortable position for more than an hour. But I am discovering that naps are glorious!
Best moment this week: We had another appointment last week and got to hear baby’s heartbeat! A strong 150 bpm! I told him that it must be a girl then right?! Dr. Taylor just rolled his eyes at me and said, “Yes Ashley, it is definitely a girl. And it looks like you’re carrying low, so it must be a boy as well!” Well…it doesn’t hurt to believe in some wives’ tales!

Complaint of the Week: I am ALWAYS itchy/dry! I have never been such a lotion latherer in my life (mom and Angie you should be so proud of me)! But seriously, from belly butter, to Bath and Body Works Body Cream, I can never seem to have enough on to make the itching go away. I did get a humidifier this weekend and last night I did sleep fairly well! So hopefully this is just a slight phase in the pregnancy!
Miss Anything? My mother-in-law, Valerie. It was her birthday on Sunday and I know she is just so excited for us up there, but I would have loved to hear her excitement for our baby. To say she loved her grandbabies was an understatement. And I would have loved to go baby shopping with her, planning with her, and calling her to tell stories. But she is still helping out in heaven because she blessed Nickolas and I and my sister-in-law, Rachel and Ganna (due July 22^nd) by letting us both get pregnant at the same time! I know this was her way of making sure we are caring for each other!
Movement: Not yet…waiting anxiously for that moment!
Food cravings: Not really anything particular.
Have you started to show yet:  About a week ago was the first time others started commenting! It is so fun to actually be past that awful awkward stage of “is she pregnant or is she eating too many holiday sweets still?”

Gender: We could find out on February 6^th. Nick still insists he is going to find out. I insist that I won’t. So we will see how that pans out...
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Incredibly happy! Work rules, planning for the nursery is beyond fun, Nickolas is too sweet to me, my family is so excited and loving and so many of my close friends are expecting! Seriously, life it awesome!
Looking forward to: February 6^th appointment!  Can’t wait to see Baby R on a screen again!

4 Months!

 

How far along? 16 Weeks (1/16/2012)
Maternity clothes? sporting a lot of leggings lately, but mostly just wearing my own clothes for now.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Turns out I fall asleep fast and hard lately, unfortunately, I wake up about 3x/night to go to the bathroom (hey ladies, I thought that was a first trimester and last trimester thing?!)
Best Moment this Week: I had a student give me a tummy hug and say "I love you," and then rub my belly. Pretty sure she was talking to Baby R. I haven't actually told my kinders that I am pregnant yet. I feel that some of them may literally need to see a tummy in order to comprehend. So I will share that news in February.  
Worst Moment This Week: I have been getting really intense migraines lately. This comes from the girl who never got any headaches. They are awful! Luckily, I usually just have to complain for a minute to Nickolas and he is rubbing or pressing the pressure points on my neck! Yay for being pregnant and spoiled! 
Miss Anything? Subway! No one ever told me I couldn't eat deli meat for 9 months! Well...when I come to think of it there is a lot that people forgot to tell me about being pregnant...
Movement: Not yet...Nickolas checks every night if he can feel anything. He swears he can. I will continue to let him believe that.
Food cravings: Not really cravings...just really liking my crackers and Peanut Butter and Gogo Squeez Applesauce! Yum!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Certain and random places smell funny to me (hotels, public bathrooms, parts of the grocery store)
Have you started to show yet: still just a little bump. It is very strange but some days I look like I am 5 months pregnant and others I look like I ate too much! What’s that about Baby R?! Just stay put please!
Gender prediction: Girl..,although I have been looking at Baby Boy stuff lately...not sure what that is about.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Feeling more movement and buying things for the nursery! Eek! 
Next Appointment: Monday, January 23rd!
About the Picture: Nickolas actually got in on the action this time! He said he way I was holding the avocado was boring, so he showed me how it's done! And I ended up keeping the picture! Looks like our baby is in good hands.

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks (1/1/2012)
Maternity clothes? Got a few things for Christmas and I wore a cute black maternity number last night for New Years.
Sleep: Sleeping great and WAY too much. Going back to work is going to be rough!
Best moment this week: Celebrating Christmas with Nick's family at our home and Bringing in the New Year with Friends and Family! I even stayed up until 2:30 (hence me waking up at 11:30 today!)
Missing: Is it terrible to say Drinking?! I never really drank that much prior to being pregnant, but I have had to sit out through Halloween festivities, the Thanksgiving Baileys Drinks, Christmas Jello Shots, and New Years Mulled Wine and Margaritas, and my work party this week! Oh how I would just love a sip of my Baileys! :) 
Things I've Been Craving: Pizza Hut! Every time I see those commercials I begin to salivate from the idea of eating it. Luckily, I got to finally eat there this Friday night.
Have you started to show yet: Got a little belly growing!
Gender prediction: Girl! Nick wants to find out...I do not! I think I might win this battle :)
How am I feeling: Happy! I finally feel like myself again! Lots of energy and excitement!

About Baby Rehder: Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck its thumb! Crazy!
About the Pictures: Lily is showing her new trick to lets others know we are expecting. I call out "Where's the Baby" and she hits this pose and precedes to pat my belly. We've even gotten her to howl with excitement while patting the Baby R a few times. Yup, she is just as excited as we are! In the other picture we are just getting ready to go out for New Years! And let me say again...I stayed up until 2:30! Go me and my prego self! 

Merry Christmas from the Rehders!

12 Weeks

How Far Along: 12 Weeks (12/19/2011)
Things I've been Craving: Nothing really specific, just very hungry, very frequently!
Things that seems repulsive: bananas (which is quite sad, I used to love them! The smell just gets to me right now!)
How I am feeling: Quite a few rough mornings weeks 9-11. Starting to feel like myself again this week! Wahoo!
Most Exciting Moment this Week: Hearing the Heartbeat at our 2nd doctor appointment! Dr. Taylor said everything looks, sounds, and feels great! And I am starting to see and feel a baby bump! :)
Worse Moment of the Week: Having to leave my classroom in the morning. Thank goodness for fabulous paras and co-workers!
Recent Movies I have seen: Twilight: Breaking Dawn (not the best to see when you are preggo!)
What I am Reading: Just finished "Belly Laughs" and reading "What to Expect when You're Expecting" each week and Water for Elephants from my friend Karla!

Do you know the most famous reindeer of all...

Lily clearly doesn't. She seemed quite perplexed by these elk horns. I think she was trying to decide if she should attack the strange animal, point at it, play with it, or just sit and stare! The picture was too priceless, so I had to share! Happy Holidays!

Meet Baby Rehder!

Today we finally had our first baby appointment! We have been anticipating this appointment since we found out we were pregnant! It was quite a long appointment, but completely worth it! Dr. Taylor was quite shocked, but pleased to see us in there! We got to hear the heartbeat and even see the baby using an internal ultrasound! Well...Dr. Taylor said it was the baby, but no matter how hard or long we stare at the picture, we don't see a baby yet, but we think it is a perfect blob image right now :)
He measured the baby and said I was 8 weeks pregnant!

Making baby Rehder due on July 3rd, 2011! 

First Baby Gift!

This is what I got at work today from Nickolas....

Not the easiest of cards to explain to my co-workers. But still totally made my day :)

But I did know why, and that was the best feeling of all!

For the Daddy-to-Be!

Well, Nickolas and I have always been huge fans of Halloween, and this year we happened to be in Washington D.C. over the Halloween weekend, so we didn't get to celebrate with our usual Halloween/Birthday Bash. So, I figured I had better give him a party that he wouldn't forget on Halloween day. 

So here is what he got....

In case you can't tell, that is 3 POSITIVE pregnancy tests out of the 6 that I took! The quote states: 

"Positive Proof that in nine months you will be the best dad around, just wait, you'll see."

For those of you that don't know, I was recently told by a doctor that I probably wouldn't be able to have children naturally, and we were scheduled for our infertility appointment the following week. So when Nick saw this, he was in disbelief, as was I was I found out! It is an unexpected, yet wonderful blessing! I think we both need some time for this to actually sink in, so all we can say for now is 

Here. We. Go.

Washington D.C.

We randomly traveled to Washington D.C. this week and had such a great time! Nick attended a conference on Thursday and Friday at the Smithsonian, so I had the opportunity to venture through some of the museums there, shops and nearby monuments. We really didn't know much about D.C. prior to going, but we had a lot of fun just venturing around and discovering new places together. We both fell in love with Georgetown and all the sights, buildings, and shops!
Enjoy our slideshow below of our trip together!