18 Weeks!

I'm starting to see a little belly! I've gained, in 18 weeks, a whole 2.5 pounds. I am excited to have a big belly, but at the same time really glad that my weight gain has been steady and slow so far (better for when it's time to get back in shape!).

First Purchase

I wasn't really looking for a theme for the nursery, but one developed on it's own! This is offically my first nursery purchase for babies room. It's so exciting. :)

1st elephant: I fell in love with the elephant hamper (in a previous post) 2nd elephant: The crib blanket had an applique of an animal. Since I already knew I would be purchasing the hamper I asked if they had an elephant. She said no problem and the elephant 'thing' was becoming a theme! (Not a jungle theme, by the way.)

The ones pictured here, I bought at HomeGoods and they have tons of beautiful ones from India and China. I was excited to find these because it's not easy to find elephants with cute faces. Most of them are strong and mean looking, not really what I was looking to put in babies room.

Significance of the elephant:

They are connected to fertility. The elephant symbolizes wisdom, longevity, power, and strength. Having an elephant statue can bring peace and harmony to your home.

13 Week Belly

It's still pretty much non-existent and no one can really tell, but I'm shocked at how it looks here! It looks huge to me in this picture... :) :) I still haven't gained any weight, I'm actually at -4 lbs. I'm supposed to be gaining weight this month and I can't lie, I'm a little nervous about it!

My pants, especially jeans, are feeling REALLY snug at this point, but I can still wear them! Hoping I don't have to wear maternity clothes anytime soon. ;)

The great part is that I'm feeling really good. Lifting some light weights on a medicine ball and walking and swimming. I officially start prenatal yoga this week. Can't wait!

13 Week Ultrasound

Just got back from my very early doctors appointment. Totally worth it to do it this early though since I've heard nightmare stories about having to wait hours to see the doc. It took a little over an hour today. Not bad at all!

Hubby and I got to see our little baby having a dance party in my belly. He/she was so energetic and bouncing around like crazy & all before breakfast! I don't hink I'll ever get over how amazing it is too see your developing baby like that. Just three weeks ago it was so tiny and not moving at all. Today, gummi bear was making the ultrasound tech work for her pictures. :) She tried to see if we could tell the sex but wasn't able to see much...I'm convinced it's a boy, just a gut feeling, but I could be wrong. Today rocks...couldn't be happier to have seen my baby!

The Nursery Obsession

I'm going into my 13th week and already I pretty much have everything planned out for the nursery. Well, all the big stuff that is. This has got to be the funnest part so far of being pregnant. Online browsing, figuring out colors, themes & eventually, the best part.....shopping! I have done zero shopping so far for the baby. I'm a little anxious & nervous to start. Not having a belly yet still makes it a little surreal to me. I think I might wait til my September doctors appointment to actually bring anything into the house (2 more weeks!)

For now here are some definite ideas/pieces for the nursery. Enjoy!

All of the crib bedding I saw I hated so I went on a mission to find something that screamed 'Baby de Souza'.....This one screamed loud and clear to me! :) It is handmade by Brooke from the BabyDarling Etsy shop. Can't wait to order it. I loved the whole look of this so I decided to also purchase the Gulliver crib from Ikea (pictured here). At $139, it's a steal! Cribs are ridiculously expensive these days it seems. I always stay true to clean and simple designs and this fits the bill perfectly.

The Poang Chair from Ikea. This is my version of a rocking chair. It's more of a bouncy chair though. :) I get motion sickness very easily so this gives me just enough bounce to be comfortable. It comes with a matching footstool too!

2 Knappa Pendants from Ikea, again, are also on my wishlist, but I'm still somewhat undecided about these. They are gorgeous, but I'm not sure about the hassle of having to do re-wiring to hang them.

The 8-drawer Hemnes Dresser from Ikea was ideal for a changing station that can later just be used as a dresser. It fits in perfectly with my clean simple look.

My favorite piece so far and absolutely one that I will be purchasing soon is the Rattan Elephant Hamper from Home Decorators Collection. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. It makes me smile everytime I look at it. :)

There are tons of things that I want to make myself, like a bamboo mobile, pillows, some wall art, & some white and yellow window panels. Can't wait to get started on all my projects! I'll be posting pictures as I make them.

Our little gummi bears first picture!

We went to the doctor at what we thought was our 9th week of being pregnant, only to find out that we were really at 10...As many weeks as I can take off the 9 months sounds good to me!

That doctors appointment was one of the most emotional & happy times of my life. It was unreal to see my babies tiny heart beating on the screen. I was just laying there staring - probably with my mouth open. :) I wasn't planning on getting emotional, but I knew the hormones were raging at full scale these days so it was quite possible that I wouldn't be able to hold it in. When it was time to actually hear the heart beat, it took a while. She searched for a good minute before finding it and I lost it! I was surprised at how emotional it made me. It was beyond amazing how something so little could beat with such force.

It was a great first appointment of many, I'm sure. Just one piece of crappy news. No more volleyball or spin for me.... :( Two of my favorite things to do in the world! But no worries here, I'll have to find new ways to keep in shape!