Weeks 22 and 23

First off, I am skipping week 21 because I don't have the picture on my phone or email. I will post it eventually. Nothing really special happened that week and I don't think my belly grew much so you aren't really missing anything.

Week 22
This was a pretty good week for me. I slept pretty well all week and had lots of energy. I craved No Bake Cookies all week. Good thing for my Ladies Book Club I got to make some at the end of the week. I pretty much put away all my non maternity pants. They just don't fit. Even with a belly band they slide down and are uncomfortable. So I just decided to forgot it and just wear my maternity pants. They really are more comfortable and still look great. At the beginning of this week, we went to Chicago for Dean's birthday. We stayed at this hotel with an incredible breakfast buffet and stuffed ourselves. Donuts, potatoes, bacon, granola, omelets. Yum, Yum!! We also bought Bo an outfit. It was quite a daunting task walking into Carter's and trying to decide what to get and then what size. I am getting a little more excited about buying baby clothes. Bo also started moving a lot this week. Kicking, rolling, and pushing. It still surprises me every time.

Week 23
This was probably the worst week of my second trimester so far. Why? Everyday I have had terrible back pain. I woke up about every two hours each night and had to get out of bed to stretch. I tried really hard to avoid using Tylenol but I finally broke down and started taking one pill every few hours overnight. I slept a little better but have still woke up at least twice. I hate complaining about my pregnancy since it has been relatively easy so far. I know that it is from my muscles and ligaments stretching with the expanding of my stomach and the position that Bo loves best. Bo is always hanging out on my right side kicking and squirming. Dean has made me switch to wearing tennis shoes only and I have been trying to stretch even more after exercising and throughout the day. As long as I stay relaxed it isn't so bad. Once I get stressed or rushed it just won't go away. Hopefully after going to the doctor next week, we can come up with some other things also that will make me a little more comfortable. Dean and I have been amazed at the strength of Bo's kicks already. Sometimes they are so hard and go on for a long time. Just like I am a punching bag. We love it! Even though we are very excited to meet Bo in July, we are trying to enjoy these last few months of just the two of us and get as much work done as possible.

Halfway there!!

This week marked the halfway point in my pregnancy. It seems like such a long time, yet it has gone so fast. This was a very good week for us. We finally got to have our ultrasound. I had been anxiously waiting for this and bothering Dean constantly with how excited I was. He on the other hand was quite calm and collected about the whole thing. It was amazing!! At first, I couldn't really tell what the doctor was looking at and figured it would probably all look like black fuzz. I didn't really get why people got so excited. But once he was able to find the baby's face and hands it was really clear and easy to see. The doctor said that Bo cooperated really well during the whole thing and he got to see all he needed. We got to see Bo waving and kicking. The heartbeat was good and everything looks healthy. We were able to see whether Bo is a boy or girl, of course we aren't telling. That is probably the hardest thing to do. We have to avoid the he/she words when talking about Bo and have found it hard not to just blurt it out. We made the decision to wait and so we are. Nothing has really changed for me as far as foods or anything. I ate a donut a day as a treat for drinking all my water. Other than that no particular cravings. An aversion to McDonalds has developed, which I know Dean is happy about. We are really looking forward to this second half of pregnancy. As long as Bo is healthy and growing we will be happy.

19 weeks

We are almost halfway there!! Some days this pregnancy seems to be going so fast and other days it seems like it is taking forever. Not too much happened this week. I finally went and bought some maternity clothes. They are so cute and make me feel really good about myself. Plus they were all on clearance. I have been craving Sonic for a LONG time and finally got some delicious chicken, tots, and Cherry Limeade. I love Cherry Limeade. We even found some Cherry Limeade Koolaid at the store which means I don't need Sonic or 7 Up. Other than the maternity clothes and Sonic it wasn't a very eventful week. I have been feeling Bo move a little more. Its amazing to know that there really is a baby in there. People at work have started to notice my bump but don't really comment about the growing size which is nice. Only Dean makes comments about how big I am getting. Next week we finally have our ultrasound. I am so excited to find out the gender and start planning what the nursery will look like and even buy a few things.  Until next week....

18 weeks

Here is my 18 week picture. This was taken after our trip to the buffet for Valentine's Day. I think we ate enough but I felt awful afterward. We probably won't be hitting any buffets until after Bo is born. I haven't gained very much weight so far, about 9 lbs total, but I already feel fat. Dean decided we would call the baby Bo, short for Baby Orvis. Slightly cheesy, but he thinks it's great. Nothing too much has happened this week. We are pretty sure we felt Bo move. I haven't felt much movement yet but the doctor keeps telling us we have a very active baby so I am sure I will feel enough movement as my pregnancy continues. My only cravings this week have really been for Cheesecake and Valentine's candy. Most of my pants do not button or zip. I created some belly bands to wear over them so I can still wear my prepregnancy pants for a few more weeks. Only two weeks until our ultrasound!!

Keeping Secrets

Our families have been keeping a secret for 6 weeks now. We decided it was probably time to let them share the news. Can you guess what it is?

Yes, we are having a baby!!

We asked our families to keep it quiet until we were ready to share and now the secret is out. It hasn't been too difficult for us to keep it a secret but I know some of our family members are bursting at the seams to start telling everyone.


 I am not going to keep a detailed pregnancy journal on here like some women but I will try to post weekly pictures so you can all see how big I am getting. Here are bits from the first 17 weeks.

 9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks-Heard baby's heartbeat for the first time. 155 bpm

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks- Had a doctor appointment and heard baby's heartbeat again. 144 bpm



17 weeks

Thank you to our families for keeping our secret. We will be finding out the gender of the baby but not telling anyone until our first baby shower. Stay tuned for more baby bump pictures later on.

Autumn in Michigan

Hello again everyone!! It has been quite awhile since I have done any blogging but thought it was time for a new post. Fall has went racing by here in Michigan. One day I am admiring the leaves and beautiful colors and the next day all the leaves are gone. We have been very busy taking care of our animals, working, and getting prepared for winter. Volleyball is over for the season. It was fun and challenging. I have lots of ideas for next year. My parents came out a few weeks ago and helped us paint the trim on the house and stretch out the fence for the horses. Unfortunately, we had to decrease the pasture size because of hunting season and people accidentally thinking our horses could be deer. So no more grass for Shiloh and Lily. But hooray for hunting season. Hopefully, Dean can get at least one deer. I am going to sit in the deer stand with my kindle and be the deer spotter. They keep breaking the electric fence so they must be out there. We are loving living in Michigan. We do miss the warmth of Texas but love the land, our new church, and our animals. Even those pesky mice. Here are some pictures of fall around our house. We love it!!!

Product Giveaway! Don't Miss It!!!!!

I am having a giveaway during the month of October. Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month I thought it would be a great time to give away some great products in support of Breast Cancer Research. Go to my online AVON website and place an order. After your order is placed I will send you your FREE gift.
www.youravon.com/rorvis


Spend $15 and get a FREE breast cancer pin

Spend $25 and get a FREE pouch

Spend $35 and get a FREE backpack

*Offer good with

Campaign 21 and 22,

Ending October 23


Let me know if you have questions by email drorvis@gmail.com or facebook.