Ode to the Second Trimester...

Its been awhile folks, its been awhile. Its been a whirlwind around the Opperman household lately. Between all things Axel, getting ready for the holidays, and busy season in ministry, its been crazy-but a good crazy;) Believe it or not, I only have 5 precious days of my 2nd tri left. I cannot believe it. Its going by so fast. So far, my second trimester is my FAVORITE. So I thought I'd do a little ode to the 2nd trimester of all the wonderful things it brought.

Ode to my 2nd Trimester...

Oh, second trimester I can't believe its time to bid farewell. You brought so many wonderful things, and here a couple to name a few...

No more hanging my head over a porcelain stool

ENERGY!!

Less trips to the bathroom

A proper baby bump

Great reports from the doctor

Fun with the registry

Assembling of the nursery furniture

Decorating the nursery

Reading, Reading, Reading

Making appointments for check-in, childbirth classes, and parenting classes

Bedtime stories with Axel

Kicks, squirms, stretches, and in general a TON of movement from our active little man

Most of all such a LOVE for precious Axel and an attitude of undeserving gratitude to our Heavenly Father...what a gift!

Stay tuned for one last "bump" picture from the 2nd Trimester. I cannot wait to see what the 3rd trimester brings.

22 weeks...

How Far Along: 22 weeks and 2 days

Size of baby: 11 inches (think a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 lb!

Gender: BOY...Axel James Opperman

Movement: ALL THE TIME. The question is when ISN'T he moving?! Ha! He's starting to jiggle my whole stomach when he moves...so fun!

Sleep: Sleeping like a champ! For now, anyway;)

Symptoms: Not a whole lot right now!

What I miss: NOTHING. So worth it. I LOVE being pregnant.

Cravings: I think this could be a myth. Mine change day to day, but nothing has been consistent. Maybe it picks up as I get into my 3rd tri?! Who knows. I'm learning every body is different!

Best Moment this week: Getting our little man all registered. Brian had too much fun with the scan gun;)

What I am looking forward to: Our first meeting/appointment with our pediatrician next week. She told me to come with questions. Ha! She may regret that!

Birthday Madness

So I had a phenomenal birthday. It all started the week prior, when my mom gave me a family birthday dinner. I failed to take any pics...darn. But it was so amazing to celebrate with my family for the 1st time in 3 years.

Then "the girls" took me out for a birthday lunch and shopping. We had a great time chatting, laughing, being ridiculous, and spending money...ha!

And last but not least, my amazing hubby planned a fall fun day for me! It all started with pumpkin pancakes and ended with one of my favs...Jane Eyre. It was perfect. Since living in Sydney, I'd missed my birthday being in the fall.

And last, but not least, it was my first and only birthday 20 weeks {5 months} pregnant with Axel. Undescribable. I love that little man!

I'm such a blessed girl. See for yourself.

Birthday Dinner with B. I LOVE this pic of him. I still make him laugh.

Yummo!

Very proud of my pumkin. It only took an eternity to pick out the perfect one.

Cider Makin'

After my day out with the girls...sporting my Rachel Zoe fur vest!

Birthday Lunch with the girlies and Parker & Brycen. LOVE them. I'm so blessed with family friends;)

Yummy Birthday dessert!

What's in a Name?

Being my organized type A-self, I wanted a girl and boy name picked out and ready for our sonogram at 18 weeks. As the day approached we had both carefully selected. At the last minute I realized we did NOT check the meaning of the boy name we chose. And it wasn't a family name and it didn't have any significant personal meaning to us. We just liked it. So I checked. And it was awful. The meaning was terrible. And then my artsy self came out. And I remembered how significant the meaning of names were in the Bible. And I was convinced. We couldn't do that to our boy...IF we had a boy. So the BIG day came. And we did NOT have a boys' name selected. And sure enough...

Our little man at 18 weeks!

Our little man getting ready to suck his thumb...he's grown so much since his 12 week pics!

We are having a little man the 21st of February. I couldn't be more thrilled. I had a feeling. I like to say its my motherly instincts already;) Needless to say, we left the office ELATED that we had a growing healthy baby boy, but he was NAMELESS.

And then one day, I remembered a boy's name we heard in Sydney that I LOVED, and I was pretty sure B loved it too. So I rushed to the computer and checked the meaning. And it had a Hebrew meaning...and it was PERFECT. I presented all of this to B and we both KNEW it was perfect for our little man. Between the sentimenal value of Sydney and the Hebrew meaning...it was a NO brainer... we had a name!

He will be called...

AXEL JAMES OPPERMAN

Axel {"divine reward"}

James {his daddy's middle name & a family name on both sides}

We are so thrilled that we found a name so fitting & perfect for him. He's already lived up to his name. He is such a blessing to us, and truly, our divine reward.

17weeks/4days...

How Far Along: 17 weeks 4 days

Size of baby: 5 inches long and about 5 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: A bit, yes. I'm wearing maternity jeans! I found some cute maternity skinnies...so fun!

Gender: Don't know yet!!

Movement: YES!!! The flutters turned to kicks this week. Never been so excited to be kicked in all my life! Ha!

Sleep: I sleep well most nights. Less trips to the potty for this momma-woohoo!

Symptoms: Not a whole lot right now!

What I miss: Almost daily trips to Starbucks....

Cravings: I think I'm weird. I don't have a whole lot of cravings. There are just things that sound AMAZING some days, but it changes frequently.

Best Moment this week: Definitely being kicked by our precious bubs!

What I am looking forward to: Our sonogram, which has been moved to Wednesday the 21st! Can't wait!! I think its a boy...

Stay tuned for our next blog...gender WILL BE revealed!

{15 weeks/6 days}

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 15 weeks 6 days

Size of baby: 2 inches long and about 2.5 ounces. Our bub is the size of an apple!

Maternity Clothes: Not quite yet. We went shopping last weekend (couldn't pass up the good sale), but I'm not quite ready for them yet!

Gender: Don't know yet!!

Movement: Lots of flutters, especially during worship;) However, B can't feel them yet. Can't wait for that day to come!

Sleep: I sleep well most nights. Less trips to the potty for this momma-woohoo!

Symptoms: Not a whole lot right now! I LOVE 2nd Trimester. No more morning sickness or fatigue. However, I get some stretching aches and pains every once in a while.

What I miss: Nothing really-its all worth it!

Cravings: They seem to change quite a bit. Lately I'm loving cantelope and watermelon. But again, it can change daily. But pumpkin spice lattes just made a comeback, so that will be on the list too. Decaf and in moderation, of course!

Best Moment this week: Its been a rough week in the life of our church. We suffered the loss of a friend, which has been extremely rough in our community of loved ones. Just reflecting on the incredible blessing of being able to have bub has been so sweet. I'm treasuring and reflecting on just the blessing of it all.

What I am looking forward to: Our sonogram on Sept 23rd @ 9:30am, which will tell us the sex of bub!

Bub's 1st Family Vacation

Here are some photos of our family vacation to Abilene Texas! Back in August (it was sooo long ago-ha), we visited my sister and bro-in-law. And we had a blast. It was a perfect first vacation for bubsy, who was 13 weeks!

Yee Haw!

My handsome hubs at the Prairie Dog Park

Mr. Prarie Dog was VERY photogenic!

My sis and I should never be left to our own devices in a museum!

My beautiful sis and I posing with the buffalo at Texas Frontier!

Texas BBQ

Our lovely hosts

Dyess Air Force Base where my bro in law serves