24 Weeks!

May 30, 2014
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How far along: 24 Weeks!
Baby size: 8.5 inches long, 1.5 lbs (about the size of a ear of corn)
Maternity clothes: I love my maternity jeans, they are pretty comfy. A friend from Pittsburgh let me borrow some of her maternity clothes which was such a blessing. I am kind of fitting into some of them while others might be better on my down the road. I bought a black maternity dress though that is just perfect right now. It is so comfy that I want to wear it every Sunday!
Stretch marks: Nope not yet. But I can feel my belly stretching out and lotion has been helping a bit. 
Sleep: Well I am missing our comfy bed back home. So sleep has been kind of really hard. Not to mention that this whole transition to Baltimore has brought along some pretty stressful moments and lots of little (and big) stressful decisions which I think is kind of taking a toll on my sleep efforts. Hopefully things will just calm down and I will at least get kind of use to this not so comfy bed.
Gender: Girl girl girl. Although my mom, Daniel, and I have all had dreams that is was a boy. Haha. I am finally getting use to it and I am pretty dang excited about it too. It is really fun to think of a little girl and I love calling this baby her or she instead of it. It makes it so much more real.
Best moment this week: Um we were in a restaurant and our waitress was like bowing to me and saying we love pregnant women. It was actually the weirdest thing ever. Really the best moments have been seeing baby girl kick and punch and feeling her. I just love it. 
Looking forward to: Moving into our new apartment (in two weeks) and seeing the bedroom again so that I can kind of visualize the space for the nursery again.
What I miss: Rolling over at night and sleeping on my back. I always have to make a huge effort to role over and it usually causes me to wake up. Getting comfortable is a bit more difficult and sometimes laying on my back is the only position that feels good. I try not to fall asleep that way though and if I wake up on my back I try to roll to my side.
Movement: YES! Especially when I am just sitting down reading or at the end of the day. I love her kicks and punches and whatever else is going on. It is really comforting to me.
Food cravings: We bought some cinnamon toast crunch cereal and oh boy that was tasty tasty. Also green grapes were sounding like the best most refreshing treat ever one day and they lived up to my hopes and dreams :) We also got a membership to planet fitness and they have grape frooties to take with you so I always grab one at the end of my workout and yum.
Aversions: Not really. 
Nursery: Pink and gold. Coral and gray. Browns, creams, and pinks with a touch of greens. I have no idea. I hope I can find a color swatch or something I like and just go with it. Seriously this is harder than choosing wedding colors.
Miscellaneous: This is really the craziest summer in the world. But I really love Daniel and I have found a lot of strength depending on him and being with him. I also have found a lot of strength depending on my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ while we have been here. I feel like this past month we have had to make a million decisions and they have not been easy and they just keep coming but it just makes me so thankful for the power of prayer and that I do not have to go it alone.
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Mallory Hazel
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21 Weeks

May 10, 2014
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How far along: 21 Weeks!

Baby size: 7 inches long, 11 oz (about the size of a banana)
Maternity clothes: I got a couple of shirts and a dress this week. The length of the shirts is nice even though my belly doesn't quite fill them up yet. I looked for some pants but maternity shopping in Pittsburgh is just a little limited. 
Sleep: It has been a little more difficult. I have a harder time falling asleep and am usually tired in the morning. I wake up throughout the night. But nothing too terrible. 
Gender: It's a GIRL! Big surprise for us and I can hardly wrap my mind around it. Let the clothes shopping begin!
Best moment this week: The ultrasound on Friday. It was so cool to see the baby. I loved her little hands and feet and cute little face. And the best news of all is that she is healthy. Her little heartbeat is strong. Really it was just amazing!
Looking forward to: Meeting our little girl in 19 weeks :)
What I miss: Drinking a glass of water without having to go to the bathroom three times immediately after.
Movement: Yes! Lots of little kicks and jabs. Nothing too consistent yet but there are a lot of little sporadic wiggle sessions.
Food cravings: Water. Does that count. It is getting hot in Pittsburgh and I am thirsty all the time!
Aversions: Nope.
Nursery: Oh let the games begin with this one. I am not really sure what will be going down but I think it will probably be very simple with neutral colors. No bright crazy colors or animal prints for me. Hopefully the room will be really calm.
Miscellaneous: I am just feeling really blessed to have a healthy baby. I also feel blessed that I am feeling good and have been for a while. And I am blessed to have a great husband who loves our little one and is working hard so he can provide. Life is really good.
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It's a GIRL!

May 09, 2014
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Well it's official folks. The ultrasound went down and baby girl was not being shy. Daniel and I were so surprised, we have both thought about our baby as a boy practically the whole pregnancy, but we are also really excited. It is catching me off guard when I think about baby things because I have to shift from my wondering/thinking it is a boy and tell myself wait, I know it is a girl! It is an interesting mental shift but I think in a few days I will have it down.
I guess I will write a couple reasons I am really excited to have a girl, maybe it will help me solidify it in my mind.
-I am excited about baby girl names. There are so many cute ones and some really solid ones that Daniel and I both really like. I have no idea how we are going to choose but I feel pretty good that whatever we choose will be darling.
-Baby girl clothes. Seriously there are some super precious outfits, headbands and shoes out there. I think I am going to love choosing a few little really fun outfits. I am especially excited about dresses and skirts!
-I am pretty excited to see Daniel with a baby girl. It will be sweet to watch them interact.
-I am excited to be a mother to a girl. I worried a lot when I was younger that I wouldn't have any girls, and when I was really young I always wanted a sister. Now rest assured I will have a little girl and hopefully she will let me do her hair and do some girly things that I just didn't have as a child.
Really I can't wait to meet this baby now. She will be one loved little girl, she is already loved by so many and a blessing in the life of her mom and dad. Now these next 19 weeks need to just zoom zoom.

Do you think she will look like me?
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Books I've Read

May 07, 2014
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This year, 2014, I have tried to allow myself to be swallowed up in the joy of reading. I love reading but throughout my college years I just didn't have or make time to sit down with a good book. Since I was already reading so much for classes it seemed like my free time would be better spent doing different activities.
I kind of got stuck in the rut of not reading after college and in 2014 I made a goal to sit down and read again. I forced myself to read "From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" first thing. I remember loving this book in grade school and it was a fun and quick walk down memory lane.
Then I found out I was pregnant. Ever since we started trying to get pregnant I told myself that when I was pregnant I would read the Harry Potter Series again. I thought it was a good idea because it would give me a deadline. Well I immediately started with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone" and made it through "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" before I took a quick break from Harry Potter. Reading the first four books of the series really sparked the love of reading fire inside of me. I loved being engulfed in the story while I was reading and when I wasn't reading I looked forward to entering the world of Harry Potter again when I got a free minute.
I took a little break to read some parenting books that we checked out from the library. "Bringing Home Bebe," a fun look at French parenting, was really insightful and a joy to read. "The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," an intense book about a Chinese mother, was thought-provoking and interesting. For my birthday I received "The Giver" quartet. I love "The Giver" and was excited to read the follow up books "Gathering Blue," "The Messenger", and "Son." Those were all quick reads and it was really interesting to follow up on "The Giver" and see how all the stories were pieced together.
When I finished that series I dove back into Harry Potter and finished out books 5, 6 and 7. They were so so good and when I finished the last one I knew I would have withdrawals for days. It is tough putting so much of yourself into a story and then having to leave it when it ends. I obviously finished the series well before my end of pregnancy goal, I didn't even make it half way!
I needed a new book to fill the void of not knowing what kind of journey I would go on next. I started looking up top 100 books on the internet and doing all sorts of searching to find ideas of where to go next. I found a food blogger who posted books she had read and decided I would try out a couple to see what I thought. So I worked my way into adult fiction starting with "Joy for Beginners." It was a good read, nothing spectacular and I liked some parts more than others. Then I started "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" a book I found charming. Next on the list is "Maine" and I am not quite sure what it is about. I have made a list of books I want to read over the summer since I feel like I will have a lot of time to myself. So far I feel really good about my read more in 2014 goal. I love reading more than I thought I would and so I have already read more than I thought I would. It is a great escape and use of my time. I can't wait to see what other adventures await me in the wonderful world of literature.
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20 Weeks! Half Way There!

May 05, 2014
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How far along: 20 Weeks!

Baby size: 6.5 inches long, 10 oz (about the size of an larger mango than last week :)
Weight gain: Yes. It is happening. Which is a good thing. At least I keep telling myself that...
Maternity clothes: Not yet but my skinny skinny jeans are off limits. Now I am in my larger pants which has been good but I should still go shopping probably this week or next.
Stretch marks: Not yet.
Sleep: I have been needing some morning power naps. I have also been waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom more often now, I just can't quite make it through the night. I am a little more sleepy these days but I am also not as exhausted as I was in the first trimester.
Gender: Wanting a boy and finding out this Friday what it will be. Daniel and I will both be surprised if it is a girl. We think of the baby as a he. And I wake up in the middle of the night and often have the name Branson Royal Barrick on my mind. I am pretty nervous about the gender reveal but I am excited to just know!
Best moment this week: I honestly love feeling the kicks right now. I can tell when the baby is active even if it is not giving harder kicks and punches. It is so fun right now because they are so small that they are not a pain and they don't keep me up but they are getting stronger. It is just such a fun reminder of the little one that is inside of me.
Looking forward to: Our ultrasound this Friday. Seriously I can't wait to see how big our baby is and to see it move up on the screen. I think it is going to be awesome!
What I miss: Honestly I miss when my pants would stay up. My jeans slide down to the bottom of my belly all the time and that is no good for modestly purposes. I am having to pull them up all the time.
Movement: Yes! It is active and so fun to feel.
Food cravings: I don't really have any cravings. I did make us go to Taco Bell this past week which was good. Refried beans are super yummy right now. I drink a lot of milk. I still love peanut-butter banana smoothies. I eat lots of frozen fruit snacks. I love cereal. 
Aversions: Not really.
Nursery: Once we find out if it is a boy or girl this week maybe I will start pinteresting like crazy!
Miscellaneous: Life is a little stressful with moving to Baltimore and not having a home yet and moving in the middle of the summer but I think this pregnancy will (hopefully) go by faster and faster since we will have so much to do and look forward to throughout the summer and since we will be really busy during those crazy weekends we will have to move.
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Taking Stock

May 02, 2014
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Making: plans to move to Baltimore for the summer.
Cooking: quick meals these days.
Drinking: lots of milk.
Reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Just finished it actually.
Wanting: some sunshine to come out and stay.
Looking: forward to the next 20 weeks and arrival of our sweet baby.
Wasting: time waiting for the next adventure of our lives.
Wishing: our home would pack and move itself.
Enjoying: the stormy days that make it okay to curl up with a good book.
Waiting: to find out the gender of our little guy or girl.
Liking: all things frozen, they are soothing to my throat.
Wondering: what our lives will be like once this baby arrives. How will it be like I imagine and how will it be different.
Loving: the fun times I share with my husband and the late night talks we have.
Hoping: the next 20 weeks goes by even faster than the first 20 weeks.
Marveling: at the miracle of pregnancy, it is just amazing.
Needing: my cough to be gone for good.
Wearing: my big jeans and comfy shirts, and lots of sweaters to keep me warm.
Following: the spirit and trying to do some Personal Progress again.
Noticing: my body is making some changes and I am not sure how I feel about it sometimes.
Knowing: that everything will be okay and I should have faith in that knowledge.
Thinking: I have a really great life with a wonderful husband and a baby on the way, some things are crazy and hard but I am so blessed to be where I am today.
Bookmarking: ideas for the nursery.
Giggling: when my husband tells me funny stories, or pokes me and teases me.
Feeling: like I am "one lucky bug."

This picture is like 3 years old now. Time Flies.
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Mallory Hazel
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[name=Mallory] [description=Hi! I'm Mallory. Wife to Daniel & Mother to Kennedy (plus one on the way). Welcome to our family blog. I love writing the story of us and sharing things that I am passionate about. Which currently includes meditation, healthy plant based eating, and pregnancy and always includes lots of family adventures, mothering cute toddlers and babies, and Disneyland. Thanks for joining us along the way.] (instagram=https://www.instagram.com/malloryhazelbarrick/) (pinterest=https://www.pinterest.com/malloryhazel/)