Chasing Moonlight and Roses

How far along?:  Twenty-three weeks & two days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 17 weeks to go)



Size of baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of an EAR OF CORN! :)

8.5 inches & 1.5 pounds!  (making me hungry!)

Gender:  She's a GIRL and we've decided on her name:  Presley Rose! 
Presley - because it's a beautiful name we both love and mostly got the idea from Elvis Presley -- my dad was a huge fan and since he's no longer with us I've often wanted to name one of my kids in honor of him... perfect!
Rose - it's my Gramma Elinor's middle name... she is such a wonderful, incredibly strong, intelligent, passionate, and peaceful person that I think the world of.  I'm going to make sure Presley knows who she was named after and why.  Not to mention, she has a BEAUTIFUL middle name that I am going to be happy to carry on.

Movement:  Presley has been consistently kicking for the past few weeks now.  They're getting a lot stronger and to the point where they…

I am still shocked at how fast time has flown by.... it really seems like only yesterday that we found out we were expecting when in reality, we are now over halfway through our first pregnancy!  Equally shocking?  Seeing pictures of myself these days (especially in comparison to my pre-bump self)....


Today we took the first step (of many...) into transforming our guest bedroom into a nursery and it honestly felt great to get the ball rolling.  This involved moving our full bed into storage and trading that in for a daybed with a trundle bed underneath and adding a little white baby dresser!  My aunt and uncle were great enough to help us out with the bed and dresser that weren't getting use in their house.  Next step?  Adding the perfect crib to the ensemble!  So far, out of all the cribs we've looked at in all the various stores, this crib from Target.com is our favorite:

It was $10 off last week, so I'm hoping it goes on sale again sometime soon.  I think that it'll …

How far along?:  22 weeks and 2 days along in my first pregnancy! 
(About 18 weeks to go!!)

First picture bare-belly!
Size of the baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of a papaya this week!

About 8in. & 1.2 lbs!
Total weight +/-:  So far, I'm +15 pounds.


Gender:  It's a girl!  Hopefully by the next update we will have picked a name... we're getting close!

Movement:  She likes to kick me repeatedly -- especially if I'm sitting at the computer for any length of time!  Last night Tony & I went to a friend's and someone was telling a hilarious story about Eddie Murphy and the entire time the baby was nonstop kicking me!!!

Cravings:  Anderson-Erickson's Milk Nog (which is part milk, part egg nog)!  We have gone through a LOT of egg nog so far... and the season just began!  Other than that, still craving meat -- burgers, steak, ribs, etc!  Making up for lost time as my major aversion during the first trimester was meat!!!

I am feeling:  Pretty great, especially today!  I l…

You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.---Christopher Robin

Last night while talking to Tony before he fell asleep, I started to feel very anxious for the first time in a long time.  Just thinking about how much the guest bedroom will need to transform in the next few months was making me a little uneasy.  On top of that, just thinking about bringing a baby -- OUR BABY -- home and into the room that we were currently laying in was enough to make my heart beat out of my chest.  Then I started to get nervous about parenting... and soon... I worked myself into a ball of worries.  Thank goodness Tony is so logical and even tempered.  (Note to self:  Next time I start to see these traits as something negative, remember this!!!)  He really calmed me down by not just listening to me, but thinking things out with me and reminding me that neither one of us are in this alone.  We've got lots of support around us up here with our friends a…

Today's point of praise:  "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8: 38-39)  Day #3
Sometimes that doesn't necessarily feel true for me.  There are so many times when I don't feel close to Christ and I know it isn't because he has moved away from me - but the other way around.  It's difficult to live a Christ-centered life when the biggest influences in my current life aren't focused on him and don't lead me closer to Him.  Again, not His fault, but mine.  I realize that the point of praise here is that no matter how far I stray or how weak my relationship with God is, He's gonna love me and be there for me anyways.  Instead of just blaming myself and feeling guilty over my lack of daily dedication to Christ, I've decided …

Don't forget to take my poll to the right of the page on your favorite pregnancy movie!!! :)

How far along?:  I am currently 21 weeks & 2 days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 19 weeks to go!)


Belly is finally getting big!
Size of the baby:  The baby is the size of a SPAGHETTI SQUASH this week!!!



1 lb. & 8 inches!
Gender:  It's a baby girl!  Still not settled on any particular name... and not sure we will be until we see her face but who knows! :)

I am feeling:  REALLY feeling my ligaments stretching this weekend.  It's not hurting but just very uncomfortable.  Even when we sat on the couch last night to watch a movie, I was even uncomfortable then!  I am thinking about getting some kind of tummy support band but going to ask around first to see how many pregnant ladies have used them & see how they did or didn't like them.  Other than that, just really happy. :)  And starting to get anxious when it comes to getting the nursery together!!!


Movement:  I don…

Today's point of praise:  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;  I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)  Day #2

When I read this I really had to think hard about what that verse meant to me and for me.  I know I've felt so abundantly blessed recently - but I am especially feeling that so much today.  As most of you already know, I work with kids everyday in a daycare-type setting.  I work at the YMCA in the Kids Gym, so I get to hang out with kiddos while their parents work out... pretty much a fabulous opportunity to get to know some amazing kids and their fabulous parents.  I have been abundantly blessed by these people;  my life very much enriched by knowing them.  Today was just another great day because a family that I feel particularly close to came in after not seeing them for a while and it put me in the best mood.  On top of it, their mom brought me the winter jacket she wore when she was pregnant in the winter …

How far along?:  I'm twenty weeks & two days pregnant!  Finally, HALFWAY THERE!!!

Size of the baby:  The baby is the size of a BANANA this week!

7 in. & 11 oz.

Gender: IT'S A GIRL!  Time to buy some pink stuff!!!

I am feeling:  Well, early this week when the baby refused to show itself, I was EXTREMELY bummed.  As the week went on, we planned on paying for a second ultrasound to find out and decided to keep this one a secret in case it didn't happen again.  All week I was anxious and just waiting for Friday!  When we found out Friday, I was beyond excited!!!  Since about 16 weeks, I really felt strongly like I was carrying a girl, so when we found out it was indeed a girl, I felt like my bond with our baby got even stronger!

Total weight +/-:  It's not official from the doctor or anything (and my scale lies to me all the time!), but according to my scale I'm probably somewhere around +10 lbs.

Movement:  I am starting to feel the baby just about everyday!  I'm…

And you KNOW I couldn't be happier!!!!!!!

So, as you have probably guessed, we decided to go ahead and pay for another ultrasound to find out what we were having!  We had our appointment today at 3 p.m. and found out then!  It seemed like I asked the technician over and over again, "So, you are sure it's a girl?"  Because after waiting for what seems like forever to find out, I couldn't believe the wait was over!  She showed us again and again and reassured me that she was 99% positive that it was a girl.  (Um... well... what about that 1% lady?!  Just kidding!)

Tony's happy too - of course - even though he was still holding out for a boy.  It didn't help much that he got his hopes up after our ultrasound on Monday when the technician said, "Well... if I had to guess... I would say it was a boy," ...even though she kept saying she had no idea and couldn't tell because the baby's feet were in the way.  We went to Kohl's right after th…

Today's point of praise: Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. (James 5:13) Day #1
I'm starting to actively participate in a devotional for women that focuses on giving glory and praise to God.  So often I come to the Lord in times of need or out of selfishness and not often enough do I pray humbly in thanksgiving to all that God has given me.  I often think of the quote that goes something like this - what would you have tomorrow if you only received the things you thanked God for the day before?  When I read that and reflect on my prayers the day before, I mostly feel ashamed because 9 times out of 10 I didn't pray at all the day before.

So, today, I find myself especially thankful for the power of words.  I am thankful for the joy that others bring me on a daily basis; especially my sisters, friends, and the rest of my family.  I am thankful that my will and God's will are different and His will always brings me to where I g…

Our ultrasound appointment was today at 2:30 p.m. and we were both so ready to see our sweet little baby again!  We were most excited to find out the gender of our sweet baby but, of course, the baby decided to be stubborn and we still have no idea.  DEFINITELY upsetting -- but we got good news that our baby is very healthy and growing right on target!  We saw the baby's head, legs, feet, belly, the four chambers of the heart, ribs, spine... we saw everything EXCEPT the genitals, of course. ;)  The baby's heartbeat was 153 bpm today and weighs just at 10 ounces.  And, we have some beautiful new pictures that I'm excited to share once I get them transferred to the computer. 

That's all I can muster up for now... I'm pretty bummed out right now even though I am so happy to have a healthy baby.  I just get myself so excited for these kinda things and then my bad luck rears it's ugly head and rains on the parade.  So, hopefully I'll edit this later when I'…

Okay, so, I am so antsy!  It's definitely because of the appointment tomorrow, but it's also because I've had little to no interaction with anyone today since Tony's been in the garage all day (literally) working on stuff for his car.  So instead of waiting to write until after the appointment, I am going to write now - starting with a fun little set of questions & answers about my pregnancy from Sean Marie.

Your name?
Allison (Ali) Michelle Duggan

Baby's fathers name?
Anthony (Tony) Thomas Duggan

Are you still with him?
Most definitely; married to him so he is stuck with me!

Were you trying to get pregnant?
Nope.  I was actually informed in January that I had PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) and because of it I rarely ovulated.  My Dr. also told me that when we wanted to start having kids that I'd most likely want to look into fertility drugs. 

When did you find out?
July 5th

Where did you find out?
The bathroom of our old apartment.

How far along were …

Not a whole lot to really say tonight, but wanted to post the pregnancy picture we took tonight.

19 weeks & 1 day I have a hard time believing that I am just about halfway through my pregnancy.  It seems like just yesterday we were in Mexico for our family vacation and I was feeling nauseous at every smell, taste, or sensation I experienced. And in the blink of an eye, the next time I write I will hopefully be sharing whether we're having a baby boy or baby girl!  Any wagers?


I'm feeling very blessed today to be carrying this baby and just blessed all over.  And tired.  So goodnight and until next time, bloggies!!!!