23 weeks

He's a mango!

"Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing his for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb."

I love love love the idea that along with hearing the music, he can feel me dance. Hopefully he enjoys it a little more than the cats do when I pick them up to dance around the kitchen. :)

How far along: 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +10.4 (.4 lbs this week)
Maternity clothes: Yes!
Stretch marks: Nothing new. Not that I'm worried about them and not that it will help, but I've started to put some lotion on my belly everyday.
Sleep: A full night would be nice. Between the frequent bathroom trips and the crazy dreams, I don't feel like I get a good night's rest. At least it's not because I'm uncomfortable ..... yet.
Best moment this week: See the milestone below
Movement: A lot!
Food cravings: None. Although I ate some apple pie bars at the tailgate this weekend and can't get them out of my mind now.
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out: When I laugh it pushes out - so weird! For now it goes back in though.
What I miss: ??
What I am looking forward to: Our 24 week appt next week
Milestones: Jason felt the baby move!!!!! This happened last night and was such an incredible experience for both of us. We've tried for awhile, but he just wasn't cooperating. After about 5 minutes last night he had a particularly forceful punch and Jason felt it! I started crying. :) This, for me, was one of the biggest moments this pregnancy. When we were trying to get pregnant, one of the biggest things I had a hard time with was that Jason might never get to feel a baby move in my belly. It wasn't so much that I wouldn't get to, but I hurt so badly when I would think of Jason not getting to. So last night when it happened, it was one of the most memorable and happy moments so far.

And since it's been a few weeks since a belly pic - here you go! Is it obvious that I'm pregnant? :)


And here is a difference between 6 weeks, 19 weeks, and almost 23 weeks.

In non baby news

I realized that I've been slacking and haven't posted about other things that are going on in our lives. The biggest news is that Jason is starting a new job next week! He's leaving Forum and will be working for JP Morgan Chase Bank. He's loved working at Forum the past couple of years, but we're so excited about this opportunity. So wish him luck next Monday as he starts the new job!

Also, I don't think I mentioned it, but Jason sold his "first baby" a few months ago. The 350Z just didn't make a great project car, so he sold that, and bought a 1972 240Z.

I cried the night we sold it. (Which is surprising, seeing as the car and I had a love/hate relationship.)


The new (old) car in our driveway! (It's currently in our garage as it's not always driveable. It's a work in progress.) Luckily we have the jeep as his daily driver.


We've also been able to have some fun weekends lately. We went up to Chicago with some of Jason's highschool friends, and got to spend time with Matt (Jason's brother) and his girlfriend Ali.

We had a wonderful pizza dinner at Giordanos! Everyone else had beer and I didn't want to be left out so I had a pretty tasty virgin daiquiri. Later at a bar I ordered a Shirley Temple - it was awesome. :)


We also went to the Field Museum. This is what I look like after walking 2 miles in the rain, with a screwed up sciatic nerve.


At the end of September we went to Jen's 30th birthday. It was a great time with lots of friends!


Speaking of 30th (or first anniversary of turning 29) birthdays, Anna had hers in October. They were in town that weekend for a football game so we were able to see them and celebrate a little bit.


And speaking of Purdue football games, we went with Anna and Ryan this past weekend and had a great time! It was cold and kept spitting rain, but that didn't bother us. The tailgate afterwards was AMAZING. Very very good steak sandwiches!


And I think that's it in our nonbaby world!

22 weeks

*Just a note - the website that I normally use for pictures switches to months now and only updates every 4 weeks. I'll use that one when they have it, but I'm also going to use one from another website. For month 5, they say he's a papaya. The other website says that for week 22, he's a spaghetti squash.

"At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop."

Luckily his sleep cycles seem to coincide with mine at the moment! There was one morning when he woke me up at 4am kicking, but for the most part he's usually active mid morning and in the evening.

I've been feeling ok, pregnancy wise the past week. I was fighting a cold though, and we found out I was anemic, which explains why I was so very tired. I just kept wondering where the "burst of energy" that's supposed to happen in the 2nd trimester went. Today was a better day though, so maybe I'll get it back.

The peeing thing has become a bit ridiculous. I've been peeing more, but usually have some warning when I need to go. One night this week I almost thought I was going to pee in my pants! Suddenly I had to go .... right then! Luckily I made it to the bathroom. :) And it hasn't happened again, thank goodness!

How far along: 22 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +10 (2.6 lbs this week - eek!)
Maternity clothes: Yes!
Stretch marks: Nothing new.
Sleep: Yes please. This was all I wanted to do this past week.
Best moment this week: I've started to read out loud, because apparently he can start to hear me. It's cute though, because as I'm reading about "silly old bear!" the kitties sit there and listen too. (Quiz - who is "silly old bear?")
Movement: Sometimes I think he moves just to say "hey, don't forget about me!"
Food cravings: None. Jason has really lucked out in this department so far. No crazy late night runs to a fast food joint.
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out: In, but it's sort of flattening out, instead of a deep innie.
What I miss: My body shape. Don't get me wrong, I love having the bump - but it's just so weird sometimes. (And I know it's only going to get bigger!) At my physical therapy appt this week, my therapist said, "You're what? 32 .... um I mean, 28 weeks?" Um, no! I'm just 22 weeks!
What I am looking forward to: Jason getting to feel him move.
Milestones: We painted the nursery and put the crib together

Like I mentioned earlier, we got some things done in the nursery. Karen was over one night and we put together some green shelves. Ignore the mess in the background. What you see is a twin bed, a miniature recliner, a table with pieces of the quilt on it, and an ironing board. Rest assured, we won't make him share a room with all of that.



Then on Saturday night, with wonderful help from my mom and sister, we got the room painted!






Towards the end, Karen decided to paint a smiley face on my tshirt. (This is an old tshirt, I think from Goodwill, that I wear almost every time we paint a room.)


Smile!


Now for a few sneak peaks - my mom holding up what will be the curtains.


The crib all put together! The piece of furniture next to it is the hutch that will go on top of the dresser. We have to sand down and paint the top of the dresser and then it will make it's way into the room.

Who needs a baby?

Think they're trying to tell us something?

21 weeks

"Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now. His digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth."

Sorry I'm late with this! I haven't felt very good this week - a little bit of a head cold and just blah in general.

I just had a follow up hematologist appt and all is going well with the lovenox. The plan is to stick with that until I'm 36 weeks and then I'll be switching to heparin twice a day. It doesn't stay in the system as long so is better to be on closer to delivery.

I do seem to be slightly anemic so will probably be starting extra iron later this week.

How far along: 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +7.4 (overall weight gain)
Maternity clothes: Yes, and I had a huge score this past week. I bought a "lot" of clothes from someone on Craigslist. 65 pieces for $45! Sure, some of them are the wrong season, but for the most part everything is great!
Stretch marks: Nothing new.
Sleep: This week I've been back to being tired all the time.
Best moment this week: We picked out the paint over the weekend - blue.
Movement: He seems to move more in the morning and late in the evening - or I'm just more aware of him then.
Food cravings: No cravings, but I'm trying to get more protein.
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out: In, but it's sort of flattening out, instead of a deep innie.
What I miss: Being able to go more than a few hours without peeing.
What I am looking forward to: Jason getting to feel him move.
Milestones: Not sure of anything?

Halfway there - and still a boy!

So I'm a day late, but I promise some fun updates! I am 20 weeks, 1 day pregnant - 139 days until my due date - just over halfway there!! And this week, he's graduated to a cantaloupe!

"He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery)."

I've been feeling him quite a bit over the past few days. In fact, last night as I was taking a bath I was watching my stomach and actually saw it move when I felt him! Jason hasn't felt him yet - mostly because as soon as Jason comes into the room, he stops moving so we can't even try. I have a feeling if he's forceful enough to shove my belly out, Jason could probably feel him.

We had our 20 week ultrasound today - and he's still a boy! :) A pretty good sized boy at that. According to all of the calculations he actually weighs about 13 ounces. Not quite a pound, but we're getting there! Also, based on his head, stomach, and femur measurements - he's measuring about a week / week and a half ahead. We're sticking with the original due date because the early ultrasounds are actually more accurate in determining that though.

Everything was great during the ultrasound - we got to see his brain, the 4 chambers of his heart, his kidneys, his bladder, his stomach, and once again he showed off his boy part. His bladder was small because he had just peed (which was incredibly unfair as I was dying from all the water they made me drink beforehand!) His stomach was starting to fill back up from the amniotic fluid he's drinking, and he would soon be filling the bladder back up to pee. And on goes the cycle where he drinks his urine ...

He started the ultrasound facedown, and right under my belly button, which made it hard to get some good shots. Except for the "money" shot - that was pretty clear. :)


Here he is, looking down. That's his head on the left, then his back and spine, and his knees are sort of pulled up to his chest.


These are his legs all stretched out. You can see his feet on the far left. (And of course, another good glimpse of the "look at me! I'm a boy!" part on the right.)


He finally flipped over and we were able to get a shot of his face. You can see his nose and mouth here as well.


This one is sort of hard to read, but that's his face looking straight at you. It's the "alien baby" look. You can actually see his eye though!


This one is my favorite - look at his cute little fingers! They actually around stretched out all the way, but sort of folded/bent under at the knuckles. The "S" looking shape is the umbilical cord.


And lastly, his tiny little foot!


How far along: 20 weeks - we're halfway there!!!
Total weight gain/loss: +6.2 (overall weight gain)
Maternity clothes: That would be a big fat yes.
Stretch marks: Nothing new.
Sleep: This last week I've had a lot of trouble sleeping. I think it was mostly due to some work stress, anxious for Karen's bar exam results (she passed!! Yay!!), and excited for today. Not to mention all the peeing. I think he's sitting on my bladder.
Best moment this week: Actually watching him move my belly!
Movement: He's quite active sometimes! Other times I can't really feel him, but at least a few times a day I can tell he's moving around.
Food cravings: Right now, there isn't a food that I don't like.
Gender: Boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out: In, but it's sort of flattening out, instead of a deep innie.
What I miss: Being able to go more than a few hours without peeing.
What I am looking forward to: Starting the nursery
Milestones: We are halfway there!

I mentioned that I'm looking forward to starting on the nursery. Here is the bedding that we picked out. We're not so much going with a "theme", but more the blue/green colors. Although the elephants are adorable!




I think that's it for now!