21 weeks

Another week! It's so awesome. 52.5% there! Yeah!

B has cleared out both of our offices entirely. My office is becoming the nursery and his is going to become our shared space (that should be interesting). It feels a little overwhelming and sudden, but I'm trying to come around to the idea. We've lived in this house for 2 years so I've become kind of attached to my private space. I know I'm going to have to get over the idea of the lack of privacy pretty damn quick ;) We're going to paint the other room today, and then the next step will be painting the nursery. My mother-in-law has graciously offered to buy us our crib! Yay! We bought our glider last weekend, and it's waiting for us at Babies R' Us so we're going to head over there today to pick it up. It's sooooo comfy!

Yesterday, we attended a beautiful outdoor wedding (the last wedding we attended was our own, and it was outside, so this was cool for us) and I got to see many of my former colleagues, and it was a ton of fun.

And, here's what's going on with the chicken:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. 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.

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 11lbs

Maternity clothes? Most of the time, but I wore a regular dress to a wedding yesterday and it looked pretty good!
Stretch marks? not yet! I hear that drinking loads of water is a good way to try and avoid them... but I still think they're mostly genetic.

Sleep: pretty good.
Best moment this week: Having B feel the kicks, tied with our actually being able to SEE the baby move in my belly!

Movement: Every day - mainly late at night and first thing in the morning.
Food cravings: None yet

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: nope!

Belly Button in or out? same as last week.

What I miss: Champagne. I was at a wedding yesterday, and while they had sparking cider for the kids and pregnant ladies, it was not the same. I really enjoy a nice glass of champagne every now and again.

What I am looking forward to: my V-day milestone in 3 weeks

Milestone: Regular movement and baby kicks - so fantastic.

My 21 week photo taken after the wedding:



















21w

Memorial Day photos

Not too much to say... approaching 21 weeks and excited about that! We have a wedding to attend tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to get some nice photos of B and I together all dressed up.

Here are a couple of photos from last weekend.















And, so that he wouldn't feel left out...


















We're both sticking it out A LOT in this photo - I think I look more like 7 months than 5 in this one... all the BBQ and cake probably didn't help though ;)

20w5d

HALFWAY THERE!!!!!!!

Wow. I am 50% through this pregnancy. Unbelievable. It's absolutely flown by and been super easy about 90% of the time. I feel really fortunate.

We actually have a name for our little boy - LIAM! We're still working on the middle name, but that is his first name and we couldn't be more pleased. He's named for my mother, Linda, who passed away in 1996. The middle name we're deciding between is Fionn (pronounced "Finn") and Henry. Fionn is a name we both love, but Henry is B's middle name, his late father's middle name, and his late grandfather's first name. I have no problem with it except for the fact that his sister has used it for one of my nephew's middle names. So, it almost seems more appropriate to let Kai (my nephew) pass it down. Liam Henry, Liam Fionn (our last name begins with Mac). What do you all think??

We're having a huge BBQ today (40 people!) so I expect to be quite busy in the next few hours. There are tons of people here today who haven't seen me since I've been pregnant (or never met me at all for that matter) so this should be interesting.

Here's an update on Liam from Babycenter:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

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).

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Around 10lbs (haven't gained since last week, woohoo!)

Maternity clothes? 80% of the time (I wore a non-maternity shirt yesterday and I probably can't do that for much longer)
Stretch marks? not yet! Wondering when I start applying anti-stretch mark cream to pretend that it's going to help?

Sleep: Not bad this week
Best moment this week: Feeling a couple more outside kicks

Movement: See above
Food cravings: Nothing in particular (I'm waiting for the moment that I just HAVE to have pickles and ice cream together)

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: nope!

Belly Button in or out? It's nearly on par with the rest of my stomach, it's only sunken in about 3mm probably.

What I miss: sushi (although I had 3 pieces of raw salmon this week and we survived!) I typically make an entire meal of salmon sashimi about once a week.

What I am looking forward to: the BBQ today

Milestone: Making it halfway through this pregnancy




















20w

P.S. Here's another pic from our big ultrasound. This is my favorite photo. Little Liam is drinking his amniotic fluid like a good boy!

We're so excited that IT'S A BOY!!!!

Yay!!!!!! My dream from the other night was correct :)

I actually felt confident going into the ultrasound that he was indeed a boy. The coolest thing happened while we were waiting for the appointment. We were sitting in the waiting room and this new mom walks in with her 6 week old adorable son, and we asked what his name was. She said "Liam." This is my top name pick!

The appointment itself was so cool. It was really fast (20 minutes at the very most?) and I couldn't see much since I was lying down, but seeing the spine, and heart chambers, and just how big he actually is, is totally incredible. The "money shot" was totally obvious - no mistaking this little one for a boy ;) The best part is that he's absolutely perfect - no problems at all, everything was right where it should be, and I gained nearly an entire week of pregnancy. In fact, on Sunday, I will be exactly half-way through!

Ok, since I have sailed right into the 19th week, let me give a little update from BabyCenter:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

And here are a couple of photos from today -


















THE BIG MONEY SHOT:














19w3d

Outside kicks

Pretty sure I've felt a couple of outside kicks today! It seems pretty early for that, but I can't imagine what else it would be. I hope the baby is super active at the ultrasound tomorrow. 19 hours!

I started Pre-Natal Yoga this morning and that was pretty fun. Yoga is so low-key to begin with, it practically put me to sleep ;) The class runs for 6 weeks, and then I'll decide if I want to keep going.

On another note, on one of the message boards I frequent was a poll about drinking alcohol in the second trimester. Nearly EVERYONE spoke about having a glass or half-glass of wine every now and then. I am so missing out!!!!!!!! I think I might have a little drink on Friday night to celebrate B's and my 6 year dating anniversary.

18w4d

1 MORE DAY!

I seriously cannot believe that my big u/s is at this time tomorrow. It's surreal. I had my very first vivid pregnancy dream last night, in which I was getting an ultrasound and the baby was clearly a boy. But, they also told me I was farther along by TEN weeks, so this was obviously kind of a weird dream ;) But, we'll see. I still don't have a gut feeling, but I've been leaning a bit towards boy all along, so we'll see. I have always said that I'd prefer a boy to be the first born so that he could be a "big brother" but I'm very open to a girl first, too! I'm an only child, so either way, this will be interesting. I'm worried that the baby might not cooperate. I'll have to pick up something sugary today to try and ensure that there is a lot of wiggling going on tomorrow!

18w4d

18 weeks (and 1 day)

I'm back from my trip! Sooooooo much fun. The week flew by. I'm sure the days are going to drag on as I have 4 left to go until the big day (ultrasound)

How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

How far along? 18 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: Around 10/11 lbs (not psyched about gaining 2 or 3lbs in 8 days, BUT, I did weigh myself in the evening, and I've been on vacation this week, so I am trying to cut myself some slack)

Maternity clothes? Even busted out the maternity swimsuits this past week.
Stretch marks? not yet!

Sleep: Not bad this week
Best moment this week: Feeling more movement in the last 2 days after not feeling much at all since last week.

Movement: See above
Food cravings: Nothing in particular

Gender: I am guessing boy - will find out in 4 days! AGHHHH!

Labor Signs: nope!

Belly Button in or out? I'm pretty confident that it's going to pop out some time in the coming months

What I miss: Going in the hot tub with the jets on above 99 degrees (the folks I went on the trip with were good sports about keeping the temp down when I went in).

What I am looking forward to: The big ultrasound on Wednesday

Milestone: Looking like a half-way decent pregnant lady :)

While I didn't take an actual belly pic this past week, here are a couple bathing suit shots from the beach:

18w1d

17 weeks

Woohoo! It's Friday! I'm 17 weeks AND I am heading to the Outerbanks tomorrow!!!!!

A whole week will fly by and by the time I get back, I'll be 18 weeks and I'll only have a few more days until my big ultrasound! It's 12 days from today :)

Nothing new to report - I continue to feel the occasional movement but nothing too strong or noticeable. I had an epic FAIL with the Snoogle the other night. Silly me forgot to wash the cover before I went to bed... I am majorly allergic to whatever stores put on sheets etc. which you're supposed to wash before using them. I just didn't think to wash the Snoogle cover. In the middle of the night, I am coughing, wheezing, gasping for air, so I chucked the thing across the room. Haven't used it since :/ I will wash the cover when I get back from OBX and try again.

Here's what is going on this week:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.














I'm pretty horrified with the photo this week... moving right along...

I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and do the survey I see in everyone else's blog:

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Around 7/8 lbs

Maternity clothes? I have one pair of jeans that still fits but otherwise, 100% maternity clothes. I'm even busting out my maternity swimsuits for this trip!
Stretch marks? not yet!

Sleep: a few bouts of insomnia but otherwise, OK
Best moment this week: Feeling the "popcorn" movements

Movement: See above
Food cravings: Nothing in particular

Gender: No clue, but if I really had to guess - boy

Labor Signs: nope!

Belly Button in or out? I've always been an outtie

What I miss: alcohol, particularly because I'm going on the OBX trip tomorrow, and this is the 2nd time I've gone on this trip and not been able to drink (was pregnant last September when we went)

What I am looking forward to: less than 2 weeks to find out the gender!

Milestone: Being able to actually feel the chicken, even just a little!

And lastly, two belly photos (clothed and unclothed)















See you next week!

17w

AFP results, OB appointment, feeling movements, and SNOOGLE!

First things first, I cannot wait to try my new Snoogle! It just arrived about 10 minutes ago and I want to try it out sooooooo badly! I will try to hold out until tonight :)

I got my AFP bloodwork results and everything is "negative." My chances for Down's and Trisomy are both 1 in 10,000 and neural tube defects (eg. spina bifada) is 1 in 640. Of course, that sounds a lot lower than the others, but I was assured that's just a different range. Whatever the case, I think this baby is pretty healthy :)

I had my monthly OB appointment this morning, with the last doc in my practice. I've officially seen them all now except for the midwife (I'll see her next month). The doc today was Dr. Born. Doesn't get any better than that, right!? Everything checked out OK, and the heartrate was 160, which is line with what it's been. She mentioned that I should start feeling movements in the coming weeks and I let her know that I have definitely been feeling something in the last couple of days. That "popcorn" feeling that everyone talks about has been really prevalent on my right side. It kind of woke me up this morning. It's very neat, though, admittedly, kind of odd.

I got a "permission" note about attending Pre-Natal Yoga which starts in 2 weeks. I can't wait! I hope it doesn't kick my butt. I wouldn't normally feel that way, but I haven't excercised AT ALL since I've been pregnant :( So pathetic. I'm a former athelete who's ridiculously out of shape. So cliché .

Oh, and my weight this morning was 131. So, let's call my weight gain 7 lbs so far. I guess I can live with that.

4 days until vacation!!!! This time next week I'll be at the beach :)

16w4d

Weight

In my effort to try and post more...


I have a weird fear at my OB appointment tomorrow morning. 1) I'm afraid to get on their scale. I have to do it with all my clothes on and I know that adds at least 1.5-2lbs. 2) I'm afraid that the OB is going to tell me that I've gained far too much weight for 16 weeks and that I need to go on a diet.

I'm sure this is totally irrational as I'm not overweight, and I started off at a healthy weight (123/124), but having always been pretty slim, it's kind of weird to see the scale at 131/132 and not panic. I've gained about 7lbs so far this pregnancy and ALL of them have been in the last month! If I continue to gain 7lbs/month, I'm going to have gained nearly 50lbs! NOT okay. I'm really going to aim for more like 1lb/week. I think that's the going rate :)

I weighed around 100lbs if not less for my entire high school/college/grad school years. Just in the past 4-5 years, I've gained 20lbs, which actually put me at a healthy BMI as opposed to an underweight BMI (I'm 5'5"). I didn't want to get pregnant at an unhealthy weight, as I know it's not good for the baby. Now I think I am plenty "healthy."

And, not to be gross, but going to the bathroom (which really only happens 2-3x/week at the most) really helps out the weight situation! I'm going to take in just a little extra fiber today :)

16w3d

Comments - duh.

Ok, so I just TODAY realized that some of you are leaving comments. I really appreciate it, and it's really neat to know that I have some readers! I feel the love :) I am so sorry I didn't respond sooner!!!

I'll do my best to add more content as well!

16w

16 weeks and food poisoning scare!

I love Fridays! I gain a whole new week :)

First things first, here's what's going on with the chicken:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.














Less than 3 weeks until we found out the sex! I'm really leaning towards boy this week because of all the salty foods I've been craving. Last night, I had a snack of pickles and potato chips! I have no real inclination for sure, but that's just my guess. I can't wait to start feeling movements. I know they can take a few more weeks but I'd just love to feel something this week :)

So yeah, I had food poisoning last night for the SECOND time this pregnancy. I feel like such a bad parent :( It was just bad Thai food from a place we go to a lot. B was really sick too (he ended up passing out on the bathroom floor!) so I know for sure it was the food. The baby seems ok and I've listened to the heartbeat on the doppler twice so far today, and I am sure I will again.

My stomach feels ginormous. I swear it looks bigger in person:




















I'm starting to think I should wear something other than my PJ's when I take these pics ;)

16w