Week #27

This week the baby is a 

Rutabaga

At 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, she's not just getting bigger, she's getting smarter. Baby is practising inhaling and exhaling with her rapidly developing lungs getting ready to breath outside the womb. It's official: Baby's showing brain activity! And her brain will keep on getting more complex.

Total weight gain/loss: A lot

Maternity clothes: Yes and Jason's t shirts at night.  Poor guy is going to run out with me and the kids taking his shirts to sleep in!

Stretch marks: Yup. On my tummy and on my breasts.

Sleep:  Doing OK.  I am still very tired and need a lot of sleep.  The pain is not keeping me up as much :)

Best moment this week: Being done with the glucose tolerance test.

Movement: Lots of movement. As a bonus any time I start to worry the baby moves!

Food cravings: Eggs Omelets in the morning, egg salad sandwich.  And doughnuts on Friday though I did manage to avoid actually eating them.  I went to Moes instead...

Symptoms: lower back and hip pain still mostly at night or when o sit down just not when I sit to work. Getting up from reading to the kids is very pain full so I try to read in my room then have them walk to their rooms so I don't have to get up.

Gender: Thinking boy now due to the size.

Labor Signs: Hope fully not for at least 11 more weeks.

Belly Button in or out: flat

What I miss: gardening, bending and also getting up from squatting with out difficulty.

What I am looking forward to: summer and being more active.

Weekly Wisdom: Do what you can soon even that may be to hard but don't give up every thing either.

Milestones: The glucose test -the drink was as awful as I remember if not worse.

Feelings:  Mixed and chaotic. I have had a few bad times but am mostly happy if not worried.

Seeing the baby move

Today Evelyn and William got to see the baby move in my belly for the first time. As I was reading them a bed time story the baby started moving a lot. Rather than putting their hands on my belly as I normally do, I told them to watch.  I could see as soon as Evelyn saw the movement as her eyes lit up and she smiled.  William had a similar reaction immediately starting to define what he saw.  I love having them so excited.

Week #24

This week the baby is a 

Cantaloupe! Your 10.5-to-11.8-inch fetus weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces and every week she gets closer and closer to being ready to survive (and thrive!) in the outside world.  At week 24, baby's progress is no longer just about internal stuff, it's about her looks too. With pinker, more opaque skin, she's looking more and more, well, like a baby. You, on the other hand, are probably experiencing some of the discomforts of the later months of pregnancy at week 24 -- leg cramps, backaches, swollen feet.

Total weight gain/loss: 8 lbs in 4 weeks seems a bit much maybe I can give up the decaff and omelette and go with tea and Yogurt with Granola.

Maternity clothes: I even need to switch my underwear at this point!

Stretch marks: Not that I can see.

Sleep: I have more energy during the day but am exhausted by the time the kids are in bed.  I am getting up more to go to the bathroom and still with some pain.

Best moment this week:

Movement: There seem to be lulls when i am active but the baby is moving well and always seems to realize when I am nervous as he or she moves when I need him/her to.

Food cravings: Omelettes in the morning though I'm not sure this is a craving right now so much as a habit, Yogurt and Granola, cookies though I am staying away from the latter reasonably well.
Symptoms: Hip pain though it is abating a little bit maybe because I have been more active.  Some trouble sleeping and swollen ankles already.

Gender: I don't know!!!

Belly Button in or out: Flat

What I miss: Running though I may start a little bit again. I have started to walk at lunch and am hoping for more exercise as well.

What I am looking forward to: Holding my baby.

Weekly Wisdom: Slowing down is fine just don't let yourself stop.

Milestones: Reaching viability! Not that I want the baby to come out now but being here is a good feeling.

Feelings: Prone to depressive bouts still but a little better than I was.  I was a bit surprised by the weight gain this week and will try a few modifications.

Too quiet

Today the baby has been too quiet maybe because I've been so busy and stressed trying to get stuff done at work. It just seemed like the baby does not want to move around too much today. I keep reminding myself that because the placenta is in front I will be feeling the movements a little less certainly little differently. I still like the reassurance of the moments. 

After the kids are in bed I grabbed some ice cream. I think the baby likes the ice cream because now she or he is doing aerobics. I feel a little better now time to go to sleep. Good night.

Seeing the baby move

I looked down as the baby was kicking me this afternoon and i could actually see my belly move with the big kicks!  Talk about a big distraction!

Don't laugh at pregnant women.

This morning Jason kissed the baby good morning and noticed my belly button and didn't know what it was, or rather it took him a minute to figure out what it was.  Despite me hitting him with a pillow f few times he persisted until at last I thought he had gotten over his humor.  Unfortunately he decided instead of trying to stop laughing he would crack a joke about my belly button about how he thought it was a mole that had been removed until he figured it out - starting the laughing all over again.  After hitting him with the pillow again i gave up and got in the shower.  What a way to start the day...

:(

Week #23

This week the baby is a 

Grapefruit! At about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces, baby's not just getting bigger, (s)he's getting even cuter.  At 23 weeks, baby’s really getting ready for her big debut, listening in on what’s going on in the outside world.  The kids were excited to learn that the baby can hear them!

Total weight gain/loss:

Stretch marks: Not unless they are hiding under my belly...

Sleep: Still need a lot but getting better as time goes on.

Best moment this week: Aunt Sarah coming into town even though the baby was being stubborn and stopped kicking every time I put her hand on my belly.

Movement: Getting more regular though it is hard to feel when I am active on the weekends.  Also because the placenta is in the front the kicks I feel are all low or on the sides which is interesting.

Food cravings: Chocolate chip cookies, though I still have not had them.

Symptoms: Hip pain and swollen ankles.

Gender: I'm teetering between boy and girl, I still think the baby is a girl but since it was so big at the last ultrasound maybe it is a boy.  And Jason thinks it is a boy and he didn't look away at the ultrasound so maybe he saw something...

Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out: Flat, already.

What I miss: I miss playing with the kids with out thinking - am i going to get kicked in the stomach.  or can i get through that with out getting stuck....  I miss exercising with abandon.

What I am looking forward to: Having a lower level of anxiety.  I feel like I am focused on all of the wrong things. And am trying to focus on the here and now instead of what was or what may occur.

Weekly Wisdom:  Live in the moment.

Milestones: No big milestones this week.

Feelings: Depressed, Anxious but determined and excited.