You're the size of a lil' {Grape}fruit (23 weeks)

According to Babycenter.com "With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her 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 her when she hears them outside the womb."

It's hard to believe that week 23 is already here!  There seems like there is so much to do and decide upon and the time is going to just fly by!  From taking additional time off after birth, to finding childcare and figuring out how to care for a child that will be our own (one that we just aren't babysitting for a few hours).....there are many things to consider.  I'm not stressed about any of it - but that may be because I'm preoccupied with creating a new website and organizing our state conference in January/February.

I'm definitely feeling more movements from our little one now.  Most active at breakfast and lunch time.  Then, I think she just naps the rest of the time or is done with her exercise. Either way, she's still being mostly quiet.  Speaking of which, we got a CD last week at our ultrasound.  I haven't had a chance to upload the images yet but here is one that we got printed out for us.  As a side note, these pics are WAY less creepy than the first 3D ultrasound pictures we got.  She now looks like a little human.....with a cute nose and high cheekbones.

As you can see, she is peacefully resting in there.

Apparently at this stage, I may be developing a "linea negra" (i.e. the delightful black line from my belly button).  And some people start to notice their belly button changing.  My belly button is still an innie and that hasn't popped out yet.

I drank the pregnancy Kool-Aid at work as did a handful of other teachers.  Some are due at the end of January and others are due mid-March and April.  Babies in our district are like buying a round of drinks for the entire bar.  Everyone gets one!

More and more people are noticing the pregnancy.  I have officially told the students about it - mostly because it's hard to hide the 15 pounds now....even under an apron and flowing shirts.  One student asked, "Mrs.Wilson, do you have any children?".  I replied, "Not yet.  Just the one growing in my uterus".  Most students didn't quite get the "bun in the oven" reference, considering they are Baking & Pastry class.  Most give a confused look or say "huh"?  

Anyway, not much more to report.  We put up the tree for Scottie Pippen birthday weekend hopefully we can get the crib up this coming weekend!  I'll post pics once we make some progress!

ALSO, I got sent a great Baby Puree book but it didn't indicate who it was from.  If it was you, let me know!  I can't wait to try those recipes!

You're a Spaghetti Squash! {22 weeks}

22 weeks and they say you are the size of a Spaghetti Squash.  According the babycenter.com "At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn... ".  Some websites say it's the size of a spaghetti squash, others the size of a doll.  What to Expect reports "Your little doll (who now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on that little head) is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. She can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body. And as her brain and nerve endings develop, she may reach for her face (or whatever she can reach) just to experiment with her newfound sense of touch."

We had an ultrasound on Friday - at 21 weeks and 5 days....so nearly 22 weeks.  And, in fact, our child is progressing well and is on track.  Popeye is 15 ounces, just shy of a pound (or a pack of bacon if you are bad with weights).  The ultrasound technician took a lot of measurements on the head, heart, torso, etc.  I'm assuming it helps determine how the baby is progressing but she really didn't go into detail about the measurements.  We were able to watch the blood flow into the heart chambers in a cross sectional view.  We saw Popeye move a little bit....most of the time moving the arms to poise them on the face.  Popeye has the hiccups which is pretty common amongst growing babies.  It was fun to watch the tiny body react to hiccups.

Unlike the first 3D ultrasound picture, this one was WAY less creepy.  This little fetus has gone from  an alien like, forearm/leg bulging Popeye to look like a mini child resting peacefully in there.    From the ultrasound the uterus looks like it's a cramped, over-filled room with little space to move.  At only 22 weeks, while I know the space will expand but with it - the baby.  It's no wonder why babies aren't a fan of leaving the womb after spending so much damn time in there.  Sunglasses and swaddle blankets may be our key to keep our tiniest one happy.

Yes - I know you are dying to know if we haven't told you yet - but we were able to find out the sex of Popeye.  Before I tell you though, I will say that G and I were just so happy that the doctor said everything was progressing perfectly and we were actually kind of boring (in my opinion, that's the best pregnancy compliment we could receive!).  She said they are not able to determine every anomaly at birth but they were could definitely see if there would be problems with the vital organs and other apparent issues through measurements and blood tests.   While we were eager to know the gender of Popeye, we were just so relieved to hear that Pop was doing okay in there.

The ultrasound tech determined we are having a girl!  We'll post the picture later but most of you reading this will need more of an interpretation of what the picture is actually showing. 

G sent out a quick email to a few folks to let them know of our news.   "Shawna's still trying to figure out how to deal with girly things…sooooo I'm sure we'll end up with frilliest princess in the land. We're beginning a pink purge in the house starting….now." I've always told G that I would never know what to do with a princess.....the ruffles, the tiaras, the plastering of pink.  I'll admit - I even wore a tutu when I was little, having been in ballet for like 8 years.  It was great for balance and fluidity but the time came to find a more.......aggressive sport.  We'll love our little one regardless of how much pink she loves.  But, I do want to share an email we got from one of our friends in response to G's initial email.

YAY!  This kid is going to be so amazing!  And about all that pink stuff...

A) Remember that Pink herself is a BADASS!

B) Balance is key 

C) Princesses can be pretty tough - 

D) Just remember who her mom is - 

E) Just remember who her dad is ...

Somehow these images make me a little more confident our little one can be pink and be a warrior. 

Some people have asked about our registry....so I figured I'd share it here.
Amazon Registry: 
http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/2S6F76Y73QSHQ

Babies R Us:   
 http://www.toysrus.com/registry/link/index.jsp?overrideStore=TRUS&registryNumber=51445969#.UnG3pLKuKDY.gmail 

Target Registry:   
http://www.target.com/baby/registry/vRkWxMViDbjXd8M4rkDbZQ

You're the size of a Pomegranate! (21 weeks)

The big week is finally here - the ultrasound is on Friday!!!!  I'm eager to learn if we'll be having a boy or girl but above and beyond anything else, I just want Popeye to be healthy.

On Friday after our ultrasound, we are heading back to WI for a wedding.  I'm sure we'll have plenty of hours to discuss names....but will we tell you the name we select?  I don't know.

This whole pregnancy thing is a little surreal.  I keep asking the doctor if there is really still a baby in there.  Every time, he says yes.  But there are all these websites with suggestions, ideas, and timelines.  I just approach it as taking it day by day and knowing this baby will do what it wants when it wants. Take, for instance, the time when people first feel their baby move.  I may have mentioned in the previous blog that people feel their baby move well before 20 weeks.  Not me and I was just certain Popeye had a little bit of Grant in him/her and was relaxing.  No sense in doing gymnastics in utero when he/she could just relax and enjoy the growing period.  But at over 21 weeks, I *think I felt Popeye move last Thursday night as I laid on my stomach in the middle of the night.  It surely wasn't just digestion or butterflies...it was more pronounced.  Probably the first time when I felt like I was actually pregnant or had a sign (other than an ultrasound picture) that I was pregnant.  I've been so incredibly fortunate that this pregnancy has been easy on me so far.  That just probably means that the labor will not be easy....maybe I'll get my mom's 2 hours and done labor.  I'll hope for that but realize I may have better chances at winning the lottery.

Then, today (Monday), after a cup of coffee - I felt a couple of strong knocks on my stomach.  And at various points today, I felt like Popeye was hiccuping, which is supposed to be a pretty standard experience.  I'm still waiting for a punch in the gut....might need to wait a few more weeks for that kind of activity!

My mom and Aunt Kay came into town this weekend to visit.  They got to see our new house for the first time and the beginnings of the nursery.  We had a great time being together and going out to eat for lunch and dinner.  They shared stories of birthing children and child rearing.

Kay brought lil Popeye a few items - CDs, wood blocks, and a book.  We went shopping Saturday and my mom bought me my first two pairs of maternity jeans - one black and one blue -  and they are basically fancy leggings. They fit like a dream and I can only hope my tummy is the only thing that grows in the next 19 weeks so that I can still fit in the pants!  Maybe it's time that G and I get ourselves to the gym to make sure I can still fit in those pants!

My favorite clothes: Leggings, long shirts, boots....and scarves.  (Notice: this is not any different than my normal favorite clothes at this point).

Definitely showing a baby bump.

I do wonder what this child will be like, look like, act like.  Will it have G's charismatic personality? His Gandalf height?  His convincing speech?  Or will it luck out with my porcelain skin, intensity or my complete inability to use idioms correctly?  Who knows?  I can't wait to see what characteristics have been put into our little creature!

One thing is for sure....I don't want a jumbo baby.  Have you seen the new Nationwide commercial recently with the oversized baby?  We are hoping our baby isn't this big!

Over and out.