Month 8

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

How far along? 34 weeks
Maternity clothes? Aren't even long enough
Sleep: Isn't happening
Best moment this week: Knowing my shower is only a day away!
Movement: Hmmm... he must be running out of room. The bounces and kicks of yesterday have turned into stretches and rolls.
Food cravings: Anything cold.
Labor Signs: Bh & contractions
Belly Button in or out? Very pointy these days...
What I miss: Not having back pain.
What I am looking forward to: My shower tomorrow.
Weekly Wisdom: Put your feet up, a lot. Again
Milestones: We've made is another week!

How far along? 32 weeks
Maternity clothes? Duh
Sleep: Sucks, period.
Best moment this week: The glider is painted!
Movement: Lots of jumps and rolls
Food cravings: None.
Labor Signs: Tons of BH and some sucky contractions
Belly Button in or out? Still out.
What I miss: My ankles
What I am looking forward to: Meeting my lil' man.
Weekly Wisdom: If you think something isn't right, it probably isn't.
Milestones: Made it through a night in L&D without anyone thinking I was crazy.

How far along? 28 weeks
Maternity clothes? Eh, I need some new shirts...
Sleep: HA! Hilarious...
Best moment this week: Seeing how much bigger Jacob's gotten and getting pictures of his sweet little face!
Movement: There must be a bounce house in there...
Food cravings: None.
Labor Signs: Just BH
Belly Button in or out? Out!
What I miss: Sleep.
What I am looking forward to: Still waiting to get our glider stained... STILL, ahem.
Weekly Wisdom: Put your feet up, a lot.
Milestones: We've made it to the third trimester!

Whoa Baby!

Here's Jacob at 28 weeks! What a difference from 17 weeks, huh?

7 Months and Counting!

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

And how are you doing?

How far along? 26 weeks
Maternity clothes? I can still pull of some old shirts
Sleep: Sucks, period.
Best moment this week: Playing with the babe through my tummy.
Movement: I feel him all day long :D
Food cravings: None. Eating is becoming a chore.
Labor Signs: No true ones get, but a ton of BH.
Belly Button in or out? On it's way out!
What I miss: Not tossing and turning at night
What I am looking forward to: Still waiting to get our glider stained...
Weekly Wisdom: Put your feet up, a lot.
Milestones: This is the last week of the second trimester

I can't believe this is the last week of the second trimester! Only 11 weeks until the babe is full term, crazy huh?

Last Week of Second Tri!

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. Your growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time your baby is born, he will assume the typical newborn's plumpness. Your baby's skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out.

Finger and toe nails continue to grow.

Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus.

Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

Even though it is still way too soon for your baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks
Maternity clothes? I can still pull of some old shirts
Sleep: Only for a few hours at a time, but I can still sleep on my side/belly.
Best moment this week: Lying in our pool
Movement: I feel him all day long :D
Food cravings: Oranges
Labor Signs: A lot of BH
Belly Button in or out? Half way out
What I miss: Being able to stand for long periods of time, esp. at night.
What I am looking forward to: Getting our glider stained
Weekly Wisdom: It's not going to get any easier from here
Milestones: Only one week left in the second trimester!

Lucky Me

Week 25

I can't believe we're already at 25 weeks!

Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery. Keep up the fabulous work mama! This week they’ll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during their birth. Their head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal.

Drumroll

We've picked a name!

Jacob Thomas will be here by mid August!

I love this little guy.

24 weeks

Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

Also, this week marked my V-Day. The point at which a pregnancy is now viable. At 24 weeks Baby B has a 36% of survival in the event he would be born now. It's a scary thought that a baby would be born at only 24 weeks (even though so many babies are each year) but it's a great milestone to reach knowing that from here on out, Baby B has a chance to be a healthy little guy.

So here's to V-Day, although Momma wants her little man to stay in his comfy home for at least another 13 weeks.

Banana Boy

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Big Ultrasound Pictures

We didn't get any great pictures of our little boy's face since he was upside down, and facing my back... but we did confirm that everything looked great. Saw the four chambers of his heart and measured his brain. Everything looked wonderful. I was a little suprised that the u/s tech didn't seem to be looking at each and every organ (or maybe she was) but the Dr. said everything looked fine, so that's good enough for me!

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs
Maternity clothes? Almost all maternity clothes
Stretch marks? No new ones
Sleep: Is exhausting
Best moment this week: Seeing the baby again today and knowing he's doing a-ok in there.
Movement: I feel him all day long :D
Food cravings: None
Gender: Still a boy!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Can flat be an option?
What I miss: The ability to get things done around the house.
What I am looking forward to: Putting the dresser and bookshelf in the baby's room
Weekly Wisdom: People will touch your belly, even if you ask them not to.
Milestones: We're at the halfway point!!!

Half Way There

I can't believe we're half way there already! We had our "big" ultrasound today and Baby B is still a boy, Whew! All of his parts looks great, floating around upside down in there, AND he's measuring ahead of my original EDD still so August 15 is a better EDD. Although he could come any time between the first week of July (37 weeks) and last week of August (42 weeks).

I'm really starting to feel him kick and jab now everyday, which is fantastic. We're less than 4 weeks from our V-day, too. Woot!

19 weeks

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Around 8 lbs...
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants and the same 'ol shirts
Stretch marks? No new ones
Sleep: Comes and goes
Best moment this week: Hearings the babe's HB
Movement: No change
Food cravings: Salty
Gender: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Almost flat!
What I miss: Sleeping and running
What I am looking forward to: Our "big" u/s next week
Weekly Wisdom: Get your rest... willingly. Because your body is going to make you rest whether you like it or not.
Milestones: We've picked a name... I think.

Showers

Ugh. Honestly, the most stressful part of any celebration is a shower. My wedding shower was so stressful and I'm starting to dread my baby showers. Hub's family wants me to travel to their state so that they may throw me a shower. Novel idea but I only know a hand-full of people up there and I know it's going to be more than just the few I know. They are the kind of people who invite everyone they've ever known to anything they host.

Not to mention that Dh's aunt felt the liberty to make very clear only moments after I gushed "oh that's lovely for you to want to throw us a shower", "Well it's really not for you, it's more for us since we didn't get to give you anything for your wedding."
... umm actually you could have sent us something for our wedding but you, and most of my IL's didn't. Instead my MIL called and reamed me for an email he ex-husband wrote her about not forcing us to have flowers at our rehearsal dinner and that he'd like to help pay for part of it (from what I gathered...). All of this while she knew I was at my grandmother's funeral (I only answered since I thought she was calling to say she was sorry about the news... boy was I wrong) and then my parent's dis-invited her... 7 weeks before our wedding. Awesome. I re-invited her, via email, 4 weeks before our wedding and she thinks everything is all better. No, nothing is 'better' I did it so my husband wouldn't have to feel guilty for the rest of her life.

Anyway...

The thought of flying (which I'll have to do before 30w) is freaking me out a bit, and driving isn't an option since it's 9 hours away... on a good day... with no stops. I've also decided that if my husband can't go with me to the shower, that I would let them know I was bringing a female friend/sister/whoever to join me since there is no way I'm going alone.

DH mentioned that it would be 'worth it' since his family buys "expensive gifts" and doesn't "go off registries". Um, actually that's exactly what I don't want to happen. We aren't sharing the name, which we've mention already, although some people seem to ignore that and keep asking for the name "for monogramming purposes". So I can't imagine what people would want to get us since they can't monogram/engrave/emboss/whatever... whatever $100 silver rattle they buy. I don't expect gifts, but if someone would like to get us something, I would love for it to be something I'm actually going to use. I'm not the kind of person that will take out the crap people get us for holidays or pictures. I don't need 25 blankets with our last name on it, but I could really use a pack of wipes...

Countdown

I can't wait to see the babe again! It'll be such a relief to know he's growing and developing just like he should. Just 2 more weeks!

Stolen

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 8 lbs
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants and the same 'ol shirts
Stretch marks? Little ones on my hips, may have more to do with the 15 pounds I gained after my wedding...
Sleep: Sucks more each night
Best moment this week: Feeling baby kick from the outside
Movement: He's more active at night, but nothing predictable, yet
Food cravings: Anything salty, which has lead to me being swollen for the last week
Gender: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? It's off the muscle now, but still in
What I miss: Sleeping
What I am looking forward to: Week 24
Weekly Wisdom: Do not spring clean while pregnant, it will kick you in the ass in the morning
Milestones: We're 5 months now!

So sweet...

Hi son! You're now the size of my favorite side item. A sweet potato. I started hanging up your little clothes this week since you have so many now. Only 17 more days until we see you again!

Week 17

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

In less than a month we're half way there. Well since "full term" is 37 weeks, we're only a week away! So crazy how fast, yet so slow this is going. I'm starting to really feel Baby B jab around in there.

I'm already starting to think about the nursery, even though my mother swears that Italians do not put up the nursery until the baby is home. Sounds like a lot of work with a baby if you ask me. But those were the days when your mother and mil would come spends weeks with you and clean your house and set up your nursery... I don't think so. I told my mother I wouldn't set up... the crib. My dad can do that while I'm in the hospital if it makes her feel better.

It's a...

BOY! It's a stubborn, won't let us get a good face shot boy! I was soo sure it was a boy from the very beginning but I was in shock when today she confirmed it. Here are some pictures from today's ultrasound...





... AND since the baby was so stubborn I get to go back in the morning and try for better face shots!

Salsa Anyone?

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

Gender you say? We'll we're going to do just that on Friday :)

Florida Baby

EEK! Baby is nearing the end of week 15!

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

14 weeks!

It's crazy to me that baby is already around 3.5 inches long.

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.



Aw! Keep growing baby!

What's in a name?

Ahh. Only three more weeks until we find out if Baby B is a boy or a girl. We're so excited. Suddenly, I've become panicked about the names we've picked out and have gone on a crazed hunt to find new ones that I love. DH picked Benjamin Mason for a boy. (Which is a huge surprise, because he was set on the boy's name) and I can't pick a girls name I like. I'm afraid that we'll be ready for a boy and in three weeks, we'll hear "it's a girl!". But I'm also afraid that I'll spend the next three weeks picking out girls names and it'll be a boy. Better get crackin'

Woot!

Our doppler came today! Baby B's heart rate was around 150 bpm. It was nice to hear that everything is going well in there! I can't wait for DH to get home to hear it too!

What a day already...

My mom called me this morning to tell me she and my father are driving to South Florida this morning. My dad's high school friend, and close friend of our family, is having brain surgery this morning. Brain surgery. Completely out of the blue. He's had headaches for years and turns out there is a cyst in his brain. So they dx him last night and are operating this afternoon. Scary. My prayers are with him.

On a happy note...
Our doppler was one city away as of last night so now I'm waiting for the mail like a kid at Christmas.

AW!

Hematologist Update

*Looks* like everything went well. The Dr. said I was 'lightly' anemic. I have to go back in a month to see if I have the Von Willebrands factor. :/

I guess we'll see.

Woot! 13 w 3d!

Well I'm officially in the 2nd tri now according to everyone! It's really surreal how fast we're here. Thursday we're going to a nice dinner to celebrate! Mmm crab cakes. My sister's best friend is due at the end of August so I'm glad I have someone IRL to go through this with.

Yay, second tri! We're officially 1/3 of the way there :)

"Shipped"

The Mr. bought us a doppler to listen to Baby B's HB since he probably won't go to anymore appointments (except for the big u/s!). He checked last night and it said it had already shipped. I can't wait.

Princess Peach?

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Oh baby, this week you're daddy's favorite fruit. And although the thought of peaches usually turn my stomach, I've never been so excited to have one!

Whoa baby!

First off may I say that my fears about not seeing a whole lot of difference from the 11 week scan and the 12 week scan was not an issue. At all.

We found out on Tuesday that baby was measuring 12w 4d instead of 12w 1d! Two measurements were at 12w 4d and one (when the baby was balled up...) was 12w 2d. Either way the babe is a growing machine! My LMP said I would have been 12w on Tuesday but my OB said we're more like 12w 3d. We're now at August 15th, the day before the Mr's 29th birthday, which is a lovely jump from our first EDD at August 20th. Looks like August is going to be a busy month.

At any rate we got two amazing pictures of the babe and I've been staring at them wondering if I would be able to tell is the baby will be were pink or blue. Hmmm... I cannot wait. Really. So here(s)he is, in all his 12w 3d(ish) glory!

Milestone Day: 12 weeks!

Development:

This uses actual developmental stages to divide up a pregnancy. From LMP to 12 weeks the embryo develops all the major organs and becomes a fetus. From 12 weeks to 27 weeks the fetus continues developing and reaches viability. From 27 weeks on the fetus finishes development and prepares for delivery. Here the second trimester begins at 12w 0d and the third at 27w 0d.

Here we are 12 weeks. Which means Baby B is entering 2nd Tri and we're ready to spend the next 15 weeks with you!

The baby is a swimmer!

I had a surprise u/s today. I went in to check for a cyst or something that could be the cause of this crazy, sharpshooter pain I've had for four days. I was sitting on the ever-so-comfortable examine table donned in my so sexy white napkin and the midwife walks in and says "I thought I'd see her in the sono room..."

Awesome. I reminded her I had my NT scan in less than a week, but hell, who turns down a sono? Especially one the Dr. says is "necessary".

I can't put into words how incredibly shocked I was when I saw the baby. He was MOVING. Flipping and kicking and waving his arms. Moving. It was nuts. She gave me two pictures taken within seconds and you can see the baby was kicking.

I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to see a big difference between the u/s at 8 weeks and 12 weeks (which OMG there was) but now I have another u/s at about 12 weeks and I'm thinking I won't be seeing a whole ton of growth. We'll see I guess.

So here he is, at 11 weeks 3 days! Keep growing babe!

Happy 11 Weeks!

Happy 11 weeks to you, Baby Bee! The babe is growing like crazy now and we'll get to see for ourselves on Tuesday. I'm actually starting to get nervous about the u/s next week. I want the baby to be perfect and healthy, but who doesn't? The waiting is what's kicking my ass. Today when I was telling my mom about the scan I realized that it was in a mere week. Come on Tuesday.

Hello second tri, goodbye hips

I'm only a week and a half from 2nd tri and low and behold I'm already losing my patience, losing my mind and losing my hips.

Now I know that sounds crazy but I am. Apparently my body is making room for another person and quite frankly (s)he's got a lot of shit. Just when my belly bloat, aka beer belly, started to slim down my hips, aka love handles (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), have started to take on a life of their own.

I hear this means it's a girl. ;)

Not that me and Mr. wouldn't be trilled with either but comeon' how fun are little girls? You know before the puberty and drama?

Either way, Mr. thinks it's funny to "tease" me by asking if the ultrasound tech was sure she didn't miss twins.

Hilarious. Really.

New Blog

Isn't it lovely?

Baby Prune

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

I had my finger stick for our NT scan in two weeks. It's crazy how much a finger stick stings! We get to see Baby B in less than two weeks!!! I'm so excited to see him/her looking like a real baby. :) Grow baby, grow!

Baby Raspberry

Yay Baby Monkey! You're growing fast!

We switched OB's yesterday since my previous one was no returning calls and the office was "forgetting" to reschedule appointments and instead letting their OB patients wait for a "1 and a half hour back up to clear up." Phst, yeah right.

My new OB office is amazing. They have three OB's and three midwives to rotate so you almost never have to wait for your Dr. to finish delivering a baby. Also, their office is in the actual hospital so that's really a no brainer for us.

We got to see Baby B again today. It's amazing the difference between the almost 7 week picture and the 8 week picture. He actually looks like a little person now instead of a blob. Baby measured 8w 2d today when only 8 days ago he was measuring 6w 6d. I think that the first u/s tech just didn't get the best picture to measure, and at 7 weeks(ish) the baby is sooo small, it's gotta be hard to tell when you have him all on the screen... at any rate the hb was in the 160s today (last week it was 140), so we're happy about that, too!




We scheduled our NT scan for 2/3 so we will get to see Baby B at 12 weeks, too! I've seen some other girls 12 week u/s and they are really amazingly different so we're really excited about that one too!

Our big u/s will be around 18 weeks and I believe we have another u/s around 26 weeks to measure baby. Not to mention that our awesome OB does 3D/4D u/s between 28-32 weeks, too. So we'd like to get those as well.

I feel really lucky that we are getting so many opportunities to see the baby.

Two months down, only 4w 5d until we're in 2nd tri!

Baby's first photo shoot!

Baby B measured almost right on (6w 6d) and his HB was 140. Such a relief seeing that little heart beating :). Now just 6 weeks to go until 2nd tri!