Monday, February 22, 2010

Week 25

This week has been super busy, and I'm more than a little behind on this post, so I'm going to make it short and sweet.

Mom
Mom is definitely feeling pregnant!  Between a belly that is finally getting in the way (check out the belly shots post) and the near constant attack on my abdomen, there is no doubting the condition I'm in!  The only downside is the continued pregnancy insomnia.  Yes, I know when the baby comes he will keep me up all night, but it would be great if he could wait another 3 months before he starts!!

Baby
Baby is continuing to put on weight and growing in length.  His hands are fully formed and this week he can begin to master instinctual gross motor skills such as grasping.  With a rapidly developing brain, he will continue to explore his surroundings by touch.
The nostrils (which have been plugged until now) have opened and baby has taken the next step to prepare his lungs by truly 'breathing' in amniotic fluid to open up the sacs.
Also developing this week are the spinal structures.  Although we have been able to see the 'spine' in ultrasounds before now, the individual joints and ligaments are all coming together this week.

Belly Shots

**Updated** - updated 4/5
I know! They are finally here!  I will admit, I didn't do a great job taking photos every few weeks, but hopefully we have a good summary here.

9 weeks



12 weeks





14 weeks


18 weeks
 
 



21 weeks 


25 weeks
 

27.5 weeks



31 weeks



** And yes... I know they say to take a picture wearing the same outfit each time... but can any of you see me wearing the same thing twice!?!   You are lucky I posted the pj pictures!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Week 24

Mom
This week is more of the same for Mom.  Getting used to the extra weight and shift in my center of balance would be trying even if I wasn't already a klutz!  The 'baby bump' has officially become a 'pregnant belly' and although I've managed to avoid strangers touching me so far, I know it will happen in the near future!  I'm currently trying to think up ways to keep people outside of my personal space area, but I know that having a large belly is basically like wearing a 'please touch me' sign, isn't it?

Dad
Dad is the only person so far that has the free invitation to touch the belly.  Someone touching my belly can usually feel the baby moving or kicking, but for some reason our little guy settles down as soon as Dad's hand gets close.  We will have to try with some of our other visitors that are due over the coming weeks!     

Mom and Dad
We bought baby books this week!  Up until now, most of my reading on 'what to expect' has come from the internet.  But with some time to kill before date night this weekend, we decided to stop by the bookstore for some reading materials.  We are now reading up on labor and birth as we feel that we are pretty well-versed on pregnancy itself at this point.  And the Hollywood preconceptions about childbirth are quickly being shattered for a more realistic understanding of what bringing a baby into the world will really be like.

Baby
Baby is continuing to grow this week weighing close to 1.5 pounds and nearing the 12" mark (about the length of an ear of corn). Space is starting to become cramped and most of the forward rolls have come to an end. (Only to be replaced with punches and kicks). The facial features are fully formed, as are all of the internal organs.  That means that the baby would become officially 'viable' outside of Mom if born at this stage (but we will take the next 14-18 weeks to make him bigger and cuter first!).  The lungs have begun to secrete 'surfactant' and the baby is breathing in the amniotic fluid to inflate the lungs and prepare for the outside world.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Ultrasound Video

Check out the video from our most recent Ultrasound.  Please be warned that some of it is locating and labeling different parts - and he's sleeping, so not a lot of action!!  Try this link if the video doesn't load (it may take a few minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAU6-xAzbb8

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Week 23

Time flies!! 5 months completed, and working our way through the last month of the second trimester. 

A big shout-out to all those people who have already been so generous with offers for things for our little guy - we feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Mom
Emotions have been running high this week.  Those pregnancy hormones that are responsible for irritability and quickly changing emotions have really kicked in.  It also doesn't help that the baby continues to party from 10pm to 2am each night! But sacrificing sleep is something that I don't foresee changing over the next few years, so I might as well get used to it!  I think I mentioned that weight gain should be somewhere around 15 lbs at 5 months and I am just shy of that with a grand total of 14lbs.  That means that I weigh more at this very moment than I ever have in my entire life, but Kirk has been overly supportive telling me how beautiful my growing belly is. 
I do enjoy the excuse to enjoy my sweets, but I will be cutting back on the sugary foods somewhat for the remainder of the pregnancy and trying to bulk up on fruits and veggies. I am also really looking forward to starting a pre-natal exercise program over the coming weeks.  Weight gain is good for the baby, but I'd like to try to stay in that recommended 25-35lb range.

Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad started the baby registry this weekend!! Somewhat stressful considering neither of us has ever bought (or really researched) baby bottles, diapers, strollers, car seats... etc.... etc....  It was quite a learning experience, but I think we are off to a good start.   And picking out a stroller really makes things real for us!

Baby
Baby boy officially weighs 1lb 3oz this week! I can hardly believe how much he has grown! (And another 6-8 lbs still to go!!) We were not able to get an official 'length' as he has now grown too large to measure on ultrasound.  But he is laying head down with his feet in my ribs, so I'm guessing that his length is somewhere around 11 or 12 inches.   We had a full anatomy scan this week and were able to see his perfectly developing organs, arms, legs and toes.  A little camera shy (and sleeping during the scan!) we were not able to get a peek at the soon to be chubby cheeks and little nose, but we are convinced that he will be absolutely adorable.I learned that the majority of the movements I've been feeling over the last few weeks are the baby's head, hands, and arms - practicing a baseball swing maybe?