Weeks 25/26

I am officially less than 100 days away from my due date (99 days to go)! The baby continues to grow and so does my stomach.  I have been waking up at the regular time of 4:30am and the baby is moving and shaking.  Even though this is really early in the morning, I love this time.  I get to lay in bed and have a few smiles and laughs with the baby.  The other night, the baby was moving so forcefully that I grabbed Dan's hand while he was sleeping and put it on my stomach.  The baby woke him up too!  These are the moments that I will cherish forever.

The baby is measuring around 13.6- to 14.8-inch and 1.5- to 2.5-pound range.  Within the next week baby will be opening his/her eyes and growing eye lashes.  Also, the baby is starting to understand which way is up and down.  While the baby is enjoying his/her new sense of equilibrium, I am losing my center of gravity and balance.  I need to hold on to the wall or Dan when putting on boots.  I feel as though I am constantly dropping things that I thought were secure in my hand! 

The baby is also growing hair these weeks.  There is an old myth that states "women who have acid reflex/heartburn during pregnancy will have babies with full head of hair".(John Hopkins did research in 2007 and confirmed the myth).  I am convinced our baby is going to have a full head of hair.  The baby has put me on a fairly strict diet these past few weeks.  Basically, I am on a sugar-free diet.  About a month ago, I noticed that when I ate chocolate, acid would back up in my throat and cause my throat to be on fire.  I took chocolate out of my diet...done!  Oh not really...I ate a cinnamon roll a few Sundays ago and the same thing happened, fire in my throat.  This past Saturday and Sunday, I ate a few starburst jelly beans and mike n Ike's..bam, fire in my throat.  I gave up sweets for one day this past week to see if that was really the case and I had a great day...no acid reflex.  I really wonder if this child is Dan and mine because Dan LOVES candy! Everyone knows that about him.  I, on the other hand, really like chocolate and typically need a small piece of chocolate after a meal.  There is something about chocolate that makes you feel satisfied.  I am going to have to resort to fruits to get that "sweet after dinner" satisfaction.  This may be a good practice for my post pregnancy diet!

Highlights of week 25/26:

• The nursery is ready to paint.  I need to make a decisions so we can get this done.  I have found bedding for both gender's that match different wall color. Why do I make this so difficult for myself!
• Car seat has arrived.  I can almost picture our little baby in the car seat, taking him/her home for the first time!
• I planned on buying three girl sleepers and three boy sleepers to bring to the hospital.  I ordered three girl sleepers and one boy sleeper the other week.  The package came in the mail this week.  All the outfits are so cute and little!  I just need to purchase 2 more boys and we are set...for now :)
• I am still getting cramps in my calves once or twice a week during the night.  I have not figured out what is causing this as I have increased my water intake and eating two bananas a day!
• I continue to be able to walk about 2.5 miles 4-5 times a week.  I am thankful that I am able to continue this throughout my pregnancy.

Looking forward to...

• Passing my glucose test on Friday, March 29th
• Ordering baby room furniture within the next two weeks!

I hope all is well with everyone who reads this!  Dan and I hope you have a wonderful week and are able to spend time with family and friends to remember Jesus' death and celebrate his resurrection. 

"...Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.  Because he lives, All fear is gone.  Because I know, he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives"

Happy Easter!

Week 24

We have made it to a very important week...viability! 

I can definitely tell the baby is getting stronger and growing.  The past few weeks I can't believe how much the baby is moving.  I read that most babies sleep 12-14 hours a day but I am not so sure about our baby.  There is a lot of wiggles and kicks and some days I am pretty sure  there is a dance party inside of me!  It has been a lot of fun for Dan.  He has felt the baby almost every day this past week!  The downside to all this movement is that it starts a round 4:30am in the morning.  I am very thankful for the twists and squirms but a little nervous about what this means when the baby is born.  Dan is already trying to come up with a plan to train baby while inside of me. Good luck with that!

The baby is a size of a cantaloupe and I can definitely tell.  My stomach feels as like it is growing by the day.  Dan reassures me that it is OK but isn't that what he is suppose to say?  When it is your first pregnancy, I would hope most women could agree that a growing belly is a little hard to get use to.  You don't have anything to compare to, you see the scale go up by more than 1lbs here/there and clothes don't fit the way you thought they were going to.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have it any other way, but that is the honest truth. 

Week 24 :

• Leg Cramps:  I have been waking the past few nights with awful cramps in my calves.  I have started eating 2 bananas a day and 12-16 glasses of water.  I am hoping this will alleviate the cramping that is happening at night.
• Reading:  I have been reading a book and bible story out loud to the baby before bed.  It is crazy how the baby starts moving when he/she hears my voice.  I am completely in love!  We have been reading a few of my favorite books & we are up to Joseph and the colorful coat Bible story:
• A Bedtime Kiss for Chester by Audrey Penn
• A Pocket Full of Kisses  by Audrey Penn
• The Kissing Hand  by Audrey Penn
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
• Tales of Peter Rabbit  by Beatrix Potter
• Frog and Toad are Friends by Doris Roettger
• My Dad is a Superhero by Lily Lexington (Dan's favorite as well)
• There's No Such Thing As Monsters by Michael Yu

It may be the stripes, as my mother always told me horizontal stripes do nothing for you, but I am feeling rather large this week :)

 

 

Week 25...Oh I mean week 23

Yes, I am going backwards in weeks.  Who knew that could happen while you are pregnant? 

Dan and I had our follow up ultrasound and doctor appointments this past week.  At the doctor's appointment, she recommended that we move our due date to July 1, 2013.  The main reason for the change in our due date is the weight/measurements of the baby.  At our January appointment, the baby was measuring in the 10th%.  At our February appointment, the baby had grown but still remains in the 10th% with the projected June 13th due date.   With the new due date of July 1st the baby is measuring in the 48th%.

Dan and I are so thankful the baby is growing and developing well. I was a little disappointed with the due date moving because I am SO excited to meet our little baby.  I have gone back and forth through the calendar and I am still confident with the June 13th date, but most important is the health of our baby.  I told Dan that we should be ready for this baby sometime between June 13 and July 1st.   The baby will come when he/she is ready and I can't wait for that day!

At the ultrasound we were able to see so much more due to the growth of the baby.  We saw the heart and were able to view the four chambers.  The technician did a great job of explaining what we were seeing when viewing the heart.  She was able to check if the heart had any holes in it and if the blood was flowing correctly.  The blood was flowing well and we did not see any blood going through the walls of the chambers.  Praising God for the positive report about the heart!  We also saw the stomach, kidneys, arms, legs, and feet.  Dan was worried that we would see the sex of the baby when the tech was looking at the stomach.  We didn't...the gender is still a surprise! 

Highlights from our ultrasound

• We saw the baby yawn.  So sweet how the baby's lips are perfectly formed and the movements that are made are so real even when they are only 1lbs.
• The baby also had the hiccups for part of our ultrasound...so precious.  I know how much I hate having the hiccup so I felt bad for the baby.
• The baby was nestled really close to the wall of my uterus.  This made it hard to get some pictures...little stinker!
• The baby is head down.  At our last appointment the baby was breached.
• My placenta did not move.  We are scheduled for another ultrasound at 32 weeks.  My doctor did say we would continue to check every other week until 36 weeks.  I am thankful that she is going to give me every chance possible to have a natural birth.
• The pictures we got from our appointment are wonderful.  I can't stop looking at them.  I am completely in love with our little baby and can't  wait to meet him/her.  The pictures bring tears to my eyes because I think they are so precious and special.  Babies are a true miracle from God!

 

I still think the baby looks a lot like Dan! 

 

 

I love how you can see the little bones in the babies arms and fingers.