27 Weeks!

Woohoo! We have officially hit the third trimester! Time is going fast again and I can't believe we only have 13 weeks left until we will be holding our baby boy. Crazy.

Little Henry is still the size of an eggplant. His lungs are going through some major developments these days, which (combined with the opening of previously plugged nostrils) means he's now able to practice inhaling and exhaling. The lack of air in my womb means every "breath" is filled with amniotic fluid, but hey -- it's progress.

I have my 27 week appointment this morning, which means another shot of RhoGAM. I also have my glucose test this afternoon. The oral glucose tolerance test is used to screen for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop in some women late in pregnancy (usually after the 24th week). Women who develop gestational diabetes do not have diabetes before becoming pregnant. If I end up having gestational diabetes, I will need to really take precautions to make sure everything will be ok with the baby. But I am hopeful that I won't have it.

We have our first baby shower coming up in a couple of weeks and I am SO excited! I can't wait to start stocking up on baby gear. We already have a ton of clothes thanks to our good friends, the Reynolds, but we still need a lot of the essentials. I can't wait!

27 Week Bump Picture:

We have a name!

Drum roll please...

We are pleased to announce the name of our baby boy: Henry James Tushar! We couldn't be happier with the name. Little Henry is named after Luke's paternal grandfather and uncle. James is Luke's middle name. It's been so nice to be able to call him by name! We are looking for nickname suggestions, so feel free to let us know if you have any.

26 Weeks!

I am posting a little late again, but yesterday we hit the 26 week mark. Only one more week in the second trimester. Our baby is still the size of an eggplant this week. He is soaking up antibodies, getting his immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and he'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes. :)

Last night I had some weird shooting pains on my right side and back. I was pretty close to having Luke take me to the emergency room but thankfully I was able to get back to sleep and the pains went away. Today I am feeling pretty good.

A fun new development has been a lack of bladder control. A big sneeze today forced a little pee out! Too much information I know, but I promise it was only a couple of drops.

I have to do my test for gestational diabetes this week or next week and then we have our 27 week appointment next week. Time is flying by!

Our trip to San Diego was awesome and I will hopefully be able to post pictures soon. It was great to spend some quality time with friends we don't get to see nearly enough. This weekend we are headed to Canyon River Ranch near Ellensburg with my family for a little fly fishing and rest and relaxation. I can't wait!

26 Week Bump Picture:

25 Weeks!

I am one day late in posting but yesterday I hit the 25 week mark. Only two more weeks left in the second trimester! I can't believe it. I am still feeling pretty good but sleeping is becoming more and more of a challenge. I am not sleeping well lately, which I suppose it just great preparation for what's to come. :) And I feel like I am starting to swell a bit. My ankles are still swelling, but now my legs seem to be swelling a little too. I am hoping it doesn't get too bad.

Our baby is now the size of an eggplant! That oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and he is learning to distinguish right side up from upside down. Crazy!



25 Week Bump Picture:

Lake Tahoe

Luke and I had a fabulous trip to Lake Tahoe with the Tushar Clan. I absolutely loved getting to know Luke's dad's side of the family, most of whom live in Ohio. Luke and I have very similar relationships with our extended families and it's always so fun to get everyone together, especially to celebrate such a fun occasion - Luke's grandma's 80 birthday! We stayed in a timeshare condo that had a pool and a great area for barbecuing. We were within walking distance to the village and only about 15 minutes from the Lake. We got some great pictures!

Luke and I with his cousins Meredith, Haley and Ashley:



Luke's grandparents:


Me with uncle Henry and grandpa Henry:



Playing left, right, center with the family:



Luke's grandma, Marilyn, taking a jello shot for her 80th birthday:



All of the cousins:



A scenic shot of Lake Tahoe (Emerald Bay):



Overall, it was a great trip and I am so thankful that we were able to go. We are headed to San Diego this weekend to visit some friends - more pictures to come!

24 Weeks!

Time is creeping along! :) I am getting bigger by the day. I can feel him moving around more and more and I am just loving it! I also preregistered at the hospital today, which makes this even more real.

Right now, my head is spinning with health insurance craziness. In a sense, I am lucky because I work in Human Resources and a major part of my job is knowing the ins and out of our health plan. So, I know exactly what to expect in terms of hospital bills, insurance coverage, etc. under my plan. However, since I plan to return to work part-time after the baby is born, I will be switching to Luke's plan when the baby is born because our part-time benefits are super expensive. Thankfully, Luke's plan is great but I just found out that my doctor isn't in-network for Luke's benefit plan. So, I will either have to pay a TON more money to keep seeing my current doctor, or switch to a new doctor after the baby is born. I am not totally committed to my doctor at this point, but I like that he is familiar. Not sure what to do about that one.

Also, since the baby is due on December 28th, it is entirely possible that the baby will be born in 2012, which would mean I would have to re-meet my $1,500 deductible. OUCH! Babies sure are expensive. Thankfully, we have some time to save up for those expenses.

Our baby boy is still the size of a papaya but his skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, his newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

24 Week Bump Picture: