23 Weeks!

Unfortunately, there is no new fruit/veggie picture for this week, since now the pictures are going by months instead of weeks. So, baby is supposedly still the size of a papaya. But I can tell you that our baby's little face is now fully formed...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for our little boy: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples! :)

My feet have been swelling like crazy. It's actually really embarrassing. I took some "before" pictures of my ankles so I could compare towards the end of my pregnancy. I say "before" because I took the picture first thing in the morning one of the days this week, so it doesn't really count as "before" since they are already bigger than normal. I have a feeling this is just the beginning though. I am happy that I will be the biggest in the Winter, when I can wear pants.

Another fun fact: I am having to now park in the large spots at work. We have an underground parking garage that have both large and compact spots. I always try to park in a compact spot because I have a small car, but twice last week I was trapped out of my car at the end of the day because I couldn't squeeze between the cars. Since I can no longer suck in this belly, I have had to resort to parking in a bigger spot. Oh the joys of a baby bump.

Speaking of the baby bump, my friends are really getting a kick of out of my belly. The girls are surprised by how hard it is and the guys have all sorts of funny questions. It been pretty fun.

I have a couple of baby showers scheduled for the fall and I could not be more excited! I can't wait to start getting baby stuff. I am sure it will feel all the more real when I have actual gear for the baby.

Luke and I are headed to Lake Tahoe this weekend. It's his paternal grandmother's 80th birthday party and family from all over the country are headed to Lake Tahoe to celebrate. I am super excited because I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with Luke's Dad's side of the family since most of them live in Ohio. I met most of them at our wedding but I am excited to spend some quality time with them and get to know them a little better. What could be better than sun, fun and family? Pictures to come!

23 Week Bump Picture:

Like Father Like Son

I saw this on Pinterest today and I LOVE it. I hope our son ends up exactly like Luke. I could not be more excited to see Luke as a dad and I would be absolutely thrilled to have a son just like him. I love that man.

22 Weeks!

We had our 22 week doctor appointment yesterday and everything looks great! The doctor says I am growing right on track and everything looks great with our son. I really like our doctor - he is super easy-going and calm and really puts me at ease. At our appointment, I talked to him about my issue with fainting. For those of you that know me well, you know that I faint VERY easily. Anything from getting my blood drawn to cutting my finger can make me pass out. I am not affected by blood or anything, it's actually a condition in which my blood vessels dilate too much and the blood rushes out of my head. It's a reflex called the Vasodilation Effect. Anyway, obviously I was concerned about this when it comes to labor but my doctor doesn't seem worried. He said that in the 30 years he has been delivering babies, he has never had a woman faint during labor, even women who are prone to it. I am very relieved.

This past weekend, Luke and I started the process of getting settled for the baby. We have been wanting to clean out and organize our garage for a while now and finally we just got it done. The before and after pictures are below. We feel so accomplished! :)

Before:


After:


In the next month or two, we plan to head to Home Depot to order new carpet for our condo and paint the little nook in our living room which will be the baby's space. Then we can start setting things up, like the crib for example. We don't have a lot of space in our condo for storage, so we are trying to set things up and get things organized as we go along.

Luke and I have several fun trips coming up that we are excited about. This weekend we are going camping just east of Issaquah at Salmon la Sac with some friends. Next weekend we are headed to Lake Tahoe for a family reunion with Luke's Dad's side of the family. In mid-September we are going to San Diego to visit some of our good friends. It's going to be an exciting next month or so.

Our baby is now the size of a papaya! He is settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. I need to start paying attention to when he is most active (awake!).



22 Week Bump Picture:

Things you should never say to a pregnant woman...

"WOW! You are that big already. You are going to be huge!"

"You are really showing for only 5 months."

"Not all people can be the ones that show only in their belly."

Yes. All of the comments above have been said to me. What are people thinking?!

Some other gems that I have heard people say to others:

"You are huge! Are you sure you aren't having twins?!"

"How far along are you? You look like you are about to pop!" (To someone that was only like 7 months pregnant)

For all of you that don't already know, comments of this nature are never ok to say to a pregnant woman. Seriously, my self-esteem has totally taken a hit in the last week or so. People can be so tactless.

21 Weeks!

Yay! 21 weeks today! In addition to the lovely stretch marks, I am having issues with my balance. I notice that I get off balance MUCH easier than I have in the past. And tying my shoes has become more of a challenge. Still doable, but I will probably need Luke's help soon.

My appetite has certainly picked up. I have been having seconds every night for dinner and I just ate half a donut, which has created a craving to eat an entire box of maple bars. The scale is still creeping up, now at a more rapid rate.

My lovely mother bought us a crib this weekend from Costco. It's a simple, beautiful dark wood crib which is totally our style. I love it. Luke and I are heading to Home Depot this weekend to buy some paint for the baby nook (a light brown) and order new carpet for our condo. Then we plan to paint and set up the crib this weekend. I know it's early, but I can't wait to start getting things set up! I think my nesting instinct is kicking in already. :)

Our baby is now the size of a banana! His digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth.


21 Week Bump Picture:

STRETCH MARKS!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Well, folks - I guess there was no way to avoid them. I have been rubbing stretch mark cream all over for a while now but apparently I was destined to have stretch marks. From what I have read, it pretty much comes down to genetic predisposition for them. Unfortunately, I am one of those lucky ladies. I guess I will have to accept it now that I am resigned to a lifetime of tankinis. Oh well - it will be totally worth it!

I found this little blurb about postpartum stomachs and it makes me feel a little better. :)

"A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me. It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it."

Kelsey

20 Weeks!

HOLY MOLY we have hit the halfway point! Yesterday was the official twenty week mark, putting us over halfway done with this pregnancy. In some ways, time has flown by. In other ways, December feels SO far away. Yesterday, we had our 20 week "fetal survey" ultrasound, where the ultrasound technician measured all of our baby's organs, bones, limbs, etc. I am SO happy to report that our baby is 100% healthy. We confirmed (again) that we are having a boy and we are just so relieved and glad that he is developing on schedule. I actually measured 20 weeks and 3 days, which would land him being born on Christmas Day. We are hoping he is fashionably early. :)

In other pregnancy news, I am starting to swell up. By the end of the day, my feet look and feel a little puffy. A couple of nights ago I couldn't see my ankle bones. Scary. Thankfully, my wedding ring still fits and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can wear it throughout my pregnancy. I have gained 14 pounds in these 20 weeks, which is right on target for normal, healthy pregnancy weight gain. Although it is disheartening to see the scale creep up so steadily. My goal is to not end up weighing more than my husband. :)

Our baby is now the size of a cantaloupe! He gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, I will need to think about what I would like your future child to eat as I prepare my own lunch!



And here is the 20 week bump picture:



In honor of hitting the halfway point, I also took a bare belly picture. I won't post many of these but wanted to document the changes!



We also have a bunch of pictures that I need to post from yesterday's ultrasound appointment so those are coming your way shortly.