Belly Pictures

Finally, I am getting belly pictures up here so non-Facebookers can see them. These are weeks 4-24. Also, FYI, I am NOT having twins, so no cute, "There's two babies in there!" comments because I am not that giant, thank you very much.

(Btw, you can click the image to make it bigger.)

25 Weeks

Only 15 weeks until 09/09/09. I really feel as if someone has pushed fast forward. I had to calm myself by making a checklist, which actually helped a lot. It always makes me feel better to see everything written out and in order. 

We registered on Saturday. I found it to be a lot of fun. I think Jacob started out enjoying it, but it got more and more tiresome as the day wore on. His poor ankle was killing him by the time we were done. We still have a couple items to research/purchase, but, for the most part, it's all set! We also set up the baby's crib and bassinet and put them in "The Bean Pod" with the changing table and dresser. It is so weird to have baby furniture in there! It totally looks like a baby's room and, for whatever reason, it is totally surreal, even though I am obviously aware that there is a baby on the way. It makes me super excited to finish decorating the room. I think it's going to end up looking very cute!

Our friends are meeting their twin girls tonight. The situation surrounding the delivery isn't ideal, but the result is wonderful - two new baby girls that will change their parents lives more and more every day! I am really excited for them, but anxiously awaiting the call/text/email that will say everything went well and both girls are strong and healthy.

How I'm Feeling

I think I may have the beginnigs of third trimester morning sickness. It could just be a fluke, though. My taste/scent senses have become heightened again and I have waves of nausea that pretty much suck my will. I'm still sleeping really well, although I've started to experience pain in my hips that wake me up several times a night. Luckily, I'm able to go right back to sleep. I am totally embracing this nesting thing, especially knowing that it's going to get hotter and I'm going to get bigger. I have a huge list of things I'd like to get done in the house before the baby arrives, but I'm trying to remember that I can only do so much, and that it's more important for me to rest than it is for me to wipe down all the baseboards.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com and babycenter.com)

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

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. Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask)—just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human.

Cravings 

• Pretzels
• Hot dogs
• Cherries
• Top Ramen
• Cake (strawberry cake with my favorite frosting)
• Peanut butter cookies (thanks to my mom)
• Strawberry ice cream (thanks to my mom again)

24 Weeks

...or six months! Wow. I'm really getting up there! This past week, I've experienced a much-needed boost in my energy, which I've been waiting for since the beginning of trimester two. I hope it lasts a while, because I need to get things organized and clean before I balloon up!

Bean has been moving more and more with stronger kicks and more pronounced "swishy" movements. Jacob even got to feel Bean's little body wiggling around the other day. I think that's the coolest feeling - when you can apply just a bit of pressure and feel a head or back or butt or even a little arm. It's truly amazing and I love it!

This week marks Bean's viability - if Bean were to be born super ultra early, there's a chance that, with the proper medical such and such, he or she could survive. Obviously we would like for Bean to stay comfy until September, but it gives a little extra peace of mind knowing that if something were to happen, Bean would have a chance.

The nursery got painted on Saturday and it looks absolutely fabulous! I will try to figure out how to post some pictures on here so all the non-Facebookers can see the results. It's a lively avocado green shade, which actually makes it sound a lot uglier than it is. Basically, it's perfect and we love it. My friend at work has christened it The Bean Pod, which I think is adorable. Soon, we will get the furniture set up and have a real nursery! Just thinking about it gives me butterflies.

Also, we are planning on hopefully registering this weekend, which I am also excited about. I've already made my checklist, but I have been polling the moms I know about odd must-have items. If you have any suggestions for things that you would've never thought to buy/register for, but found to be a life-saver, let me know! I'm thinking things like delicates laundry bags to wash tiny socks in, etc.

How I'm Feeling

Well, great! With the added energy and the excitement of Bean's due date getting closer, I just spend most of my time with my mind going 1,000 miles a minute. Thoughts of, "I'm going to be a mommy!" and "Which monitor should we register for?" and "There's a baby INSIDE OF ME RIGHT NOW!" swim around in my noggin pretty much 24/7, with brief moments of, "What am I going to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack time/dessert?" thrown in.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

Cravings

• Crumpets (again)
• Carl's Jr. hash browns (still)
• Crepes with berries and fresh whipped cream (thanks to my hubby)
• Charlotte's chocolate chip bread pudding (HEAVEN)
• Charlotte's manicotti
• My mom's three cheese roll-ups

23 Weeks

Exciting news - Jacob and I have finally settled on a green for Bean's room! We went from elaborate (Totoro mural) to simple (green) but could NOT agree on a shade of green that we both liked. Thankfully, over the weekend, we found one, and now I can't wait to get Bean's room all set up! Thanks to Seth and Beth, we pretty much have all the furniture we need for the nursery, so literally as soon as we can paint we can have the room set up!

My "first" Mother's Day weekend was wonderful. I received sweet cards from my dear husband and mom, as well as fun presents, including the CUTEST "first year" baby book ever.

I stuck headphones on my belly this week. Bean didn't like most of the stuff I played, but so far Phish, Jason Mraz, Lisa Hannigan and Rachmaninoff have recieved responses. I definitely get the best response from Bean when I sing, though. I don't know if that means s/he likes it or hates it, but I like the kicking, so I'll continue...

How I'm Feeling

Hungry. Yes, all the time. For example, today's breakfast included a bowl of Raisin Bran, and english muffin with cream cheese and a peach fruit cup. All of that, and I'm just barely full. Jacob is generally quite impressed with how much I'm able to eat. I don't blame him - it's impressive! 

My body's currently fighting off a flu bug that my friend came down with over the weekend. I spent Saturday with her, and then Sunday she got super crazy sick. I definitely don't feel flu-like, but my body is certainly doing SOMETHING. I think it's just my immune system keeping Bean and me healthy.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from babycenter.com)

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Cravings 

• Baked potatoes
• Corn on the cob
• Twizzlers
• Eggo waffles with syrup
• CARL'S JR. HASH BROWNS!!!

22 Weeks

I am currently reclining on the couch, watching Gilmore Girls and feeling Bean dance in my belly. Nice way to spend the evening, no? Bean's movements have become stronger, more pronounced and more regular, and it's been SO very fun. I seriously LOVE it.

How I'm Feeling
Pretty great. Feeling extra tired this week, which I'm hoping is not anemia related. I think it's just Bean growing like a champ. I'm still sleeping perfectly, eating my weight in food during every meal and trying to stay at least somewhat active.

What Bean's Doing
(taken from baby-gaga.com)

The grow must go on! No wonder you’re getting so big, you’re now housing a wonder-baby who weighs nearly a pound and measures nearly a foot in length. Their perfect little pancreas is now further developed and they’ve also started producing their own hormones! Your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure: their inner ear is now developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance. Lucky for your little explorer, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings where skin, body parts, and the resident umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences. Your foot-long baby, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin right now as more and more wrinkles are showing up each week. Not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just their skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when they’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub.

(Also, Bean has eyelids, eyebrows and fingernails!)

Cravings

• Crumpets (what in the world?)
• Cinnamon rolls
• Coconut ice cream