25 weeks

Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

How far along? 25 weeks.

Due Date: August 13, 2010

Total weight gain/loss: +1. It had to happen one of these weeks... we'll see how it goes on the goal of +5 by 30 weeks.
Maternity clothes? Yes. I have... two stretchy (regular) work shirts that still fit. :) I'm glad I haven't had to totally replace my wardrobe. We'll see how long THAT lasts!
Sleep: Doin' alright.

Best moment this week: SAW my belly move. More than once. :D
Movement: Yes, and I'm LOVING it. :D She's really active in the early afternoon and sometimes in the late morning.

Food cravings: Most recent: Mongolian BBQ... good thing I crave tasty food! Geoff is usually willing to eat whatever I want. :)
Food aversions: I think I might be over most of it... the thought of creamy/spicy still makes me want to hurl... but it is a very specific spicy that I refuse to describe. :)
Gender: GIRL!! A healthy wiggly(!) girl
Labor Signs: Nothing.
Belly Button in or out? In... but definitely less in.
What I miss: Subway!!!
What I am looking forward to: More crafting (stuff for me and the baby) - I've been making/perfecting felt bows and rosettes. I'm going to look for a pattern for a felt bear or something and give it a try.
Milestones: SEEING baby move. Totally crazy I'm telling you. I love it and I was almost in tears the first time... but if it doesn't look like an alien trying to escape my belly, I don't know what does.

Other: Really enjoying all of the little things I'm doing and experiencing. I had a dream the other night about our baby... Short version of dream: I woke up and rubbed my tummy (like always) except I wasn't pregnant and couldn't remember giving birth - I was devastated & crying so hard I could barely breathe. Geoff calmed me down by telling me that I did give birth to our little girl and she was healthy and just in another room... when I went in to see her she looked at me and leaned towards me - she knew her Mommy! I got to hold and cuddle her... she looked a lot like me as an infant but with little differences that were very Geoff. :) It was so wonderful!!

24 weeks

This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, your growing baby is still tiny. Your uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above your bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as your pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter!

Because your uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on your abdomen, you might get stretch marks. Your weight gain may also be taking a toll on your body at this point. Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. You might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds.

Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his scalp and his eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How far along? 24 weeks.

Due Date: August 13, 2010

Total weight gain/loss: -1, same as last week. My friend becca was over this week and mentioned that I'm looking thinner around my face and neck... I thought that was pretty awesome! My goal has been to finish this pregnancy healthier than I started! So far, so good!
Maternity clothes? Yes. :)
Sleep: Really not too bad. I just sleep on a pile of pillows when I feel like I must sleep on my back.

Best moment this week: Starting to set up the nursery!
Movement: I haven't started to write it down yet but she has some patterns now... about 1-2 hours after I eat I feel her move big... in between I feel some little movements. ANY time I talk? The moving stops. Maybe I'm already soothing to her?

Food cravings: Most recent: Taco Bell yesterday... didn't really hit the spot but dessert did! Uh-oh... sweets are tasty again!
Food aversions: Same as always... but at least now I can be in the same space as warm creamy things... just not too close and NOT eating it.
Gender: GIRL!! A healthy wiggly(!) girl
Labor Signs: I think maybe some Braxton-Hicks... but I'm not totally sure since I've never felt them before.
Belly Button in or out? In... but definitely less in.
What I miss: Subway!!!
What I am looking forward to: Decorating and organizing more. First shower isn't until 5/28 so I'm getting the house ready for everything that (I hope!) will be coming home.
Milestones: Finally being uncomfortable. Yea, I call it a milestone... it is a first for me to go a whole day uncomfortable... we'll see if it gets better or continues!

Other: I'm LOVING decorating the nursery! There will be pics when it is a little more decorated! :)

23 weeks

This week your baby's length, from crown-to-rump, is approximately 8 inches! Your growing baby has finally reached one pound. Your baby is about the size of a small baby doll and looks very human. The baby's face and body look similar to that of a newborn at this time.

You should be feeling your baby moving quite a bit throughout the day as she will kick and punch the uterus walls. Babies also run their hands along the umbilical cord and touch their body parts while they are in the womb. Your baby now can suck her thumb for real, where she was just sticking it in her mouth. You might be able to feel small `jumps` inside of you when your baby gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid.

How your baby's growing:

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.

(There isn't another friut/vegetable with description from thebump.com until Week 25, April 30th... glad I found these! i-am-pregnant.com & babycenter.com)

How far along? 23 weeks.

Due Date: August 13, 2010

Total weight gain/loss: -1, up 1 from last week. Well, I am at 23 weeks... I suppose it is about time I start gaining weight! :) I do know that my baby is growing a lot (with a lot of growing to do) and I'm sure that my weight is related :)
Maternity clothes? Yes. :)
Sleep: Really not too bad. I just sleep on a pile of pillows when I feel like I must sleep on my back.

Best moment this week: She had the hiccups Wednesday night for about 30minutes, all I could do was laugh... I felt them Thursday too. OH - Geoff heard her heartbeat :) He put his ear on my tummy and heard her!!
Movement: She's moving a lot more, even just in the last few days... makes me smile to myself at random times. :) (Right now I'm loving the hiccups!)

Food cravings: Most recent: Still fresh foods... Thursday I chose a salad for lunch over a McDonald's trip! (Go me!)
Food aversions: Same as always... but at least now I can be in the same space as warm creamy things... just not too close and NOT eating it.
Gender: GIRL!! A healthy wiggly(!) girl
Labor Signs: None and thank goodness.
Belly Button in or out? In... Geoff says it is starting to be less of an in-y
What I miss: Subway!!!
What I am looking forward to: Getting her room a little more set up... maybe the crib this week?? :)
Milestones: The hiccups... and according to the growth blurb from babycenter.com... she can feel me move, too! Which I find funny because just this week I noticed that I sway... like I'm rocking a baby!

Other: Registering is fun! ... I'm thinking that I don't need to put the headbands on there though... I have a feeling we'll get a bunch whether I do or not. :) I just added a ton more stuff to my Target registry and there is a good chunk (essentials too) at Babies'R'Us. I hope people shop both places or we won't get bedding!

22 weeks

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

How far along? 22 weeks.

Due Date: August 13, 2010

Total weight gain/loss: -2... up 3 from last week. I'm not going to try to lose any weight, that would be silly... but if I could be 30weeks before I hit +5 that would be pretty cool.
Maternity clothes? Yes. Almost always.
Sleep: Really not too bad. I just sleep on a pile of pillows when I feel like I must sleep on my back.

Best moment this week: Seeing baby again... :) Little Miss Wiggles
Movement: It is so cool... I can actually feel her now - sometimes it is like she is doing tumbles. :) (and I know from my ultrasound that she does!)

Food cravings: Most recent: Fresh foods - the weather is getting to me. My dinner Thursday and my lunch today is fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil on italian bread w/ a little olive oil (dinner was open faced and melted in the oven, lunch is a sandwich melted in the microwave) mmmmm
Food aversions: Things that are creamy and warm or smell gross (to me)
Gender: GIRL!! A healthy wiggly(!) girl
Labor Signs: None and thank goodness.
Belly Button in or out? In... Geoff says it is starting to be less of an in-y
What I miss: Subway!!!
What I am looking forward to: Going to another Mom-2-Mom sale... and KNOWING my baby's gender so I can get stuff. :)
Milestones: Feeling the baby move more and finding out the reason I haven't been feeling her much is because my placenta is attached in the front - where most of my nerves are - so the moving is blocked... but now she's getting stronger and I can feel more. :)

Other: I love my baby girl :)

Gender ... 21w5d

Our baby is a girl! :) A very wiggly, healthy baby girl! 18 weeks (about) and she'll be here!

The ultrasound tech was so patient - we have a MODEST wiggly baby. It seemed like it took forever to get the gender shot! I'd just about resigned myself to not being able to find out when she found the right angle and we got to see... what I call the not-penis. :) Since with a girl you aren't looking for something quite as much as a lack of something ;)

I'm going to call her Little Miss Wiggles ... "Wiggles" for short

After we were done there we drove straight to Target calling some family and friends and then registered for a bunch of pink :) YAY I love pink... always have I think :)

Geoff had to go to work so we went there and showed off our newest baby pics and then I took them to show my girls at work :)

THEN - it gets even more fun - I went shopping with my mom. :) We went to Carter's, Baby Gap, Children's Place and JCPenny. :) I got to keep some of what she bought and some she's saving for a baby shower. We came back here and organized the clothes in MY DAUGHTER'S closet :) *proud Mommy*

Oh - I found out why I don't feel the baby move much when I could clearly see that she moves ALL the time... my placenta is hooked on the front - which is where most of my nerves are - so it is blocking the movements... Wiggles is already starting to get strong enough that I can feel movement anyway.

*sigh* I do love her so much!

Mommy

Profile - mouth open

Gender... can you see it?

UL - Spine. UR - Face.

LL - Feet/legs? LR - ADORABLE profile.

21 weeks

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

How far along? 21 weeks.

Due Date: August 13, 2010

Total weight gain/loss: -5...? Yes, I did need to loose weight before I was pregnant but at 21weeks I should have gained about 10+ lbs (according to my book)... I'll just be happy that I'm healthy I guess. I know the baby's fine. I can't even tell you how sure I was that I had gained weight this week. I feel heavier... my tummy's bigger... I wonder when I'll start gaining?
Maternity clothes? Yes. My collection is slowly growing... which is nice because I'm almost totally grown out of my regular clothes
Sleep: I'm getting more used to how I sleep so I'm actually very comfortable right now. Though a pillow between the legs is always a must!

Best moment this week: Feeling baby move more and noticing my belly growing.
Food cravings: Most recent: Egg salad... mmm. I made some this week and it turned out very good.
Food aversions: Things that are creamy and warm or smell gross (to me)
Gender: Unknown. - We will find out April 7th! WEEE! THIS WEDNESDAY!
Labor Signs: None and thank goodness.
Belly Button in or out? In... but filling in... Geoff noticed that it isn't as 'in' as before.
What I miss: Subway!!!
What I am looking forward to: The ULTRASOUND this week!!! :) We're going to find out baby's gender if we have a cooperative little one and I'm SO very excited to see my baby again!
Milestones: Wednesday this week I felt the baby moving... a lot! Once it was a movement instead of just a kick or bump

Other: Bummer... according to the blurb about baby I need to eat more veggies... It says that baby is going to prefer the tastes that I'm eating while pregnant... that makes sense but if I'm going to want a veggie eater I need to find more veggies I like. Hm.