23 Weeks

How our baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, our baby can feel me dance. And now that he's approximately more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, I may soon be able to see him squirm underneath my clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that our baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him 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 he hears them outside the womb. Little man's face is fully formed too...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for our baby: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples!

22 weeks

How our baby's growing:

At approximately 11 inches (the length of a papaya) and almost 1 pound, our baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside my womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Our baby is also now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and my own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout on him, and his little face is fully formed. And, he's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It's not too hard to figure out when -- I just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

Next appointment is Wednesday, February 3rd at 11am. We will be getting our 4-D ultrasound pictures at this appointment! Can't wait to really see our little man's face... will he have the infamous Geary nose, or the infamous Keller nose?!?!? :-)

Baby belly pic from Mexico

21 Weeks!

Greg, me and our baby boy on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

At 21 weeks, our baby now weighs just under a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. I've been feeling like he's practicing martial arts in my belly as his initial fluttering movements have now turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges! What a cool, yet weird feeling! I may also discover a pattern to his activity as I get to know our little guy better. In other developments, our baby's eyebrows and lids are present now too. It feels like almost overnight that my belly has grown significantly! I'm definitely feeling fully pregnant now, and had some fun showing it off last week in the sun.

We had so much fun in Mexico watching Greg boogie board in the ocean waves, playing pool volleyball, swimming and just soaking up as much sun rays possible! We didn't enjoy the tasteless buffet food very much, so mom and baby's diet for the week pretty much consisted of fruit with chips 'n' guacamole, and a taco every once in a while! The drinks sure looked delicious, but I stuck with the ol' bottled water and soda water. I think Greg probably drank enough for the two of us anyhow :-).

Kasey and Jessi's wedding was beautiful right on the beach, and everyone looked super handsome in their beach wedding attire. The week was full of good friends, family, stories and just a little bit of laughter too. What great memories we'll all have from that wedding!

It's a BOY!!

Had the most incredible experience at the doc's office today!! Our little man was ready to show off his stuff the second that ultrasound wand hit my belly! First shot was spread eagle, I'm a boy and ready to show it! Even the Doc said "whoa! He's definitely 100% boy, and I very rarely tell people that", and started chuckling. It was so neat seeing the little hands, feet, nose and heart beating... and the package too of course! I'm not sure I've ever seen Greg smile that big in my life [except for maybe when we got married :-)]. The 4-D ultrasound did get put off until next appointment which is February 3rd at 11am.
I'm so excited to get started on all the planning and nursery stuff now... and let's not forget getting serious about a name for our little guy!! I'll have plenty of thinking time this week laying on those beautiful sandy beaches. What a wonderful week it's going to be...We're having a baby boy, and we're headed to Mexico to see my lil' bro get married, woohoo!

Half way through... 20 weeks!

Finally the week we've all been waiting for!!! Today at 10:00am we'll know if the little bean's a boy or a girl! And, we'll be getting a 4-D ultrasound to go along with it. So I will be posting the pictures as soon as I'm able to! I'm so excited I feel like I could jump right out of my skin today!

How our baby's growing:

Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. It's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against its torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, it's measured from head to toe.)

Baby's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for the digestive system. It's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in the first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

How my life's changing:

Well, I've hit the halfway mark in my pregnancy! The top of my uterus is about level with my belly button, and I've likely gained around 10 pounds (yea, that sounds good). I should expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. I'm to make sure I'm getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, my body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for our growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

We haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, but we may want to start looking into one, especially if since we're first-timers. A structured class will help prepare me and the hubby for the rigors of labor and delivery.

Stay tuned everyone... good news will be coming soon!!