Good Morning from Natalie

Miss Natalie was in such a good mood this morning! I took this little video of her showing me how happy she was:



And now she's actually taking a morning nap (those are few and far between lately)!

Natalie's First Christmas

Natalie's first Christmas was a success! We went to South Carolina to see Jeremy's family. We watched the weather all day in anticipation of snow and the fat, glorious flakes finally started to fall around 7pm. A white Christmas for her first Christmas! It's just too darn exciting. Of course I dressed her up as a snow bear for some outdoor fun.





We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas with the Hodgins the second weekend of January!

Six Weeks Old

Natalie is six weeks old - and feeling fancy in her cardigan!



She's a big-time smiler now. I think my favorite is when she wakes up in the morning and she's all smiles in her crib! It definitely beats waking up grumpy (which also happens sometimes).

I can't believe how quickly she's changing. When I look at the pictures from her first few weeks, she looks so different! Her cheeks keep growing and we can tell her hands and feet have grown, too. I need to get a picture of her hand on mine so I can remember how tiny they are right now. Her hair has started growing too, which I only notice when I look at pictures of her. She had pretty much rubbed it off of the sides of her head, but it's beginning to grow back now.

Things we know about Natalie:

1. She prefers Jingle Bells over all other songs.
2. She doesn't particularly like to be swaddled, but she can't stay asleep without being swaddled (we're looking forward to that ending!).
3. She loves her pacifiers.
4. She's very quiet when she's in a crowd.
5. She is very squirmy.
6. When she's tired and we hold her over our shoulder, she rubs her head back and forth over and over again (this is how she rubbed the hair off the sides of her head).
7. She likes it when I read to her. Last night she sat in my lap while I read three board books to her, and she stared up at me the whole time with big eyes and a big smile. So cute.
8. She's a VERY good, sweet baby (knock on wood)!

Melt-Your-Heart-Smiles

Natalie has started smiling at us! It's the cutest darn thing. I took several adorable videos of her smiling today (one of them ended with Milly licking her on the top of her head) and then, sadly, I accidentally deleted them. I tried again and got a couple of good smiles out of her. Check out the videos:

One Month Old!

Natalie is one month old!!



She had a 1-month checkup today and was weighed. On our way to the doctor's office, Jeremy and I tried to guess how much she weighs - I guessed high 7 lbs and Jeremy guessed low 8 lbs. We were both surprised to find out that she weighs 9 lbs 4 oz!! She's in the 50th percentile for weight, and 50th to 75th percentile for height (she is now 21.25 inches). I can't imagine that she'll be "tall" for long, considering that we are both shorties, but I guess she could have gotten some of the tall genes from my family.

There are some decidedly unexciting aspects of being one month old, like baby acne, dry, flaky skin on the forehead and head (I can't remember the medical term), congestion, and increased fussiness. So far, Natalie has experienced the first three. They say babies are at their fussiest (if that's a word) from four to six weeks, so we have some fun to look forward to with that. Right now she's only occasionally fussy for what seems like no reason, and it doesn't last long. Obviously we're hoping this will keep up rather than the introduction of a grumpy baby!

We had our first family outing over the weekend - we all went to Target to buy ornaments for our first Christmas tree:



We thought Natalie deserved a tree for her first Christmas!

Three Weeks Old

Natalie is three weeks old! Time is flying.



She's growing fast and getting chubbier every day. We're so curious to know how much she weighs, but I guess we'll have to wait until her next doctor appointment to find out! Every day she looks more and more like Natalie as she outgrows her "newborn" looks.

Just in the last few days, she's started being really alert during her awake times. She stares at the people who hold her like she's really checking them out and learning from them. She will also now turn her head to look at something. While we were in Tuscaloosa over Thanksgiving, our nephew Austin had a moose that sang Christmas songs and lit up when you squeezed his paw. A few times while Natalie was in Grandma Frances's lap, we'd squeeze the moose's paw and Natalie would turn her head to the left to look at the moose!

She's getting really good at holding her head up and does it every chance she gets. It makes her seem so much bigger.

Today Natalie's umbilical cord stump fell off, revealing a cute little belly button! Since this happened, we were also able to give her a bubble bath instead of a sponge bath. She was sooo cute in her whale tub:



The last few nights she's given us longer stretches of sleep since she's been going three hours between feedings instead of two hours. That extra hour makes a huge difference in the middle of the night, so I hope she'll keep it up!!

Two Weeks Old

Natalie is two weeks old!



We can tell a difference in her size and she is getting some chubby cheeks on her! She's also fitting into clothes that didn't fit last week, so I put her in my favorite little outfit in the picture above. She has long hands and feet, and her feet are already almost too big for the "footies" in this outfit. We don't have a scale at home so we don't know how much she weighs, but we think she must be over 7 lbs now.

She's sleeping well some nights and not so well other nights. We had a good night last night, where she slept for 2 - 3 hours at a time. I wish that would happen every night! She's also gotten fussier than she was when she first came home, which is to be expected. We've read that she'll continue to be fussy until she's about six weeks old, when she should settle down a bit. The good news is that even when she fusses, it's usually not for more than five minutes at a time so it's tolerable.

Her next doctor's appointment is on December 6th, when she is one month old. I think she may have to get a vaccination which should be pretty painful for both Natalie and Mommy!

Unto us a child is born!

As my faithful blog readers (all two of you!) know, our baby girl was born on Saturday, November 6th! Natalie Elise Lizza weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 20.5 inches long at birth. She is beautiful and perfect in every way and we could not possibly love her more. She is now a whole ten days old and has been an easy baby so far.

Jeremy was home with me all last week and will be here through this Thursday, which has been a new mama's life saver. He's a natural in his new role as "daddy", which amazes me every day since who knows how long it's been since he's handled a baby, much less a newborn. He holds her in his lap and she stares up at him and studies his face so sweetly.

Natalie has been sleeping in a cradle beside our bed, but we're planning on moving her to her nursery soon (maybe this week!). She makes tiny little squeaks and grunts throughout the night that make it hard for us to sleep (and believe me, sleep is hard enough to come by as it is), and her pediatrician recommended that we go ahead and move her to her nursery.

Here's a picture of Natalie on the day she was born:



And here's a picture of Natalie at 1 week old:

39 Weeks

We're at 39 weeks and, other than stronger Braxton Hicks contractions, there's been no real sign that this baby is ready to leave the womb. But you never know, maybe it will all happen fast!

Baby Center's 39 week update:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

And here's a picture of your favorite expectant mama from today:

The Waiting Game

The baby's hospital bag is packed; my bag is mostly packed. Car seat bases are installed. Laundry is done. Baby monitor is installed. Nursing clothes have been purchased & supplies have been ordered. Now we wait.

Today I officially began Maternity Leave; I saved 4 weeks of paid time off so I could have a nice, long "vacation" from November through January. I made a list of things to do while I wait and I've already begun whittling it down. I'm hoping the baby comes soon so I don't get too bored/anxious while I play the waiting game. Well okay, I admit that's not the *only* reason I hope the baby comes soon, but it's one of them!

Milly is enjoying having me home. Check her out - the picture of comfort:

38 Weeks

I've never had conversations with as many strangers as I have in the last couple of weeks. Everyone loves a pregnant woman! They all want to know when I'm due, many take a guess at whether it's a boy or a girl, and most are very generous with the compliments, which are always welcomed! :-)

We're at 38 weeks now and I'm still feeling good, despite the slightly swollen ankles and general lack of a good night's sleep. I'm ready to have this baby, but not overly ready to get the pregnancy over with. I am still awed when I feel her move inside my belly, unless of course she's punching me in the bladder (which has become a common, somewhat painful, and decidedly uncomfortable activity).

Here's the Baby Center update for this week:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I keep hoping for a green-eyed baby, which is quite possible since Jeremy and I both have a green-eyed parent, but I'm betting she'll have brown eyes like we do.

I don't yet have a picture of myself to post for this week, but I'll try to get one tomorrow!

10/30 - Here's a picture from today!

Oh Happy Day!

I'm blog posting with a very big smile today... our baby's nursery is finished!! Hooray! Devon helped us pick up the glider yesterday and it fits beautifully in the corner where we wanted it to go, actually fitting even better than we thought it would. The color is perfect, it's incredibly comfortable, and we just love everything about it. We will spend many hours in that chair - feeding, soothing, reading, and rocking our little one to sleep. So many happy memories will be made there!

I'm also very pleased with the shelf we hung on the wall, although it came with sub par hardware that made it not-so-easy to hang, and there are now eight pretty sizable holes in the wall from it! But Jeremy did a good job as my handyman and the shelf looks great (and it covers up the extra holes).

I love it that some of the items in the room were picked out totally separately from each other (and by different people!), but complement each other so well. Jeremy and I chose the colors for the tree on the wall, and they happen to match *perfectly* with the pink and green in the baby invitation shower Emily picked out (which is framed and hanging on the wall), and they also match with the colors in the bird house that Jeanne brought us! Also, I had a painting of a monkey that I wanted to hang in the room, and then Joanne made us a blanket and pillow in a fleece fabric that had a monkey on it, and Cheryl gave us a sock monkey! Clearly it doesn't take much to make me happy right now, but this really does :-).

Enough of my babbling... here are some pictures of the much anticipated baby room:

Full Term

It feels good to be 37 weeks along now, officially “full term”!! Now we’re just waiting for the first signs of impending labor. The baby kept me awake from 2:30 – 5:00 this morning, moving around in a way that felt like she was repositioning herself. It feels like she is in a straight line from top to bottom now, rather than curled around my belly like she was before, and it also feels like she is facing my back now instead of being sideways. This afternoon I felt her hiccups much lower than they have been - another sign that she is moving lower in my belly to get ready for birth! We probably still have another couple of weeks, but it's so exciting to know how close we are to having this baby!!

We're picking up the nursery rocking/gliding/reclining/all-around-awesome chair on Saturday morning, and then the nursery will be complete! I'll post pictures of it when we're finished.

Here's Baby Center's blurb about the baby at 37 weeks:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

And here I am at 37 weeks!



Get the champagne (or sparkling cider) out, it's almost baby time!!!!

Update: After I posted this entry, the baby decided to resume her side-curled position... oh well!

Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for landing!

Here we are at 36 weeks, almost FULL TERM! At last week's doctor appointment, the baby was declared as being "in the landing position" - head down and ready to enter the world! Well maybe not quite "ready" to enter the world, but in the right position at least. This is very exciting! I can feel her squirming around from the top of my ribs all the way to below my belly button, so I know she's getting quite big in there. She is most definitely running out of space and sometimes feels as though she's trying to kick a hole through my side to escape.

Last weekend my sweet parents came over to deliver our *beautiful* nursery furniture and help us get the room set up. We found out today that our glider is now ready to pick up, so we'll have the nursery totally finished very soon! Here are some pictures of what we've accomplished so far:






No post would be complete without including the Baby Center weekly update:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)

Stick Figure Pregnancy

This made me laugh today :-)

34 Weeks

We're getting closer all the time!

Here's what BabyCenter has to say about the baby's development at 34 weeks:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

At my doctor appointment last week, my doc said she thought the baby had her head down now instead of up near my ribs, so that's good news! She also felt what she thought was her back to the left of my belly button, and her bum near my right ribs... so she must be in kind of a strange position. I guess my abdomen isn't tall enough for her to lay in a straight line top to bottom!

33 Week Update

We're at 33 weeks now, only seven to go if the little girl decides to make her debut close to her estimated due date!

Here's BabyCenter's 33 week update:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

I thought What To Expect had some interesting info too:

Your baby is still gaining weight (about half a pound a week), and she could grow up to another full inch this week. With that much baby inside your uterus, your amniotic-fluid level has maxed out, which explains why some of her pokes and kicks feel pretty sharp these days. (There's less fluid to cushion the blows.) Antibodies are being passed from you to your little one as she continues to develop her own fetal immune system, which will come in handy once she's outside the womb and fending off all sorts of germs.

She has definitely been moving differently lately than she was before, sometimes cramming her whole body on one side of my belly so that it pokes way out and I'm oddly lopsided. She's also been kicking my kidney or something on my right side, and that is seriously painful! The first time it happened, I thought something was really wrong with me... but then I realized the sharp pain was always accompanied by a kick.

Our house is still nowhere close to being ready for this baby to live here, but we are mentally prepared and ready for her arrival!

Mama Bird

For the last few weeks, I've been "nesting". Like a mama bird preparing a comfortable and safe nest for her chicks, I've been preparing as much as possible for our little baby. Most recently, I put together her high chair, which I really love! It's such a nice one! We got the Graco Cozy Dinette from Devon, her Mama Marlene, and her sister Erin. It was easy to put together (thankfully, as complicated instructions are tough on my pregnant nerves), and seems like it will be easy to adjust as she grows. Here's a picture of her dolly taking the high chair for a test drive:



When I was about half-way through assembling it, I realized it will probably be quite a while before we actually need to use it, but I kept going anyway. Luckily it folds up nicely so it's not in our way at all.

I've also been shopping for some of the little things that she'll need as a newborn, and I bought the most impossibly tiny socks! I've never seen such cute socks, white and fluffy and waiting for some tiny little baby feet to fill them.

I ordered a BabyKicks diaper and some BabyKicks wipes to try. We were planning on using the bumGenius 4.0 diapers exclusively, but after some research, decided to try a few different brands and see what works for us before we buy in bulk. I really hope we like cloth diapering, because it'll save us a lot of money in the long run! I've also read that if you cloth diaper, you may as well use cloth wipes too, so I'm going to give that a try. If we're going to do laundry every other day as it is, I don't see why it would be any different to add the wipes to the load too!

So, what's on tap for this weekend? We have childbirth class at the hospital from 9am - 5pm tomorrow, the Auburn/Clemson game tomorrow night, and then I'll probably find myself nesting again on Sunday... doing a load of baby laundry and loving it.

32 weeks

I'm so stinkin' tired I can barely think, but I wanted to make a 32-week post before we move on to week 33. We're getting really close!!!

From Baby Center:

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

The little one is moving a bunch, especially enjoying kicking me under the right ribcage as of late. According to my doctors, she's been in a breech position for the last month; the last several days she has felt a little more sideways than breech. I felt some hiccups pretty strongly to the left of my belly button today, so I'm hoping that means her head is making its way downward and she's shifting into the right position for birth.

30 Weeks and Stroller Assembly!!!

We're at the end of the 30th week now, so I thought I'd better get my 30-week post in. Here's a picture of me and my giant belly (taken today):



And here's what Baby Center has to say about the baby's development at 30 weeks:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

In other exciting news, we assembled the stroller today! It's a *really* nice one (thank you, Nonna!!) that we're going to stroll up and down these streets and parks many, many miles over the next few years. Of course Sir William had to give it a try as soon as we got it assembled:



Crazy cat.

Seven Months and Counting (oops!)

I realized last night that I've been counting the weeks-to-months incorrectly, and I'm actually in the seventh month, not just the sixth! Wow!! So I just advanced a month in my pregnancy, at least in my mind. I think seven months seems more appropriate, considering the size of my belly. This thing is a monster!!



I laugh and laugh and laugh every time I look at the first pregnancy picture I took, at almost 15 weeks. Look at the extreme difference between then and now!



Now for the 29-week update from BabyCenter:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Six Months and Counting

We're slightly past the six month mark now, and counting down the days till our little babe arrives! She's very active in my (huge) tummy now. Tonight there was a large round surface moving back and forth across my belly, which we could only assume was her head. Very strange! She also likes to turn sideways and tickle my ribs, usually when I lie down to go to sleep or when I'm in a meeting at work.

My stomach is starting to get uncomfortably large now, and I'm sure it still has a lot of growing to do before November! It feels tight and bulbous and stretched, and puts a lot of pressure on my back. Oh, the things we put up with for our children ;-).

This picture of a very tired Mama-to-be was taken yesterday:

Crib Fun

We got our crib today!! Our friends Doug and Megan gave us the white sleigh crib their two adorable daughters used, and we happily picked it up in Woodstock this afternoon and brought it home for assembly.

Recommended for assembly: 2 Adults and 1 Cat

Luckily, William "Helpful Cat" Lizza was nearby to help Jeremy assemble the crib, which was in about 7 pieces when we brought it home. Here they are reading the instructions:



And now an action shot of the two boys screwing in one of the parts:



William then assumed a surveillance role in the project, while Jeremy did the heavy lifting:



Next, I dressed it up in the crib bedding I ordered a while back. We don't have a mattress yet, but use your imagination to picture it between the bed skirt and bumper:



It wasn't until I was about to leave the room that I saw two flashing eyes underneath the crib - William was kind enough to try out the drawer for us (and now he won't get out)!

27 Week Update

My nurse called on Friday evening to let me know that I passed the glucose screen test - hooray!! They also tested my iron and said it is a little low, so I'm now taking an iron supplement in addition to my prenatal vitamins. That makes three pills a day, which I take with dinner: prenatal vitamin, DHA, and iron. This baby should be getting everything she needs!

We're on week 27 now, the last week of the 2nd trimester. Here's what BabyCenter has to say about week 27:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

She does hiccup quite a bit, and my tummy jumps when she does. It feels like a twitch. She only does it 3 or 4 times and then it goes away.

We still haven't done any work on the nursery, but we do have some plans in place now. Here's the layout that we think will work best for her room (of course the cat will be in the chair!):

26 > 27 Weeks

Here I am at 26, going on 27 weeks (this was taken today):

That belly's getting pretty big, eh?

I had my glucose screening test today. I had to drink about 12 ounces of a really sweet fruit punch flavored drink within 5 minutes (which actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be), and then had my blood drawn 1 hour later. I'll get the results tomorrow, hopefully.

The doc measured my uterus (with a tape measure!) and said it's about a half centimeter smaller than normal, but that she would expect me to have a small baby since Jeremy and I are both small. They'll keep an eye on it during my next appointments to be sure the baby is still growing as she should be. It sure doesn't feel or look to me like she's too small!!

My next appointment is in 3 weeks and I'll start rotating among the other doctors in the practice so we can get to know each other, since there is a high likelihood that one of them will deliver our baby. After that I'll start going in every 2 weeks, and then for the last 4 - 6 weeks I will go in every week. We're getting closer!

26 Weeks

I've mentioned before that my body pillow is a fantastic and comfortable bedtime companion, but I got real proof of that last night when I caught Jeremy snuggling with it! It's just undeniable. It will be hard to part with when this pregnancy is over with, but now that Jeremy has experienced the ultimate comfort that it provides, maybe he won't beg me to discard it when I'm back to my normal size.

Lately the weekly pregnancy updates are a little less exciting than they were previously, since the baby is now basically fully developed and is just gaining weight and growing at this point. Nevertheless, we thought there were some things worth sharing for week 26!

From What to Expect When You're Expecting:

What's up with your baby? She now weighs a full two pounds and measures nine-plus inches [crown to rump]. And this week, her eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. Of course, there's not much to see in there, but if your baby spots a bright light (or hears a loud noise) near your belly, you may notice an increase in fetal activity. (“Hey, I'm in here, Mommy! Where’s the party!”) What accounts for that response? Her brain is more developed and sophisticated.

Feel like you're carrying the Karate Kid with all the kicking going on? Your baby is actually practicing all kinds of movements that will eventually be used in life on the outside — including pedaling against your belly, a sort of prewalking skill. As your baby's nervous system becomes more developed, the movements will become much more coordinated. And as the baby gets bigger and stronger, the movements will become much more powerful…and occasionally, even painful to you. If your baby lands a good one, that tiny left hook might hurt — a lot. Another trick she may try — stretching that leg out so far that the foot becomes lodged between your ribs (ouch).

And I will leave you with a funny story... today a guy at my office heard me talking to another coworker about being pregnant, and then he pulled me aside and told me that for the last few months, he thought I was just getting chubby! Ha!!

POP Goes the Belly

I am constantly amazed (and easily entertained) by this rapidly changing body of mine. I just looked at myself in the mirror, from the side - then from the other side - then posed sort of half-sideways - and I swear to you, from every angle, it looks like my belly has grown an inch in the last few days!! I couldn't help but to exclaim a loud "WOW!" when I saw my reflection. Three of my friends who just had babies or are about to give birth told me that they started to grow exponentially around 25 weeks, which is where we are at the end of this week. It's unreal!

Jeremy and I got a really good laugh last week when, after a rather large meal, I barely pressed on the skin around my belly button and it popped out. I haven't heard Jeremy laugh uncontrollably like that in a while, and I was really cracking up too! It looked so funny. I feel sure that within a couple of weeks it'll pop out on its own and stay that way until after the baby is here.

Here's what BabyCenter has to say about the baby's development at 24 weeks:

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.

I also like this blurb from What To Expect When You're Expecting:

Those little ears of hers are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now her locks are white since there's no pigment yet.

Our next doctor appointment is August 5th, where I'll have the test for gestational diabetes. I've heard horror stories about this test (or more accurately, the follow-up tests if this test doesn't go well). Wish me luck!

Here's my picture at 24-going-on-25 weeks pregnant:

Nursery Closet Remodel

Today we tackled the major project of remodeling the closet in the soon-to-be nursery. The closet was a disaster before today - it was piled high with various boxes and loose items; basically all the stuff that we had no other place to store, along with several baby hand-me-downs from our nephew, Austin. It was also outfitted with a homemade shelf and hanger rod from our house's previous owner, which was somewhat lacking in usability. So, we made a design of the closet we wanted and took a trip to Home Depot to buy all the parts to build it out. We bought a ClosetMaid system that can be customized throughout the years as our needs for this closet evolve (we can move and add shelves as needed).

Here are the BEFORE shots of our closet (told ya it was a mess!):




And here is Jeremy, hard at work installing the new closet system:






And the final product! A clean BABY closet!

21 Weeks!

This little baby of ours is growing rapidly, as is my belly! Check me out:



The crazy thing is, I still have a long way to go... approximately FOUR more months! I'm still feeling great, but I have to say that nine months is beginning to feel like an awfully long time to be pregnant! Hopefully I will continue to feel good and will enjoy the rest of my pregnancy as much as I've enjoyed it so far.

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

And, by the way, I'm already positive that she is practicing martial arts in there, or maybe gymnastics!

20 Weeks and Growing