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

Banana Baby

We're 20 weeks along now - halfway through the pregnancy. About 20 more weeks till our baby girl is here! I can feel her moving around every day now. Jeremy hasn't been able to feel the movement with his hand on my belly yet, but I bet he will be able to before too long. She's getting pretty big now - BabyCenter says she's about the length of a banana!

I've been feeling pretty normal lately. Sometimes I forget for a moment that I'm pregnant, until I feel her move or my back and hip start aching as a reminder. Or, of course, until I look down and see my round belly :-). I noticed last night that my belly button is starting to change already and is looking a little bit stretched!

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He'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 his 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, he's measured from head to toe.)

It's a....

GIRL! It's a GIRL! It's a GIRL! My intuition was right!

The ultrasound tech and the doctor pointed out her brain, spine, rib cage, heart & the four chambers, stomach, kidneys, bladder, eye sockets, nose, mouth, arms, legs, feet, hands, and lastly her girl parts. And everything looks as healthy as can be! We saw one picture of her face from the front, and I thought she looked like Jeremy! It looks like she has his lips and chin.

She moved around some while we were peeking into her private world in the womb. She had her little legs crossed at the ankles at first (already a lady, according to Devon!). She hiccuped. She put her feet over her head. She put her foot in her mouth (must have gotten that from Jeremy). Then she started lounging like Jeremy does - with one leg crossed at the ankle over the other knee. You can see this in her picture below! She is going to be such a fun little girl; we can't wait till she's in our arms!!

19 Weeks

According to www.babycenter.com...

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

And I absolutely love this picture from www.i-am-pregnant.com:



At this point, the baby is basically a tiny version of what we'll see in November!