26 Weeks

Friday, 30 August 2013

How far along: 26 weeks

How big baby is: 1 ⅔ pounds, 14 inches

Baby is the size of: a scallion (in length anyway)

Baby’s development: The network of nerves in her ears is now better developed and more sensitive - she should be able to hear different voices, including her daddy’s and her sister’s! She is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which is important for her developing lungs.

Mommy’s weight gain: I so don’t want to post this anymore… but I will continue to include it for posterity’s sake. 2 pounds this week; 18 total (Ugh… It doesn’t help at all that I have been craving sweets so much!)

Mommy’s belly: David takes my photo each week and when he’s done I usually look at the photo to make sure I don’t hate it before putting the camera away. Today he took the picture and then said, “The way you’re standing makes you look big.” I said, “Babe, I am big. This is just how I look now.” Haha!

Baby’s movements: I have not had any of those days that make me nervous this week. This sweet girl has been moving a wiggling a lot. I read that between weeks 24 and 28 is when I should expect to feel the most movement because she is big enough to kick and push hard but small enough to have plenty of room to wiggle. I hope she is comfy in there!

Symptoms: I. Am. Exhausted. I mean, I am sleepy all the time. It’s so frustrating. Naps don’t seem to help at all. I have taken a 45 minute or longer nap every day this week and I still feel like going to bed at 8:30. I’m hoping this is just related to my allergies more than to the pregnancy, because I still have 14 weeks to go and I don’t want to be dragging myself through each day for that long. Also, we are going on vacation with some friends next week and I don’t want to be a complete party pooper!

Food cravings: I have been craving cookies & cream ice cream from Braum’s. Really, I’m sure another kind would probably do, but Braum’s has the best cookies & cream. I have also really had a thing for pancakes. A couple of days ago I made pancakes for an afternoon snack and they were divine. I think I could eat them every day right now! Could someone please get me a craving for fresh fruits and veggies?  :)

Emotions: I’m still emotional - little things like commercials or sad parts of a book I’m reading make me cry.

Sleep: I need more. I always need more.

Anything else: I’m still having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions. They don’t necessarily hurt, but they are sometimes pretty intense.

What I am looking forward to: I’m looking forward to our vacation next week. I wish I could do all the things that I can’t due to my pregnancy - like go to the amusement park, go rafting, go 4-wheeling. But I am ready to get away and enjoy myself anyway. It will be good for us to do - especially since I won’t really be able to go away for a whole week like this for about a year after baby A is born. I plan to nurse her and want to avoid pumping as much as I can this time around. (I hated having to pump when P was a baby!)

25 Weeks

Friday, 23 August 2013

How far along: 25 weeks

How big baby is: 1 ½ pounds, 13 ½ inches

Baby is the size of: a rutabaga (Seriously, who comes up with these things? The need to find something longer and skinnier - even if it’s not produce. Haha!)

Baby’s development: She is starting to get some baby fat and her skin is smoothing out some. Her eyes are beginning to open. Her brain-wave activity is kicking in which means that she can not only hear noises but now she can respond to them.

Mommy’s weight gain: 2 pounds this week (Uh-oh!), 16 pounds total

Mommy’s belly:

Baby’s movements: She moves frequently with lots of strong kicks and nudges. It’s almost time for me to start doing kick counts each day.

Symptoms: Still having trouble with restless legs and with my legs falling asleep easily. I have also had swollen feet a few times this week - yikes!

Food cravings: This last week I really wanted a philly cheesesteak from a restaurant near our house - they are closed on the weekends so I had to wait until Monday. But it was worth the wait!

Emotions: I still battle unnecessary fear sometimes - fear that something will go wrong, that I’ll somehow lose the baby. I know that there is no reason to worry about that anymore, but it’s hard not to be afraid sometimes. I am always so grateful when she is really active because feeling her move is the most reassuring thing right now.

Sleep: I have been having a hard time taking naps, but I need them! Without a little nap during the day, I’m ready to go to bed at 9:00 each night.

Anything else: We got all the “big stuff” done in the nursery! Last weekend we worked and worked in there. Well, David worked more than I did because there was so much I couldn’t do. But we got the room painted, the furniture in, and the chandelier decal (which I love) up. It is so cute! I can’t wait to put my sweet little girl in there! There is still plenty to be done, but it feels nice to see a baby’s room instead of a room full of boxes and junk.

What I am looking forward to: Right now I’m just looking forward to my next appointment when I’ll get to see her again. That’s two weeks away. I hope we’ll get a good look at her face this time. :)

24 Weeks

Friday, 16 August 2013

How far along: 24 weeks

How big baby is: 1 ⅓ pounds, 1 foot long (Wow!)

Baby is the size of: an ear of corn

Baby’s development: Her brain is growing quickly now and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are growing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she is in the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but is not starting to turn pinker due to the formation of capillaries under the skin that are filling with blood. Also, her nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week.

Mommy’s weight gain: 1 pound this week, 14 pounds total

Mommy’s belly:

This photo is from 24 weeks, 2 days

Baby’s movements: During this last week baby A has been pretty mellow. I have still felt her moving several times a day, but not as strongly as I had before, not as frequently, and not for as long. But I have decided that perhaps she had been getting some extra sleep due to a growth spurt because yesterday she was very wiggly again and her movements seemed to have a lot more force than before. In fact, last night during church I was watching my belly move and bounce here and there and saw, for the first time, one of her limbs push out and roll all the way across my belly. It was so fun to watch! It’s exciting to feel more than just the little kicks now that I can feel larger movements. There are times when it feels like she is changing positions, or rolling from one side to another, that feel super weird and uncomfortable, but I love it.

Symptoms: I can’t think of any symptoms I have had this week - unless you count that it’s just much more difficult these days to bend over to pick something up and to get off the couch. :)

Food cravings: I don’t have strong cravings right now, but I have been in the mood for fruity drinks and ice cream - which makes the cream slush from Sonic my current favorite treat.

Emotions: Last Saturday I felt very blue - but I think that had more to do with just missing my babies that have already gone to heaven than with being pregnant.

Sleep: I still wake up pretty frequently during the night. It’s getting harder to stay comfortable. I’m usually sleepy enough to go to bed by 9:30 although I try to stay up until 10:30 so David and I can go to bed at the same time.

What I am looking forward to: Today we paint the girls’ bedrooms! I’m not really excited about painting - I hate painting. But I’m excited about the progress we will make. Painted rooms means putting furniture where it belongs once the rooms are dry. Penny will have all her new furniture in place and we will move what needs to be moved into Ariana’s room. I’ll still have tons of stuff to sort through and move out to the shed or attic, but we’ll be one huge step closer to getting everything ready for A’s arrival.

I am longing to meet this little girl! I can’t wait to find out what she looks like. Last night David and I were talking about how we both imagine that she’ll look a lot like Penny did and that we’ll be shocked if she looks completely different. I am thoroughly enjoying being pregnant and looking pregnant and feeling this sweet girl move inside of me, but I am aching to hold her and snuggle her! It’s crazy how I almost feel like I miss her --  I know her and am just waiting to have her in my arms. It’s hard not to wish away the days and months ahead of me, but I keep telling myself to slow down and enjoy every moment of this - my last pregnancy. I’m so thankful for this miracle pregnancy and this sweet little baby that God has entrusted to me.

23 Weeks

9 August 2013

How far along: 23 weeks

How big baby is: At yesterday’s appointment the doctor said she weighs 1 lb, 3 oz and is in the 47th percentile for her age - perfect! She should also be about 11 inches long, although he didn’t say anything about her length.

Baby is the size of: a large mango

Baby’s development: Blood vessels are developing in her lungs to prepare her for breathing. Her sense of hearing is improving as well as she can hear sounds outside of the womb.

Mommy’s weight gain: 1 pound this week, 13 pounds total

Mommy’s belly:

Baby’s movements: She is very wiggly several times a day now. I feel her movements all throughout my stomach, not just high or low, but everywhere! It was fun to watch her at the ultrasound yesterday and find out how she was positioned at the time. She was lying sideways and all scrunched up and I could tell that she still has plenty of room to twirl around in there. Here is a photo of how her little legs were crossed. I wish we had gotten a good shot of her face, but the doctor was in a hurry and I didn't get to ask for one.

Symptoms: No symptoms to speak of, really.

Food cravings: Sweet tea - I can’t get enough! What a terribly unhealthy craving! I have also really wanted corn dogs a lot lately, with lots of mustard. Why can’t I crave healthy things?

Emotions: I’m still pretty sensitive. It’s frustrating because I know that I’m more emotional than when I’m not pregnant, but I still can’t do anything about it.

Sleep: I’m so tired all the time! I just want to lie around and doze off and on all day, but that’s not an option.

Anything unusual: I’m not feeling as well as I would like to, and I know that’s because I’m not really getting any exercise. It has been so hot that I have avoided spending too much time outside. But I think it’s time that I start walking in the evenings. It won’t be much, but it will definitely be better than the “nothing” I have been doing. If I can just burn a few extra calories each day that might help me keep my weight gain in the right range too. (Well, maybe!) So I just need to get motivated and get started!

What I am looking forward to: We ordered Penny’s new bed this week, so hopefully within the next month or so we’ll get her room painted and converted to a “big girl room.” Then we’ll be one step closer to putting Ariana’s room together.

22 Weeks

Friday, 2 August 2013

How far along: 22 weeks

How big baby is: 11 inches, almost 1 pound

Baby is the size of: spaghetti squash

Baby’s development: Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct. She is developing tiny tooth buds underneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but the irises still lack pigment. (I wonder if they’ll be blue like her big sister’s!) Her pancreas is developing and she now has a coating of lanugo (those tiny, fine hairs that cover her body).

Mommy’s weight gain: 1 pound this week, 12 pounds total.

Mommy’s belly:

Baby’s movements: Still super wiggly; I love to sit and watch my belly in the evenings around 9:30 or 10:00 when she is super active.

Symptoms: My restless leg syndrome (yes, that’s a real thing) has gotten terrible over the last few weeks. I have dealt with it for years, although it seems to come and go and most of the time isn’t too bad at all. But while I’m pregnant it gets really bad! I struggle to sit still for very long at all, especially at a restaurant or in church. At night it sometimes makes it difficult for me to relax and fall asleep, and when I do sleep I wake up over and over to find that one of my legs has fallen asleep (again) and I have to roll over to my other side. I probably wake up at least every two hours. I have also developed a “ringing” in my ear. It’s not so much a ringing as it is a constant, high-pitched noise. Most of the time I don’t notice it, but when I’m somewhere quiet it drives me crazy. I have read that this can be related to pregnancy. I’m not positive, of course, if that is the case for me. But I hope that it is, in which case it would be expected to cease not long after delivery.

Food cravings: None really. I have been in the mood for ice cream, but not necessarily craving it, I don’t think.

Emotions: I’m still super emotional at certain times. I guess that’s to be expected.

Sleep: I am sleeping okay, but the restless legs and leg cramping does make it difficult. I wake up more frequently.

What I am looking forward to: My appointment next week. I always look forward to seeing her on the ultrasound and having the reassurance from the doctor that she is as perfect as can be.