25 Weeks

According to The Bump, we've started the beginning of month 6 and Baby Girl LeNoir is the size of an eggplant this month.  If I let Ryan put an ear to my belly, he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required).  We tried this before I started writing this post, but he couldn't hear her.  Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving her a healthy pink glow. She is also soaking up my antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 1.5 lbs.  I have a doctors appt on Thursday, so I suspect this number will be going up.
Maternity Clothes: Everyday
Sleep: Some nights are good, some nights not so much
Best Moment this Week: Picking out colors for the nursery and completing the registry.
Gender: TEAM PINK!!
Movement: Yep. I'm definitely starting to notice that she has established a routine.  There are certain times during the day/night when she's quite active.
Food Cravings:  Basically anything that is bad for me.  Doughnuts (especially the chocolate covered tastykake donuts) and french fries are at the top of the list. 
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.
What I am looking forward to: Ryan finally feeling her move.  She's quite active at night when we've been watching the Olympics; however, every time I either have Ryan look at my stomach or put his hand on it to feel her move, she stops.  She's not out of the womb yet and already she's disobeying me! 
Weekly Wisdom:   Take an experienced mom with you when you go to register.  It will make things so much less stressful!  Thanks, Cindy!!
Symptoms: Thankfully, still feeling pretty good except for my sleeping issues and heartburn.  I've noticed that turning over in bed and bending down is a little more challenging, but nothing too awful. 

The Weekly Bump Picture:

24 Weeks

I cannot believe I'm starting my sixth month this week.  Pretty unbelievable - June 7th will be here before we know it.  I'm excited, but also feeling a little overwhelmed/anxious about how much there is to do and how soon it will be that she'll be here.  According to What to Expect, she's about 1.5 lbs and about 8.5 inches long (clearly, they have different opinions on this than The Bump, but for now, I'm going with what What to Expect says).  She is the size of a standard letter and is gaining about 6 ounces each week.  Much of her weight is coming from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones and muscle.  By now, her face is fully formed, complete with a full set of eyelashes, eyebrows and a good sprinkling of hair on her head.  Right now, her hair is snow white, since there's no pigment in it just yet. 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 1.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Everyday
Sleep: Some nights are good, some nights not so much
Best Moment this Week: Ordering furniture for the nursery and my first prenatal massage (it was wonderful!!)
Gender: TEAM PINK!!
Movement: Yep.  I can see her moving on the outside more often and her kicks/punches/hiccups/jabs (whatever they are) are getting stronger. 
Food Cravings: Breakfast food. Anything with bacon makes me happy. I finally got some cinnamon rolls!
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.
What I am looking forward to: Ryan finally feeling her move. Seeing my family for brunch on Sunday.  Picking out a paint color for the nursery.
Weekly Wisdom:  Deep breaths are helpful for dealing with stressful people (i.e. our auditors). 
Symptoms: Thankfully, still feeling pretty good except for my sleeping issues and heartburn

The Weekly Bump Picture:

23 Weeks

No new fruit picture from The Bump this week, but here's a little info on what Baby Girl LeNoir is up to.  According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, BGL's skin is a bit saggy, hanging loosely from her little body because skin grows faster than fat develops, and she doesn't have much fat to fill that skin out yet.  No worries though - the fat is about to start catching up.  Beginning this week, she will begin to pack on the pounds, which means I will too.  Right now, she's about 8 inches long and weighs just over a pound, but in the next month, she'll double the weight she is now!  Thankfully, I won't double my weight over the next month.  Her organs and bones can still be seen through the skin, which has a red hue thanks to the developing blood veins and arteries just underneath, but as the fat deposits are made, she'll start to become less transparent. 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 1.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Everyday
Sleep: Some nights are good, some nights not so much
Best Moment this Week: Getting snowed in and having a relaxing weekend at home.
Gender: TEAM PINK!!
Movement: Yep.  Sometimes I can even seen her moving on the outside.  I also am wondering if some of these movements are hiccups - either way, it's pretty cool to feel her move!
Food Cravings: Breakfast food. Anything with bacon makes me happy.  Also, cinnamon rolls (like the Pillsbury ones) and a craving for Long John Silvers the other day (disgusting and completely unhealthy, I know, but I think I might have to find one to satisfy this craving).
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.
What I am looking forward to: My first prenatal massage that was re-scheduled for this weekend!  Hopefully, the snow doesn't interfere with my pampering.  Ryan finally feeling her move.  Everytime he puts his hand on my stomach, she stops moving.
Weekly Wisdom: Again, I've got nothing this week. 
Symptoms: Thankfully, still feeling pretty good except for my sleeping issues and heartburn (I am beginning to think we should buy stock in Tums).

The Weekly Bump Picture:

Blizzard of 2010

Unlike last weekend, the weathermen actually got the forecast pretty much right for this weekend.   I was lucky enough to be able to work from home on Friday, even though it really wasn't that bad and it probably wouldn't have been a problem for me to go into work.  I'm not complaining.  It was nice to not have to get dressed for work and to be able to sit on the couch all day cleaning out the DVR (while working diligently, of course).  The snow really started picking up after Ryan got home from work on Friday and didn't stop until late afternoon yesterday.  I was slightly annoyed that I had to reschedule my prenatal massage to next weekend, but it was pretty nice to be snowed in for the weekend.  We've been sitting by the fire and watching movies (Star Trek and The Hurt Locker).  I've gotten to work on my knitting - I'm making a blanket for BGL (Baby Girl LeNoir).  I finished all the laundry while Ryan shoveled/used the snowblower yesterday and I even pre-registered at the hospital!  I even went out this morning to help Ryan finish digging us out.  Since we live in Elkridge and apparently had the highest snow totals in the state of MD (38.3 inches according to the news), I thought I'd share some pictures that I've taken over the past few days. 

Our walk-up from the basement

A view from the porch while it was still snowing

A squirrel who was out during the storm

Ryan using the snowblower - best money we've spent in a while

A view into our back yard.  The mound of snow in the bottom right of the picture is our grill. 

Me in the driveway today - the snow came up to at least my belly button!  Crazy!

Ryan working hard today.

The fire hydrant is almost buried! (It's the orange thing right in the middle of the picture).

A view from the street. 

View from the street, looking the other way. 

The driveway is finally dug out!

22 Weeks

According to The Bump, Baby Girl LeNoir is the now the size of a papaya.  Over the next few weeks, she'll range in size from 10.5 to 11.8 inches and 12.7 to 20.8 ounces (that's over a pound!!).  This is the last of the weekly fruit pictures on The Bump - we are now moving on to monthly pictures.  Don't worry, I'll still post a weekly picture of my growing stomach.  Apparently, I need to watch what I say because she is now able to hear outside noise from in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and my voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and her little face is fully formed. She's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. Real estate within my belly is getting tight, with growing baby leaving little room for your lungs to...well...breathe. Expect the huffing and puffing to start soon. There's not much room for my belly button, either -- it'll pop out any day now.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 22 weeks
Total Weight Gain: Believe it or not, I'm still up 1.5 lbs for the entire pregnancy!  There was no change from my 15w5d appt and my appt last week at 21w4d. 
Maternity Clothes: Everyday - Best invention ever.
Sleep: Some nights are good, some nights not so much
Best Moment this Week: Getting snowed in with the LeNoirs and Mooneys on Saturday night.  Also, picking out furniture this weekend.
Gender: TEAM PINK!!
Movement: Yep. She especially likes it when I eat, which seems to be happening a lot more frequently these days. The eating, I mean.
Food Cravings: Breakfast food.  Anything with bacon makes me happy.
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably. 
What I am looking forward to: My first prenatal massage scheduled for this weekend!  Ryan feeling Baby Girl move.
Weekly Wisdom: Your center of gravity changes, so be careful even if you're just walking. 
Symptoms: Thankfully, still feeling pretty good except for the minor sleeping issues!

The Weekly Bump Picture: