23 Weeks

Baby A is just over 23 weeks today and is about the size of a large mango. (side note: isn’t a mango smaller than a spaghetti squash??)

 

Here’s what Baby A has been up to this week:

• More than 11 inches long and weighs over a pound.
• Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.
• The sounds that your baby’s increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as a dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won’t faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
• Her face is fully formed – she just needs some more fat to fill it out!

As for the rest of this week’s updates…

I actually found this survey another blog so I thought I’d switch it up.

About Me

Name? Alyssa

Age? 30

Height? 5’5”

Hair color? brown

Eye color? hazel

 

About the Father

Name? Adam

Age? 31 (He will be 32 when baby arrives)

Height? 5’10”

Hair color? brown

Eye color? hazel

 

About My Pregnancy

Is this your first pregnancy? Yes

When did you find out you were pregnant? June 25th at 6am!

Was it planned? Yup! Very VERY planned.

What was your first reaction? Happy, of course!! I think maybe almost in shock..

Who was with you when you found out? Adam was right outside the door so I came out with a smile and he said NO WAY.

Who was the first person you told? Adam! But then I called my mom…who cried.

How did your parents react? Both of our parents were “waiting” for the call so they  were all extremely happy.

How far along are you? 23 weeks

What was your first symptom? MASSIVE boobs (please tell me this stops soon??), a little crampy and bouts of nausea.

What is your due date? March 4, 2015

Do you know the sex of the baby? It’s a girl!

Have you picked out names? We have decided on her name which we are telling people in person…just not on social media.

How much weight have you gained? I think about 13-14 pounds, but I haven’t touched a scale at home.

Do you have stretch marks? Nope (fingers crossed!)

Have you felt the baby move? Yes, every single day recently and so has Adam. It never ever gets old.

Have you heard the heartbeat? Yes, a couple different times! I may or may not have bought a sonoline-b fetal monitor to listen at home too. #crazy

About Baby A

Will you keep the baby? 100%!

Home or hospital birth? Hospital

Natural or medicated birth? I’ll be getting the epidural… I’ll save myself the pain.

Who will be in the delivery room with you? I haven’t quite decided on this one yet. Definitely Adam, but I may need my mom in there for a little while to keep me calm…since she lives kind of far and who knows when i will go into labor it will probably be just me and my baby daddy 😉

Will you breastfeed? I’m really, really undecided on this one. It will be a game time decision.

Do you think you’ll need a c-section? If I have a child that was the size I was…probably.

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time? Oh gosh, no doubt. I’m not naturally emotional but I think this one will be an exception. I cry when I see pictures of others holding their baby for the first time so I might give you a good ugly cry when I hold her for the first time.

What’s the first thing you might say to her? I have no clue?! Probably sobbing and saying “hi baby” every two seconds.

Would you let someone videotape the birth? Definitely NOT. I would never watch it..

Are you excited or scared about the birth? EXCITED! I wish it was March already =) We haven’t seen any birthing videos…maybe that would change my mind

*****

So that’s it for this week…I know I’ll say it many more times from here on out, but I still can’t get over just how FAST time is flying by. It’s crazy!!

22 weeks

Baby A is 22 weeks today and is about the length of a spaghetti squash or papaya, depending on where you read.

 

Classy bathroom picture for you…and the bump that grew overnight!

Here’s what Baby A has been up to this week:

• Baby A is about 11 inches long and almost 1 pound. (She was just about a pound on Thursday at our appointment)
• She’s starting to look like a miniature newborn! Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums.
• Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.
• Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
• She’s sleeping in cycles — about 12 to 14 hours per day. Those hours seem to be during the day because she is WIDE awake while I’m trying to sleep!

And here’s what’s been happening with me this past week:

Weight gained: Judging by what the scale said at my last appointment, I think I’m right around 13-14 pounds.

Workouts: A few here and there. I’m still looking up a place to take prenatal yoga in the neighborhood. Everything seems to be unavailable for the working woman. I can’t make it to an 11am class on a Monday! I’m also doing my best to get as much walking in as possible during the day.

Symptoms:

• Still have round ligament pains and low back pain. I am hoping a massage will fix the back pain!
• Migraine. My doctor did say I could take Excedrin if I needed to but I doubt I will unless it goes on for days. (knock on wood)

Movement: Yup! Lots at night while I’m trying to sleep.

Food Aversions: I’m still not really a fan of chicken. I also tried to buy a salad last week to be healthy and was gagging every time i put a piece of spinach in my mouth. Drama.

Food Cravings: Dark Chocolate Almond Milk — my body must want the calcium!

Sleep: Ehh, so-so. I’m waking up pretty frequently for bathroom breaks and/or because I can’t get comfortable. I pretty much wake up around 2am and fall asleep around 5am. Convenient when you need to get up for work at 6:30.

Stretch marks? Nada!

Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my back and having a tan. Since I was so sick in my first trimester I barely got to enjoy the sunshine this summer which means I’m EXTRA pale this winter.

Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week: We had our anatomy scan and everything looked great. It’s so crazy to know that my body grew bones on a baby! Adam finally got to feel the baby kick on Friday night too!

Belly Button in or out? In…and I will be absolutely SHOCKED if it ever goes out. I have quite the inny belly button, so baby A will have to work hard to make that happen.

Wedding rings on or off? On. I still get my migraine once a week and that day my ring is tight… So maybe it’s just dehydration?

Happy or moody most of the time: Definitely happy, I have had moody moments but none this last week. You’re welcome, Adam.

New Baby Items: We finally received a Washington Redskins tutu we ordered 2 months ago when Etsy said they were pulling anything with the name Redskins on it.

Looking Forward To: Our “babymoon” next week!

21 Weeks

Baby A is 21 weeks today and is about the length of a carrot or the size of a pomegranate, depending on where you read.

Here’s what Baby A has been up to this week:

• Baby A now weighs about three-quarters of a pound (well, I’m guessing she weighs more than that because at my 17 week appointment she was supposed to be 4 oz and was measuring 8 oz) and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. We will find out for sure tomorrow!
• Movements may turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges and you may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. I do notice she likes when I eat something sweet! I also wake up in the middle of the night and feel her moving and shaking.
• Her eyebrows and lids are present now.

And here’s what’s been happening with me this past week:

Weight gained: Not sure. At my 18 week appointment I think I had gained 8 or 9 — Eating every 45 minutes was the only thing that kept me standing in the first trimester. I really never started feeling well until I was in my 18th week so my body craved carbs constantly to not get sick. I will find out tomorrow what number we are at now.

Workouts: I only got a 3 mile walk in one day and did a 10 minute arm workout another. Now that I am generally feeling a lot better and like a human again I might up these workouts. I used my belly buds during my walk but they were SO itchy. I’m not sure if it was because I was walking and moving around? Maybe they are better used relaxing inside the house.

Symptoms:

• Round ligament pains and low back pain. The back pain is worse than the round ligament pains. I might need to get a prenatal massage soon. *coughadamcough*
• Migraines! I get these 1-2 times a week and they are HORRIBLE. Anyone have any fixes? Right now my routine is to get a cooling pad for my head, lay in a cool dark room, drink a bit of coke for caffeine ( i hate coffee), drink a ton of water and sleep. It still usually takes them about 12 hours to go away for good.
• Frequent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.

Movement: I feel kicks here and there during the day/night – Sometimes they make me jump! Adam is patiently waiting to experience this on the outside.

Food Aversions: Not too much at this point. I still don’t want fish for dinner, which I think might be annoying Adam because he asks for salmon weekly.

Food Cravings: All things CHEESE. Grilled cheese, Mac & Cheese, Cream Cheese, String cheese. I also had a really strong craving for Strawberry Lemonade Sparkling water last week but really had no idea where I would get such a thing. Since week 21 marks when the baby starts tasting the food you eat I am going to make an effort to not give into all the bad cravings…just some!

Sleep: Not too bad. I still wake up to go to the bathroom (this is obviously not going to stop) and have trouble falling back asleep. I’m also a stomach sleeper so sleeping on my side is a tad bit annoying.

Stretch marks? Nope! I have been using an oil every night and it seems to be doing the trick so far.

Miss Anything?  Having energy! I am definitely always reallllly tired. I also got a little sad when I unpacked my winter clothes and realized I basically  couldn’t wear anything.

Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week: Tomorrow we will do our anatomy scan which will be fun. As for interesting… My dreams! They are seriously crazy and I remember every small detail. Last night I had a dream that Adam spent $3000 at a dive bar buying everyone Red Bull Vodka slushies… I don’t know where I get these ideas. I also had one that every time someone moved our couch alligators would come from behind and our living room would turn into a swamp. The alligators were attacking my brother Keith and I until someone moved the couch back to its original place. I’ve had MULTIPLE dreams that my dad was still alive which is kind of freaky. I’m supposed to get a flu shot tomorrow and I NEVER get these (I don’t feel that putting this in your body is necessary for healthy people) but my doctor is highly recommending I do so since I’m pregnant. I can request one that is preservative free (no mercury) but I’m still a little nervous. Anyone not get one while pregnant?

Baby Items Purchased: Yes! We have our crib, glider, side table for the glider, a Moroccan pouf, too many clothes and shoes (can’t say no!!) and a few stuffed animals and stroller blankets as well.

Belly Button In/Out: In — Doesn’t look like it’s popping out anytime soon but we will see.

Looking Forward To: Setting up the nursery – We are kind of in a weird predicament since we rent and will be leaving pretty shortly after we have the baby. I think if I didn’t design the nursery here though I would feel extremely unorganized.