24w0d - Was that a kick?

Finally! It's about time little one. I was starting to think all you ever did was sleep. Just this week I'm finally starting to feel a little something going on in there. It's about time dangit! I've waited long enough!

I had my OB appointment on Monday and at that point, I still hadn't really felt much. Being we've already seen baby several times and know she isn't missing any limbs, the doctor wasn't all too worried. Just figured it would come in time. She thinks I may just have a really mellow baby. (Which would be just how I was.) A little reassurance for the day was hearing the heartbeat again. Still hanging in there at 150bpm. Once again, everything looks like it's progressing right on track. This was the first time they did a belly measurement and I was just a little over 23cm, which was also perfect for 23w4d. I mentioned the finger prick blood insulin test that I did last week, and she said if I do that well on the Glucose Tolerance Test I'll be in good shape! That's encouraging.

It feels like we are at a standstill as far as projects go. It's still about 3-4 weeks before the furniture will be in, and who knows if it will be warm enough to actually get the staining done when it does arrive. Let's hope! I'm very slowly making progress on my quilt. Right now I've got it to the point of being basted and ready to be quilted, so I am getting there. Today the wooden letters arrived for my wall letters project. (Sorry, I won't be able to share pictures of that project with you.) I have to get those painted and ModPodged with a scrapbook paper overlay along with a wall plaque with a Daughter saying that I had on my wall when I was little. Maybe working on all these little things will help pass the time a bit.

Whenever someone asks me how I'm doing or how I'm feeling, all I can say is "I feel great!". I'm starting to notice a little shortness of breath from time to time, but other than that, I really have nothing to complain about. (Now that I'm feeling baby a little more I can cross that complaint off my list.)

Can you believe I'm just a couple of weeks away from the THIRD trimester!? Wow - that's just crazy.

By the way, totally feeling baby throughout writing this post!

23w1d - Valentine's Day weekend

This is it. Our last Valentine's Day as a family of two. To celebrate, we'll be having a quiet dinner in. Mister is in charge of dinner - my only request was a repeat of the dessert he made me for our 1st Valentine's Day together six years ago.

Zabaglione
[zah-bahl-YOH-nay]

One of Italy's great gifts to the rest of the world, zabaglione is an ethereal dessert made by whisking together egg yolks, wine (traditionally MARSALA) and sugar. This beating is done over simmering water so that the egg yolks cook as they thicken into a light, foamy custard. Traditional zabaglione must be made just before serving. (There is also a frozen version.) The warm froth can be served either as a dessert by itself or as a sauce over cake, fruit, ice cream or pastry.

It's been a pretty quiet week. After some frustration with my quilt project, my mom came over and helped get me back on track. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first project, but the perfectionist in me isn't so happy with all of the intersection points. Oh well, live and learn.

While we aren't usually night owls, last weekend we did have a night that we didn't get home until close to midnight. That gave me my first real encounter with the feeling that baby was doing some sort of acrobatics. That was definitely cool to feel. Now I wonder if she's always active at night and it's still too subtle that it isn't enough to wake me up. This week I had a few more sensations from time to time, but really nothing that I can predict or encourage in any way. I'm starting to get impatient waiting for this!

Next week I have my 24wk appointment. Hopefully it goes as smoothly as the rest of them have. Then, next time, at 28wks, I have to do the Glucose Tolerance Test to check for gestational diabetes. When my mom was here yesterday, we checked my blood sugar level about an hour and a half after I had eaten lunch and it was 110. She said that was really good, but what will "they" say?

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not really into bags or purses. I buy a purse and keep it for several years. After some of the girls on our local board kept telling about the awesome deals they were finding on Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags, I had to go see for myself. I found the Boxy Backpack in Wisteria Roll at a local TJMaxx. So what if it's a discontinued color? It made it about 1/3 the cost of a 2009 style one! I think it is sufficiently girly, for sure! Here it is:

22w1d - Nursery in progress

What an amazing feeling. After waiting so long to even be able to decorate a nursery, we have finally started. Last weekend was paint and assembling the crib (minus a mattress). It's hard to truly see the color in the pictures, but the wall color matches perfectly to the light peach color in the bedding.

The first picture is taken with the flash on - and the second with the ceiling light and what daylight was left at about 5pm. Once we get the mattress in there that will pull even more of the peach look vs pink as the crib sheet is solid peach.

This week I also pulled out my baby quilt project that I started before the holidays. This is my first attempt at any sort of quilt, so it's been interesting. I got all the blocks sewn together to form rows, now I just need to get the rows sewn together in sections to make the top. We'll see how long it takes me to finish. I was on a good roll yesterday and did 10 of the 11 rows. It should hopefully go quickly once I get to it. Oh yeah, and it will go really well with the Isabella stroller too!

Here's what it looked like laid out on our bed.

And since this post has a bunch of pictures, how about a new belly shot. This was taken today. I feel like this shirt isn't gonna make it much longer, it's already getting really short. Oh well, hopefully we'll be getting into some warmer weather here soon so I can dig into that pile of short sleeve tops my mom gave me.

I still have over a week before my next appointment. It's nice to not be running all the time, but sometimes 4 weeks seems like so long between appointments. I'm still not feeling a whole lot of movement, just an occasional brush against my inside. Certainly nothing that would be classified as a "kick". Every night before bed daddy gets in a little bonding time and rubs my cocoa butter massage lotion on my belly. One night as he was rubbing the outside, I could definitely feel something rubbing back from the inside.

What's happening with baby: Weeks 21-24 (Month 5): Papaya 10.5 to 11.8 in, 12.7 to 20.8 oz

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

21w0d - Week of crazy events

Long story short, do not fall in love with baby bedding before you are even pregnant.

The bedding I really wanted for a girl has long since been discontinued. What do you expect, it's been like 3 years! Before we knew the gender, I started doing some online searching and found a few new contenders. When gender was confirmed GIRL last week, we decided on one of them.

I was pretty excited as I had really come to like the idea of the bright pink and orange flowers. The bedding is part of the new spring line and isn't even in stores yet. Late last week it was available on Target.com with FREE shipping. Yeah! I went ahead and ordered it. My order confirmation came and it said the item wouldn't be shipped until mid-February to early-March. Oh well. We'll still have plenty of time. That was Wednesday. Friday comes along and I get an email saying my item has shipped and that it will arrive on Monday! Sweet!

Monday comes along and I'm super excited to get the bedding. Ughhhh - I open the package and the bedding looks nothing like it does in the pictures online. Online it looks like the bedding is white, the bedding I received is clearly blue.

On the left you have the bedding I was expecting, and on the right, the package that arrived.

Luckily ordering through Target.com, you can easily return the item to a local store.

Tuesday night we returned the bedding and also picked up our crib. We decided on the Graco Lauren in Espresso:

After the disappointment with the bedding, the hunt was back on. We found a couple that were high on the list, but before any decision was made, we did one more search for that long standing favorite. Viola! There it was. Amazing. One item in stock in a shop in WI! This was late Monday night, the bedding arrived on Wednesday! Perfect in every way, just as I had imagined it.

We went straight over to the paint store and selected the wall color. I can't wait to see it all come together! Did I mention this is going to be a totally girly room!?

Second crazy story of the week. We started looking at a few of the big items that we might want to add to our registry. This was a few weeks ago before we knew what the gender was. We had selected a travel system that would be perfect for a boy and another that would be perfect for a girl. Wouldn't you know it, we went to start our registry and the girl one was gone. We talked to someone who worked in the area and she said that one had been discontinued, and that they didn't know what would be coming in to replace it. She suggested we go to gracobaby.com and look at the items online.

Once I got to gracobaby I found a different travel system that I liked, maybe even better than the original one we had seen a few weeks before. There was a buy online button that took you to Amazon where you could place your order. This was Saturday. Today I get an email from Amazon telling me they have to cancel my order because they are not going to be able to get one from their sources. Shoot! I decided to call Graco and speak to their Customer Service area to see if they can help me locate one of these travel systems. I explained what happened with the Amazon order, and was placed on hold for about 15 minutes. She came back and said that because that item is really low in inventory that I could purchase it directly through them. I jumped at that opportunity, only to find out it's $30 cheaper and will be here in 5-7 days where as my estimated shipping window with Amazon, like the original bedding, would have been late-February to early -March. Needless to say, I am super excited, and hope nothing happens to this order!

This is the Graco MetroLite travel system in Isabella:

That pretty much wraps up the week. It feels really good to have the crib, bedding and paint. And hopefully next week we'll have our stroller system.

Last but not least, What's happening with baby: Week 21 - Banana. 10.5in, 12.7 oz

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

20w - Halfway point

Wow! Halfway point. That's just crazy. How did I get here? I think that's the question that is commonly asked by those of us who struggled so long to get where we are.

It's been a big week. Level II ultrasound, finding out gender, signing up for Childbirth classes, deciding on and purchasing our crib bedding and a few first baby items.

We got another special package in the mail this week. If it wasn't for the holiday on Monday, we would have had it in time for our ultrasound. When I opened the package and saw what was inside, I just cried. What an amazing gift, from an amazing gift of a friend. It's another Willow Tree figurine. Cherish - Awaiting a miracle Isn't she beautiful? Thank you!

Yesterday I had another OB appointment. She said I'm doing great. I was up a little over 3lbs since my last appointment, still doing very well. She isn't concerned that I haven't felt much movement yet. By my next appointment in 4 weeks, she predicts that will have changed. I still have no complaints. I escaped the first trimester without any morning sickness, and have managed to not have any heartburn yet. I feel so lucky. Maybe the 2nd half of my pregnancy will catch up to me. I do have that Glucose tolerance test to look forward to in 8 weeks!

The weekly fruit references are just about to run out. They were getting kind of silly anyways. Once you get to week 21 they group them for the month.

What's happening with baby: Week 20 - Cantaloupe. 6.5 in, 10.6 oz

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

19w4d - Pink or Blue...What's it gonna be?

I have had this bracelet, probably for a year now.  It's intention is to be used as a Pregnany Alert bracelet, incase you are unable to communicate if you are in an accident.  When I ordered it, I had the option of Pink, Blue or Both.  Today we found out which it will be.

There she is.  All 11oz of her.  It was awesome spending 25 minutes watching her and getting all the important measurements.  Heartrate was 147 bpm.  Everything looked good, and measurements were on track. 

So far I've only felt movements a couple of times.  After seeing how active this little one is, I can't believe I'm not feeling more yet.  When we first started the u/s, she was laying in a transverse position across my belly with her back to me.  I guess that might explain why I haven't felt much if this is a favorite position.  Maybe all the kicks are going towards the inside and I just can't feel that. 

Whoo hoo!  Now for the fun of planning for a little girl.  We are so excited! 

19w - It's how cold?

I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a wimp. I hate the cold. This morning we woke up to -21º air temperature. The windchill had to be something like -40º. They're saying it is the coldest it's been since January of '04.

What are my plans for the day? Staying in the house where it's a balmy 73º? Nah, I have to take the dog to the groomers and then go meet someone to pick something from her. Today. Of all days. At least it's not this cold and snowing! Oh well, while I was out, I stopped at the grocery store and picked something up for dinner. Oh yeah, and then I had to go back out to get the dog from the groomers. I don't think he's too happy with his new haircut today either.

Ughhh. Can I just say, "I HATE winter!". With that, it was today that I realized how thankful I am that our "19 week old baby" is still warm inside mommy's belly and doesn't have to be exposed to these ridiculous temperatures.

This time next week we should hopefully know the gender of our little one. I figure we should probably make a few phone calls before I post the news here...just to be fair. I can't believe it, almost half way there.

What's happening with baby: Week 19 - Mango (doesn't a Mango seem smaller than a Sweet Potato?)

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.