27 weeks

Merry Christmas Baby Shelton!  We cannot wait for your first Christmas!!!

Baby is now the size of:  pot roast!  She is 15 inches long and weighs about two pounds; awww a little string bean baby!  If she were born today, she would have an 85 percent chance of surviving, with lots of medical help.  Oh, and, eyelids have officially opened! 


How I'm feeling:  pleasantly plump; despite comments about how "tiny" my bump may be.   I'm starting to get leg cramps in the middle of the night, which means lots of restless nights.  Apparently the volume of the amniotic fluid has reduced by about half.  This means less cushioning between me and baby, and I get to see little bony knees and elbows poking out of my stomach when she kicks and turns.  On Christmas Eve she kicked so hard that I actually gasped.  She always seems to kick the same spot on my belly, and I think one of these days a small foot is just going to come through the skin.  LOL

Physical differences from last week:  I weighed in a couple of days ago, and I'm up 18 pounds total; this is right smack in the middle of the "normal" weight gain range for this week.  Annnd we're up three pounds from last month...

What's been on my mind:  surprisingly, not a lot.  These past three days have been all about relaxing and family.  We got all the shopping and baking done on time, and we had a great time with our families.  Its very exciting to think about what next Christmas will be like with our little baby! 

What I'm looking forward to:  baby hiccups!  I should have felt them by now, but I still haven't...  And of course, getting the nursery organized.  We must be the only couple on earth that made it this far into their pregnancy without even starting the nursery.

Random thoughts:  my sweet Casey got me a glider for Christmas!  It is so comfy, and I expect lots of time will be spent in the glider once the babe is here.  

26 weeks - Third trimester

Hellooooo Third Trimester, nice to meet ya!  I'm hoping this last trimester doesn't fly by, as the other two have, and that the return of the fatigue is a mere myth (ha!).  

Baby is now the size of an:  English Cucumber!  She is about 14 inches long and weighs about a pound and two-thirds.  As of this week our little baby's hearing system is now completely formed; sound passes easily into the uterus, and this helps her ears develop.  Eyes are almost fully formed, and in a week her fused eyelids will open for the first time.  Did you know that all babies have blue eyes in the womb?  Weird... Apparently baby's eyes don't get their final color until a few months after they are born.   


How I'm feeling: pregnant.  Getting out of my car is now a bit of a challenge; my legs are usually soar by the end of the day; feet are swelling on the daily; yadda yadda yadda.  Its really not that bad, I hope I'm not being too whiney.  Oh, the heartburn was less frequent this week (thank God!); but, unfortunately, I had two bouts of nausea that were rather sucky.

Physical differences from last week:  not much to report here...the babe looks low as usual, and the belly is a little bigger.

What's been on my mind: my thirty-seven item to-do list.  The highlights are as follows:  consider a babymoon (not gonna happen), sign up for childbirth classes, interview pediatricians, register, tour the maternity ward at the hospital, develop a birth plan (that the doctor won't follow anyway), cook and freeze meals for after delivery, and pack the hospital bag.

What I'm looking forward to:  Registering, clicking off my to-do list, CHRISTMAS!!! 

Random thoughts:  the babe is not a fan of jalapenos; I'll keep that in mind as my due date approaches.  ;-)

25 weeks

Countdown to third trimester:  1 week!  Where has the time gone?  It blows my mind that we're almost 2/3 of the way through this pregnancy; it feels like just yesterday I took the pregnancy test.  I really liked second trimester; sure it would've been nice to have the bump a little sooner, but it was nice to feel like I had time.  Now I feel like we have to do 9 months of prep work in 3 months...

Baby is now the size of an:  eggplant!  She is approximately 13.5 inches long and weighs about 1.5 pounds.  Nostrils are officially unplugged, and very soon those little eyelids will pry themselves open for the first time.  Her sense of equilibrium has set in, and she is now able to determine right side up from upside down; maybe this is why she prefers to hang in breech position.  Hehehe.  Our active little baby can now make fists and grab her little feets.  And we've finally got some baby fat!  I fully expect this little baby to be quite the chunker; just look at her parents as babies:

Casey

Tay

How I'm feeling:  bulbous, verrrrrry bulbous; but I still feel pretty good overall.  Shaving my legs is officially challenging.  I experienced heartburn for the first time in my life earlier this week.  That was less than pleasant; fortunately, my darling husband brought me some Tums and milk and that seemed to help.  Apparently heartburn is a very common symptom, and its due to slower digestion.  I'm also having some cramps on the top of my belly and the bottom of my belly.  I'd like to blame growing pains, as I've  been growing rather rapidly the past two weeks; I'm hoping this isn't the start of Braxton Hicks contractions.  Oh ya, and I'm a big klutz; lots of Blonde Moments at work and lots of things have been dropped lately.  (I'm a natural blonde, so I'm allowed to make that comment)  ;-)

Physical differences from last week:  I think my boobs grew again....ugh!  Here is your weekly pic:

What's been on my mind:  registering, cloth diaper brands, snuggling with my little baby, blah blah blah.  Oh I know, during the week I was completely fixated on how our tiny house will not be nearly large enough to hold all of our babies Christmas presents next year.  Let alone presents for more than one baby in the years to come.  I guess we'll just have to move!  Hehehe

What I'm looking forward to:  Wednesday!  I have my last final at 6:30, and after that....I'm a free (wo)man!  I won't have to worry about any scholastic nonsense until next fall.  I will finally have my life back, I will finally have free time, I will finally be able to prepare for this baby! 

Random thoughts:  during the week I was sitting on the couch, and ze bebe was kicking away, so I lifted my shirt up and I just stared at my belly for ten minutes or so; my belly was jumping with every kick.  It was so funny to watch.  Then another time, Daisy was on my lap, and the baby kicked her right in the butt.  Daisy turned and looked at me with a puzzled look.  I think we have a future soccer player and/or kick boxer on our hands.

24 Weeks: Happy V-Day!!!

As of today, the baby is viable to survive outside the womb!  Yay!!!  Now, Baby Shelton, that is not an invitation to come out this very moment or in the near future; but I'm happy to know that if you had to come out now, you'd be safe.  :-)

Baby is now the size of a: papaya!  She is approximately 11.8 inches long and 21 ounces.  The baby's skin is becoming less translucent, but it is still very thin and wrinkly; this is because her body is making her skin more quickly than fat.  Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory tree, and cells are producing the necessary substances that will help the air sacs inflate once she leaves the womb.  Also her hand and footprints are forming, and she is starting to kick in response to sounds and touches.  The nurse at my OB's office said the baby is still extremely active (see Random Thoughts).


How I'm feeling:  itchy.  I swear that I bathe, people! But last night I was laying in bed and I had an itch attack.  My belly, lower back, and chest were on fire!  OMG, sooooo unpleasant.  I still feel great though; all my regular symptoms are still present, I've just pushed them to the back of my mind.  I'm scheduled to have my blood glucose test at my next prenatal visit.  The results of this test will determine if I have Gestational Diabetes; I really don't think I do.  Casey and I are very familiar with the symptoms of high blood sugar (obviously), and I'm not feeling any of those symptoms.  Just the opposite actually, I get very light headed/dizzy whenever I stand up too fast or get too hungry.  Oh, and I think my feet are officially starting to swell.  Yesterday I noticed my slippers cutting into my feet.  LOL!  Really its not funny, its pretty hideous, but fat feet are just silly.

Physical differences from last week:  I think I finally had my second trimester growth spurt!  Better late than never, huh?  Well my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball!  Annnnd I'm up 15 pounds.  Surprisingly, I'm not upset.  I mean, I'm not happy about the weight gain, but it is well within the normal range for someone being 6 months along.  If I keep up this weight gain rate, I should end up gaining about 31 pounds total.  I was hoping to only gain 30 pounds total...maybe I should lay off the lemonade.  Any who...here is your weekly pic:

What's been on my mind:  well I got my weekly birthday email this morning, and the first sentence was, "If you don't already know how to spot the signs of preterm labor, now's the time to learn."  Ya, that is a little stressful.  Apparently 12% of women give birth preterm.  I really, really do not want to be apart of that percentage; as much as I want to meet my little baby, we are just not ready!  And, of course, the little one still has some major developing to do.  Also, I downloaded a to-do list from The Bump during the week, and OMG the list is huge!  Naturally I have done nothing towards this list (yet). 

What I'm looking forward to:  school being over and getting that baby to-do list checked off!  SO MUCH TO DO. 

Random thoughts:  Allow me to share a funny story...I had my monthly prenatal visit on Thursday, and when the nurse put the doppler on my belly, Baby Shelton became verrrrrrrry active.  She kicked four times in less than a minute.  The nurse kept moving her hand, and the baby kicks would follow her hand.  I just burst out laughing; I usually do anytime she kicks a few times in a row.  Lately it feels like my belly has become a dryer, and the baby is just constantly tumbling around, kicking up a storm.  I actually saw the baby move under my skin yesterday morning.  I have been waiting for weeks to see this!  At first it was a tad creepy, like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it made me very happy nonetheless.