Today marks 25 weeks. We've got a few more days until we hit double digits, in terms of days left (until your due date).
This week has been pretty busy, with work anyway, and also really wet and rainy. The last couple of days have also been abuzz with excitement about the Mega Millions lottery -- the jackpot is expected to be over half a billion dollars (I think right now, it's over $600 million. Apparently every possible number combination has been sold, at least once, by now -- so someone is guaranteed to win. While I generally don't ever buy tickets for those kinds of things, I can't help put pitch in a few dollars towards the possibility at more than half a billion dollars. It's insane to even fathom having that much money. It's funny though, because I remember when I was a kid, and just being a millionaire was considered to be a huge deal. And now, being a mere millionaire isn't all that impressive. I wonder if, someday, you'll be reading this and thinking "ha! Half a billion? That's chump change!"
Daddy and I were originally going to do our babymoon trip this weekend, but were too late in booking something before stuff started filling up and/or prices started skyrocketing. So, we've postponed it until the weekend of April 20-23. We booked a room in Hermosa Beach for that weekend, at a hotel that's right on the beach. I'm looking forward to it -- it should be a nice relaxing weekend!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
24 weeks
Today marks 24 weeks, which is also the typical threshold for "viability" -- meaning that if you were born now, there's a chance you could survive, and the hospital staff would likely do whatever they could to assist in that. As the next few weeks continue, the survivability odds will continue to increase pretty dramatically, from what I understand. It's a comforting (if not morbid) thought, and makes me really think about how close we are to meeting you. Your due date is only 16 weeks away!
My belly has definitely gotten bigger in the last five weeks, since my last picture. Fortunately, I think I'm doing pretty well with the weight gain, and have only put on about 17 pounds at this point. Still not a fun number to think about, especially since I have never weighed as much as I do now, but I feel healthy and good and like most of the weight has been on my belly.
I was pretty worried that I'd pork up something fierce after getting pregnant. Looking back at the pictures I've been doing every five weeks, I don't notice any appreciable difference in my face, or arms, or legs, or hips or anything, which is certainly not what I expected (I guess I expected I'd put on a lot of weight because I've always struggled a bit with my weight, and I just assumed pregnancy would be rough)! But while I'm certainly no mini-mom-to-be, I'm feeling really good about how my body looks. I love the roundness of my belly, and feel beautiful as a pregnant woman. In some ways, I actually feel a lot more confident about my body now than I did before I got pregnant. Perhaps the running I did before I became pregnant with you has been helping with this (both the body confidence and the fact that I haven't completely fallen apart) -- I just wish it was something I had had the energy to keep up with in the first trimester (and beyond).
I've also been, surprisingly to me, a lot better about food than I anticipated. I used to worry and wonder a bit about what kinds of pregnancy cravings I'd have (and whether I'd end up craving something I hate, like McDonald's), and that a voracious appetite for bad foods would be my downfall. But, again, I've been surprised that cravings have been minimal (and mostly for fruits!), and that I've mostly gravitated towards more nutritious foods (with the occasional Taco Bell bean burrito and nachos thrown in like once a month or so -- something I don't otherwise consume). I'm sure that all plays into the respectable weight gain and the fact that I've been feeling pretty good (both physiologically and emotionally).
Earlier this week marked another first, besides Daddy seeing/feeling you kick. You actually woke me up by kicking me the other night! I was dreaming that Daddy was poking me in the stomach, and I cried out "stop!"... but I think I may have actually said "stop!" for real, and it woke me up, which made me realize you were kicking me right then in the same spot I had dreamed that Daddy was poking me. I know you've definitely been active at night, because I've woken up other times (not from you kicking, but more because my bladder is screaming to be emptied), and noticed you moving around in there.
My belly has definitely gotten bigger in the last five weeks, since my last picture. Fortunately, I think I'm doing pretty well with the weight gain, and have only put on about 17 pounds at this point. Still not a fun number to think about, especially since I have never weighed as much as I do now, but I feel healthy and good and like most of the weight has been on my belly.
I was pretty worried that I'd pork up something fierce after getting pregnant. Looking back at the pictures I've been doing every five weeks, I don't notice any appreciable difference in my face, or arms, or legs, or hips or anything, which is certainly not what I expected (I guess I expected I'd put on a lot of weight because I've always struggled a bit with my weight, and I just assumed pregnancy would be rough)! But while I'm certainly no mini-mom-to-be, I'm feeling really good about how my body looks. I love the roundness of my belly, and feel beautiful as a pregnant woman. In some ways, I actually feel a lot more confident about my body now than I did before I got pregnant. Perhaps the running I did before I became pregnant with you has been helping with this (both the body confidence and the fact that I haven't completely fallen apart) -- I just wish it was something I had had the energy to keep up with in the first trimester (and beyond).
I've also been, surprisingly to me, a lot better about food than I anticipated. I used to worry and wonder a bit about what kinds of pregnancy cravings I'd have (and whether I'd end up craving something I hate, like McDonald's), and that a voracious appetite for bad foods would be my downfall. But, again, I've been surprised that cravings have been minimal (and mostly for fruits!), and that I've mostly gravitated towards more nutritious foods (with the occasional Taco Bell bean burrito and nachos thrown in like once a month or so -- something I don't otherwise consume). I'm sure that all plays into the respectable weight gain and the fact that I've been feeling pretty good (both physiologically and emotionally).
Earlier this week marked another first, besides Daddy seeing/feeling you kick. You actually woke me up by kicking me the other night! I was dreaming that Daddy was poking me in the stomach, and I cried out "stop!"... but I think I may have actually said "stop!" for real, and it woke me up, which made me realize you were kicking me right then in the same spot I had dreamed that Daddy was poking me. I know you've definitely been active at night, because I've woken up other times (not from you kicking, but more because my bladder is screaming to be emptied), and noticed you moving around in there.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Finally!
It has been an exciting couple of days for Daddy -- at least as it pertains to you (he's been on call at work, and called out, so anything but excited there!). Over the weekend, we were laying in bed one morning (I think it was Saturday, because I made him breakfast in bed -- or "breakfast from bed" as we dorkily refer to it), and I felt you starting to kick. I looked down and noticed that your kicks were making my belly twitch. I called Daddy's attention to it, and he knelt down next to the bed to watch. Shortly thereafter, you kicked me again, and Daddy's eyes got really big, and he looked up at me and smiled. He saw your kick!
Then, last night, we were enjoying "dinner from bed" (poor Daddy had worked until midnight the night before, and then had to be at work by 9 yesterday morning, and didn't get home until almost 5, so he was pooped -- I decided to bring dinner up to him so he could relax). You started kicking me again as I was eating, and I noticed my belly twitching again. I pointed it out to Daddy, but he couldn't really see it because you were kicking on the far left side of my belly, and Daddy was sitting to my right. He decided to stick his hand over there instead, and after a few seconds you kicked me again, except this time Daddy felt it! He was so excited and said "there's actually something in there!" He felt you kick one more time, and then he laid his head on my belly and started talking softly to you. I couldn't hear what he was saying really well (since the TV was on), but it was clearly a special bonding moment for you and him. So sweet!
Then, last night, we were enjoying "dinner from bed" (poor Daddy had worked until midnight the night before, and then had to be at work by 9 yesterday morning, and didn't get home until almost 5, so he was pooped -- I decided to bring dinner up to him so he could relax). You started kicking me again as I was eating, and I noticed my belly twitching again. I pointed it out to Daddy, but he couldn't really see it because you were kicking on the far left side of my belly, and Daddy was sitting to my right. He decided to stick his hand over there instead, and after a few seconds you kicked me again, except this time Daddy felt it! He was so excited and said "there's actually something in there!" He felt you kick one more time, and then he laid his head on my belly and started talking softly to you. I couldn't hear what he was saying really well (since the TV was on), but it was clearly a special bonding moment for you and him. So sweet!
Friday, March 16, 2012
23 weeks
Happy 23 week preg-iversary! This week you should be measuring around the size of a large mango, and weigh about a full pound!
You're definitely doing a lot more moving around in there, and some of your kicks are hard enough to make my breath catch a bit. I feel you roughly every couple of hours, and you usually kick and move about for a few minutes before settling back down. Daddy still hasn't felt you yet, but we haven't tried much in the last week. I think Daddy might be getting a little discouraged, and I'm becoming hesitant to call his attention to the kicking every time I feel it (and he's around) so I don't make him feel even more discouraged if he doesn't feel anything. Instead, I've been trying to feel my belly more with my hand to see if I can figure out if there's a good spot or pressure or something that might help. Of course, it doesn't help that you usually stop kicking when Daddy puts his hands on my belly, and even do the same to me sometimes!
Last weekend, Daddy and I took our first trip to Babies R Us together (and my first trip there since getting pregnant). There were a few things I wanted to check out in person before I listed them on our registry, and then we ended up wandering the entire store looking at things. Unfortunately, shopping is not your daddy's thing, and while he was certainly trying to be a good sport about it, towards the end he started getting kind of cranky and I could tell he was ready to go. It was cute watching him get excited over a few things -- like the display of baby Chucks (he was cooing over some pink high tops, and telling me that he knew what baby's first Christmas present from Daddy was going to be), and this cute, pink upholstered toddler arm chair.
On Tuesday evening we met with the doula we're planning to hire, and who we hope will be there for us when you're born (it's possible we may have her back-up with us, if you're born the week after your due date, because she has a scheduled family trip that week). We both liked her, and I think she'll be a big help in supporting me in trying to have a natural childbirth.
For the most part I've been feeling pretty good. Some tiredness this week (partially due, I think, to the time change on Sunday, and the fact that the weather has been miserable and wet all week), a bit of ankle/feet swelling by the end of the work day, and some random pains that have come and gone (lower back, bottom of my left foot, and what feels like muscle soreness in the groin area). Nothing to really complain about!
 |
| large mango |
You're definitely doing a lot more moving around in there, and some of your kicks are hard enough to make my breath catch a bit. I feel you roughly every couple of hours, and you usually kick and move about for a few minutes before settling back down. Daddy still hasn't felt you yet, but we haven't tried much in the last week. I think Daddy might be getting a little discouraged, and I'm becoming hesitant to call his attention to the kicking every time I feel it (and he's around) so I don't make him feel even more discouraged if he doesn't feel anything. Instead, I've been trying to feel my belly more with my hand to see if I can figure out if there's a good spot or pressure or something that might help. Of course, it doesn't help that you usually stop kicking when Daddy puts his hands on my belly, and even do the same to me sometimes!
Last weekend, Daddy and I took our first trip to Babies R Us together (and my first trip there since getting pregnant). There were a few things I wanted to check out in person before I listed them on our registry, and then we ended up wandering the entire store looking at things. Unfortunately, shopping is not your daddy's thing, and while he was certainly trying to be a good sport about it, towards the end he started getting kind of cranky and I could tell he was ready to go. It was cute watching him get excited over a few things -- like the display of baby Chucks (he was cooing over some pink high tops, and telling me that he knew what baby's first Christmas present from Daddy was going to be), and this cute, pink upholstered toddler arm chair.
On Tuesday evening we met with the doula we're planning to hire, and who we hope will be there for us when you're born (it's possible we may have her back-up with us, if you're born the week after your due date, because she has a scheduled family trip that week). We both liked her, and I think she'll be a big help in supporting me in trying to have a natural childbirth.
For the most part I've been feeling pretty good. Some tiredness this week (partially due, I think, to the time change on Sunday, and the fact that the weather has been miserable and wet all week), a bit of ankle/feet swelling by the end of the work day, and some random pains that have come and gone (lower back, bottom of my left foot, and what feels like muscle soreness in the groin area). Nothing to really complain about!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
22 weeks
Yet another week down! This week you're about the size of a papaya. There has also been a shift (in the various books, websites, etc. I read) from measuring you crown-to-rump, and now measuring you in your full length. According to some of those sources, you're about 11 inches now! So, probably about half the length you'll be by the time you're born. You should also weigh roughly a pound now, but will be gaining another 6-9 times that amount in the next four months. Let's hope it's on the lower end of that!
This last week was fairly mellow (at least compared to the crazy week at work before!) Daddy went camping over the weekend with his old friend, Mark. They, and a few other guys, went up to Lake Englebright, where they kayaked into their camping site. They left early Friday morning, after I had already left for work, so I didn't see Daddy again until late Sunday afternoon.
I opted to have a fun, easy weekend myself. Friday night I went to Target and bought a few fun new pieces of maternity clothes. Saturday morning I went to get my hair cut, and then drove down to San Jose to meet Aunty Yen right after. We met up at Santana Row and enjoyed a yummy brunch at LB Steakhouse. We split an order of brioche french toast and a lobster roll. Yum! Afterward, we began wandering down the street, window shopping and gabbing. Later in the afternoon, we grabbed a couple of cool beverages, and found a nice bench where we were able to people watch and gab some more, and enjoy the beautiful weather we were having. Then we headed out and I had dinner with Uncle Jason and Aunty Yen at a nearby Cuban spot they love. Sunday I spent mostly cleaning up from the party the weekend before, and taking care of a few other odds and ends things. I was so ready for Daddy to come home, because I was definitely missing him!
Now I'm working on researching a babymoon, possibly for the end of the month. We're thinking of going somewhere in Southern California. I'm hoping for some place relaxing, ideally on the beach, where I can get a nice massage and eat some tasty things. Normally I'm all about more active vacations, and wanting to see/do all kinds of new things. A relaxing, lay-around-and-do-nothing type of trip is more your daddy's style. So, he's certainly not objecting this time around! The only difficulty is in figuring out where to go. I don't want to be too close to home, but also don't want to go too far. And every place I look at is either underwhelming or overpriced. I'm starting to get a bit discouraged. But, I'm sure we'll find something, one way or another. Worst case scenario, we could always go back to Laguna Beach, which is where we ended our Pacific Coast Highway road trip last summer. The hotel we stayed at had rooms with balconies that hung over the ocean waves (during high tide anyway), so you had a completely unobstructed view of the ocean. It was such a relaxing, beautiful spot, with dolphins actually playing in the reflection of the sunset on the water one night as we stood on our balcony. It was heavenly! That's the vibe I'm looking for, but possibly in some place we haven't been before. We'll see what we can find!
 |
| papaya |
This last week was fairly mellow (at least compared to the crazy week at work before!) Daddy went camping over the weekend with his old friend, Mark. They, and a few other guys, went up to Lake Englebright, where they kayaked into their camping site. They left early Friday morning, after I had already left for work, so I didn't see Daddy again until late Sunday afternoon.
I opted to have a fun, easy weekend myself. Friday night I went to Target and bought a few fun new pieces of maternity clothes. Saturday morning I went to get my hair cut, and then drove down to San Jose to meet Aunty Yen right after. We met up at Santana Row and enjoyed a yummy brunch at LB Steakhouse. We split an order of brioche french toast and a lobster roll. Yum! Afterward, we began wandering down the street, window shopping and gabbing. Later in the afternoon, we grabbed a couple of cool beverages, and found a nice bench where we were able to people watch and gab some more, and enjoy the beautiful weather we were having. Then we headed out and I had dinner with Uncle Jason and Aunty Yen at a nearby Cuban spot they love. Sunday I spent mostly cleaning up from the party the weekend before, and taking care of a few other odds and ends things. I was so ready for Daddy to come home, because I was definitely missing him!
Now I'm working on researching a babymoon, possibly for the end of the month. We're thinking of going somewhere in Southern California. I'm hoping for some place relaxing, ideally on the beach, where I can get a nice massage and eat some tasty things. Normally I'm all about more active vacations, and wanting to see/do all kinds of new things. A relaxing, lay-around-and-do-nothing type of trip is more your daddy's style. So, he's certainly not objecting this time around! The only difficulty is in figuring out where to go. I don't want to be too close to home, but also don't want to go too far. And every place I look at is either underwhelming or overpriced. I'm starting to get a bit discouraged. But, I'm sure we'll find something, one way or another. Worst case scenario, we could always go back to Laguna Beach, which is where we ended our Pacific Coast Highway road trip last summer. The hotel we stayed at had rooms with balconies that hung over the ocean waves (during high tide anyway), so you had a completely unobstructed view of the ocean. It was such a relaxing, beautiful spot, with dolphins actually playing in the reflection of the sunset on the water one night as we stood on our balcony. It was heavenly! That's the vibe I'm looking for, but possibly in some place we haven't been before. We'll see what we can find!
Friday, March 2, 2012
21 weeks
We're on the downhill slope now, at 21 weeks. You're now about the length of a carrot.
Sunday was the gender reveal party. Despite exhausting and stressing myself out for the entire weekend just to throw this fete, I'd have to say it was a success! We had a great group of people come to celebrate you, including Nana Shirley, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Rick, Uncle Andy and Aunty Sandra along with Kayla and Lily (who is walking now!!!), Uncle Jason and Aunty Yen, Alicia and Cheyne, Jess & Wes, JT and Aaron and Adam, and Ryan and Crystal.
Since it was the same day as the Oscars, I decided to make that a theme -- we called it the "Anatomy Awards". I put all kinds of tasty foods out for people to enjoy, and made little name labels for each item that had a cheeky name related to an Oscar nominee (things like "Moneyball of Cheese", "Spinach Dip with 'Bread' Pitt", "Kung Fu Panda Orange Chicken", "The Lemon-Ides of March", and "George Clooney Macarooni Balls", among others).
We played a little game just before the reveal, where we passed out slips of paper with various old wives tales about determining the sex of the baby, and had everyone pick one and read it aloud. Then we decided what it indicated and marked it on a chart. In the end, the results were 8 tallies for "girl" and 7 tallies for "boy". So... while the correct option technically won, it just goes to show that you have a 50/50 shot of getting it right with an old wives tale (just like you have a 50/50 shot of actually being pregnant with either sex).
After the game, we headed out to the front yard, where daddy had hung a series of 7 paper lanterns. I had spent way too much time over the previous few days engineering and constructing these cheap paper lanterns into little surprise vessels, which would drop a letter (or colored tassels) out of the bottom when a string was pulled (thus yanking off a piece of paper that closed up the hole, and allowing the goods to drop out). We selected 7 people to each man a string, and at the count of three had them all pull. While we had a couple of minor snafus (the "G" didn't drop out right... but I think it's because something got messed up when we had to hastily put it back back together when a piece fell off while daddy was hanging it; and the string on the "I" slid down the wire support beam inside the lantern, causing the letter to drop lower than the others). But, it got the point across and (I think, at least) was cute and different!
In other news, you and I played a fun new game today! I was standing in the copy room at work and you were kicking me, so I decided to press on my belly where you had kicked, and you kicked back. Then, I tried pressing on the opposite side of my belly, and you kicked me in that spot! I moved my hand to a different area, pressed, and you kicked me right there! This only went on for a few tries, and then you got bored and went to sleep or something. But it was a fun moment of connecting and playing with you. Now, if only you'd let daddy feel you kick so he could play along too.
 |
| carrots |
Sunday was the gender reveal party. Despite exhausting and stressing myself out for the entire weekend just to throw this fete, I'd have to say it was a success! We had a great group of people come to celebrate you, including Nana Shirley, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Rick, Uncle Andy and Aunty Sandra along with Kayla and Lily (who is walking now!!!), Uncle Jason and Aunty Yen, Alicia and Cheyne, Jess & Wes, JT and Aaron and Adam, and Ryan and Crystal.
Since it was the same day as the Oscars, I decided to make that a theme -- we called it the "Anatomy Awards". I put all kinds of tasty foods out for people to enjoy, and made little name labels for each item that had a cheeky name related to an Oscar nominee (things like "Moneyball of Cheese", "Spinach Dip with 'Bread' Pitt", "Kung Fu Panda Orange Chicken", "The Lemon-Ides of March", and "George Clooney Macarooni Balls", among others).
We played a little game just before the reveal, where we passed out slips of paper with various old wives tales about determining the sex of the baby, and had everyone pick one and read it aloud. Then we decided what it indicated and marked it on a chart. In the end, the results were 8 tallies for "girl" and 7 tallies for "boy". So... while the correct option technically won, it just goes to show that you have a 50/50 shot of getting it right with an old wives tale (just like you have a 50/50 shot of actually being pregnant with either sex).
After the game, we headed out to the front yard, where daddy had hung a series of 7 paper lanterns. I had spent way too much time over the previous few days engineering and constructing these cheap paper lanterns into little surprise vessels, which would drop a letter (or colored tassels) out of the bottom when a string was pulled (thus yanking off a piece of paper that closed up the hole, and allowing the goods to drop out). We selected 7 people to each man a string, and at the count of three had them all pull. While we had a couple of minor snafus (the "G" didn't drop out right... but I think it's because something got messed up when we had to hastily put it back back together when a piece fell off while daddy was hanging it; and the string on the "I" slid down the wire support beam inside the lantern, causing the letter to drop lower than the others). But, it got the point across and (I think, at least) was cute and different!
In other news, you and I played a fun new game today! I was standing in the copy room at work and you were kicking me, so I decided to press on my belly where you had kicked, and you kicked back. Then, I tried pressing on the opposite side of my belly, and you kicked me in that spot! I moved my hand to a different area, pressed, and you kicked me right there! This only went on for a few tries, and then you got bored and went to sleep or something. But it was a fun moment of connecting and playing with you. Now, if only you'd let daddy feel you kick so he could play along too.
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