23 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

She is more than 11 inches long and weighs over a pound (about as much as a large mango). Her skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare her for breathing. Loud noises heard often now- such as Titus barking- probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb (crazy that she can already start hearing Titus and everyone's voices).

How is the Mommy doing...

I am getting really tired of being sick! It stinks that I have been sick three times since January and I am really praying that after this round I can be healthly. Please pray for my cough and runny nose heals soon and I can stay healthy until Avery comes. I really want to avoid taking anything that even has a possibility of hurting the baby so please pray that I will be healed without having to depend on medicine. It is comforting though to feel her move all week even though I feel so bad, it reminds me that she is doing fine.

Other than being sick this week has been pretty calm which has allowed me to get to bed earlier and try to rest and get better. I ordered a butterfly mobile (see picture to the right) to hang over the changing table area as well as some little nylon butterflies to put on the shelves for the nursery. I also ordered a rug online which should be here this week. I can not wait to get the last few things out of the room and get it painted so we can start putting everything together. I love decorating and it is even more fun when it is pink and butterflies! We have finally decided on a crib and now just need to go and order it. I never thought it would be so hard to pick out a crib. I am choosing between two different paint colors and hopefully John will have time to paint the room soon and we can start putting in the crib and putting everything together.

I am excited about having Memorial Day off tomorrow and also starting summer Fridays this week which means only three days of work for this week! Work should be a little more busy this next two weeks as we are preparing for a big event in Iowa the first weekend in June. I will be busy wrapping up details this week and then flying out to Iowa June 3. Pray that I remember my limits and not push myself too much with this upcoming week and then traveling/working at the event.

My sister, her dog and her boyfriend all came into town on Thursday and left today. She has a chocolate lab named Max and him and Titus became the best of friends. They had a blast playing with each other and even decided to go on an unplanned adventure yesterday running away and coming home covered in mud (we took a picture of them before the bath). I was so relieved to see both of them even if it meant two bath times. Titus is pretty sad today that his friend left but hopefully Ashley will find a job down here and we can see her and Max more often! It was nice to catch up with her and Hardy and spend some time with them!

Praise that our friends Robbie and Sarah Shelton welcomed their healthy baby girl Emma Grace on Friday! We are so excited for them and are hoping to get better soon so we can meet their new addition!

• Next Doctor's Appointment: June 9
• Total Weight Gain: 16 pounds
• To Do This Week: Visiting the first day care on Friday and resting for my work trip next week

How is the Daddy doing...

Huge praise! The air conditioning in the Mustang is fixed! John is so excited about getting it fixed and now doesn't have to die in the summer heat and it is starting to get really hot in Houston! On Tuesday we were able to get together for dinner with a college friend of John's, Timon, and catch up which was really nice. John is also sick but getting better. Please pray that he gets over this last little bit and feels better. Praise that John was able to feel Avery move this week! 

22 Weeks

What is the baby doing?

Our baby now looks like a minature newborn checking in at 10.9 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

How is the Mommy doing...

It has been a pretty calm week for me which is always nice. I quickly realized early in the week that wearing heels is no longer an option after having some pretty bad back pain on Tuesday. Since then I have been wearing flats and feeling a whole lot better. Once again, I have come down with some sort of cold and am trying to fight off a runny nose and sore throat. I have never been as sick as I have been this year and I know that being pregnant probably had something to do with it. Hopefully I can get rid of whatever I have for good and not get sick anymore. Also, please pray that the baby isn't affected by any of this and will continue to grow strong and healthy.

Our nursery bedding arrived this week which was really exciting. Titus was very interested in the mobile and couldn't understand what all this new stuff was that he couldn't touch. Little does he know what is about to happen! John picked up some paint samples for me and once I choose a color he will be starting painting. Our main project this weekend was clearing out the guest room and the closest to start making room for Avery's new stuff. We only have a couple more things to put in the attic and then move the bed into the garage to store until my parents move back and we are ready to start painting and buying furniture. My goal is to have the nursery pretty much put together by the end of July so that way August and September can just be about finishing the little stuff.

Avery has been getting stronger and I am really praying that John can feel her this week. I love being able to know she is in there and growing and want to share that with John so badly.

• Next Doctor's Appointment: June 9
  
• Total Weight Gain: 15 pounds
  
• To Do This Week: Finish up clearing out the guest room and decide on a paint color for the nursery!
  

How is the Daddy doing...

John is also sick and getting better but we are both pretty tired of passing this back and forth. We tried to get the air conditioning fixed in the Mustang and encountered some issues with previous work done on it so we had to take it back to the first shop to have them correct the work they did before the second shop can finish. Pray that we get this resolved quickly and John can finally have air conditioning! John also registered for the marathon this week so he will be starting to train again. 

21 Weeks

What is the baby doing...

She now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long - the length of a carrot. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed.


How is the Mommy doing...

Well this week has been pretty long and hard. I think I exhausted myself in Austin with all of the walking up and down hills, late nights and I just made myself tired. So, most of this week has been resting when I get home and trying to catch up on sleep. I even rescheduled my dentist appointment so I could sleep in on Tuesday morning instead. It is hard to not want to keep going at my normal busy pace and weird when my body responds negatively. Although I was tired most of this week, our little girl was not and she has been moving and kicking daily. She is really active when I am sitting at my computer at work and I feel her getting stronger and stronger everyday. I am pretty sure John will be feeling her soon.

I had my monthly doctor appointment on Friday and everything looks good. Our little girl is growing like she should and my blood pressure, weight, measurements etc are all right on track. Her heart rate was 150 bpm which is normal. My next appointment will involve a blood test for gestational diabetes as well as the normal routine checks. My doctor also mentioned that she doesn't want me to be traveling after my trip to Portland which should be fine but there is a large amount of photo/video shoots with work coming up this summer so pray that we can make arrangements for the right people to go in my place.

This weekened has been pretty busy but tons of fun. Saturday was Megan's bachelorette party which was tons of fun. It was great to see Megan and celebrate her upcoming wedding. Today John surprised me with a handwritten note from our little girl which was pretty cute and a gift certificate for a pre-natal massage. Although the baby isn't born yet it is nice to be treated by John and appreciated for all that I have been doing in preparing to be a mom. I have always wanted to be a mom and am so excited and scared at the same time that I get to enjoy this time in my life! We also headed out to Katy for lunch with John's mom and a little visit.

Some good news from work this week is that we will be getting our Summer Fridays this year which are every other Friday off from May 30- August 29. This is a huge blessing as I now don't have to use vacation time for our trip to Portland for Megan's wedding in June and it will be nice to have some extra days off this summer to prepare for the baby and relax. It is also crazy to think that once Summer Fridays are over I really only have a couple more weeks of work until I start maternity leave, my last day is September 12.

We didn't end up visiting the day care this week due to scheduling issues but are planning to use my first Summer Friday (May 30) to go ahead and make a visit.

• Next Doctor's Appointment:June 9 for my monthly check up and to test for gestational diabetes
  
• Total Weight Gain:13.5 pounds
• To Do This Week: I really want to start cleaning out the closet in the soon to be nursery and finding homes for everything so we can start purchasing things for the nursery and putting it together
  

How is the Daddy doing...

Well John made a little trip to the hospital early in the week as he stubbed his toe on Monday night. He was walking into our bedroom and ran into a leather bench with his foot. I thought it would get better overnight and that it couldn't be that bad. Well, when he woke up on Tuesday with a swollen and very bruised toe he decided to make a visit to the ER to make sure it wasn't broken. It isn't broken but the doctor gave him a really fashionable shoe to wear and told him to take it easy for a couple of weeks. The healing over the week has gone really well. John barely even notices the pain any more.




John was able to order the remaining parts for his computer this week and put it together and now has a working computer which is such a relief. He also did a bunch of yard work yesterday and was busy again today in the backyard planting the tree. We are so excited to finally have something in the back yard!

20 Weeks

We made it to the half way mark!

What is the baby doing?

She weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now and is around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel - the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, measurements were taken from the top of the baby's head to the its bottom - known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, measurements are from head to toe becuase the baby's legs were curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and were very hard to measure). A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal. She is swallowing more which is a good practice for her digistive system. She is also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that is the result of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels and we will see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

How is the Mommy doing...

I am shocked that I am already 20 weeks pregnant! The first trimester seemed like it took forever but these past six weeks or so have flown by. Now that we are in the second half I am excited about starting to prepare the babies room and start the real preparation for the arrival of our little girl. We have registered for classes at the hospital (birthing, baby care and breast feeding) that starts Monday, June 2. We will be attending those classes Monday nights for six weeks. I am excited but also nervous.

This week went by fast which was great because on Friday John and I headed to Austin for the weekend. We went for time away and to attend the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference. We were really blessed that my sister Ashley came into town this weekend for a job fair and offered to watch Titus which saved us money and Titus was able to be spoiled by Auntie Ashley. Our weekend in Austin was great! On Friday, we went to the Co-op and got the baby some gear for football season (bows for her hair, a longhorn stuffed animal and two little outfits). The conference started that night and it was great to be reminded about the basics of having a God centered marriage and how to keep our marriage strong. Praise for a great time away and visiting our favorite Austin places! Austin has such great memories for us and it was nice to get away before the baby.

This upcoming week is busy with a dentist appointment on Tuesday and then a doctor's appointment on Friday. We have also started getting more and more information from potential day cares and are going to visit the first one on Friday before my appointment. We are really hoping that it will be evident where we need to enroll and the schedule that we will have. Then on Saturday I am co-hosting a bachelorette party for my good friend Megan and am excited about seeing Megan and celebrating her upcoming marriage. I was able to find a fun dress to wear out that night and a swim suit which was a relief. Also this week, my bridesmaids dress for Megan's wedding in June came in and I am really excited. It looks great and I think it will match really well with the rest of the bridal party.

I have been a little uncomfortable this week and especially this weekend with the large amounts of sitting that I have been doing. Pray for rest and that I am able to find some comfort in sitting and relief from back pain.

Also, I have a poll (see the left hand column) going for help on a middle name. Vote for your favorites and if you have another suggestion, post it on this entry in the comments section. You can also vote at http://www.babynames.com/namelist/9625287.

• Next Doctor's Appointment: This Friday (May 9) for my monthly check up
• Total Weight Gain: 12 pounds
• To Do This Week: Dentist appointment, get ready for Megan's bachelorette party on Saturday

How is the Daddy doing...

John also had a great weekend away and attending the conference. He is really excited about being a leader and raising a daughter! Austin was a great and being back in the city and campus was enjoyable. Another praise is that we found out John has five additional paid days from work to take care of me after the baby is born. We are so excited that he will have two weeks home with us and then a week at Christmas to go on vacation.

Small Group Run a couple of weeks ago (April 20). You can't hide the baby bump in running clothes!