25 weeks: ultrasounds & sewing projects

No change in produce this week. Baby is about 13.5" long and I know from our growth ultrasound last week she's weighing about 1 lb 6 oz, right on track. Fit Pregnancy says she's about the size of a small sack of sugar. Her little nostrils, which were plugged, are now open. She's also growing more hair just like her mama.

We had our monthly growth ultrasound last Wednesday and it was so great to see her again. Being high risk has its perks. The tech measured the length of all her limbs, her spine, the circumference of her head, her belly, etc. The tech said she's measuring right to the day. Very reassuring. This time baby was upside down with her spine running up my right side. I can never tell how she's positioned. I feel her moving around all the time but I have no idea what's going on in there. Yesterday Evan talked to her up close and she responded by doing some acrobatics. I wonder if she recognizes his voice yet. As usual, we got some photos from the ultrasound.

Here she is laying on her back (which is actually my right side) with her arm up making a little fist:

And here is her little leg bent at the knee:

I continue to feel pretty good. I had a cold for a couple days last week and the cough is still lingering but it's not bad at all. My appetite is definitely back full force and I'm gaining weight again. My belly continues to grow, which is so fun. I can't fasten my coats anymore. As luck would have it, I was gifted a hand-me-down mint green maternity trench coat last week. It's really cute and perfect for Spring. Surprisingly my running gear still fits, I just wear the waistbands under my belly. Running has gotten uncomfortable - my back kills afterward and my belly feels like it may rip off my body. BUT. I just got the most wonderful invention ever - the Gabrialla maternity support belt. I wore it for the first time yesterday and it was AMAZING. No back pain, no bouncing belly. The only thing it doesn't relieve is pressure on my bladder but a couple minutes of walking here and there keeps me from feeling like I'm going to have an accident. I can't say enough good things about the Gabrialla belt. 

In other news, I got a sewing machine for my birthday last week and got right to work on some projects for baby. My first sewing project was a baby circle skirt to pair with onesies (thanks for the pattern, Pinterest). Yesterday I got some fabric for making crib bedding, a pillow for the chair, wall hangings, and curtains. So far it's been fun and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Here's a picture of the first circle skirt (I promptly made 5 more):

24 weeks: baby is the size of a head of cauliflower

Baby girl has gained about 4 oz since last week and her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree." Her skin is still translucent but becoming more and more opaque. She's also developing sleep and wake patterns. Last night she was kicking pretty hard around midnight and now those kicks are visible jabs coming out of my belly! It's wild. Sometimes she gives a good stomp downward. Now that's a weird feeling, like her little foot is on the verge of coming out of me, kicking her way out into the world. Get back in there, you're not ready to come out yet!

While I was watching my belly when baby was kicking last night I noticed a new development. Apparently I  am turning into a gorilla because there is now long blonde peach fuzz on my belly. I consulted Dr. Google and read that it is common during pregnancy to grow hair in unwanted places. I'm waiting for the beard now. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty good these days. These last two weeks I've felt the best I ever have my whole pregnancy. I'm really cherishing this time right now.

Today is my 36th birthday. I don't work on Mondays so I had the day off. I started the day by bringing coffee and pastries to a friend's house while her 6-month-old twins were napping. She just went through a rough period of sleep training but now they're sleeping 9 hours straight every night. She did a modified version of the Baby Wise method. I'd never heard of Baby Wise before today, apparently people generally love it or think it's a form of baby torture. She loaned me the book so I'll decide for myself. Her babies both woke up smiling so at least today it seems to be working for them. From her house I drove the 45 minutes to Woodburn Company Stores to shop for baby clothes at outlet stores. Yep, that's my idea of a treat. Oh my gosh, the little girl clothes are so cute I can hardly stand it. I had to practice some restraint. I can't wait to dress her in these adorable little outfits. Sometimes I just lay out the little clothes I've gotten as hand-me-downs and new and just look at them getting excited for the little girl that will soon wear them.

23 weeks: beginning the nursery

Baby is still the size of a squash according to the ticker. She weighs about a pound and is about 12" long if she were to stretch out. Based on what I've seen on ultrasounds she's in a ball most of the time. Although the last ultrasound to get better images of her heart she started out feet down and head up facing my spine.  Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to help get her ready for breathing and her sense of hearing is getting keener by the minute. She is getting used to all the sounds in my daily routine, including household noises, which right this second is the bluegrass Pandora station.

I had a prenatal appointment on Friday, first one since being back from Asia. Baby's heartbeat is strong and she was kicking the doctor pretty hard while she was holding the fetal doppler to my belly. The doctor exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! She's active!" as the doppler bounced and we heard "Thud! Thwap! Bam!" from the speaker. The doctor also measured fundal height for the first time at this visit. It's a measurement of baby's growth using a tape measure from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. If baby is measuring on track, the number of centimeters should correspond to the number of weeks. Fundal height was 22 cm so she's growing right on track! We have an ultrasound scheduled for next week as well. I also had some blood work done at this appointment and all came back within normal ranges. I feel reassured that baby and I are healthy following the battle with the norovirus and relieved that she continues to grow and develop appropriately. I have been feeling pretty good this week.

We started getting some things for the nursery last weekend, which has been exciting. We have all the furniture now and just need to fill in with decorations. Stay tuned for a post with before and after photos when we're done.

Today I had the pleasure of hosting two friends and their kids for a lunch visit at our house. Erica's son, Gus, calls children "kiddos" which I think is just adorable. When he got out of the van and heard the kids playing down the street at the school he said, "Are we having lunch with the kiddos?" I learned that he is a meatatarian, can pee on the potty with ease, and remembered all of our names. Impressive on all counts. His little sister, Nora, is way more mobile than the last time I saw her a couple months ago. She crawls like a pro, pulls herself up to standing on just about anything, and takes a few assisted steps! Terri and little Finley arrived soon after and that little Finley entered the room with a giant smile that never left her face. She is just a doll. Terri and Erica shared some valuable words of wisdom regarding the nursery that I will put to use (e.g. don't hang anything over the changing table that you don't want grabbed or pulled). And, they generously offered to throw me a baby shower, which I am so grateful and thrilled about! Today is a good day.

22 weeks: baby is the size of a spaghetti squash

Baby girl is about 11" long and weighs just under a pound. Her brain is doing some rapid growth right now, hopefully getting really smart like her parents. She's looking more like a cute little newborn in there with little lips, eyebrows, and eyelids. I feel her doing some serious moving in there more strongly and frequently every day. It's wild. I don't know which body parts are moving but I picture her dancing like this:

I continue to feel pretty crummy, in the last three weeks I had a stomach bug followed by a cold followed by another stomach bug that put me in the hospital for IV fluids. I'm still nauseous and my plumbing's not right but when I feel that dancing baby in there I'm relieved that all these things are happening to me and not her. This has been a challenging pregnancy but I know even now that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I love her so much already. Even though she only weighs a pound I've gained about 11 lbs in total. I was up more than that but lost a few from these stomach bugs. I figure I have plenty of time to gain the recommended 25-35 lbs. I'm loving my pregnant body and this baby bump. There's a blog called The Pregnant Chicken that a couple people have told me about and I spent a lot of time reading it this weekend. She's hilarious. There's one post about the stages of pregnancy that I identified with. I think I'm straddling Stages 3 and 4. I still feel cute but it is becoming a struggle to do things that require bending over.

You might have noticed I skipped week 21. Unfortunately, we had to cut our babymoon in Thailand short in order to make it home to spend a couple days with our dog, Abbey, before she passed away. She had been battling cancer for about a year and a half and took a sudden turn for the worst while we were gone. Thankfully we made it in time and sequestered ourselves with her for a couple days to soak up every second. We were able to have her euthanized at home, in her bed, very peacefully. She was my furry baby and I have gobs of great memories with her to make me smile, even though I miss her like crazy. Rest in peace, Abbey.

20 weeks: baby is the size of a cantaloupe

Today marks the halfway point of this pregnancy and that seems like something to celebrate. Baby is about 10" from head to heel and about 10 oz in weight. She is forming sweat glands and immunities are transferring from me to her. I hope I'm giving her a lot of good ones. She's moving and kicking and squirming all over the place as I write this! She has been really active tonight.

I've been getting a lot of foot cramps the last few weeks and I guess that is a common thing in pregnancy. The kind where a couple toes suddenly get a mind of their own and break away from the pack. It's not really painful. I have another new pregnancy symptom brewing that I'm not too thrilled about - a linea nigra. It's a dark vertical line that runs down the abdomen starting at the belly button. When I read about it in Mayo Clinic's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy I first thought, "WHAT?!" and then I vaguely remembered seeing it on other pregnant women's bellies. It happens to about 75% of us. It's really faint at this point but there's no denying it's on its way. It's really not a big deal and it'll go away after pregnancy, it's just one of those vain things. Another one of those vain things I didn't know about beforehand that's also happening are bigger and darker areolas.  It has something to do with preparing for breastfeeding. A more obvious target maybe?

Evan and I are in Thailand this week and next week for our babymoon.  A babymoon is a vacation for an expectant couple to enjoy a final trip together alone before baby. We booked this trip during first trimester with positive thoughts that second trimester would be a time I'd be feeling great. Aside from the complications I've been experiencing, I also had a stomach flu virus for five days last week! It was dicey right up until the day we left and we were prepared to cancel the trip and eat the sunk costs. I was still a little queasy when we left so I slapped on the Sea Bands I got for morning sickness a few months ago and was good to go. I'm being very careful about what I eat and also honoring my physical limitations and letting Evan go off and do some things on his own while I nap or rest in the hotel room. Today we went shopping and we were eyeing some things for the baby. A carved wood elephant, some itty bitty Thai baby clothes, a piece of artwork for the nursery. The baby bump photo was taken on a street in Bangkok today and the photo below is Evan with a street food cart guy holding a freshly prepared green papaya salad. Street food is everywhere! If this little girl ends up with a special affinity for Thai cuisine I'll know why.

19 weeks: baby is the size of a sweet potato

All these fruits and vegetables seem like they could be about the same size. It's still fun to see what fruit or vegetable comes up each week. This week baby is developing a greasy, white protective coating over her skin called vernix caseosa. This helps her skin keep from pickling in the amniotic fluid. We might see it on her body at her birth, like I did when I was watching Snooki deliver her baby on Snooki & JWoww a couple weeks ago. Quality TV right there. Baby's senses are really starting to develop now - smell, taste, touch, hearing, and vision.

We had our anatomy scan ultrasound this morning. It lasted about an hour and documented all of her little body parts and organs. Ten fingers and 10 toes confirmed. It was neat to see her moving on the screen AND feel the movements at the same time. That was a new experience since the last ultrasound and made the reality of the little person I see on the screen being in my belly more believable. We also got some good news at this scan: the placenta is now more than 3 cm from my cervix. Woo hoo! The ultrasound tech got every shot she needed except one from the front of the heart. Baby kept putting her arms and legs in front of her chest. She had me roll over on to each side, walk around the room, jiggled my belly a bit, but she just wouldn't cooperate! So, I'll have to go back in on Friday to try again just for the heart shots from the front. We got some great photos besides the usual profile shot. I'll share a cute one and one that's mildly disturbing but still cute.

Her cute little left foot:

This one reminds me of Skeletor but cuter:

Not much new with my pregnancy experience, just the ever expanding belly. I love love love it. And I love feeling baby move inside me, which I feel every day now. I wonder when we'll be able to feel her movements from the outside. The placenta is in the back of my uterus and it's just baby out front so hopefully we'll feel her move from the outside sooner rather than later.

In other news, I found $6 in a pocket today. I've had a challenging past few days and I needed that kind gesture from the universe.

I had lunch with a good friend today to celebrate her 40th birthday, we were in Reno the weekend of her birthday party. She has a 3-year-old daughter and it was fun to talk about her experiences with Emma. I also had dinner with a friend this weekend who brought along her 11-month-old daughter, Kira, and again we talked baby all night. It's so easy to do and I never get sick of it. This is the benefit of being the last of my friends to have kids - I get to glean all the learnings and advice from people I trust who have already been through it. I so appreciate it!

18 weeks: baby is the size of a papaya

Baby is moving like crazy, flexing arms and legs, punching, kicking, and doing somersaults. Baby is also yawning, hiccuping, sucking, and swallowing.

Well, it has been an eventful week! On Thursday morning, Abbey, our elderly dog, woke me up for her usual early morning walk. As she was descending the hardwood stairs her feet slipped out from under her and down she went all the way to the wall. As the words, "Oh noooo...." were coming out of my mouth, down I went right behind her. A total of 13 stairs. I have never fallen down the stairs like that in my life! Abbey bounced right back up but I sat there stunned for a second doing a mental scan of my body to see if I was okay and I thought of baby. I walked Abbey, fed her, administered her morning pills, and waited until my OB's office opened. As soon as it did, I called and was advised to go to the hospital for a stat ultrasound followed by a same-day appointment with my OB. My OB worried that I might have torn the placenta. And here I'm thinking shaken baby syndrome or a tiny broken leg. I was put on the ultrasound schedule for 2:00 and instead of waiting and worrying I decided to go to work and see a few patients. At the ultrasound we learned baby is just find and the placenta isn't torn, however, it is too close to my cervix. As my uterus continues to grow hopefully that will put more distance between the cervix and placenta. If not, I'll need to have a c-section. In the meantime I'm on pelvic rest... for the third time. As the ultrasound technician was scanning baby, she asked if we wanted to know the sex... "Yes!" we said in unison. So....

WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!

Evan's hunch was right and mine was wrong. I'm sharing a profile shot from that ultrasound below. You can see baby's right hand up by her face. We also have shots proving her sex but I won't ever be posting pictures of my daughter's genitals on the internet.

During our visit with the OB we also got some results back from the lab work I had done the week before. Everything is within normal ranges except one protein - Inhibin-A - which is abnormally high. This has been linked with delayed growth, pre-term birth, and pre-eclampsia. For this reason, and the placenta issue, I'll be monitored more closely from here on out (i.e. more frequent appointments and ultrasounds), and I may eventually need to be put on bed rest. Keep your fingers crossed for us. As much as this plants a tiny seed of worry, there are so many worse things that could have gone wrong that didn't, and for that I am grateful.

In related news, my OB also wrote a letter saying I should reduce my work hours to 30 hours/week due to pregnancy complications. I plan to have that conversation with my manager this week. Stay tuned for that outcome. I'm leaving out a lot of detail involving FMLA, human resources, and my union because it will be a blip on the radar in the end. The health of our baby and me are far more important than any bureaucratic red tape.

I'm looking at the ultrasound picture of our little girl again and thinking, "she's so cute!" We're giddy fools in the ultrasound room when we see our little one up there on the big screen saying, "Awwww, she's so cute! Oh she kicked, that's so cute! That's her hand by her face? So cute!" When really she's this fuzzy staticky white outline of a baby.

OH! I almost forgot the other exciting news: I have been feeling her kick the past three days!!! I was laying in bed and all of a sudden I felt a little tap tap... tap just below my belly button. I read it would feel like butterfly flutters or popping popcorn, but it feels stronger than that for me. It feels like someone is tapping their finger on my belly from the inside. When I told Evan later he leaned over and started singing You Are My Sunshine into my belly... and baby started kicking like crazy! Maybe she is getting to know Daddy's voice!