Week 24

This week there isn't really anything new to report. It just seemed like a LONG week!
The snow is melting quickly and spring is coming. YIPEE! My legs are soooo white it's scary.
We had a fun weekend! Friday night we went out with Doug, Adrienne, Lisa, Cheryl, & Jack for dinner.

Saturday, we had our 3rd annual LSU Gumbo Cookoff in the city. Jay had fun sampling all the gumbos.

Here's what is happening to Baby (from Babycenter.com):
Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

Here's what is happening to me (from Babycenter.com): Your baby can hear more and more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner. Many new parents are surprised by how unfazed their newborns seem by sounds like these, but if you think about it, they've had months to get accustomed to them.

Week 23

This week was exciting! We both felt the baby kick or punch from the outside. It must be doing Tae Bo inside. I am just about 6 months and I am definitely starting to slow down, pee more, and when I go up and down the stairs I feel like I've run a marathon. Does this get worse?

Here's what is happening to Baby: (from Babycenter.com)
Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.

Here's what is happening to me: (from Babycenter.com)
If you dealt with headaches in your first trimester, they might be subsiding now. (Many women have headaches in early pregnancy, thanks to pregnancy hormones, changes in circulation, and/or sinus congestion.)You may notice some mild swelling sometime during your pregnancy, especially in your ankles and feet. It's called edema, and it happens because changes in your blood chemistry cause fluid to shift into your tissue and because your enlarging uterus puts pressure on the veins returning blood from the lower half of your body, slowing circulation in your legs. Edema is often worse at the end of the day and in the summer.

St. Patrick's Day Wedding

Jay & I went to our friends' Mark Orlando & Jenn Van Hine's wedding. We danced and had a great time until my cankles kicked in (Sorry, no pic!).

SNOW DAY??!!

Wednesday I was walking in shorts and today... Mother Nature hits us with a SNOW STORM!? Good News...at least I get the day off to relax and put my feet up, or so I thought. Jay came home and made me shovel.

Just Kidding! I really did this all day!!

Week 22

It's Me

That's my foot!

So, we went to the doctor and everything is right on track. The baby's heartbeat is 150 (down from 158 just two weeks earlier) and my belly is measuring 20 centimeters. I am starting to feel the baby more and it makes me laugh out loud. We can't feel any kicks from the outside yet, but they should be coming soon!

Here is what's happening to Baby (from babycenter.com):
Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches 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. Your baby's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is also developing steadily. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old unless she's one of the rare babies who's born with teeth.

Here is what's happening to me (from Babycenter.com):
You may start to notice stretch marks on your skin as your abdomen expands to accommodate your growing baby. Some pregnant women never get stretch marks, but at least half do. Lotions won't prevent or eliminate them, but they help with any itching. Also, you may no longer be an "innie" — your navel is flat and may soon pop out. It will revert to its usual shape after birth. Another interesting skin quirk you may notice during pregnancy is something called vascular spiders. These are little areas of raised, reddish skin, with tiny branches. Commonly found on the face, neck, upper chest, and arms, they're caused by the higher levels of estrogen in pregnancy, and they usually disappear after delivery.