26 Weeks!

Your Baby
Deep breath! Air sacks are developing in your baby's lungs, which means it just might be possible for your baby to take a breath at the end of this week. The air sacks (technically called alveoli) will continue to grow for the next nine years. The membrane that keeps the alveoli separate from the blood vessels is now thin enough to allow for that oxygen–carbon dioxide exchange we call breathing. Other highlights this week:

The retina completes the development of its normal layers this week—all the better to see you with. Well not you, per se, because her eyes are still sealed shut and it's really dark in there, but your baby's eyes are now fully developed.

Brainwaves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in baby's noggin this week. That means baby's brain is registering things like sound and light. She can't understand what any of it means yet, but she's on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time!

As hearing continues to develop, your baby will start to recognize your voice. One hint that your karaoke rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not the best would be when the baby starts banging on your gut. Your bambino will also start to recognize your partner's voice. He may feel silly talking to your stomach, but assure him that somebody other than you is definitely listening. Research has shown that newborns actually recognize familiar sounds after birth. Proof that your baby has been paying attention all along.

Break out the sparkling apple juice—baby has now completed two-thirds of her stay in Hotel Womb. Your baby is about 1 2/3 pounds and is 14 inches long head-to-heel, or about the length of a burp cloth (otherwise known as your primary wardrobe accessory for the next several months).


Shay & Our Eggplant on Father's Day 6.20.2010




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Maternity Monday

How far along? 25 weeks 2days!!

Total weight gain/loss: up 1.3 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes? Still can wear pre-prego but prefer maternity especially pants

Stretch marks? not from baby.

Sleep: Still pretty comfy until the morning potty break!

Best moment this week: 6 months!

Movement: She's a mover and a shaker!!

Food cravings: Olives

Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain is about it

Gender: Beautiful baby Girl!!!

Labor Signs: Not for a while I hope! Keep on baking little one!!

Belly Button in or out? Getting Flatter

What I miss: Being able to get up from a lying position with grace.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing family and friends in the next few weeks!!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't drink the glucose! BLEK

Milestones: 6 months down!!

25 Weeks Pregnant

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25 Weeks!! 6 months!!!!

Get ready for pat-a-cake! Baby's hands are now fully developed and he spends most of his awake time groping around in the darkness of your uterus. Brain and nerve endings are developed enough now so that your baby can feel the sensation of touch. That doesn't mean he can feel it when his father pokes your stomach, however, so tell him to knock it off. Other highlights include:

Your baby's arms and legs have grown to almost the proportions they will be at birth, which is still sort of short. So don't be alarmed when your newborn's arms barely clear his waist. Baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, clear out (like he's taken a super-dose of Sudafed) and he can practice breathing through the nose. The structures of your baby's spine are now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings and some 1,000 ligaments. Can you believe you're growing something that complicated inside of you?

The capillaries, the teeniest blood vessels, are now forming in your baby's body, giving his formerly translucent skin a pink glow. The blood vessels in the lungs also develop this week. You'll see how well that worked out when your baby gives those lungs a workout while you're on line at the bank in a few months.

Your baby weighs about a pound and a half and is about 13½ inches long—roughly the length of one of those recorders you played in elementary school music class. Who's up for a round of "Hot Cross Buns?"

Shay and our "little eggplant" 6.12.2010



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Holy legcramp batman!

Ok so as I published my last blog I got my 1st pregnancy leg cramp!! I swear it lasted a good 5 minutes!! I had heard of these but fortunately had not been attacked yet!! Luckily Nick was there trying to rub it as I tried to hold back the screams and tears..which turned into me hysterically laughing. Laughing over leg cramps you ask? I agree not a laughing matter, but it is when all you can think about is GOODNESS IF A LEG CRAMP CAN HURT THIS BAD, WHAT THE HELL IS LABOR & DELIVERY GOING TO FEEL LIKE?!

After making it through my 1st cramp alive I got some water and then went to read up on my weekly progress on me baby...and coincidentally this is what I found:

Your Pregnancy: Week 25
At this point you're pretty much swollen all over. What started as just a "boob thing" seems to have spread from there, down your torso and out your limbs. This is definitely contagious. But even if sausage fingers and toes aren't your idea of womanly, remember that you are indeed a reproductive goddess. (You could try asking your friends to bow before you as you enter the room, but you'll probably have to settle for peeling your own grapes.)

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:

"Why don't my shoes fit anymore? Am I pregnant in my feet, too?"

Your Body
Pregnancy leg cramps are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill leg cramps. Nope, a pregnancy leg cramp will often have you leaping out of bed screaming at the top of your lungs.

Leg cramps can be caused by a calcium deficiency, so be sure to get enough calcium. Even if you're lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies, there are still ways to get enough calcium in your diet that don't involve eating a 2-gallon drum of ice cream (although that does sound fun). Believe it or not, there's calcium in almonds, fish, broccoli and tofu.

While they come with the territory of pregnancy, there are ways to avoid leg cramps, like warm soaks and massages.


Too funny right?! I know it cannot be the calcium with all the ice cream I have been chowing down on ;O)

I don't curse a pregnancy leg cramp on anyone!

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Maternity Monday

How far along? 24 weeks 2days!!

Total weight gain/loss: no idea. I was down 3 or 4 lbs before heading to CA. We will see what my official weight is at my dr. app on Wednesday!

Maternity clothes? Still can wear pre-prego but prefer maternity especially pants

Stretch marks? not from baby.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well. It is however getting harder to switch positions with this growing belly.

Best moment this week: Spending time with friends and family and reaching VIABILITY!

Movement: She's a mover and a shaker!!

Food cravings: Pizza

Symptoms: feeling pretty good!

Gender: Beautiful baby Girl!!!

Labor Signs: Not for a while I hope! Keep on baking little one!!

Belly Button in or out? Giant gaping hole the size of Texas!

What I miss: My hubby but I will get to see him soon (I will be headed home by the time this post is scheduled to post)

What I am looking forward to: Seeing my hubby and showing him all of Briggsley's goodies!! Oh and PASSING my GD test! ( I know I can, I know I can)

Weekly Wisdom: I have every right to be peeved.

Milestones: Viability!!

24 Weeks Pregnant

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24 Weeks & viability!!

24 weeks--->Viability is such a huge milestone and I am so very glad to have reached it with a healthy baby still growing like a week inside me!

This is our last week in the 5th month as well as the last week that Briggsley is the size of a papaya!

Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He'll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:

Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Your baby's ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. He's getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he'd be right back with that double cheeseburger and he's taking forever! He'll even be able to hear your voice when your partner finally arrives and you ask him where the bleep he's been! So talk nice!

Baby's got a fully developed inner ear now. This means his sense of balance is working and he can tell whether he's hanging upside down or right side up. He can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.

Your little Wiener schnitzel is about the length of a foot-long Chicago hot dog and weighs about 1 1/3 pounds.





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22 Weeks!

Baby's now the size of a papaya (this size for the next few weeks)
Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

Your Mini's hands have grown bigger and stronger and the nerve endings in her fingers have developed her sense of touch. She's in there testing out her newfound abilities by touching her face and grabbing the umbilical cord. Other cool developments:

You're already raising a little Einstein. Your baby's brain is developing at a clip this week and will continue to do so until she's five years old (so load up on the Omega 3)!

Baby's hair is now a short, bright white crop (Billy Idol, eat your heart out!). No matter what color it will end up—red, blonde, black—all babies' hair lacks pigment at this point.

Your baby has started growing taste buds and may be able to detect strong flavors in the amniotic fluid. If you could see inside, you might catch her sticking out her tongue for a taste and then grimacing, a sign that perhaps you should chill on the chili powder.

Your baby now weighs almost a pound and measures almost 11 inches from her head to her heel, which is how the Stretch Armstrong in your uterus will be measured from here on out. Up 'til now your baby's legs were curled tight up against her torso, so she was measured from her head to her bottom (or crown to rump) and not head to toe. This week your mini is about as long as a package of Oreos and as heavy as a large bag of tortilla chips. Who's hungry?


Shay & her mom with our little "papaya" 5.22.2010




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21 Weeks!!

21 Weeks...more than half way there only 19 more to go!

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long

Chances are good you're feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? Other highlights this week:

By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what she'll look like when she's born. All her facial features are formed and hair is growing on her head. She's even acting like a baby and will occasionally suck her thumb or yawn. Aww ...

Baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! By 21 weeks, fetal bone marrow starts making blood cells—previously done by the liver and spleen. This may not sound that exciting, but it's good news.

The amniotic fluid that has been cushioning your little bean now serves another purpose: Your baby uses it to "practice" chowing down. Yes, it sounds gross (as many aspects of pregnancy do), but it's an important step for your baby toward being able to chow down in the real world. Your baby has been swallowing amniotic fluid for a while now, but now the intestines are finally developed enough that she's absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. And let's face it, being able to effectively digest sugar is important at every stage of life.


Shay and out "banana" in front of Graceland!! 5.15.2010



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Half Baked

That's right I have made it to the half way mark of this pregnancy!!! 20 weeks down, 20 or so to go! How exciting!!!

"Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.

If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum. If it's a girl, her uterus is completely formed and the rest of her "parts" are in development. (Is that TMI?)

From this point forward, your baby will put most of her energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10½ ounces and is about 6½ inches long, about the size of a can of Red Bull (which has way too much caffeine for a pregnant woman to be drinking)."



Shay and our not so little cantaloupe 5.8.2010




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Tomorrow.

Today we have a mover and a shaker!

I suppose it is because I have been pretty "idle" today. Lots of relaxing after yesterdays mulching fest and cleaning spree!!

I sure hope baby moves just the right amount tomorrow for the big anatomy scan!!
I cannot believe it is already here!! It felt like so far away just a few weeks ago!!

This morning Nick laid $5 on the table to put his bet in that it is a boy. He said I had to put a bet in...I just cannot decide. I have too many people telling me one way or the other to make my mind up for my own. Doc Brown who apparently is right 9 out of 10 times says boy, and she has my mind all a skewed!! And of course all those old wives tales mostly say girl but with a little boy mixed in. I don't know how much I really believe all that "I just have a feeling" business, I think it is more like that is what you want it to be, maybe that's just a feeling ;O) So, I thought maybe I would start to feel one way or the other the further along I got, but nope. That's right this momma has no clue. Guess I better get used to it.

Wish us luck tomorrow and baby spreads those legs ;O)



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Maternity Monday

How far along? 19 weeks 2 days!!

Total weight gain/loss: down 5.5 lbs will know for sure at Dr appt on WED

Maternity clothes? Bottoms yes, tops are still too big.

Stretch marks? not from baby.

Sleep: This week has been rough! Not because of baby but because of roommates dog UGH! It barks I wake up, then have to pee, then I am starving. Free to good home obnoxious Chihuahua in heat!

Best moment this week: Reaching 19 weeks! This is my last week in my 1st half of this pregnancy!!!

Movement: Haven't felt too much lately. Maybe I am just used to it.

Food cravings: Chocolate & Lemons (same)

Symptoms: Pregnancy fluffs have started...me oh my. Tailbone & sciatic nerve pain, it's weird I can be walking around and my left thigh goes numb. Also hello leaky boobs!

Gender: Looks like there are more girl votes only 2 days till we know!!!!

Labor Signs: Not for a while I hope! Keep on baking little one!!

Belly Button in or out? Innie

What I miss: Being able to breath at the top of the stairs after running up! (same)

What I am looking forward to: Gender u/s on 5.5.2010!!

Weekly Wisdom: You will pop...and when you do it is overnight!!

Milestones: Finally popping and being almost half way there!

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19 Weeks

Baby's now the size of a mango!
He or she now weighs about 8½ ounces and measures 6 inches!


This week your baby starts bulking up and packing on the grossly named "brown fat" he'll need to keep warm when he gets evicted from his comfortable uterine home. Other highlights this week:

Vernix, a milky white coating that protects your baby's skin, appears all over your baby's body to keep his skin from getting pickled in the amniotic fluid. Think of it as if your baby has been dipped in yogurt, like those delicious but fake-healthy yogurt-covered raisins and pretzels. Ooh, we feel another craving comin' on. ... Under the vernix, a fuzzy layer of hair called lanugo now covers baby's body. Don't worry, your Mini won't look like Cousin It when he's born. Most of the fuzz will fall off before baby makes his grand entrance.

Good news: Your baby's kidneys are fully functioning and producing urine this week. Bad news: That means there will be lots of diapers in your future. But so far you're safe—at the moment the pee just passes into the amniotic fluid.


Shay and our (not so little) mango 5/1/2010


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18 Weeks!

Wow I cannot believe baby is only 2 weeks away from being half baked ;O)

Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week:

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long!



Shay and our little "sweet potato" 4.23.2010



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