22 weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Belly Shots:

First a reminder back to day 1

This is the first time I'm convinced that there really is a belly there, I've kinda seen it for a while but it's completely unmistakable now. I haven't compared like this in ages and I don't think the compilation even did the justice that this comparison does.

Weight gain: I'm up about 3 pounds which is still hard for me to swallow. I've never been one to gain weight and going over that 150 mark, which is bound to happen, is going to be HARD

Cravings: Nothing really this week

Movement: G is moving more and more. Dominic still hasn't felt him again and I continue to maintain that it's because he's such a calming effect.

Craziest realisation: I caved and bought new bras, please prepare yourself for TMI and if you don't want to know skip NOW to the next section. I am currently a 34DD people! That is just crazy. I started out a 34B-C...tonight I said to Dominic, "this child is going to eat well".

Best part of the week: My birthday and the relaxing few days I had off because of it.

Looking forward to next week: getting through it so we can get back up to Washington and celebrate thanksgiving.

21 weeks

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Belly shots:

Weight gain: Up a pound or 3 depending on the time of day

Movement: Feeling G more and more with each day. I still haven't been able to time it just right so Dominic can feel baby again, maybe this week?

Food Cravings: I'm certainly eating more then I was before. Since we started our Bradley classes I've been trying to get more protein, but I'm just not a protein girl so we're using alternatives to meat like eggs and nuts.

Gender: We're still in the dark

What I'm Looking Forward to this Week: Getting back to Yoga and my birthday!

Best part of the last week? Getting the full report from the ultrasound saying that Baby G looks perfect!

20 weeks

You guys, we're half way there! I cannot believe it. The baby has certainly grown a bunch these last 2 wks and it's starting to show.

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also 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, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Belly shots: Disclaimer, Dominic chose the music and thinks it's fitting, I'm not so sure.



Weight gain: I'm right at my starting weight after losing about 7 pounds at the beginning because of the constant nausea.

Movement: We think Dominic felt G move this week. I say think because I was standing and I still have a tough time distinguishing movements when I'm standing. If I'm sitting G's a maniac in there but then Dominic says he can't feel anything. If I had to guess I'd say within a week or two he'll be feeling it for sure. This anterior placenta probably isn't helping but we obviously have an active kiddo because I've been feeling it for a few weeks and that's EARLY for an anterior placenta. I'm asked all the time what movement feels like and most people say fluttering. Now that I've felt it myself I'd say more like bubbles..so that's what you're looking for, BUBBLES!

Food Cravings: We're trying to increase the DHA/Omega 3's in our diet since I learned a bunch about it at the conference. That means more fish and some extra supplements too. Unfortunately the heartburn has begun. I was using the occassional TUMS but Andrea says that the calcium in that isn't absorbed well and usually goes to the placenta, not good if you think you'll be going overdue. I'm trying papaya enzymes now and 3 with each meal is sort of helping.

Gender: We made it through the first and hopefully only hurdle with the ultrasound. The guy was great and told us when to turn away, which we did.

What I'm Looking Forward to this Week: Our trip to Washington and a wedding. Can't wait to show off the bump in person again.

Best part of the last week? Easy, the ultrasound we had done today. Here are a few shots of G! The first 2 are profile shots. You can see a little arm there on the right side with a foot above the head on the left. This baby gets it's flexibility from momma :) The bottom 2 are pictures of the hands and feet with the foot on the hand on the left and the foot on the right. Check out those toes! Wonder if this baby will have webbed ones like their daddy?

MANA

I spent the last weekend at Asilomar in Monterey for the Midwives Alliance of North America. Asilomar is a full campus with hotel style rooms and meeting spaces throughout. The best part? The meals are included! I think G and I ate more balanced regular meals this weekend then we have the entire pregnancy. Here's the building I stayed in, along with some gorgeous shots of the ocean.

This was my view the majority of the weekend, there was a lot of sitting and knitting. I learned a ton, some of which applies to my practice and some of which applies to ME and our impending birth. Best of all? Our midwife was there!
By the way, that is the very beginning of G's first knitted blanket. It's made of organic cotton and incredibly soft.

19 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid

What's going on with me?

Maternity Clothes: I've just started to wear a few maternity items and my favorite so far is the BeBand from target. It allows me to continue to wear my regular pants awhile longer since I can keep them unbuttoned and it also smooths out the waistband of the pants so it doesn't show so much under my shirts. I did go on a bit of a shopping spree this week so there are more things waiting in the wings just in case G decides to have a growth spurt ;)

Stretch Marks: None yet, thankfully. I had a scare the other morning when my shirt left a little impression, but after the shower it was long gone, whew!

Sleep:I'm getting 8-9hrs a night with one, maybe two bathroom interruptions. I've even been able to sleep "sorta on my tummy" still. I have a feeling I'm going to need the snoogle soon.

Best Moment this Week: getting to relax sans computer for an entire weekend.

Movement: I'm feeling G in the evenings, especially when I'm on the computer and it's slightly pushing into my tummy, Dominic thinks G isn't too fond of the HP :(

Food Cravings: definitely sweets but lately I've been eating quite a bit of Mexican too.

Gender: your guess is as good as mine

Labor Signs: thankfully nothing

Belly Button: I've got quite the innie and I can't imagine it's going to invert itself but you never know.

What I Miss: A nice glass of wine

What I'm Looking Forward to this Week: some more time off work to get the nursery sorted out, fabric decisions and all. and our big ultrasound on Saturday, Halloween

A few belly shots, please pay special attention to the clothed shot

18 weeks

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Bump shots

This is obviously totally clothed, but I think it actually provides the best depiction of the belly since everything is clingy and the same color, you don't get cut off by the pants. FYI, I DO have a bump, that tummy was pretty flat to start! :) Other exciting news of the week:

We're starting to work more on the bedding and registries since the baby shower is set for the Sunday after Thanksgiving up in Washington. I would love to have bedding made in these fabrics by amy butler and I've found an etsy seller who will do it but I'm guessing it's going to run around $200 for the bumper, skirt, and sheet. If we bought the fabric it's $8-9/yard

This is a great alternative from banana fish for about $160 including the bumper, skirt, sheet and quilt.

This is an idea of what the custom made options might be like (this is reg $450 retail)

Houston we have movement, I THINK

Apparently today is a big day. I busted out my first pair of maternity pants today, mainly because I didn't want to iron anything. Although they were a bit big they were comfy and didn't appear to be maternity to the outside world. Then after my busy half day I came home and caught up on the TiVo and facebook. The computer was sitting on my lap and sorta pushes into my tummy. I got a bit of a jab, I thought anyway, so I pushed the computer a bit more and it happened again. Pretty sure this is baby! Way exciting except that I think I'm going to have a bit of a fight for computer space now...Move over baby G momma needs her HP!