24 Weeks

It's been a little while since I posted something. Mainly because I have been a very busy girl!

Last weekend, mom and I went to visit my grandparents in Arizona. We had a very nice visit (you can read and see all about it at their blog: http://jerrysuzylifeonwheels.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-family-visit.html). It was a heck of a lot hotter there than either of us are used to!

This has also been a very busy work week, too. That's usually why I don't blog during the week...I get home from work and I am just DONE!

On to the good stuff!

Week 24 of Pregnancy: Fetal Hearing
Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!).

Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

I already know the baby knows when daddy is talking...Adam reads to the baby when we are getting ready to go to sleep, and the baby kicks like crazy! As soon as Adam stops reading, he baby stops kicking! I can't wait until Adam can actually feel the baby moving too. I think it will really help him bond with the little one.

Well, that's all I have in me for tonight. I hope you all have a great Friday and an even better weekend!

A very fun weekend

We had a great time this weekend! I'll post pictures later this week, but just wanted to post an update that the weekend was a success! Katie was totally surprised and so excited to see everyone who drove up to surprise her for her 30th birthday.

Our 4th of July celebration was also a great success. BBQ was had and enjoyed by many.

Hope you all had a great weekend and a great Monday!

Friday...on Thursday?

Tomorrow is my Friday at work!!!! Yay! Since 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, my work is giving us our paid holiday on Friday! So, I've been on early deadlines all week, which has been a little bit stressful, but you know...every day we're on deadline, so it's really not too much different than any other day! And today I set myself up to pretty much float through tomorrow as far as approving ads and turning in artwork. YAY!

The bummer of tomorrow...I still have to go to my Downtown Business Association meeting tomorrow night from 6-8:30pm (I'm on the board so I HAVE to be there) and I'm starting my work day at 6:45 a.m. because I'm helping my boss out by going to his networking meeting in the morning. I think I'll probably leave work around 2 or 3 tomorrow so I can have some time off before my night time meeting. Adam and I are in the middle of cleaning the house because we have about 10 people and 2 dogs coming to stay with us this weekend. My friend Katie is going to be in town and Monday happens to be her 30th birthday. Adam, I and our 8 friends from California and Katie's boyfriend, Dan, have planned a surprise party for her when she gets in Friday night! We're all super excited because she really has NO CLUE! She is really upset because she thinks no one is coming to see her this weekend! I LOVE IT! I should have pics on Monday.

And now for the weekly update on Boss:

Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!

This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

I can't believe the baby is at the one pound mark already!!! CRAZY! Hope you all enjoyed and have a great 4th of July weekend!

Finally looking pregnant!

I know my baby belly has been growing slowly, but all of a sudden I LOOK pregnant! It's so crazy to me how one day I can sort of look normal, and then WHAM! Preggo! So you all can get a better idea, here's my first baby bump picture.




And now, onto what's new with the Boss this week!

Week 21 of Pregnancy: Baby's Taste Buds Develop

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. There's still a great deal of room in your womb — though your tenant will soon begin to feel cramped, so be prepared!

By 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as he or she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later? Eat yours now!

Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault (so that's what you were feeling last night!).

With all that belly dancing going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day! (Now if only you could get some sleep!)

So...with the little one already being at least 10 1/2 inches long, no wonder why I have a baby belly now!!!

That's that for this week! I hope you all have a great weekend...I know ours will be a good one!

Baby Pics

Here are a few of the pics we got during Friday's sonogram. In the first set (one blank, the other marked) the baby is rubbing it's eyes with it's hands, like we woke it up from a nap.

In the second set you can see the baby's face more clearly. Again, the second one is marked so you can see what is what.

We didn't get a lot of body shots, since we didn't want to know the sex.

Enjoy!

Half Way Mark

Holy moly Batman! I've reached the 20 week/half way point of my pregnancy!!!! I can't believe how fast it's gone by! We had our sonogram last Friday and it was so amazing. We actually got to SEE the baby and know what we were looking at this time! I'll post the pictures a little later after Adam finishes scanning them for me.

Now for the weekly update on the little one!

How your baby's growing:
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).

Your baby can also hear sounds. At 20 weeks, she can cover her ears with her hands if the sounds are too loud and she may even "jump" inside your womb if any sounds startle her.

She is also moving around a lot inside you. Remember, if this is your first pregnancy or if you have a larger frame, you may not yet feel those movements. If you haven’t felt anything yet, you should in the coming weeks. Many times, these first movements are described as a flutter, or may feel like bubbles or gas. If you can feel your baby moving and shifting inside of you this week, you may be becoming aware of her sleep cycles.



It's all so exciting! I have been feeling flutters over the past week or so, but without any regularity. I'm hoping that I will soon feel them regularly and really be able to become aware of the sleep cycles and everything else going on with the baby. I'll have sonogram pictures for you all soon! Until then, have a happy Thursday evening!

Company

I'm so excited!!! I just found out my good friend that lives in California is PREGNANT!!!! She's barely pregnant, only 4 weeks, but still pregnant! We had talked about how much fun it would be to be pregnant at the same time, and have our babies grow up to be close friends...I'm so excited it will actually happen!

It's funny because I am 15 weeks further along than Alyssa (my newly pregnant friend), and my friend Katrina is 15 weeks further along than I am! It's actually kind of eerily strange how that has happened...Katrina and I wanted to be pregnant during the same time too!

Yay!!! Good luck to Alyssa and welcome to the club, Baby!