1st pic is of samara pulanco. my cousin ben's new baby girl.
2nd pic is of brooke merlin. mike's cousin amy's new baby girl.
3rd pic is of jayden cohen. mike's brother joe's very new baby girl.
lots of girls. we have a few more to come. my cousin noel has a baby due a few weeks before us and we don't know if it is a girl or boy. and then there is our girl. and that's just family. :)
ok so you see people around you all the time that are pregnant. you know what to expect. you know you are going to get huge. but it is so different when you are going through it. i wake up to our baby kicking and squirming around. i smile, then i look at my big belly and look at my small belly button. it is slowly disappearing. pregnancy is just so fascinating.
it was beautiful out this weekend. hope everyone had a chance to go outside. the flowers are blooming and colorful...everything is just clearer and prettier than normal. i guess this is the 'glowing, happy pregnancy hormones' talking.
i can't believe that in 12-14 wks we will have a baby. :) nursery furniture is on it's way. can't wait.
How your baby's growing: Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week she weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with her legs extended. She can now open and close her eyes, and she sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. She may suck her fingers, and although her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if she were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to her, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what she's thinking?
wow - 27 weeks. we could have this baby anytime in the next 10-14 wks. exciting. my belly button is getting smaller and smaller as my belly grows. :)
i know i have talked about banking and donating the cord, but want to bring it up again. i just read that minorities are urged to donate. i'm not sure they will take ours because i don't fully know our medical history since i'm adopted, but if they can't use it to save and help someone - they can use it for medical research. anything that can help someone else - i'm all for it. go to this site - they'll send you a kit and the hospital will do the rest. it's free and it only takes a few minutes.
congrats to joe & marney - new proud parents of a beautiful baby girl - jayden. everyone is doing well & healthy. she has blue eyes & short brown hair - just perfect. we are very excited & happy for them. mike's an uncle & i'm and aunt. can't wait to meet her. isn't she perfectly adorable!
How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.
doc visit went ok today. got to hear her heartbeat. it's always so fun to hear her and we could hear her move around too. i got blood drawn and they had to poke me on both arms. nice huh. i do not like the weighing in. i am not one who likes to keep track of my weight - so it's just not fun stepping on that scale every month. otherwise things are great. yay. long ways to go still though. 14 wks.
so i have been watching previews for a new show coming out 'notes from the underbelly' - i think that's what it is called. anyways - looks funny. mike and i have laughed at previews because some of the jokes are very similar to ours. my favorite one is still getting mad at mike because i thought he moved the steering wheel, but it was my belly that had moved. stuff like that. you just have to laugh at those changes. it's the joys of pregnancy.
i also realized today that i have only taken maybe 4 tylenol this whole time. anyone who knows me knows i get lots of headaches and i usually have ibuprofen with me and lots of drugs. well - now that you can't take meds and stuff - i probably save a lot of money not buying my allergy meds, decongestants, headache stuff, etc...i am sure i'll make up for that money saving on cute little baby stuff :) but it is nice to feel pretty good. and it is weird that i can breathe better and feel better than i do when i'm not pregnant. maybe my allergies won't come back. fingers crossed.
How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. Her hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after she's born.
i'm thinking she will probably have dark hair and dark brown eyes, but i could be wrong.
had a great visit with fam in omaha. my mom and dad got to feel her wiggle and nudge my belly. i think it is more realistic now that i'm getting bigger. when we saw them last i was only maybe 8 wks pregnant. so not showing then and it is hard to believe until you see a big belly or feel the baby. :)
so no more size comparisons to food. i guess 13 in things aren't really as easy to compare as littler stuff like peanuts, shrimp, lemons, etc.
here's a photo with my sisters & mom during my quick trip to omaha. mike will have to take more pics soon now that i'm getting even bigger. :)
How your baby's growing: 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 a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
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.
How your life's changing:
The top of your uterus is now an inch or so above your belly button, which means it's
about the size of a soccer ball. (wow - that's pretty big)
still feeling pretty good. just getting a little slower - physically and mentally. ha ha. :) feeling her kick is both reassuring and exciting. 16 wks to go. not sure why people say 9 mos when it is really 40 wks. i guess i understand now why mothers-to-be always used weeks. too confusing to go by months sometimes.
we will have a new niece soon. joe and marney are due the 9th of april. very exciting. any day now. lots of baby girls.
my side: sami (cousin) and another cousin due in july a few weeks before us
mike's side: brooke (cousin) and mike's bro's baby girl is due soon.
also our friends: 2 new babies in our groups
baby season. lots of kids for our kid to play with and grow up with.
so we had another ultrasound today. our baby is already stubborn - she was all curled up and not cooperating. we didn't get any good pics, but she is healthy. she is at the right size and everything. her heart is good, spine good and cranium is good. it is so fun to watch her move. she had her feet up by her head and we could see her mouth opening and closing. she is super super low still in my belly. so i was sitting in the waiting room with other pregnant women who were as pregnant as me or more and they were HUGE and uncomfortable. i mean i feel huge myself, but then i see what i can be - and i guess it is good that she is so low for right now. because if and when she moves up i'll be huge like these women. :) i'm just happy knowing she is doing well. she's a wiggler. i felt so bad for these other ladies. one was in a wheel chair and had veins popping out every where on her legs. one lady kept burping these nasty burps - i was going to go get a trashcan. and it smelled horrible. it was probably 80 degrees in that room too. ick. and one lady was just stuffing her face and dropping food everywhere. she also kept her phone in her bra/cleavage...something i missed and mike pointed out later...i guess she lost it and had to dig for it. he was repulsed. anyways. those are my adventures at the hospital. i'm very lucky.
How your baby's growing: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. Her skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare her for breathing. She can swallow, but he normally won't pass her 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 she hears them outside the womb.
no food analogies :( boo. i guess my uterus is supposed to be the size of a basketball soon. it will look like i'm carrying a basketball under my shirt too. ha ha.
researching about what you can do with the umbilical cord it is pretty amazing what they can use the cord for. there is a site on the left side you can read about more info too. it is all new to me. it is definitely something worth thinking about setting up when it doesn't hurt you or the baby!
to amy and scott on the birth of their new baby girl brooke marissa merlin. everyone is doing well and we can't wait to meet her!
so when you are pregnant i guess you get kind of klutzy and stupid. and a few weeks ago i accidentally said slutzy. which is kind of funny. and mike used the word in the correct context today. it made me laugh. i guess i could be 'slut'zy too because i AM pregnant. but i meant to say stupid and klutzy and slutzy came out.
here are some photos of me and the belly. warning - not for the weak to view :)
22wks in our backyard >>>>>>>>> baring the belly
5 1/2 months.
How your baby's growing: 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. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.
another site says - You and baby are both getting anxious to meet each other! Your baby is kicking up a storm and you feel like you're getting bigger every day.
Your baby: Your baby weighs over 12 ounces and is more than 7 inches long. Baby's eyelids and eyebrows have developed and her muscles are growing stronger - something you can feel by the strength of the movement in your tummy. Your baby is probably moving more regularly now - not just once in awhile. After birth, she'll recognize the songs you sing or play for her now, resulting in a soothing effect.
i'm getting a little bigger. i'll try to have mike take a pic this weekend. my belly button has gotten a little smaller. my steering wheel seems a bit closer and my coat is hard to button. :)
we got into the classes we want and we are looking forward to learning more. still feeling good.
How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel her move. She's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if she starts working out just when you're settling down for the night. If you're having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.
