37 and 38 Weeks (Dec 1 - 15)

I'm combining weeks again...I'm lazy and there's really not much to write about. Well, there is one big thing, which I'll tell you about below.

I'm feeling huge and everyone is noticing. I put this picture up on Facebook earlier this week and got a lot of comments about how much bigger I'm looking lately!

My biggest news this past week was that I accepted a new job after the baby is born.  I know. I'm a litttttttttttle bit crazy...I mean, I interviewed for a job at 35 weeks pregnant, and accepted a new job at 37 weeks pregnant.  That is insane. 

I had absolutely NO intentions of switching jobs. I love (most things) about my current job and I couldn't have better co-workers, but I found a position in Hiawatha that is part-time and I couldn't pass it up.  Not only that, but I feel like it's more in line with what I see myself doing long term. I'm excited for this new opportunity!  I'm planning on working at my current job until either I have the baby, I can't work any longer, or up until my due date, whichever comes first!

After the baby is born, I plan on taking around 8 weeks maternity leave and then I'll start my new position.  I've also worked it out with my current job that I will be available on a part-time or on-call basis to help train a new person or to be available to answer questions about my position. The last thing I wanted to do was to leave them in a bind.  Luckily, I had been making lists and how-to's for maternity leave.

Other than my job news, there really hasn't been much going on.  I've still been sleeping well. I pee so much during the night it's not even funny. My wedding rings don't fit any more. And basically, I'm just ready to be done being pregnant!

As I was about to finish up this post last Friday (the 13th), I was having a lot of contractions and they seemed different than the braxton hicks that I was used to--a lot of pain in my lower stomach and back, so I called my nurse and they squeezed me in for an appointment before the weekend.  Unfortunately, nothing had really changed from my appointment on Monday; I was still dilated to a two and my doctor just said that he'd maybe see me later this weekend or maybe not! I have my regular weekly appointment on Monday, so hopefully something has changed by then!

Week 37, the baby is the size of a winter melon.  The baby is full term.  He likely measures around 18.9 - 20.9" and weighs about 6.2 - 9.2 pounds and he's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.  During week 37, baby's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.  He's also getting her first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for his first diaper.

 

Week 38, the baby is the size of a pumpkin!  The baby is about 18.9 - 20.9" long and weighs about 6.2 - 9.2 pounds.  His head is about the same circumference as his abdomen.  By week 38, the baby may have about an inch or so of hair already.  He's also shedding that white goo on his skin (called vernix caseoa), but you might still see some of it at birth.

35 and 36 Weeks (November 17 - December 1)

I seem to be getting lazier with my blogging as the weeks go on, or I have nothing else going on besides getting fatter every week.

Lincoln's mom had both of her knee's replaced this week, not fun!  We went to St. Joe one night after work to see her and were SO close to hitting the most gigantic deer ever on our way home. I freaked out. It scared the crap out of me! I started crying almost instantly for some reason; I think it's because normally when it's dark out and this time of year I have my eyes glued to the road for deer...for some reason, I was on my phone and not paying attention and the damn thing just jumped out in front of us and I had no time to react.  The poor little deer would have been in my lap that night had we hit it. Yikes.

I had my 36 week check up at the doctor this week also and there wasn't really anything new going on...my doctor wasn't 100% sure that the baby was head down, so I have a sonogram at my next appointment (37 weeks) to make sure that he is.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Hillyer's on Thanksgiving day this year.  Since Lincoln's mom had just had surgery, his sisters and I took care of making all of the food and we just brought it all out to his parents house. I took care of pretty much all of the carbs: mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade rolls, and a dessert. Everything turned out really good!

Later that weekend my mom's two sisters and my cousins came up for a late Thanksgiving and early Christmas celebration.  We did a lot of eating all weekend!  I don't know if I did a lot of standing or if I ate too much salt or what...but my fingers and toes swelled up over the weekend!  I had to take my engagement ring off (it's still not back on!) and my toes looked like sausages. Sick. 

I went home and drank a bunch of water and put my feet up and luckily when I woke up the next morning, the swelling had gone down, but it scared me a little since I hadn't had any issues with swelling so far! I guess I am lucky that it is just now happening and I haven't had any issues prior to this week!

 

At 35 weeks, the baby is about the size of a coconut or about 17.2 - 18.7" and around 4.2 - 5.8 pounds.  By week 35, hearing is fully developed, the circulatory and musculoskeletal systems are complete and his lungs are mature.

 

At 36 weeks, the baby is the size of a honeydew! He's still in the 17.2 - 18.7" and 4.2 - 5.8 pound range and continues to beef up.  The baby would probably be able to breathe on his own if he was born right now.  Most of his systems and organs, such as his liver and kidneys are in working order at 36 weeks.

34 Weeks (November 10 - 17)

Thank the Good Lord I had Monday off of work. I was exhausted from our whirlwind weekend!  I was able to sleep in a little bit, go to my doctor's appointment, and best of all, decorate for Christmas!!

I know, it may seem early, but with my due date being 3 days before Christmas, I wanted it to be done.  On top of having the decorations done, I also had my Christmas shopping pretty much done and wrapped. We have a lot of nieces and nephews, so I was able to do pretty much all of their shopping pretty easily online after I got lists from all of the kids!

One of my favorite traditions with my group of friends happened this week also, "Friendsgiving"! Normally I organize and host it, but since we live a little further away and since we're getting ready to have a baby, our friends, Mel and Stephen who live in Lawrence offered to host this year. I just helped get all of the food organized!  This was our 11th year of having Friendsgiving. It was a tradition that we started in college and somehow, we've managed to keep the tradition alive for many years after being out of school!  Nowadays, the group is so much bigger than what it was in college with everyone getting married and having kids! We always have SO MUCH FOOD. One of our first years of having friendsgiving in college the guys across the street were in charge of mashed potatoes...somehow we ended up with somewhere close to 20 pounds of potatoes for about 10 of us; needless to say, we had plenty of mashed potato leftovers....

I am starting to feel quite a bit more uncomfortable than I had in weeks past.  The baby is getting bigger (and heavier), braxton hicks contractions happen pretty frequently, I'm not sleeping quite as well, and I feel like I'm starting to get the pregnancy waddle down...overall though, I really cannot complain. This pregnancy (even though I have nothing else to compare it to) has been pretty easy. My biggest complaint would have to be sleeping on my side! I was a stomach sleeper prior to getting pregnant, so adjusting to sleeping on either side has been kind of a challenge for me. Luckily I have some good pillows!

This week the baby is the size of a butternut squash and weighs in at about 4.2 - 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 - 18.7".  By week 34, he's recognizing and reacting to simple songs. Fat layers, which help regulate the baby's body temperature after birth are filling the baby out, making him rounder.  The central nervous system is maturing and the baby's lungs are continuing to mature as well.

33 Weeks (November 3 - November 10)

I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy lately! They don't hurt at all, but my stomach gets rock hard (I mean it was pre-baby anyway, but it is way harder now if you can even imagine), and at times it's uncomfortable to stand or sit...lying down is the best position for me! :)

We had a short week at work this week because Lincoln had a conference in Branson, MO for work and I got to tag along.  We left for Branson Thursday morning and got there early afternoon that day.  We were able to do a little shopping that afternoon before our evening plans.

That evening we had tickets (with the group we were with) to go on the Showboat Branson Belle.  Now, if you've never been to Branson, you're missing out...lets just say it's geared towards those in the 60+ age category. 

Sure, there are plenty of things for younger people to do, but if you're out walking around the average age is 65-70 years or older.  There are also A LOT of buses.  The Branson Belle is a riverboat that holds like 700 people or something.  They do a variety show and serve you dinner. 

Branson was already decked out for Christmas when we arrived, so I loved it.  The dinner show had ALL Christmas music, so I was able to sing a long to pretty much every song.  Lincoln loved my singing. Dinner on the boat was not so great...I pretty much had my salad, a few bites of chicken, some sugar snap peas, and my dessert. There was some roast beef stuff smothered in gravy and instant mashed potatoes. Ew.

Friday, Lincoln had meetings in the morning and golf in the afternoon, so I had a whole day to myself to go shopping!  I did well. We'll just keep it at that.  Nothing really for myself, I just finished a few Christmas and birthday presents. I was able to sleep in a little and just relax in the afternoon after I was done with my shopping spree.  We stayed at the Chateau on the Lake and had a really pretty view over the lake in the morning:

 

The hotel was also all decked out for Christmas and they had these giant gingerbread houses on display:

 

 

Friday night there was a dinner at our hotel along with a comedian/magician.  I have NO idea how this magician did any of the tricks he did. I am in awe of their talent.

 

We were planning to spend the day Saturday doing other touristy things in Branson, however we learned after planning the trip, that our baby class at the hospital was also that weekend from 10-4.  Ugh.  SO, we got up bright and early Saturday morning (4:30 to be exact) to get ready and get on the road for our trip back home.  We originally thought the trip would take us 5 1/2+ hours, but we must have been driving like NASCAR drivers and we made it back in 4 1/2 hours. Instead of being late to our baby class we were right on time. 

 

Originally there were supposed to be at least 4 or 5 other couples in the class on both days, however, we ended up being the ONLY COUPLE THERE FOR BOTH DAYS!  I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great to get the one-on-one attention with the nurses and to get all of our questions answered, it just would have made things a little less awkward at times and it would have been nice to bounce questions and ideas off of other soon to be parents.

 

Saturday evening we had a surprise birthday party for one of our friends.  I think the babe knew that my body was tired...I was having a lot of braxton hicks contractions while we were at the bar for awhile. Luckily, we didn't stay out too long! 

 

 



The baby is the size of a durian (what the heck?!)--or a pineapple.  This week the baby weighs about 4.2 - 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 -18.7".  He may even grow up to a full inch this week! He's turning into a curious kid who can keep his eyes open while awake, and he's starting to coordinate her breathing with sucking and swallowing.  The baby bones are starting to harden as well.





32 Weeks (October 27 - November 3)

I started out the weekend thinking that I would get a lot of things done....however, after getting home late from Wicked on Friday night, my body had other plans.  It was tired.  So, of course, I had to do what it was telling me too....

On Sunday, Lincoln woke up early to go the Chiefs game with some friends.  I woke up when we was leaving and promptly went back to bed.  I got up to eat breakfast and a half hour or so after that, the dog and I made our way back to bed...I managed to miss church, and almost missed lunch.  I guess I needed some sleep...

I had planned on cleaning the house, doing laundry, getting groceries, making some food for the week, and lounging around, but it just wasn't in the cards for the day! I did get some of those things done, just not quite as much as I had planned. Oh well!

In addition to my big plans for the day, I was also having some maternity pictures taken.  Lincoln was supposed to be there for them, but my forgetfulness has been sinking in full force lately and I told him to go to the game even though we already had pictures set up...ugh. Luckily, our photographer was really flexible, so we did some of just me on Sunday and we'll squeeze Lincoln in sometime this week.  All of the trees are turning colors and everything is so pretty right now, so I think we got a few really good ones!  Here's a little preview:

 

Don't the trees look fake here?!

 

 

Isn't she so talented!?

  

This week was also Halloween.  Halloween is a HUGE deal in Hiawatha.  The kids get out of school for it!  They also have two nights of trick or treating.  I thought I had bought more than enough candy for both nights, but for some reason we were all out of candy on the first night and I had to leave my light off on the second night (which was totally fine with me!).  I gave out 2 pieces per child, so it wasn't like someone was taking hand fulls! It never ceases to amaze me that some kids come with more than one bag or that parents trick or treat with their kids and expect to get candy. Oh well, I figure if they want a couple of pieces of candy THAT bad, I'll give it to them.

 

On Friday one of my best friends from college, Jess, came up from TX for the weekend and to go to the KSU football game on Saturday.  I picked her up at the Manhattan airport and then we went to Topeka to meet up with pretty much all of the rest of our college friends for a girls night.  It was so fun to see everyone!

 

On Saturday, Jess and I got up and went back to Manhattan to go to the game and Lincoln met us there. It was a perfect day for football--not too cool, not too warm, and not too much of a breeze.



 

 

The best news of all is that KSU pulled out a win over Iowa State.  Even though Iowa State isn't that good this year, a win is a win!!  Especially with the season that KSU has had so far!

 

The baby is the size of a squash this week! At week 32, the baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 - 16.7 inches.  He's likely to be in the head down position now, getting ready for his descent--the journey down the birth canal. And not a minute too soon, because at this point, he's probably feeling even more cramped inside mommy.



31 Weeks (October 20 - 27)

After the baby shower over the weekend, I still feel like I'm putting stuff away from that and from my shopping trip to Target...yikes. Baby's need a lot of things.

There have been many weeks lately where I feel like having a three day weekend would be really helpful.  Now if only I could get work to agree with that...

I'm still feeling really good; I'm quite a bit more tired than normal...it's not unusual that I'll be watching a show on TV and fall asleep on the couch around 8:30.  Luckily, the tiredness really only hits about that time and I'm fine throughout the day. Unfortunately for Lincoln, when he tries waking me up to go to bed, I'm usually not the most pleasant person...

On Friday of this week my coworkers and I went to see Wicked, in Kansas City.  This was the second time that I had seen it and it didn't disappoint! We decided to have an early Christmas celebration since my status could be up in the air in December!

With Wicked being in KC, we didn't get home until realllllly late Friday. Well, really late for me; it was after 12:30. I was pretty worthless Saturday morning!  Lincoln and I decided to have a date night on Saturday since our days as it just being the two of us are numbered!  We went out to dinner and to the movie, Captain Phillips. The movie was really good, but really suspenseful! I was pretty jumpy through most of the movie! I would definitely recommend it though if you're looking for a good one!

The baby has been moving around pretty frequently and lately I feel like I'm getting kicked in the ribs--mostly just on my right side though. He seems to kick up a storm after I eat breakfast and around 10pm.  I feel a few jabs throughout the day, but nothing like what I feel at night!

 

This week the baby is the size of a pineapple! This week the baby is about 15.2 -16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 - 3.8 pounds.  He's also going through major brain, nerve, and eye development.  His irises even react to light.  All five of his senses are now in working order, plus, baby's body temperature is now partially being regulated by parts of her brain.  His bones, with the exception of the skull, are hardening too.

29 and 30 Weeks (October 6-20)

I didn't have much to write about for week 29, so I'm combining it with week 30, which is still just as equally as boring.

One piece of fun news is that I had two baby showers within these two weeks!

The first one we had was at my mom and dad's house that my sister, cousin, and sister in laws helped host.  A lot of family and family friends attended this shower.  It was so fun to see everyone and we came away with a bunch of great gifts for the baby!

The following week two friends from Hiawatha hosted a shower for us.  It was such a nice morning and great to get a few more gifts for the little babe.  We played one game where my friend, Kindra, tried to instruct me on how to use a Moby wrap.  Needless to say, I had no idea what I was doing and I'm sure it was pretty funny to everyone there!

On top of both showers, we also got the crib and a book shelf put together for the baby's room.  Things are slowly starting to come together!  It's fun to put everything in it's place after we get home from the baby showers!

 

After the last baby shower, I decided to take back any duplicate gifts to Target and to finish getting a few things that we'll absolutely need before the baby arrives.  I came home and just dumped it all in the living room:

 

It took me awhile to put it all away! There's still stuff that I'm sure we need, but I feel a little better now having a few more diapers and wipes on hand just in case he decides to grace us with his presence a little earlier than planned.

Lately he's been moving around a lot more and his punches and kicks are definitely a lot stronger than before.  Lincoln can easily feel them now and just the other night he got kicked or punched in the face.

 

Week 29 update: The baby is the size of an acorn squash!  He's getting plumper and should be measuring about 15.2-16.7" long and weighing about 2.5-3.8 pounds.  He still has a long way to go and will be TRIPLING his weight before birth.  Oy.  My belly is growing bigger and apparently is getting to about the max it might stretch, so things are a little tight in there for the baby.  He's been extra squirmy and occasionally I can feel him get the hiccups!

 

Week 30 update: The baby is the size of a cucumber!  He's still measuring about the same as week 29, but his skin is continuing to get smoother while his brain is getting wrinklier--to make way for all that essential brain tissue.  He is strong enough now to grasp a finger.

28 Weeks (September 29 - October 6)

Things are pretty uneventful around here lately. I'm getting larger, that's for sure.

 

For some reason, multiple people have said to me this week that I am finally looking pregnant.  Maybe they've had poor eyesight for the past few weeks? But I'm pretty sure that bump growing on my stomach has been pretty evident for awhile!

 

My cousin and his wife had a little boy on the 3rd and he's adorable (from the pictures I've seen!).

 

The weather has definitely cooled down a lot in the past week.  On Saturday, my mom, sister, Mason and I went to the Maple Leaf Festival in Hiawatha and it was chilly! I don't think we bundled up enough!

 

Lincoln and I did a walk for breast cancer that morning before going to the Maple Leaf Festival and after the walk bought some homemade cinnamon rolls from a vendor set up at the festival. We walked, so we deserved it, right?!

 

Most weekends lately, Lincoln has been helping some friends in the field driving the grain cart or combine, so I'm left at home to do stuff around the house.  I figured it would be a good time to wrap Christmas presents so no one could really make fun of me!

 

I can't believe there are only 12 weeks left! Eek!



 

 

 

The baby is the size of an eggplant this week!  At week 28, the baby is putting on layers of fat and weighs in around 1.5-2.5 pounds, measuring about 13.6-14.8 inches.  His skin is smoother and less wrinkled; his lungs are mature enough that he could probably breathe on his own if he was born prematurely.  His eyes can open and close now and can sense changes to light as well.  The baby's sight will continue to develop during infancy after he's born, however.

27 Weeks (September 22 - 29)

I have been all kinds of screwed up on what day of the week it is or what I have going on this week.  I went to my hair salon on Monday to get my hair done and my appointment wasn't until the following week.  Ugh.

I also have a love/hate relationship with Nebraska Furniture Mart.  I love them because they have everything in one store. I hate them because they're huge, they have the worst time guaranteeing ship dates, and their customer service is kind of lacking.

We ordered our crib from NFM in August and were told that it would be in in two weeks, or the beginning of September.  Every other week I would get an automated phone call from NFM saying the ship date was being pushed out another two weeks. I finally called and spoke to a real live human and all they could tell me was that it was something to do with the manufacturer.  I realize that this has nothing to do with NFM, but I wasn't happy...

Instead of just waiting it out and hoping that it would eventually arrive before the baby arrives (I also realize that I probably won't need the crib until a few weeks or so after the baby is born, but I really want to get the room arranged!), I found a few other places in KC that had similar priced and similar looking cribs.  I found one at Pottery Barn kids and it will be here by the end of the week!

The little dude has been extra active lately and I swear he's doing somersaults in my belly. That or just practicing some kick-boxing.  Every time that I try to get Lincoln to come and feel all of the movement, though, he seems to stop!  He did get to feel a few pretty big kicks this week though!

I've been feeling extra tired lately and I seem to doze off on the couch around 8:30.  My energy is still pretty good throughout the day, but after dinner, I'm ready for a nap!

 

The baby now is around 13.6-14.8" long and 1.5-2.5 pounds!  Not only is he getting larger, but he's becoming a complex little human being.  This is the earliest that he could survive outside if delivered prematurely.

 

His brainstem, which controls most of his vital functions (such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure) is nearly fully developed by this point, and his cerebral cortext (which forms consciousness and allows us to think, feel, and perform voluntary actions) is growing more and more, maturing and becoming more complex during the last trimester.  It's more common now for the baby to do karate kicks in my belly.  He can stretch and make grasping motions now too!

26 Weeks (September 15-22)

Oooh, Lord, I was in a MOOD this week. My poor husband and coworkers. Gah.

The worst thing is that I knew that I was in a bad mood or moody, at the very least, and the only reasonable thing to do, apparently, was cry. Luckily, the crying was kept to a minimum and only around Lincoln, but still...not a fun week, this week.

On the positive side, the weather has been fantastic! Fall is in the air!  It's perfect timing because we are getting new windows installed in our house and we can finally open windows and enjoy the fall breeze.

With the window installation, we have pretty much had to clean the entire house and places that probably have not been cleaned in years!  While it sucked seeing all of the dust and dirt all over EVERYTHING, it was a good feeling to get everything clean. Here's a before and after--you can't really tell in this picture, but the windows on the right side are the new ones.  We can already tell a difference in how much sound is kept out and how less drafty the windows are!

I decided that since the baby is due around Christmas, that I should probably get a jump start on Christmas shopping.  I didn't really think that I'd finish so soon...but I'm pretty much done. And it's only September!  Oops.  I'll probably really start freaking Lincoln out when I bust out the Christmas wrapping paper and start wrapping all of the gifts up! 

Most of the gifts started arriving a day or two after I ordered them, so I'm pretty sure that our window guys think that I have a shopping problem....

I also got these cute little Tom's from one of my good high school friends, aren't they adorable!? I can't wait for our little guy to be able to wear them!

We didn't have much of anything going on this weekend and since I felt like I had a bunch of energy, I decided to do some freezer meals for after the baby is born (or for nights when I don't feel like cooking before the baby is born...). I made around 15 differnt meals! Needless to say, my feet were killing me Saturday night when I finished up!

 

 

This week the baby is the size of a head of lettuce!  He's around 13.6-14.8" and around 1.5-2.5 pounds.  His eyes are still forming and they'll open soon.  His eyelashes have grown in and he's getting his immune system ready for the outside world by getting antibodies from me.  His lungs are starting to produce surfactant, the fatty substance that coats the inside lining of the lungs' tiny air sacs, helping them to expand during breathing.  His skin has developed color because is body is making melanin.

25 Weeks (September 8-15)

The beginning of this week started out rather toasty for the month of September, but by the end of the week, the temps were in the low 60's in the morning and the afternoons were in the 70's.  Pretty perfect if you ask me!

I realized one morning while laying in bed as I was moving my hand around on my belly that as soon as I would stop, baby boy would move all around.  I tried it again, thinking that maybe it was a fluke, but every single time that I'd touch my stomach and stop, he would kick around.  Lincoln was able to feel it too.  It was pretty cool! I must have found a ticklish spot or something!

Lincoln and I did some yard work over the weekend and we had a good family friend's wedding that Saturday night.  My sister, parents, and I all helped with the wedding--they had perfect weather for their wedding and everything went great!

On Sunday, we celebrated Mason's 2nd birthday! I can't believe he's already two! He got a new car and a tractor to drive around the yard in (among many other toys!).

I've been feeling great! I feel like I'm quite a bit more moody or cranky than before I got pregnant though...which is not great. I'm hoping that that little side effect of pregnancy disappears soon...I've also been hungrier, sleepier, and I've been breaking out more, but overall I feel really good.

I've still been able to wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothes (pants with the help of a belly band), but I've been noticing that my boobs are kind of getting out of control. It might just be time to purchase a new bra or two...yikes.

I've also noticed that I really like things spicy when it comes to food.  I've been adding red pepper flakes and jalapenos on pretty much whatever I can.  Hopefully this doesn't backfire and give me heartburn down the road.

The baby now measures around 13 1/2 inches in length and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and is the size of a cauliflower.  During week 25, the baby's nervous system is rapidly developing and he's enjoying knowing which was is up and which way is down.  He's also growing more hair!  The baby is beginning to exchange the long lean look for some baby fat--as this happens, wrinkled skin will smooth out and the baby will start to look more and more like a newborn.

24 Weeks (September 1 - 8)

I was SO thankful to have Monday off for Labor Day this week.  After not sleeping much after going to the KSU game on Friday night, sleeping like poo on Saturday night, and having the baby shower on Sunday, I was exhausted.

The most productive thing I did on Monday was write thank you notes!  It was nice to not have to worry about doing much of anything on a day off!

The shower on Sunday was given by some of my good college friends in Kansas City.  One of my friends was back from TX for the long weekend, so we moved the shower up so that she could participate.  It was so fun getting to see everyone!

At they shower they did an ice cream sundae bar, which worked out perfectly since it was SO hot that weekend.  And since I can't seem to get through a day without at least a bite of ice cream...

The hostesses and I!

 

 

Colleen and I are due about 2 weeks apart, however she's measuring 3 weeks ahead of when she thought she was due.  And I didn't realize how much shorter I am than her!

 

Lincoln's mom, my mom, and my sister and I:

 

 

Not sure what's so funny, but I love both of their faces in this picture:

 

 

Friday we went to the high school football game with friends and the metal bleachers are not comfortable.  Luckily the home team won!  After the game my friend Chelsea, who is a nurse came over to remove the stitches I had from getting a mole removed the week before.  I am the biggest weenie.  Seriously. I was freaked out it would hurt or bleed or something....  Unfortunately one of the stiches was done really tight and she didn't have the best equipment, so we were only able to get one of them out.  My mom was able to get the other one out later in the weekend.  Luckily, removing them didn't hurt me one bit. :)

This week the baby is the size of a cantaloupe!  The baby's see-through skin is gradually becoming less translucent and is starting to look more opaque, like ours, but with the a pinkish glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.  He's getting heavier now and weighs 12.7 - 20.8 ounces and is 10.5 - 11.8" long.  There's a lot happening inside the baby as well, and while his lungs have developed, they can't work outside of the womb yet--but he's getting closer to being ready to survive in the outside world.

23 Weeks (August 25 - September 1)

This week was fairly uneventful.  I've still been feeling great and eating more and more, which is good, I guess...

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday and the scale is still climbing!  Ugh. I KNOW that I am supposed to be gaining weight, but just seeing the number creep up at every appointment is scary.  So far, I've gained 9 lbs.  I'm really scared that soon that number will double and I'll be even bigger.

I can definitely tell that I'm pregnant, but a lot of people recently have commented that I still don't look that big! Maybe I'm just not wearing the right things when they see me? The bump is there, for sure!

At my doctor's appointment, I also got a mole removed on my stomach.  I had my doctor look at it at my last appointment because it was irregular in shape and a little darker than normal and we decided to go ahead and remove it just in case it turned out to be cancerous.  The mole was on my stomach so it was a little weird having him remove it with the baby right there!

Friday night, Lincoln and I went to the KSU/NDSU game in Manhattan.  It was a balmy 105* on Friday.  We both left work a little early so we could go to So Long Saloon, which is THE BEST place to eat in Manhattan, in my opinion.  The best black bean dip and burgers ever.  I really wanted a Nancy, which is a beer with pineapple juice, but I couldn't partake this time around...

After we ate, we made it out to the game so that we could meet up with friends to tailgate a little before the game.  It was so sweaty.  I really think that every part of my outfit was wet. So gross.  Even though the game didn't turn out how we wanted, it was still a fun night!

Saturday, I got up and went to Kansas City to meet up with some friends from High School and College.  I had lunch at one of my favorites in my old neighborhood, got a mani/pedi, and then met up with a high school friend for the afternoon.

I met up with two college friends for dinner at my favorite Thai noodle restaurant, Lulu's on Saturday night.  SO GOOD.  I wanted some heat in my meal, so I had it made medium and then added a bunch of red pepper flakes after I got my meal.  Apparently it really woke up the baby! He was kicking and moving all over the place after dinner! 

On Sunday, my friends from KC (and Ft. Worth) hosted a baby shower for us.  It was fun to see everyone and to get some things for the baby's room!

This week the baby is the size of a grapefruit and measures about 10.5 - 11.8" long and weighs about 12.7 - 20.8 ounces.  Ears are starting to develop  and her face and eyes are forming.  He's more aware and is listening to my voice and heartbeat as well as to loud sounds, such as cars honking and dogs barking.  It is also more common for me to feel him move when he recognizes something familiar.

22 Weeks (August 18-25)

Ohdearlord I'm hungry this week.  Seriously. I can't stop eating. And eating.

Someone must be going through a growth spurt because not only am I more hungry, but I'm sleepier this week too.  Earlier this week I was sitting in a chair after getting home from work and I had no intentions of napping...I woke up 45 minutes later with a stiff neck.  GAW!

I know that I'm supposed to be getting bigger and that I'll put on weight, but this week I've been feeling extra fat. I still try to walk every day, but I've been feeling like I should be doing some other arm/leg workouts.  I'm still waiting for that to happen though...

I had planned on doing some other workouts the day that I accidentally fell asleep in a chair after work. Oops!

This week it also decided to act like summer, even though fall is just around the corner, and the temperatures have been in the 90's every day. It's so sweaty. Ugh.

I've been attempting to find a changing table / dresser that would work for the nursery and every time I think I find one, it ends up being slightly too small, or just a little more than I want to spend. 

I finally found one that I think will work at a thrift store over the weekend.  I'm contemplating paiting it navy, but I'm leaving it alone until we get the crib in the room:

Baby boy is the size of a papaya this week and measures about 10.5 to 11.8: and weighs about 12.7-20.8 ounces.  At week 22, the baby has more developed eyes and lips and is looking even more like a newborn.  The baby is also sleeping in cycles--about 12 to 14 hours per day.  Usually I feel some movement around 8 in the morning and again around 7-8pm usually after I eat a few bites of ice cream :).

21 Weeks (August 11-18)

It's hard to believe that I'm already past the half-way mark! I mean only 19 more weeks until Christmas and we have this baby.  Yikes.

After all of the excitement after the gender reveal party on Friday, I got serious about picking out more decorations for the baby's room since I could finally ask my sister for opinions on what curtains to get, what rug to get, etc. 

I also started organzing closets, cabinets, you name it over the weekend.  It was stuff that I had planned on going through a long time ago but never did, and for some reason, last weekend I felt like I had a reason to start throwing things out and getting things organized for when the baby arrives.

My mom and I went to the Prairie Band casino this week with my work crew to celebrate August birthday's.  We went out to dinner and won a little money at the slot machines.  It was a fun night!

We're also celebrating my dad's birthday and Laila's 4th birthday on Thursday.  I don't think she knows how much her life is about to change in about 4 months! She loves licking babies, so I think she'll do just fine.

With all of the celebrating that we did for my dad's birthday (dinner at the cabin...) we kind of forgot to feed the dog.  Gawd, we're bad parents.  We made it up to her by giving her some ice cream and extra dog treats.

 

 

This weekend Lincoln and I went to Nebraska Furniture Mart to purchase the crib and recliner.  We already have it picked out, so it should just be a matter of confirming we still like it and paying for it.  My parents have generously said they'd pay for the crib and Lincoln's parents gave us money that should pay for most of the recliner we've picked out.  We are lucky ducks.

 

Here's a before picture of the baby's room:

 

 

Here's a picture of it in progress:

 

This week the baby is the size of a pomegranate (sometimes I wonder how they pick the fruit/veggies that they compare the size of the baby to....).  He is around 10.5" long and about 12.2 ounces and I've been feeling a lot more movement this week too!  During week 21, the baby's digestive system preps for the outside world; he's manufacturing meconium--the tarry black substance that will be in the first dirty diaper. Sick. 

We're having a......BOY! -20 Weeks (August 4-11)

Lots of exciting things going on this week!  Most importantly, we found out what we're having on Thursday!

We also registered at Buy Buy Baby over the weekend and for whatever reason, I was really excited to look at all of the baby things that they had in the store.  I think Lincoln was a little bit overwhelmed...the good news is we're done (for now) and we hopefully won't have to go back in to the store to do any registry stuff.  We can handle most of it on the interwebs for now.

We did get to park in the first spot at BBB; it was raining, so the prime parking spot was helpful!

 

 

This whole week most of my thoughts were consumed with what gender the baby was going to be. I think all of the thinking about what it was made my sleep a little interrupted....for whatever reason I've been waking up between 2-3am every night and unable to fall back asleep for a good hour.  It has not been awesome, but luckily I haven't been that tired when I wake up in the morning.  It hits me when I get home around 4:15 and I need a nap!

 

Lincoln and I went to my sonogram appointment Thursday afternoon and the baby was very active!  I'm thinking it's because I had a delicious lunch right before I went to the doctor!  After doing all of the normal checking of all of the vital organs and stuff, we were finally able to see what we were having. I think some of sono pictures look like an alien....

 

We decided that we would find out at our appointment but wait to share with everyone else until Friday when we'd do a gender reveal party with our family and a few close friends. 

 

I thought that I'd found a cute idea that no one else had used before and then I noticed another friend who was pregnant used it this week also!! 

 

I just wrapped silly string in brown paper and put both pink and blue ribbon on the can and at our party, our nieces and nephews will just spray it out at each other.

 

UNFORTUNATELY, the silly string that was supposed to be blue, came out white!!  What the heck!?   I even had two different brands of silly string from two different stores and we shook the cans up, but something didn't work out right! I guess it has a slightly blue tint to it....ugh.  Oh well!

 

 

Luckily, I made some blue cupcakes, so it was pretty clear what we were having!  My sister was convinced for the longest time it was a girl and had even been bringing me girl clothes that we wore when we were little.  I know she's still excited either way, and honestly, for the longest time, I thought we were having a girl too!

 

 

Here are some pictures from the sonogram of our little guy:

 

I think he's throwing up a peace sign here!

 

He was not shy about showing us what we were having!  I think he looks like a little frog in this picture!

 



 

 

 

This week the little guy is about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5" or about the size of a banana.  It's hard to believe that I'm already halfway done! At week 20 he has working taste buds, and is gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day.