36 weeks!

So I have 2-6 weeks left.... goodness there's still a lot to do! I uploaded pictures from the baby shower, and I still need to take a recent one, but we've been a little busy.

OH!!! I don't plan on putting many baby pictures on this website. I'm going to be putting them on Flickr, so you can download them better. But I don't want just ANYONE downloading them, so it's going to be required that you be on my Flickr friend's list. This is free, and you just have to have a yahoo.com log in that's registered to Flickr. Once you register to Flickr, you can become my friend. If you have any problems with this, or want help setting it up, please contact me (link on the left) and I'll help you through it.

But here's what's happening this week anyway:
Your baby has likely hit the six-pound mark by now, and his length is approximately twenty-one inches. The weight on your abdomen probably feels like twice that. Your baby is practicing his breathing, but he has increasingly less space to practice stretching and kicking. Your baby' intestines are also building up meconium, a greenish-black substance made of baby by-products such as dead cells, shed lanugo, and amniotic fluid. It'll become your little darling's first bowel movement, hopefully after he is out of the womb. His body fat has increased to about eight percent. By birth, it'll be about fifteen percent. If your baby is a boy, his testes will have descended into his scrotum. While your baby could be born at any time, the longer he stays in, the more time he has to develop the connections in his brain in the pleasant peace and quiet of your womb. At this point, he can do all the things a newborn can, with the exception of breathing air and pooping in a diaper. Just as you're feeling stretched, your baby is being squeezed on all sides. Some of your antibodies are crossing the placenta, giving your baby's immune system some support for his first days in the world. If you breastfeed, you'll later be giving him immunities in your milk.

Slowly...

I'm slowly getting caught up. We finished moving into our new place, and now we just have to finish unpacking. The whole house smells like East Indian food, so Jason has to wash the walls with TSP to hopefully take care of it. Overall I really like the way it's coming together! It's not the nicest place in the world, but it could be worse.

Jason starts looking for a part time job this week to hopefully help us until the Baby is born. I hope he finds something with decent hours and pay, and that he won't mind leaving once I'm in labor!

We had our baby shower on Saturday at the Cook's house. It was amazing, I had so much fun and got such great gifts! I'll post pictures later. We're still at my Mom's house until this afternoon. It's her birthday so we're doing lunch with her then heading home. We still don't have internet at the new place yet, but hopefully in the next few days that will change.

Anyway, I'm really tired so I don't have a whole lot to say. I'll update more later! Oh, but I suppose I should tell you what's going on right now. I'm at 35 weeks and 5 days, 8 days until I'm FULL TERM!!!

With one month to go, your baby weighs about six pounds and is fattening. His full length from crown to feet is about 20 1/2 inches. Has your baby's movement slowed down? If so, you shouldn't worry. Five to ten percent of all mothers report that babies start to slow down as they grow larger and get more cramped for space. Still, you should be able to feel your baby move more than ten times a day. If you're concerned, try drinking a sweet beverage, such as orange juice, and then lying on your side for a while. Most babies will wake up and start to move. If you're still concerned, contact your healthcare provider.

Happy Father's Day!

Jason is going to be such a wonderful father.

I see it in the way he treats me, and the way he interacts with the baby, and the amount of attention he pays in birth class, and the way he loves our cats. I'm so proud of him and so blessed to have him in my life. I can't wait to see him interacting with our son.

Jason has been amazing the last few weeks. He's been keeping my anxiety down and getting a ton done around the house. We're only a few days away from moving now, and we're getting close to being ready. Today he hasn't felt the greatest but he's been a trooper and stuck with it. He's out getting us dinner right now, because we decided to eat all our pantry and fridge food... and we succeeded.

I just want you all to know how great he is. I love him with all my heart and I'm so happy to be sharing my life with him. I can't wait (well, I can) to give him a son.

I love you Jason!

Almost done....

With school. Just a short presentation tomorrow morning, and I'm done for a while at least. I spent all of Wednesday afternoon and most of today being totally unproductive. I'm completely exhausted, so even though I have a ton to do, all I can do is nap!

The little man has been super active recently. He likes playing "kick Dad's hand!" but generally refuses to move when anyone else tries to feel him. Whenever my Mom is around, he won't even hiccup! I'm hoping she has that calming presence on him when he's actually here.

We still have a ton of packing and cleaning to do, but we're slowly making progress. I think I might have more energy today but I haven't eaten enough. We need groceries, but I hate buying food before a move. So I ate a can of corn for lunch. What I really wanted was corn bread (no idea why) but I wasn't about to put on real pants and shoes to go buy it. We're down to beans, chicken broth and pineapple in the pantry. I might need to make a grocery run for frozen lasagna's or something like that. I still feel like I'm not eating enough. I've gained all of 8 lbs so far! But you can see exactly where it all is, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Ok, so talking about food made me hungry. Maybe I will think about getting dressed. Or I may think about the oreos in the pantry. I forgot I had those....

Pictures!

I finally put up a few more pictures.... I grew a lot since I last posted. Someone told me they met someone who is due next week and she's half my size. I guess he's just all out front! I can't believe there's still 7 weeks or so, crazy!

I finished an exam and a presentation, so now I just have a paper, project, presentation, and exam left!

OHHH! And Jason is awesome and got us tickets to go see Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops. We've been trying for ages to go see Ryan Stiles, and the fact that we got tickets to see two great performers is even better! For those of you who don't know, Ryan Stiles was on the Drew Carey Show and Who's Line is it Anyway, and he lives in Bellingham and owns the Up Front Theater here. He does shows about twice a year, and he's a fantastic improv comic. It will make it a better weekend for me, that's for sure!

Has it been 2 weeks?

Tomorrow I'm 33 weeks pregnant. I took pictures last week and never posted them.... I'll try to get on top of that. It's just been incredibly busy. This week I have a project due today, a presentation and an exam on Thursday, the last 8 hours of my internship on Wednesday and Friday, a physical therapist and doctors appointment on Friday, then I work 11-4 on Saturday and 7-1 on Sunday, and have to finish another project by Tuesday, then an exam the following Wednesday, and another presentation on Friday. So in 10 days I'll be done with this quarter. Then we have about 5 days to finish packing before we move, then go to Seattle for the weekend for our baby shower and Mom's birthday, and then come home and unpack.

And I was summoned for Jury Duty June 30-July 11th. I'm hoping they let me out of it....

Oh, I posted links to our registries now. I'm slowly getting caught up on some things, but not on everything.

Last weekend my Mom, Richard, and April came over. It was so nice to see them! I think we get somewhat isolated with how busy we have been. Our birth classes have been nice to be able to go out and see people. But we haven't read any of the book that we're supposed to, nor done the hospital tour. But we have a carseat now (we got a free one with our insurance, and it's actually a pretty good one). Mostly I'm looking forward to being done with school and moving so I can settle in and nest.

Ok, so here's what happened last week:
Your baby's crown-to-rump length is about 11 1/2 inches. He weighs about 4 1/2 pounds and gains about eight ounces every week. Your baby has probably moved to the head-down position and may descend into your pelvis at any time in the next six weeks and begin to press into your cervix. This position not only prepares him for birth but allows blood to flow to his developing brain. The dark quiet of your womb is perfect for this activity. Right now, your baby is also in the process of receiving your antibodies. If he were born right now, his immune system would be immature, and extra care would need to be taken to keep him in a sterile environment.

And here's what's happening next week:
Your baby weighs five pounds or more, about the size of a bag of sugar. He will continue to gain about two or more pounds in the next six weeks. Now that your baby's brain has formed billions of neurons, it must accomplish the even more complex feat of hooking the neurons and synapses together. Your baby's brain is forming trillions of connections, making it possible for him to learn in the womb. All of this brain development may be the reason that your baby sleeps frequently at this stage. He may even be dreaming—his eyes dart around rapidly just as an adult's might in REM sleep. Your child's development is in no way complete at birth. In the first year after birth, a baby's brain triples in size and becomes three-quarters of its adult size.

Oh, and I've gained 7 lbs now. Not too bad!

Single Digits?!?

So I am now 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant. That means I have 9 weeks left. Give or take. I can't believe how fast time is going! I know I need to take another picture, maybe tomorrow. I'm just sooooo busy!

Jason interviewed at Sedro-Woolley today. He thinks it went well, so that's exciting! I got one of my projects turned in, I have another one that's doing well, one I pretty much need to start, and one that I have a few more things to do. And two presentations and three exams. And I still need to start packing... Oh, and I have to go to a play tonight and then write a review. so I hope you all understand why there isn't much here!

We started birth classes, which so far have been good. I like the other couples there, and it's nice to meet other pregnant women in the area. One couple even lives in Mt. Vernon, but both work at the school district Jason applied to. If he were to get that job, Kevin (the husband) might be teaching with him some! He's one of the special ed teachers at the high school. That would be neat for them.

Ok, must do something productive with my time, like working on that management project. So here's what's happening this week:
Your baby weighs about 4 pounds and is about fifteen to seventeen inches tall. Photographs of babies in utero at this stage show their skin becoming less translucent and pinker, as layers of fat are deposited under the skin. His skeleton is rapidly ossifying (turning from cartilage into solid bone), which means that kicks will become visible through your shirt as the trimester progresses. Well-placed kicks under your ribs can take your breath away!

First Mother's Day

Hello All!

So what's happening, the short version: We found someone to rent our apartment, and found a townhouse in North Bellingham. Jason is still looking for a job, and he just applied to Seedro-Woolley. I'm doing a billion things for school, work and my internship. So we're keeping busy. We have boxes to start packing, but haven't done any yet...

Mom and Richard came up for Mother's Day. It was really nice. We went out to lunch at the Keg, and we drove around Bellingham a bit. It was really nice to be able to spend time with them.

Congratulations to Kit and Christine, and their new son Joel, and Kimmie and her son Joe! You make me jealous, this little man keeps kicking me in the lungs.

I probably have more to say, but it's lost out of my head right now. So here's what's happening this week:
You baby weighs between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds. He continues to gain weight at a faster pace than he lengthens, which will give him those cute chubby cheeks. He's about fourteen to sixteen inches tall, although individual growth rates vary. Your baby begins to run out of room as he puts on weight. You should feel about ten kicks an hour. Some care providers suggest keeping a "kick chart" by writing down how many kicks you feel in an hour, so that you are aware if there's a decrease in activity. Other care providers may advise that as long as it feels like the baby's active, there's no need to keep notes. If you do sense a decrease in activity, try drinking a large glass of juice. If that doesn't make the baby energized, or makes him less energized than he usually would be, call your care provider.

I know I'm behind....

Life has just been so busy! We're frantically trying to find renters to take over our lease in June, and trying to find a new place for us to move into. We spent the weekend cleaning the house in preparation to be able to show it. Now we need to start finding moving boxes so we can start packing! I'm finishing up mid-terms on Thursday, but then comes the rounds of projects. Sorry if I'm spotty about posting, and I promise to update pictures soon. I have them (well, I need to take this week's) but I need to upload them off the camera.

My nesting is taking on weird forms. Today I really wanted to buy new bathroom towels. Nice soft fluffy ones that the dye isn't washing out of in ugly orange blotches.... We have a ton of towels, but they're all cheap/old/gross. But we don't need more! I think I just need extra time each week to do what I want to do. I can't wait until we move and I have a little more time, even I'm less mobile. Bending over is getting hard now. I guess I should expect that, I'm 28 weeks and 4 days! The little man moves like crazy, and sometimes he tries to moon the other people around me. At least that's what it feels like he's doing when he pushes his little bum straight out into my belly button.

Ok, update for the week:
Your baby is about two and a half pounds and would be between fifteen and seventeen inches tall if she could stand. Your baby's adrenal glands are producing a chemical which will be made into estriol (a form of estrogen) by the placenta. This estriol is thought to stimulate the production of prolactin by your body, and the prolactin makes you produce milk. So even if your baby comes early, you'll still be able to breastfeed. Each passing week improves the likelihood that your baby will be born strong and healthy. His brain can detect rhythmic breathing and control body temperature, so he's less likely to need breathing assistance should he be born early. He's growing eyelashes, adding fat, and developing his brain. Because of brain wave activity, researchers have speculated that babies can even dream at this time!

Rats! Foiled again!

So I was going to post pictures today. I've been taking them, just haven't posted them. But the photos on the site are down, so maybe later this week I'll get them up.

I've been SUPER busy, and probably have a lot to say, but I can't remember now. Anyway, here's what's happening for week 27:

Your baby has doubled his weight in the past month and is the size of a bag of flour. He now weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds. His total length is nearly fifteen inches. Your baby's lungs are now capable of breathing air! This is big news. It means if the baby is born from now on, he'll be able to survive with less medical intervention. Your baby's main job right now is to put the finishing touches on major organ systems, such as his brain, lungs, and liver. As you can probably tell, he's also working on gaining layers of fat. His body fat is about 2 to 3 percent. Your baby's eyes, which were covered by her eyelid folds at the sixth week of development, are capable of opening this week. His sucking and swallowing skills are improving.

I should be doing something else...

I should be working on one of the 8 million things I need to do for school. Well, maybe not 8 million, (checks my list) really it's just 6 different projects. I'll have to try to space them out over tonight, tomorrow, and this weekend. My dad tried to have a "who's busier" contest, and I won. He didn't think I could do it, but I showed him.

I don't really have much to update about. I'm now 26 weeks, which is exciting. I keep getting one of two comments - You don't look big enough to be that far along! or Wow, you must be due any day! But according to my doctor I'm right on track. Wearing good shoes and having the belly cradle and taking my iron pills have given me a little more energy, but usually by the time I'm home I'm basically on bed rest because even if my back doesn't hurt too bad then I need to rest it for the next day.

Jason's been great though. He's been doing the grocery shopping and a lot of the cooking. He's basically amazing. Now I think I'm getting sick though (which I CANNOT do!) and it's his fault. We were cuddling in bed last night, and he starts coughing, then casually mentions he's had a sore throat the last few days. I would have stayed away from him if I had known that!

And the little man is starting to pay attention to noises. He'll be still until either Jason or I say something in the morning. The minute one of us talks, he starts kicking. I think he responds to the alarm clock too. It's hard to tell, because some morning's Jason's alarm clock goes off and he does nothing about it until I yell at him or shake him, depending on what side I'm laying on. But by then the little man is awake, and therefore sleeping in has become impossible.

Ok, so here's what's happening this week:
Your baby weighs about two pounds and is about 12 to 15 inches long, about the size of a small pot roast. If your baby were born now, he would have an excellent chance (85 percent) of surviving. He still isn't fully formed and would probably not be able to breath by himself. He would need to stay in an incubator to keep his body temperature regulated, and he would have a weak liver and immune system. (Fact: Babies have more taste buds at birth than they will have later in life. Newborns can sniff out and tell the difference between their mother's milk and someone else's.)

Another week goes by

I suppose I should take a picture this week, huh? I'm so tired that it almost feels like a chore! But I know I want to look at them later, so I should do it. Maybe tomorrow morning when I have better hair. But then again, I'll be so close to 26 weeks, I'll delay those photos, and so on and so on... I'll try to do it later tonight. That means take, not post!

I've just been keeping myself super busy with school this week. And I've been knitting a ton. I'm really good at knitting while reading. It helps me read better, since I'm doing something with my hands I'm less likely to fall asleep, which I'm prone to doing.

I feel like this little man has about doubled his weight in the past week. His movements are so much stronger. Last night I even felt him do a roll, and I could feel his back turn over! It was pretty fun. Jason's been enjoying it too. People are really noticing that I'm pregnant now. I haven't had problems with strangers coming up and touching my belly, which is nice. And most people I know ask before touching, which is thoughtful.

We're registered at Target and and Baby's R Us now. I'm having a hard time with registries though. They want you to register for all sorts of useless stuff! We're pretty simple people, and since we're cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and he's sharing a room with us, that eliminates a lot of what we're told we need. So mostly we're registering for the expensive things like bouncers, high chairs, strollers, and a bathtub. And I have duplicates from between the two stores, since I don't know who's shopping where. So if you look at both, and wonder, that's why! I figure if we do get duplicates we'll return one and get something else we need. And we didn't register for any toys or clothes, because I'll let people choose on their own instead of having me dictate it. But gift receipts are still a must! Most stores won't return anything without a receipt anymore. Or if they do you only get a fraction of what they're worth. Not that I'm planning on returning many things, but you never know. Sorry, I guess that was a mini gift registry rant.

Ok, well I'll leave you with week 25's update, and then try to get the energy to go take pictures.

Your baby weighs about 1 1/2 pounds and has undergone a growth spurt in the past few weeks. From weeks twenty to twenty-eight, he almost doubles in height and now would be about a foot tall if he could stand. This week marks a major milestone in your baby's hearing and sight. Your baby's hearing system (cochlea and peripheral sensory end organs), which began fine development during week eighteen, is now completely formed, and over the next few weeks, he'll become increasingly sensitive to sound. In about a month, you'll feel her jump if she hears a sudden loud noise. Sound passes easily into your uterus, which helps her ears develop. Her eyes are almost fully formed. Did you know that all babies have blue eyes in the womb, no matter what their genetic inheritance is? A baby's eyes don't get their final color until a few months after they are born. The air sacs of the lungs, called alveoli, will be developed by the end of this week and will begin to secrete a substance called surfactant that keeps the lung tissue from sticking together.

Just a quick note!

I passed my one hour glucose test (yay!) so I don't have gestational diabetes. According to the doctors office I've gained 8 lbs, but I had already lost 6 when they first saw me, so I'm only really up 2. And that was all in the last month! The goal was .5 a pound a month for a while, so that's great. They think my weight gain is perfect :D And it helps to know that I had a friend come over who hadn't seen me in 3 months and she thought I had lost weight (except in the belly) so I'm feeling pretty good for a pregnant woman.

But I've been really tired, and now I know why. I'm anemic! So now I get to start taking even more pills every day. Blech. I'm having a hard time will pills, so think about me!

So Busy

Well, life got even more hectic. I didn't really think it was possible, but it has! Classes started again this week, as well as my internship. Lets just say it will be a very difficult next 10 weeks.

But I'll share fun stuff today! The other day I was in the shower and the little man was kicking away. I started singing, and he stopped kicking! As soon as I stopped singing he started kicking ferociously. Then he stopped again when I started singing. I guess he likes it when mommy sings :D I took some video after I stopped singing, it's about a minute long, but you can really see my belly bounce all over the place, hehe! If you want to see it, email me. I don't really want to post it on YouTube.

I have a nurse appointment tomorrow, and a doctor visit on Monday. On monday I have to do my one hour glucose test to see if I have Gestational Diabetes. I don't think I do, but the test does not sound fun anyway.

I had a lot more to share, but I'm just too tired right now. I started knitting a baby blanket, and I finished a few other things. I have more yarn coming in next week or so that I'm excited about. I found that knitting in class helps me pay attention. When my hands are doing something, I'm less likely to fall asleep!

Ok, I'll write more later, but I can't promise my updates will be very regular anymore. We'll see though, hopefully I still get pictures done regularly.

Here's what's happening this week:
Your baby weighs 1 1/4 pounds and is a little more than 11 inches long, about the size of a small bag of sugar. In the last third of pregnancy, he'll double and triple his weight. Your dexterous baby can touch and hold his feet and make a fist. Your partner may be able to hear his heartbeat by pressing his ear against your belly. Your baby has a regular sleep schedule now and active and inactive periods. You may or may not be able to discern what those periods are. His nostrils, which have been plugged, open up.

I know, I'm late

I've been busy! It's my spring break, and I've been using it to get a lot of stuff done. I made a bunch of diapers at my mom's house last week, and I've been LOVING my new sewing machine. I've also been knitting, and been attempting to catch up on some old photo stuff. I've been crafty!

The little man has been moving more and more. Mom got to feel him, and Emily (Ginie's daughter) too. Jason likes cuddling with his hand on my belly, then when the baby kicks he giggles. Too cute!

It was so nice to see family and have a nice break. The next few months are going to be pretty difficult for us. Jason quit his job today, it's too much for him to keep working and do full time student teaching. And I'm still working (between 10-15 hours a week) and I start a 16 hour a week internship on Monday. On top of that I have 11 credits of classes! Since we're moving in June, we're giving ourselves little projects to do each week to help prepare/pack ahead of time so that unpacking is a lot easier.

I used some of my RME money (if you want to know more, email me!) and got some more diapers, and almost have my diaper stash perfected now. Well, I have wool yarn that's on it's way here that needs to be knitted, but I'm looking forward to that too!

Here's what happened last week:
Weighing in at a pound, and at eight inches long, your baby is starting to really look like a baby! You can compare his size to a box of sugar or a bag of coffee beans. His skin is filling out as the first layers of fat are deposited and his muscles grow. During the next month, his weight may almost double.

And here's what's happening this week:
Your baby weighs a little over a pound and is about 8 1/2 inches long—the size of a banana. Your baby's skin becomes less translucent as pigment is deposited, and it looks wrinkly because his body is making his skin more quickly than it makes the fat to pad underneath it. Your baby's unique hand- and footprints are forming. You may feel jumps as he has bouts of hiccups. In fact, it may seem like the baby is in perpetual motion. Some babies now kick in response to sounds and touch from outside the womb. Encourage your partner to talk to the baby, and see if he kicks in response!

22 Weeks

It's amazing how quick time flies. For those of you wondering about the name, we have told some family, but I'm not sure if we want to tell EVERYONE, since it's not 100% set in stone. Right now we mostly refer to him as "the little man" or "the heir."

I might not get around to pictures this week, I left my tripod at home, and I'm visiting my mom in Seattle for the week. I get to use her sewing room, and start making more diapers! Wheee! And I have a few other things in the area to take care of.

Finals went well, I could have done better, but I could have done worse! And my schedule worked out well for next quarter. I'm going to be interning at the Mother Baby Center, as well as taking two of the classes I needed to get into. They let me in off the waiting list! I guess being pregnant is a good reason as to why I should be allowed to take this class. It might also have helped that I cried to my advisor....

Oh, the little man knows I'm talking about him, he woke up and is kicking like mad. That might also be the lucky charms hitting his blood stream. My two favorite pregnant meals are spaghetti and lucky charms. Not at the same time.... Oh, and I'm back up to my pre-pregnancy weight! So I'm now at 0 weight gain, and no longer in the negative. But my bottom half and my ribs are still smaller than I was before, I'm just more filled out in other areas, so I know exactly where that weight is! And I can attribute at least some of it directly to the little man.

So that's it for now. I might write more later, but I have a lot to do!

Here's what's happening this week:
Weighing in at a pound, and at eight inches long, your baby is starting to really look like a baby! You can compare his size to a box of sugar or a bag of coffee beans. His skin is filling out as the first layers of fat are deposited and his muscles grow. During the next month, his weight may almost double.

The moment you've been waiting for.....

Baby Dilley has a species! Well, it's always been a human, but Great-Grandpa Spears really wanted to know, so yes Grandpa, it's human.

As far as the GENDER goes.....

IT'S A BOY!!!

We're soooo excited. We might even have a name.... Ok, well we have a first name, and now need a middle name that starts with B. Go ahead, give us suggestions :D

It's been a fantastic day. I got a lot of homework done, and Jason had a great day at school. Today is Jason's birthday, but it's also Pi day, a mathematician birthday if I ever saw one. Last night we used sculpey clay to make Pi necklaces for all his students. They loved them. So not only did he have a great day at school, but he also found out that he's going to have a little boy! We then went out to dinner, and ate yummy spicy food at a restaurant we had never tried before. Of course the baby didn't move much (besides yawn which I think was the cutest thing in the world) during the ultrasound, but man did he kick after I ate dinner!

Anyway, we're going to have a nice relaxing evening, since the Sangria Jason had with dinner is making him sleepy.

According to the ultrasound, the baby's heartbeat was 154 beats per minute, and he weights about 1lb 1 oz. I forgot to ask how many weeks he was measuring at, but everything looked good. We saw his heart and kidneys, and his brain (so we can have proof when he's a teenager that he actually has one).

Here's what's happening in the next week:
Your baby is about 7 1/2 inches from crown to rump and weighs between thirteen and sixteen ounces—about the size of a small grapefruit. She is entering her fifth month of existence. Her fingernails are almost fully grown, and her organ systems are becoming more functional and specialized. She has a distinct pair of lips, and her first canines and molars are developing below her gum line. She looks like a miniature newborn. Blood is traveling through the umbilical cord at four miles an hour, fueling her growth with oxygen and nutrients.

150bpm

I know, a mid-week post! I'll be 21 weeks tomorrow, and we saw the doctor yesterday. She's so sweet, I really like her. And she can be the baby's doctor after it's born, because she's family medicine, not just OB! Her nurse is great too. The baby's heartbeat was 150bpm, and everything looked good. She felt around my belly for a bit, and told me that I was right on track. My weight gain so far has been perfect. Not too much, but not too little either.

She gave me the bottle of carbonated sugar water to drink before my next appointment for the gestational diabetes test too. Not looking forward to that, but I don't have to do it until next month!

I've been really tired all weekend, and am now behind on my work for the week, so be thinking about me. Finals are the beginning of next week, and then I get a short break.

Last night Jason finally felt the baby! He felt a few kicks, and the baby was doing summersaults too. Jason looked at me and said "Was that a little flippy-do?" It was so cute! He got the goofiest grin on his face. I can't wait until Friday and the ultrasound. So anyway, Yay!

Baby Games

Well, we've reached the half-way point! I'm now past 20 weeks. Just 20 more to go!

I've been feeling the baby for quite a while now, but it gets shy around Jason. He still hasn't felt it! It's always most active when he isn't around. Well this morning after I got out of the shower I was laying on the bed putting lotion on my belly, and the baby kicked my hand! We played a game for about 15 minutes, that every time I put pressure on my tummy, the baby would kick me! It was so neat. If I smoothed the skin you could see my belly jump when it kicked. I couldn't see any definition of little feet or anything, but it was so fun to watch. It was the first time we had been really interactive.

I wish Jason had been there!

Next week is "dead week" where so much stuff is due its not even funny. Then after that is finals! We find out what this little one is next friday, so I have a busy next couple of weeks. Don't worry, I'll let you know what it is....

I'm still not really gaining weight, but my rear and thighs have slimmed down. So with the growing belly and shrinking bottom half, a lot of my new maternity jeans are too big! I NEVER thought that would happen!

Here's what's happening this week:
By week 21, your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces, and her length from head to rump is seven inches, about the length of a spoon. Ten and one-half ounces is also the size bear cubs are when they are born. Your baby has begun her main project for the rest of your pregnancy: putting on weight. She regularly drinks amniotic fluid for hydration and nutrition, urinates in the fluid and breathes in and out (fortunately, the fluid pool refreshes itself every three hours). Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. Taste buds are forming on her tongue. Her eyelids are still sealed, but her eyes are active.

19 weeks

So a girl, huh? Of course we can't decide on any girls names, so you all just want to make it difficult for us! Well, we've thought of a few, but we won't talk about that just yet. Just over two more weeks before the wait (hopefully) is over!

I had a finance exam this week, and worked really hard, and managed to get the top grade in the class. That made me feel pretty good. Jason had another field trip where he helped walk 90-100 seventh graders to the Mount Baker Theater to watch something on Japanese Tycho drumming. That was all the excitement of our week.

The baby has been more and more active. It kind of tickles. I'm thinking I should enjoy it now before it starts to hurt. Except the baby can tell when I'm stressed or trying to get something done, and it is either trying to cheer me up or distract me!

I took a bunch of pictures of the diapers I've collected so far, and a few other things. I'm posting them on my Flickr page, since I have limited space on here. And its easier to upload to just one place, hehe. That, and the picture quality on Flickr is a lot better. If you don't know where the flickr site is, there is a link under the my links on the left hand side. I'm also going to post a picture of some amazingly cute (but super pricy) pants that I'm thinking of re-creating. I've really gotten into knitting. So far I've done one diaper cover, and I'm starting in on a pair of leg warmers. I also have a bunch of wool sweaters I'm going to make into covers once I get myself a sewing machine. Mom's going to help me shop for one next month!

Mmmm, nothing much else to say. I did order a few more diapers this week, but they're bigger One Size diapers that will last from 8/9 lbs to potty training.

And I think I forgot to post what was happening last week, so I'll play catch up today!
Last week:
Your baby is between five and six inches long and weighs about seven ounces—about the size of an apple. If the baby is a girl, early ovaries contain follicles with forming eggs. Soon, half of the genetic material for your potential future grandchildren will be formed. Pictures of babies at this age show them touching the membrane of the amniotic sac, touching their own faces, reaching for the umbilical cord, pedaling their legs, and sucking their thumbs. If you're carrying twins, they may already be swatting at each other. Your baby may already have a preference for the left or right hand. In the brain, areas of the nerve cells that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing are becoming specialized and are forming more complex connections. Loud sounds as well as any feelings you may have of stress or alarm may be communicated to the baby. The baby responds to these stresses by becoming more active. Practicing yoga and meditation can be good for your sense of calm and balance.

Note: I just read that!!! That's so funny!!

And this week:
By week 20, your baby begins to produce vernix, a white, creamy substance that protects his skin in his watery environment. Permanent teeth are starting to form behind his baby teeth. He seems able to differentiate between morning, afternoon and evening and starts to become more active at certain times than at others.