25 Weeks

25 weeks was a milestone for me for some reason. I guess when this whole things started I couldn't believe I would some day be 25 weeks pregnant. So I'm excited about my 25th week of pregnancy. Now I'm only 2 weeks from my 3rd trimester which is CRAZY! My 2nd trimester went by really fast, unlike my first. It has definitely been the most fun. I'm bracing myself for 3rd trimester. It's the 3rd trimester that can make or break any fun pregnancy. Even the happiest pregnant woman in the world can be brought down by the 3rd trimester. I, however, am planning on taking each day with a spoon full of love and reminders of how grateful I am to be able to experience a healthy pregnancy. Hopefully this will get me through the sleepless nights and the aching vagina -- which are sure to come. It has been suggested that this will most likely not be the case and I will be cursing God for having put me in this capsule of discomfort. But we'll come back to this topic in 10 weeks and do a fair analysis.

My comments today are in Red.

How your baby is growing:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. I really hope I have a fat baby. Actually, I really hope I have an expandable baby. A slender baby at delivery (like the size of a quarter, so it slides right out) but then when it hits oxygen it expands in to a nice chunky baby with fat rolls and chubby fists. You know -like those toys that grow in water??? As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture. What color hair? I'm thinking light brown. Something between mine and Eric's.



How your life's changing

Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. I've not really noticed. I've always had thick hair so it doesn't seem much different now...It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth. Eric is going to freak out! I already hear about how much hair he pulls from the shower drain! I'm sure this will be a big cause for one of Eric's famous rants. Nothing makes me laugh harder!

You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. You can say that again! I fell over trying to put my bathrobe on the other day. I smacked right in to the wall. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. I have shortness of breath when I walk down the hall. This kid has hijacked my lung capacity! Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks Yuck!, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your caregiver will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement. Oh I really don't want this. I think Iron is the culprit for major constipation. I'm fine thanks. I don't need anymore of that.

Have you started thinking about baby names yet? Yep! We're done! Click here to see our names. Choosing a name is an important decision, but it should be a fun one, too. You may want to consider family history (Great Grandpa Zeb), favorite locations (Venice, where you honeymooned), or cherished literary or film characters (Greta, Meg, or Atticus, for example). Check out a couple of baby-name books to help you brainstorm, too.

Pregnant At A Concert

If you don't regularly read our family blog you missed out on my post about being at a concert last night. So here is the link in case you're curious about how it went!

Conversation With A 3-Year Old

This conversation was had while I was pushing the wee lad on a tire swing at the park.

Me: "Hey! You bonked my baby with the tire swing."

Boy: "Did you swallow your baby?"

Me: "No but it does look like I did, huh!"

Boy: "How did it get in there?"

Me: "Magic!" (It's always wierd to have this conversation with someone else's kid. You just never want to muddle in someone else's parenting approach!)

Boy: "How will you get the baby out?"

Me: "I'm going to push real hard."

Boy: *Giggle* "No!!"

Me: "OK, you tell me how I'm going to get the baby out then."

Boy: "You go to the hospital. They're going to make a boo boo in your stomach, then let some blood out, then the baby will come out, then they put a biiiiiiiiiig band-aid on it. But it won't hurt. Well.......it will hurt a little bit."

Is it just me or does it sound like this 3-year old has been taking C-Section Prep Classes at INOVA Alexandria?

September Visitor/Mommy's Helper

My best friend Elizabeth from Texas is planning a trip to Virginia to spend time with me and the Wee Babe during my maternity leave! I'm so excited! I'm even more excited because the airfare we found was unbelieveably low! It was only $199 round trip!

It will be so fun to have her there for support and laughter! I was there when her daughter was just 5 weeks old (11 years ago)!! It was so special to be around them at that time. I've known Liz since I was 15 and so we've had a lot of milestones together. I'm glad that this one will be spent with her too.

2 More Weeks!

Only 2 more weeks until I'm in my 3rd Trimester. That's just CRAZY!

Daddy

**This just in! Eric is NOT "grossed out" by my belly and/or the fact that there is a baby living inside of it. He just informed me that because it's his baby - it's all good under my hood! Nice!

Last night when I first got in bed the wee babe was doing somersaults. It was insane. I am always so curious when this happens. What IS the baby doing? Getting comfortable? Getting Angry? Dancing? Telling us to be quiet and go to bed? Making a political statement? For some reason I always imagine the baby is frustrated about something in life and taking it out on my insides. I haven't even met this kid yet but it just reminds me of Eric so much so far. (Short on patients but still really fun to have around.)

Eric and I could SEE the baby's body parts poking through last night. And then Eric put his hand there and the baby walloped him good! This was all definitely one of my favorite pregnancy moments so far.

Sun Tanning

This weekend was a family reunion on my Moms side. It was held at the beach house and it was really fun. The weather was AMAZING - upper 80s. I did spend a few minutes laying out in the sun with a bikini on. It was pretty nice to feel the sun on the belly. It was especially nice since I was just with family and so I didn't have to be embarrassed about the size of my melons or the new, larger shape of my thighs! I did NOT allow pictures to be taken of me laying out though. While I've enjoyed logging in the details of my pregnancy -- I'm fairly certain that how I looked in a bikini during this time is not something I will want to reminisce on.

My Mom has 5 sisters and 4 of them were at the reunion. It was interesting to hear everyone else's input on their pregnancies. There were some Aunts who liked being pregnant and some who didn't. We discussed stretch marks and hemorrhoids, swelling and cravings. One of my aunts gave birth to one of my cousins in the month of August (like I will) and she laid out during the summer months leading up to the birth. It was a little disturbing to find out that she was left with a black wrinkly mess of a stomach after the baby was born and her stomach shrunk. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that outcome. With that in mind my hours in the sun without sunblock on the belly will probably be limited from here on out. I'm counting on having enough self image issues after the baby is born -- the last thing I need is a black wrinkly tummy. I guess this is one case where my Moms saying, "tan fat is better that white fat" really doesn't work.

Week 24!

I'm heading down for a family reunion tomorrow at my parents beach house so I probably won't have a chance to post my Week 24 post. I figured I'd do it now and not worry about it. Just remember: The baby won't officially grow from a mango to an ear of corn until morning. =)

My comments today are in Orange!


How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Wow-- what a boring week of change! I have nothing fun to say about the baby's development this week. Maybe just -- Go skin! Eric's really hoping that the baby comes out with my skin and not his. I'm more olive toned I guess whereas he's just pasty white and I don't have sensitive skin but he does. Personally, I like his powder white tint and his need for Sunblock. I think it's cute. But Eric hates it so ..... I guess we're hoping for olive tones here!

How your life's changing:

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. Nice.




Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. (Mine is on May 7th at 8:45am and it lasts about 1 hour. My friends all said it's pretty gross. You have to drink this super sugary liquid sludge and then they take blood. If you fail you have to go back and drink more sludge and take more blood but the 2nd test lasts 3 hours.) This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large (No thanks! I don't want a 13lb anything coming out of my vag!), especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

This "life changing" section was pretty lame this week so I figured I'd fill it in with some of my own research. Here's another way my life is changing. I can no longer bend over to pick something up with ease. Getting out of the bath is ridiculous. Also, when someone parks too close to my car I'm screwed. I can no longer suck in a deep breath and squeeze myself in to the drivers side. No. I now have to crawl in through the passenger side and wiggle, unladylike, in to the drivers side. This has happened to me twice now and I'll tell ya this-- the guy who parks that close to you is a jerk on any given day - but now that I am pregnant and having to crawl in to the passenger side and scoot my awkward body over the passenger seat and the center console -- he's been promoted to an asshole for sure!

Hmmm....

It's all a bit daunting when you lose sight of your own girly parts....

Crazy Dream

Last night I had a dream that I was pregnant again. Like, I somehow signed up to be pregnant right after this baby is born. And in the dream I remember feeling like, **Woa! I'm loving this pregnancy but I never said I wanted a piggy back pregnancy! There needs to be a wine tasting break I can sqeeze in there somewhere!**

I guess this just starts my list of to-do's for after the baby's born.


Item #1 - Birth Control

A Bowl Full Of Jelly

I like that when I laugh my whole entire stomach moves like Santa's.

Good Morning (!) or not...?

Every morning I lay in bed and feel the baby doing somersaults in my stomach. As soon as my blood starts pumping in the morning, even before I open my eyes, the baby begins his/her morning routine. It makes me wonder what exactly I have on my hands here. Is this a me trait I'm feeling? -- Kicking and punching the world for interrupting my glorious sleep. Or an Eric trait? -- Dancing and singing at the joy of being alive and awake.

I wake up in the morning and I am groggy and grouchy at the thought of getting up and moving around. The last thing I want to do in the morning is move -- and this includes opening my eyes. I want quiet. I want dark. I want to snuggle my pillow and dream all day. I hate the mornings. Not even the smell of fresh coffee makes me want to get up and celebrate the early mornings.

Eric on the other hand is annoyingly excited about each and every morning. He gets up, turns on the lights and flings open the door of life with excitement . He runs around, places hard celebratory kisses on my head, smiles so big his lips seem to stretch off his face and he dances naked when he gets out of the shower. I hate it. It causes me to have violent thoughts about him.

So are the baby's early morning movements a protest of the early morning or an excitement to start the day? I'm hoping for a protest. I'd just love a baby that likes to sleep in on the weekends!

It's a Girl!

Well....as far as the Needle Gender Prediction Method goes it's a girl! My office is taking a gender poll here at work. (All proceeds are going towards a Race For The Cure.) To get a better feel for what the baby's gender is I was asked to lay on the floor while my co-worker Lori dangled a needle from a string over my belly. As you might have already guessed this is an Old Wives Tale -- I wonder if it will work?????

Needle or Wedding Ring Gender Prediction Method

This an easy baby gender prediction method to try. Take a pin, needle, or wedding ring and attach it to a thread or strand of hair. Hold the dangling item over mom to be's belly while she is lying down. If the needle or wedding ring swings in a strong circular motion, you will be having a girl. If it moves in a to and fro motion like a pendulum, you will be having a boy.

23 Weeks!

My comments today are in Mango....


Your pregnancy: 23 weeks


Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. (OK this is really cute! And, Eric and I were slow dancing in the living room on Monday night -- so it's nice to know that our romantic moment was also good for the baby.) And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes (Yes! I see this and I love it! It's so cute. And it's wild. I have a wild animal living in my belly.). Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now (So...I guess she's all tuned up and ready for the world of electric guitars!)— such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb (Dear Child -- I'm glad you wont' be shocked to hear drums, guitar, drills, hammers, saws, nail guns .... and other very very daddy noises.).


How your life's changing:


You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell (ya don't say!?!) a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer. Sluggish circulation in your legs — coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention — may result in swelling, also known as edema. Your body will get rid of the extra fluid after you have your baby (Yipee!), which is why you'll pee frequently and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, lie on your left side (I always do!) or put your feet up when you can (I have a propping station under my desk now!), stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting — or standing — in one place for long periods. Also, try to exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (No, I will not) (put them on first thing in the morning) and roomy, comfortable shoes (check!). You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty (I do I do I do!) of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.

PartyLite

I hosted a PartyLite party tonight. For those of you who don't know what it is -- it's basically a Tupperware party -- but with candles instead! Here is a picture of me, the baby and Angela -- my wonderful friend and the presenter at the party! It was really a good time. Wow! Look at that belly!

Crumbs

How interesting that all the little crumbs that fall from a piece of bread or a muffin just end up resting on my belly like flower seeds on a lovely hill side.

A Little Fall

Yesterday, on the way out of the office and in to the parking garage, I fell while walking up the stairs. I didn't bonk the belly on the way down but I strained my right shoulder and both my wrists catching myself. The most damage was done to my ego considering that I fell with the rest of the work force leaving the building as my audience. I'm sure this is not the first time my child will cause me to look like an idiot. Not nice Baby Jones....not nice!

Here's what Babycenter.com had to say about my lack of grace...

Clumsiness comes as no surprise when you consider what your body's going through: You're carrying more weight, your center of gravity has shifted with your growing uterus, and hormonal changes can cause your joints to loosen, including those in your fingers and toes. You'll get your balance and dexterity back after you give birth.

In the meantime, protect yourself by remembering that you're not at the top of your game when it comes to muscle control and coordination. Try not to put yourself in situations where you have a high risk of falling — like climbing a ladder or standing on a chair to change a lightbulb.

Put your high heels away for now and wear stable, comfortable shoes. Take special care when walking on wet, icy, or uneven surfaces and when going up or down steep steps. Take it slow and use handrails whenever possible.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everybody! It's a beautiful day here. The flowers are all out and the birds are singing. It's like something out of a movie. And the Easter Bunny even came to visit our house this year! Eric got a new schnazzy robe for his hot tub endevours and I got an Easter Basket with chocolate, a CD, and a new bottle of Pepcid Complete! The best Acid Reducer out there! How lucky am I?



The Easter Bunny also got me this cute outfit!!

Bye-Bye Belly Ring

Friday night after a big meal I decided that I'd worn my belly button ring for as long as my body could possibly take. It was time to say good-bye to my mid 20s and hello to my new body. I didn't have quite the ceremony I'd imagined but we did take pictures.

**Please note -- I have some lines on my lower belly that might be mistaken for stretch marks. They're not. They're indents from the elastic on my pants being too tight. Classy!

BEFORE!


AFTER!

22 Weeks! (Beginning my 6th Month)

Week 21 went by REALLY fast. It's bizarre that I'm already at week 22. That being said -- I have a feeling the next 4 months are going to go by REALLY quick. Weeks 22-26 are my 6th month of pregnancy. I can't believe I've come this far. I can't believe that I will be able to hold the evidence of my sexual activity in my arms in just a few months!!! Crazy! Mom was right again! Unprotected sex DOES in fact equal babies!

My comments today in burnt orange.

From http://www.babycenter.com/

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash I really don't care for Spaghetti squash -- so this is a little disappointing -- but I'll get through it.) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn .....progress then?. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums...ah...bummer...I was hoping our baby would be toothless so I could avoid the whole teething phase. I was prepared to purchase my baby's teeth and install them when appropriate. My grandfather has removable teeth and they work fine. Plus, when they're not installed they make his lips look wrinkly and cute!. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas (Come on pancreas! Grow strong and infallible!) — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How your life's changing:

At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. (Yes, and for the most part I don't mind. Especially now that it's hard and feels like a baby is growing in there. It does take a little getting used to -- especially when our male friends do it. At first it feels like they're caressing me -- but I wouldn't say it bothers me.) It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate. What's important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby's growth is on track (I'm a HUGE fan of giving people the finger - so I'm sure I can handle this).

You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby. (None yet. I'm reeeeeeeally hoping I don't get them!) At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There's no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching. (I do use Palmers Cocoa Butter for the pregnant belly - I don't know if it works but it's worth trying!)

Below are some more tidbits from babycenter that came in this weeks info guide. I thought I'd add them since they do apply to me.

Write it down

"I kept a journal for my son while I was pregnant, and I brought it to the hospital with me so I could write in it as soon as I was up to it. It really helped to share all the feelings I was having." — Anonymous I do this! My journal is called Butterflies & Hiccups by Laurie J. Wing. I love it!

This Week's Activity:

Check out your rings. It's common to have some swelling in your fingers as your pregnancy progresses. If your rings are feeling the least bit snug, do yourself a favor and take them off now before it's too late (or at least keep an eye on them). If you can't bear to be separated from your wedding band or another important ring when you can no longer sport it on your finger, loop it on a chain and wear it close to your heart. "(Sadly, I have come to the point of needing to take my ring off. It's still on -- because every time I go to take it off I get a knot in my throat. But it won't be long before I have to take it off. If you don't know -- my Mom never took her ring off and I was never going to take mine off. In fact, it's engraved on the inside to say, "May these words never be seen". I think I'm going to see if the engravers can add, "unless the person who this ring belongs to is pregnant or recovering from childbirth..." . Coming out of this pregnancy with a healthy baby and a healthy me is a priority. I'd really hate to lose my ring finger in the process!)

Vaccinations

I thought this site post was wonderfully worded. It also reflects the way I feel about vaccinations today.

Favorite Flips

This is my 3rd summer ordering the LL Bean Flips. I love them. They are sooo comfy and they're cute to boot! I'm especially excited to bond with these particular flips as they will be the ones that carry my swollen feet through the summer heat. These are by far my favorite piece of summer wear!

21.5 Weeks

My belly looks kinda gross in this picture. It looks better from my view. =)

Peeka - What?

My best friend Elizabeth said she's getting me this as a shower gift. I spit out some of my smoothie when I saw the picture.

It's called a Peekaroo Vest.

Baby Kicks

I took a mental healthy day today. After working in the yard all day yesterday I needed to catch up on things INSIDE the house. I was actually dreaming last night about dusting the hard wood floors. Nesting, maybe? I dunno.

Anyway -- While I was waiting for the small vacuum to charge up I rested on the couch for a bit. While I was laying there I was feeling really hard kicks that I just had to believe could be felt from the outside. Sure enough -- they could! Very exciting! I've never been able to "catch" a kick while standing or sitting in a chair though. Eric doesn't really want to feel the baby kick. He thinks it's kind of gross. So I'm probably going to have to call Jen over here to feel it or something! I feel like I need someone to verify that I'm not crazy!

Lady Mower

Here's me! Pregnant and mowing! I actually love to mow the lawn. It was nice to get outside and do something with my body besides eat, sleep and read. We had a great day in the yard. Every day we spend in the yard is another day we're putting towards having a nice yard for the new baby to play in some day!

Feeling Better

I left work an hour early to go home and get my attitude in check. I ended up taking a 1 hour nap and then I met my girlfriend, Mariana, for a movie. We saw "I Love You, Man". It was FABULOUS! I really loved it and laughed all the way through. I even went rebel style and got a large popcorn (salt) and a Medium Diet Coke (caffine) just to show this pregnancy who's boss! Ya! So as a result I'm in a MUCH better mood and I have a jacked up baby and puffy fingers to show for it. =)

Woo-hoo! Go me!

Mrs. Cranky Pants!

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today! Me! My Lord! Hello Hormone Devil. I don't know what happened. I had a very nice evening last night with Eric. I got in the hot tub with Eric (no, I didn't hard boil the baby.) I went to bed kinda late though. Maybe that was it? I'm usually in bed by 9pm DEFINITELY not later than 10pm. So maybe going to bed at 11:30pm was stretching it.

Whatever.

I have no life.

If going to bed at 11:30pm has me this cranky then I am PA-THE-TIC!

I would give anything to just hang up my preggo belly for ONE NIGHT (OK, maybe even just 5 hours) so I could go with Eric to the bar tonight and howl at the moon.

I'm so bored.

SO BORED.

Here are my options for tonight (Friday Night):

a) stay home and begin my sewing project
b) stay home and read
c) go to a movie with my friend Mariana

I'm taking option "C" but c'mon. How pathetic are option "a" and option "b" for a Friday night? Whatever happened to the days of drinking wine until you pass out mid-sentence? Or smoking cigarettes with a drink until your lungs collapse.


I miss you my sweet unhealthy ways. I miss you.....

Dr. Appointment

Today was my regular monthly OBGYN appointment. I took my sister with me so she could hear the baby's heartbeat. The appointment went really well. Practically no mention of my weight. At the end of the appointment I asked the doctor about it and he said it's fine. I'm half way done with my pregnancy. I've gained about half the weight I should gain by the time I'm done -- so he had no complaints. Yay!

His main concern was my salt intake -- which I knew was coming. You don't get to have swollen ankles without a discussion about your salt intake. When I exposed my ankles my sister gasped in shock and to doctor smacked her with my file and reminded her to be supportive. =-) I liked that part. Especially since that came AFTER she taddled on me for having cookies and strawberries for dinner.

Doctor: *suspicious look* "You need to stay away from salt. Did you have chips for lunch yesterday????"

Me: "No. *giggle* I had Five Guys."

Doctor: "Oh wow! *Smile* THAT'S the lunch of all healthy lunches, isn't it!?"

Kaycee: *Pointing at the vulnerable patient* "SHE HAD COOKIES AND STRAWBERRIES FOR DINNER!"

Me: *look of guilt and shock* "NO I DIDN'T"

Doctor: "Nice. We'll see how you enjoy Gestational Diabetes if you keep that up!"

Me: *Shooting fire out of my eyes directly in to my sisters heart* "That will be the LAST appointment YOU get to go to!"

All gestational diabetes jokes aside, the sweet doctor was nice enough to listen for my heartbeat twice since he and I talked through the first round. Kaycee had to remind him that she'd driven nearly and hour to hear the heart beat and we essentially ruined the experience for her by talking through it. So he immediately came back to me with his magic heart beat listening wand and we all remained quiet while she listed.

After the appointment I had a chip-less lunch at Quiznos with Kaycee. A honey mustard chicken sandwich on wheat for me. That's salt free, right?

21 Weeks!

21 Weeks today! So exciting! I'm 6 weeks shy of my 3rd trimester, 5 weeks shy of my blood sugar testing, 9 weeks shy of my 3-D Ultrasound and 19 week shy of my baby (approximately). Holy cow!

I realize that 19 weeks is a long time and I have a while yet before this pregnancy adventure is over. I will say that I've already started a list of things I will be glad to have back after the baby is born -- even though I still love being pregnant!

1. My ankles
2. My lung capacity after meals
3. My Skin

I will continue to add to this list throughout the rest of the pregnancy. It will be interesting to see how long it gets.

Here is the update from babycenter.com. My comments are in blue today.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound (probably more since he/she weighed 13 oz on the 23rd) and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. (Yes, I'm definitely getting full-fledged kicks. Sometimes I really want to stop and ask, "What ARE you doing in there?" I imagine the baby is tossing and turning to get comfortable. MUCH like Eric does when he's not sleeping well.)You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. (I usually feel her in the morning when I'm laying in bed. He/she either wakes me up or is up kicking around in there when I wake up. I think he/she must hear me talking to Eric while he's getting ready for work and wants to contribute.)In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. (Vagina's are important! And speaking of eyebrows -- our friend Melanie sent me this message today, which I thought was very sweet -- and also conjured an interesting vision of what baby will look like, "I hope (the baby) has your eyes and eyebrows and Eric’s bubble butt. ")


How your life's changing:

You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints. (Yes, see my introductory note)

That's not to say you won't have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne (The acne meds have worked pretty well. I've had a few smallish zits since I finished the oral antibiotic -- but nothing terribly painful or huge.) If that's the case, be diligent about washing well with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day, and make sure that any moisturizer or make-up you use is oil-free. Don't take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner. (I checked! I'm good!)

You're also more prone to varicose veins now. (Nothing so far and I'm glad b/c I think my grandma - Dad's side - had them pretty bad.) As your pregnancy progresses, there's increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You're more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.

You may also notice so-called spider veins (These I do have!)(a group of tiny blood vessels near the surface of your skin), particularly on your ankles, legs, or face (Ankles, legs and my arm only, not on my face). They may have a spider- or sunburst-like pattern with little branches radiating out from the center, they may look like the branches of a tree, or they may be a group of separate thin lines with no particular pattern. Though they may be a bit unsightly, spider veins don't cause discomfort and usually disappear after delivery. (I'm really really really really hoping these go away. The ones on my ankles are only really noticeable when my ankles are swollen. The ones on my thighs are up high and I don't think anyone but Eric & I can see those.)

20 Week Comparison

Here is the 20 week comparison between me and Jen. If you don't know why I'm comparing our pregnant bellies read here.

I think we still look about the same! Today I've either "popped" or the dress I'm wearing is screaming pregnant because I've received lots of comments on how I'm "finally looking pregnant". Although, it could just be my fat face. =)

**Jen is in black and I'm in green stripes.