belly!

5/8 of the way there!

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain: As of Thursday, up 11.8lbs at home, and on Weds at the Dr I was up 9.4 overall since my 1st appt @5 wks

Maternity clothes: Yes!  Andy got me a few more items for Christmas, which was great!  

Sleep: Rough this last week.  With the unusual holiday schedule I have had several nights of less than ideal sleep!  Woke up at 3am on Thursday and couldn't fall back asleep :(

What do you miss: Nothing really, everything is going so well :)

Movement: All the time now!  Some days are still calmer than others, but sometimes I think he's having a temper tantrum in there too.  Starting to feel movement higher up too, above my belly button!

Food cravings: Today I am craving Tostitos w/queso dip.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really - I did feel nauseous a few times over the holiday, but eating weird foods at weird times can do that to ya!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks occasionally, although if I keep up on my water they are pretty non-existent.  Other than that, not really too much other than having someone kicking away inside of me!

Belly button in or out? In, starting to get flatter though I think.

Wedding rings on or off? On and still fitting great!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy happy happy :)

Best part of the week: Andy getting to see Oliver move (and catching it on video too!), figuring out how to knit, getting 5 days off of work to spend with Andy (woohoo!), a great Christmas with great family, and getting back to the gym and remembering how much I actually enjoy running (who would have EVER thought???)

Looking forward to: Starting my Hypnobabies home study, working on Andy's scarf, savoring every moment of this pregnancy :)

So if you couldn't tell, I am just feeling great these days.  I am so pleased with how well this pregnancy has been going.  Of course I have a few aches and pains and all that, but nothing bad at all, and the excitement of knowing we'll get to meet Oliver soon plus just the cool feelings of having him in there outweigh the negatives by about a million. 

I am just so happy and excited and can't wait to meet our newest family member!  I know Andy is going to be such a great dad and it is going to be such a joy to see.

This week, Oliver should be weighing around a pound and a half, and 13.5" long head to toe!  Longer than a ruler now :)  That's an inch and a half of growth in the last week, so he's definitely getting bigger!  He's about the size of a rutabaga (babycenter) or a cauliflower (the bump).  He's developing his equilibrium so he knows which way is up and which way is down.  Skin is smoothing out as he fills out, and he's growing more hair that we would be able to tell color of at this point!  

Viability!

We are at 24 weeks!!  Only 16 more to go!

Now that we're at "viability" it means that if he were born now, he would have a reasonable chance at survival and doctors would try intensively to save him.  Let's hope he still stays in there for quite a while!

двадцать две недели (dvadtsatʹ dve nedeli)

That's twenty-two weeks pregnant in Russian, in honor of my dad being in Moscow right now!  He got good news today and will be coming home as planned on Sunday, instead of having to stay an extra week.  I think Russia would be really cool to visit one day.  Along with rural Japan.  And a lot of other places :)

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: 7.9 lbs, down .3 since last Fri

Maternity clothes: Wearing a regular shirt right now, but those are few and far between (other than t shirts .  def all maternity pants other than PJs.

Sleep: It's been pretty good this week!  Have to get up two times per night to pee most nights but have gotten lucky with one time a few nights.

What do you miss: Being able to climb the stairs at work without being embarrassingly winded!

Movement: Tons tons tons!!  He is super active.  Andy got to feel him move on Monday night for the very first time, and got to feel him again last night!  I am feeling him a whole lot during the day and also in the evening.  Luckily he is not waking me up with any kicks yet.

Food cravings: Hmmm nothing in particular.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Symptoms: I am often feeling some pain in the upper right rear portion of my hip (really more on my back) and last night it was really bad and going down my leg.  Sciatica I'm guessing.  Heartburn *was* bad but has lessened a lot in the last few days.  Also got a Braxton Hicks on Weds night - I wouldn't have noticed it if my hand wasn't on my belly at the time, but I definitely firmed up for 30-45 seconds then my uterus relaxed again.  Weird feeling!

Belly button in or out? In but I think it's starting to get stretchier.  My uterus is definitely up past my belly button now.

Wedding rings on or off? On and still fitting fine, I have minimal swelling (which I have now jinxed I am sure)

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!  Unless I'm being neurotic about straight lines in a sewing project.  Then I'm not so pleasant.  Sorry :(

Best part of the week: Having Andy be able to feel Oliver this week.  It's such a cool feeling, I can't wait until outside movements are felt a lot more often.  

Looking forward to: The weekend!!!  And getting back to the gym, starting today.  I was not in good shape after teaching/running at class last night - I really need to get my body back into feeling more OK w/physical activity!

Overall I am having a great time being pregnant.  Sure I don't feel great sometimes, but what a cool experience to know there's a new life growing inside of you and that your body is capable of doing that!!  I've read a lot of women really miss being pregnant (although of course are thrilled to have their little ones on the "outside"), and I can kind of understand that already!

We got his room all painted (Andy did most of it, thank you so much, it looks great!!).  We ended up going with a color that is nearly identical to our bedroom actually, a light-ish gray.  It really looks nice and goes well with all of our colors.  Andy calls it dolphin-gray to go with the Hawaii theme :)  I got one curtain panel done and will do the other one this weekend, and maybe do the crib skirts too depending on how ambitious I feel.  We are able to sort of tell what the room is going to pull together like, and I love it :)

At 22 weeks, Oliver is likely between 12.7-20.8oz.  Since he measured around 15oz last Thursday, I think we can assume he's the upper end of that range!  He should be about 11" head to toe, or about the size of a papaya or spaghetti squash.  His facial features are becoming more distinct, and he's looking very wrinkly since he's got all of his skin but it's yet to be filled out with fat!  He is sleeping in cycles and sleeping a total of 12-14 hrs a day.  Luckily for me it seems like he sleeps a lot at night, which is abnormal for babies, but I feel him TONS during the day and as I said I haven't been woken up by any kicks yet.  I'm sure it's coming though.

I personally am feeling HUGE this week, my belly is really growing.  Pic to come tomorrow or sometime this weekend :)  

He's a kicker!

Ok, so he's definitely not doing *that* to my belly yet!  But, Oliver is extremely active these days.  While I have been feeling him move for a week or two now, I am able to feel him much more frequently, and he is becoming stronger every day!  Yesterday, he picked a time when I was in a meeting to begin swiftly kicking my bladder several times in a row.  I think he has his father's sense of humor.  

I feel him a lot in the evenings, and have been calling Andy over to put his hand where I'm feeling him.  I think Andy thought I was making up the movement, because usually Oliver would stop moving or just kick very softly after that, so of course Andy hadn't been able to feel anything!  BUT, last night I felt Oliver starting up while we were laying down, and I put Andy's hand in the right spot.  In just a second, Oliver delivered a pretty hard kick right in the same spot!  Andy felt it finally!  Oliver continued on and got in 4-5 good ones that Andy could feel.  What a cool moment that we can both finally feel him moving around in there.  I feel like being able to feel him move has made me feel even more connected to him than before.  

Also we've gotten some more progress made on the nursery!  His room is now painted except for the closet, which we will tackle later this week.  I think the color we picked is perfect.  It's a lighter gray color which will go with all the colors we have planned for the room, and help it still feel calm and soothing. 

We also have finished one of the curtain panels, and several fitted sheets!  Andy is also now working on making some wool soaker pants to put over the cloth diapers.  

21 weeks (oops missed 20!)

So now that I am 21 weeks, I am MORE than halfway there!  Well, most likely.  How crazy is that???

Here is a comparison belly pic from 4 wk to 20 wk

I don't like any of the baby vs fruit/veggie comparison pics this week so I won't be using any!  BabyCenter says the length of a carrot and they have a pic of a crusty nasty looking carrot, and the Bump says the size of a pomegranate, but have you ever seen a 10.5" pomegranate?

Anyway, so just a general update:
We have been doing great!!  It feels so much more real these days.  Of course this is probably due to him kicking me a lot during the day!  I have felt him from the outside a few times, still trying to get lucky though and get Andy to feel him.  When I think about Oliver and seeing him and all that, I am feeling very warm & fuzzy, feeling him move around has helped to "bond" me to him a lot more for sure.  

We just had a Dr appt yesterday with our anatomy scan.  BEST news is that he is healthy and everything looks just like it says!  Also good news is that he's still a boy :)  We'd have a lot of stuff that wasn't gonna work if he turned out to be a girl so that was good to hear!

He weighed approximately 15oz yesterday (almost a pound!!), although ultrasounds are notoriously not great for getting an accurate weight.  His heart rate was a lovely 149, and he looked great in there.  So nice getting to see him again.  My BP was 121/74 which is right in line with what it's been during the whole pregnancy, and I've gained 5.2lbs on the office scale since my 1st appointment.  On my home scale I'm up to 8.2, which I still think is not so bad for 21 weeks.  I'd love to stay at less than 20lbs total so we'll see.

I am definitely starting to notice that he is getting in the way!!  I can't bend over and pick things up as easily anymore (noticed this while setting # cones for agility class last night!), and unlike my tummy fat that was all that was there before, he doesn't just squish out of the way quite as nicely ;) 

We are starting to "nest" and try to be crafty - Andy made a fitted crib sheet which is awesome, so we'll do several more of those, and curtains!  I'm also still trying the knitting thing, but man sewing is easier!

NINETEEN!

Wow, I seriously can NOT believe I'm at 19 weeks already.  How crazy.

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: 5.2 lbs, half a lb up since last Fri

Maternity clothes: Getting towards mostly maternity clothes.  Regular clothes (esp pants) are just too tight.

Sleep: A lot more tossing and turning :/

What do you miss: my back, hips & knees not hurting while I sleep

Movement: I have been feeling him a LOT more this week!  Active little guy :)  can't wait for Andy to be able to feel him too.

Food cravings: Spicy Tuna Donburi still... wanted to fulfill that craving today but we went to BJ's instead.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I felt off on Wednesday but not nauseous necessarily... my appetite is definitely back!

Symptoms: headaches this week

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: happy!  It's Thanksgiving soon!!!

Best part of the week: feeling Oliver move around a lot more, and getting the crib set up.  The cloth diapering class last Sat was awesome too.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving that we cook for on Sunday, Wooster Scots & Coccia House Pizza tonight, and real Thanksgiving next week!

Oliver is now 6" head to butt, and his legs and arms are correct proportionally now.  He weighs 8.5oz so is getting hefty at over half a pound!  He is probably growing some hair on his head now, and he's developing the vernix to protect his skin from getting pruney in the amniotic fluid :)

Oliver sure looks pretty crowded in there huh??

18 week picture (late!)

This was taken on Sat as usual, just took a while to post it!

And here is the crib!!!

18 weeks! it's been a big week!

This week has just flown by!  On Saturday, we did go down to Ikea and bought supplies for Oliver's closet so that we will be able to get it nice and organized.  We still have a few things to figure out, but I think it's going to work out great!  We also got a big glass hurricane at Ikea, so we bought cinnamon pinecones, a wreath, and other decorative things to make a centerpiece out of it for our table, and it looks great!  Thanks Andy!!

Saturday evening we watched Elf and Home Alone, so we both feeling very much in the Christmas spirit these days :)  After the election, people were posting on FB about Christmas music being on the radio, so I've been tuned in!  We have our Thanksgiving that we have between my family and Andy's family coming up on Nov 18th, I can't wait!  I love cooking all that yummy food, and even more, eating it.

Speaking of food - I read that this is about when I might notice myself getting a bigger appetite, and it's definitely true!  Earlier on, I couldn't eat much without feeling stuffed, but even now that my stomach is starting to be shoved up towards my ribs, I am hungry!  

Big news this week is that I am now 99% sure I am feeling Oliver bounce around in there!  While sitting at work I feel it the most.  He must be as bored by my job as I am sometimes.

Ok, here's the survey:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Total weight gain: on my scale at home, 4.7 lbs, 1lb up since last Fri

Maternity clothes: Still about half and half - there is a used store that is supposed to have a pretty good selection and they are 20% off whole store on Sunday so we are going to check it out.

Sleep: A few bad nights, a few good nights.

What do you miss: Spicy Tuna Donburi :)

Movement: Like I said, I am almost 100% certain I'm feeling him now!  Now big strong kicks or anything but feeling little pops in the right area.  Also I will feel like I have to pee really bad all of the sudden and it only lasts for a second - I'm pretty sure he's turning over and pressing into my bladder for a second when I feel that.

Food cravings: sushi rice

Anything making you queasy or sick: I felt a little iffy earlier in the week but nothing in particular is making me feel queasy

Symptoms: I'm getting a headache if I stand up too quickly, and my abdomen just feels full of stuff, wihch I guess would be Oliver :)

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: I was pretty stressed out on Wednesday but am feeling happy again!

Best part of the week: getting into the Christmas mood!

Looking forward to: Our cloth diapering class on Sunday

So at 18 weeks Oliver is...

- 5.5" long (length of a bell pepper - thank goodness they chose the yellow one for the pic, I hate green bell peppers!)

- 7 oz - getting close to half a pound!

- busy flexing his arms & legs and rolling around

- he's got his ears in the final position but still sticking out from his head a little more than they will be when he's born

17 w pic!

Seventeen weeks

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain: on my scale at home, 3.7lbs.  At the Dr I am 1.6lb up from my 5wk appt.

Maternity clothes: Still about half and half.

Sleep: More getting up to pee :(

What do you miss: I would say I miss being not so tired, but I'm always tired anyway!

Movement: Last week I thought I had felt him a few times, but now I'm less sure.  We'll see how it continues.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I haven't been feeling very well in the evenings again which is a bummer!

Symptoms: Sore back from time to time, feeling more pregnant and "full" in my belly lately! 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Sleepy :)

Best part of the week: Not much happened this week, but it's been nice and relaxing

Looking forward to: I think we're going to Ikea tomorrow to buy stuff to organize the closet!

So babycenter says Oliver is about 5" and 5oz this week, the Bump says 5.1" and 5.9oz.  So somewhere around there!  Turnip/Onion sized Oliver :)

His cartilage is turning into harder bones, he's putting on some fat, and generally working on growing bigger and stronger. 

I had a midwife appt on Thurs.  It went well!  My blood pressure was 121/71, his heart rate was around 153, and as I already mentioned I'm up 1.6lbs from my first visit.  Scheduled the "big" ultrasound for Nov 29th.  This is when they check him out and make sure he's got all of this parts & pieces and that everything is growing correctly.  can't wait!!

16 week belly pic

'umi-kuma-ono

That's "sixteen" in Hawaiian!

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 4.5lbs as of this morning, although it was a pound and a half jump from yesterday so who knows!

Maternity clothes: Wearing about half and half right now.  Mostly pre-preg shirts but switching over to more maternity ones.  Getting two new shirts from Old Navy in the mail today and some exercise/comfy pants as well!

Sleep: Mostly excellent!

What do you miss: Nada

Movement: I am 99% sure I have felt him move a few times this week.  Of course no jabs or anything like that yet, just a few flutters and what felt like a flip or two.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: Boy :)  Love knowing that it's Oliver in there!

Symptoms: Headaches haven't been as bad this week, more off and on. 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Feeling happy and excited!  

Best part of the week: There were so many good things this week. 

- Finding out the gender last Sat!

- Going shopping for adorable clothes last Sun

- Ordering the crib!

- Andy taped outlines for most of the nursery decorations so we can see how  things will look.  I think it's going to be awesome!

Looking forward to: Feeling more definitely  movement and getting more of a bump and less of an appearance of too many burritos!

So, this week Oliver is the size of an avocado!  About 4.5" and 3.5oz.  The length is measured from the head to his bottom, so really when you take into account the legs I'm guessing he's more like, I don't know, at least 6.5"?  His legs looked pretty long on the 3d ultrasound we got, especially when he was stretching them out all the way! His eyes and ears are almost where they will be forever, and he is starting to grow hair on his head and eyelashes and toenails too!  His heart is amazingly pumping about 25 quarts of blood every day!  Of course compared to an adult which pumps up to 8,000 quarts per day that is nothing, but for such a little guy that's a lot!

And what's going on with me?  Well I found this animation online, pretty cool to see how much my organs are moving around and how much more they have to go still!

We ordered the crib!!

Click on it to see full sized... isn't it just gorgeous??? Can't wait to get it in (probably 6 weeks or so) and get it set up :)

Aaand....

It's a boy!!! Introducing Oliver Kai Martin

THe whole thing was really cool. Was supposed to be a "gender sneak peak" and we were supposed to get 4 printed pictures, 2d US only. We were the last appt of the day, and it was so amazing!! At first he wasn't moving around much, so she kept jiggling my belly until he started moving. Then she checked for placement of the umbilical cord to make sure it wasn't between the legs. Then, it's a boy!!! 

Even though we only paid for the 2d, she then switched it to 3d/4d so we could see that for a while  AMAZING! While in 3d, he stretched out full length which was neat to see! The whole experience was so cool, and I am so glad all of our parents got to come with us. 

Pics!

The gender shot

alien face!

semi-profile

3d whole body

profile

3d face, arm & torso!

Picture update!

14 & 15 week pics!

And some nursery progress

Yes, I did inform Andy that it looks like a crime scene!  It is outlining where the crib will go and where various rug sizes hit.

And last but not least, Andy practicing cudding the baby in the crib.  That's what you're supposed to do, right??

WE FIND OUT GENDER THIS AFTERNOON!  STAY TUNED :)

Fifteen

Wow, fifteen sounds like a pretty big number!!  So 15 weeks in, 25 weeks (or so) left to go.  

How Far Along: 15 weeks

Total weight gain: 3.5lbs still, no change this week.  Except for yesterday when my scale randomly decided to tell me that actually I have gained 8.5 pounds.  Today it is back to normal.

Maternity clothes: Bought a few items at Destination Maternity last weekend which were fun to wear this week, and have a few more coming in the mail today!

Sleep: A few nights having to wake up a lot, but the last two nights have been pretty good.

What do you miss: Not feeling like I'm really missing anything this week!

Movement: I thought I *might* have felt a flutter earlier in the week.  But probably not.  I should start feeling them  in the next few weeks hopefully and they'll get stronger!!

Food cravings: macaroni & cheese!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I think I have felt fine all week actually, so yay for that!

Gender: Find out TOMORROW!!!

Labor signs: None :)

Symptoms: This week the headaches have been pretty bad.  I get them towards the end of the work day and they persist pretty much all evening.  

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Feeling energetic and happy this week.  Started going back to the gym on Monday which is helping my energy I think!

Looking forward to: Finding out the sex tomorrow and knowing what we are having!

What's happening in week 15?

Baby is about 4" long and 2.5 oz (over 1/8 lb now!)

They are moving amniotic fluid through nose & upper resp. tract to help air sacs develop.

Legs are growing longer than arms and they can move all their limbs & joints.

Eyelids are shut, but if I shine a flashlight on my tummy they should sense the light and probably move away from it!

Taste buds are forming!

Opinions please

First, we found this which we LOVE and are absolutely getting (NOT the giclee print but the $50 poster print btw!)

http://www.martinandmacarthur.com/art-by-edyta-franczak/art-by-edyta-franczak/always-great-in-maui-limited-edition-giclee

I absolutely love it :)  Now, opinion time - which of these three do you like best?  We are probably going to get one but can't choose on design.  I like that the canoe/palm tree one is a more recognizable design from further away.  But I also like the honu & hibiscus.  Thoughts?

Forgot! and recipes I want to try...

So I forgot - Friday was the 12th which means it was exactly 6 months away from my due date!  So I am now due in less than 6 months :)

Here's some recipes I've found lately that I want to try out!

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/10/layered-mexican-casserole-chicken-green-chile.html

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_shrimp_with_tomatillos/

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/10/skinny-buffalo-chicken-potato-skins.html

week 14

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Total weight gain: 3.5 or so pounds.  First few were right away when I found out because I stopped trying to restrict calories.  I have gained about a half pound this last week though.

Maternity clothes: A huge thank you to one of my BRAG friends who brought a big bin over last weekend!  I am wearing some maternity jeans right now and they are super comfy!  No shirts yet though.

Sleep: Actually pretty darn good this week.  Not getting up to pee in the middle of the night as much anymore like I used to earlier on.

What do you miss: Sushi.  I really love sushi and have been craving the Spicy Tuna Donburi from Sushi Bistro Masa.  

Movement: None yet but I can't wait

Food cravings: See above.  None really other than that.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yep!  Couldn't eat much of dinner earlier this week (chicken, rice, brussels sprouts - the sprouts were something I had been wanting for a while too!), ate too many cookies yesterday and it made me feel awful, and almost lost it while brushing my teeth this morning.

Gender: Don't know yet!

Labor signs: None thank goodness!  

Symptoms: I think I am starting to develop "pregnancy brain".  Forgot to bring my packed lunchbox to work yesterday (Andy brought it), then I forgot to bring it home, then I forgot my phone at home this morning.  I am crying pretty easily (yes I know I pretty much did this already).  Tired all the time (again, I know...).  But physically feeling pretty good!

Belly button in or out? In and I hope it stays that way!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy but get emotional easily

Looking forward to: Feeling movement - hopefully will start feeling flutters in the next few weeks.  Finding out gender!!!

So what's going on with keiki this week?

- 3 1/2 inches long, and about 1 1/2 oz.  So size-wise, the size of a lemon!

- Facial muscles are making lots of expressions

- Kidneys are producing urine which is being released into amniotic fluid

- Can grasp & suck thumb

- Hands and feet are about 1/2" long!