23 Weeks

Pregnancy Update July 30, 2012

How far along: 23 weeks.

Size of baby: 11.5 inches, 1.1 lb. - a "Large Mango" (which just so happens to be one of my favorite fruits!)

What developed this past week: Bryson is getting stronger and stronger and is quite active - others can even see him moving from the outside. His head is now more proportionate to his body and he is looking more like a newborn! Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and his hearing is becoming more acute, as the cochlea (inner ear mechanism that houses all components of hearing) is now fully formed! Baby can hear what I hear, but at muted levels because of all the muscle, tissue & fluid around him.

Weight Gain: 16.4 pounds.

Maternity clothes: Non-maternity shirts are getting to be too short in the front so they leave an unsightly gap between the top of my pants and the bottom of my shirt - bare belly stickin out! :) Luckily, I have found many good deals online for maternity clothes and don't think I'll be in want any time soon!

Gender: IT'S A BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"

Movement: I was very used to feeling movement in my lower abdomen, but now I am starting to feel kicks going on behind my belly button! So bizarre! My uterus is just above my belly button now and he's getting so big that I can simultaneously feel movement up high and down low! My foot-long baby! I want another sonogram to see what he looks like squished in there! And of course to get his measurements and see his sweet face!! I hear I can go to the local tech school to give the ultrasound techs practice...

Sleep: I took the mattress topper off this week, and there is good news and bad news. Good news is that my lower back doesn't ache much anymore! Bad news is... now my mid & upper back does! Can't win. I'm still working through different pillow options and positions. Hopefully something will help! If anyone has advice or tips... I'm all ears!

What I miss: I don't miss this, but I've noticed this week that I walk slowly all the time now. I used to be annoyed to take "forever" to get somewhere, the point was to be there. Getting stuck walking behind a slow person drove me crazy. Now I am the slow person! I practically waddle and don't mind one bit taking a long time to get somewhere. Baby is ALREADY slowing my life way down! haha Oh the things I never guessed would be affected...

Cravings: Nothing.

Best moment this week: Talking to my Mother-in-law about what Caleb was like and looked like as a baby. Amazingly, though he was born one month early, Caleb was 8lbs 15oz and was 23 inches long. That is as long as a "normal" 3 month old! Crazy! I didn't realize Caleb was contributing so much to Bryson's height! That even further explains the extra long femur bone at 18 weeks! On top of that, I found out that my uncle set the hospital record (for the time) at 24 inches long! As I told my family, I will gladly take a 9 lb baby as long as the weight is distributed over a tall frame, not a rolly-polly-Michelin-man! OUCH! :) (I know that sounds selfish, but a girl can dream! :))

What I am looking forward to: Getting the second dresser in tomorrow and setting up the nursery! Also, I'm finishing up a registry and trying to get guest lists together! So much to do, So little time! :) SO EXCITING THOUGH! Thank you, in advance, to everyone who is going to work so hard to make these showers SO fun and wonderful! Love you all!

22 Weeks

Pregnancy Update July 23, 2012

How far along: 22 weeks.

Size of baby: 11 inches, 1 lb. - a "Spaghetti Squash".  We've hit the one pound mark! Yay! He's getting so big!

What developed this past week: Bryson's senses are developing this week - taste buds are forming and nerve endings are developed enough for him to experience the sense of touch. He is starting to experiment with this tactile sense by grabbing on to the umbilical cord, touching his own face/body, etc.

Weight Gain: Still at 14 pounds.

Maternity clothes: All maternity pants, often maternity shirts. Had to buy a few pair of capris and shorts since it's been so hot lately. It's too hot to wear pants, and my athletic shorts with an elastic waist are starting to cut into me and be very uncomfortable/annoying.

Gender: IT'S A BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"

Movement: Bryson moves often throughout the day. I love it! Sometimes when I lay down at night, he has an "episode" of craziness for 5-10 minutes where it seems he just can't get comfortable. That, or he is trying to work out all his pent-up energy before bed :).  This week as I was lying down watching tv, I put the remote control across my belly, just under my belly button, and watched it get knocked around and bumped up and down a bunch of times. So fun to see him so active in there! I've had people tell me when they felt him kick how they think he's so strong. He must be growing leg muscles like his dad's!

Sleep: Trying to figure out the most comfortable way to sleep. Got out my snoogle, but so far haven't felt relief from the back pain & discomfort while sleeping. I think my problem is actually that the mattress is too soft with the memory foam mattress topper on it, so that may be coming off, as much as Caleb loves it :(. We'll see how it goes with the snoogle. Maybe I'll get one of those belly wedge pillows that I've heard a lot of good things about. Apparently everything is connected, so when my belly isn't supported, it pulls and affects my back. Who knew?! :)

What I miss: Looking forward to going to sleep. Now that I'm not super comfortable, I don't look forward to bedtime like I used to. And I wake up at least half a dozen times to change positions - that doesn't feel restful, even if I am getting enough hours of sleep.

Cravings: No cravings in particular.

Best moment this week: Going to my SILs house and having both her, Erica, and my friend Jessy feel Bryson kicking. Jessy gave him the cutest little jammies that match her daughter, Emma's jammies - future soulmates ;) She wrote the sweetest card and gave him the most touching book! Makes me tear up! Love them! After all the kids went to bed that night, I laid down on the living room floor next to Erica so she could experience one of Bryson's crazy times. She was astonished at how much he was moving and how strong he is! So fun to be able to share these experiences! Maybe sometime I can get it on video.

This week, I also had my monthly doctor appt. The great news was that the bloodwork they took last time to test for things like spinabifida came back normal! Yay! Praise God! So far, looks like Bryson will be one healthy little boy! His heart rate was in the 140's, and the doctor said they'll start measuring my belly at the next appt. My uterus has to be above my belly button for them to start measuring. Also at my next appt (at 26 weeks), they'll do the gestational diabetes test. I've not heard good things about the taste of that orange drink, but I think I can down it pretty quickly to just get it done! :)

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery set up! 2 of 3 pieces of furniture came in this week, so we're working on getting the nursery cleared out so we can set them up. I can't wait to get the bedding out so I can see how it looks all together - gotta make sure I still love it, since I've had it for so long and am now being tempted to buy blue (vs sage green)!