Gender prediction #4

I took this old wives' tales quiz and it said:

"Get ready for the new man in your life! Based on your answers, the wives tales predict that you’ll be having a boy."

So far the score is 3 predictions for boy, 1 prediction for girl.

Half baked

Baby and I marked the 20 week point on Tuesday! Here is the 20 week belly.

During the last week I've gotten my appetite back and it's fierce. I woke up a few times at 3 am with a growling stomach. I am an eating machine. I need breakfast as soon as I wake up. And I'm hungry again before lunch. Everything sounds good to me now, including sweets. I highly recommend the Dairy Queen Limited Edition Thin Mint Blizzard with vanilla ice cream. It may surpass Wendy's Frosty as my favorite frozen treat. I think I will have gained some weight by my next appointment :)

I have tried to hear the baby's heartbeat with my stethoscope for the last couple of weeks, but still nothing. It is supposed to be possible as of 20 weeks, so I am getting excited for it any day now. It is moving a lot, but it is only noticeable after I eat or when I lay down. Donavon thought he felt it move while we were in Chicago, but so far that is the only time. And he wasn't really that sure about it.

Chicago Trip

This week we went to Chicago to visit Evan and to introduce him to his new sister/brother (at least in belly form).

Alyssa’s 1st Mommy Parking

While on our vacation in Chicago we stopped in at a baby store. We were able to park in the special space reserved for “expecting mothers and parents with toddlers”. Alyssa was overjoyed.

20 weeks!

Congratulations—you're almost halfway there! Celebrate by talking to your baby as she can hear you now.

Your Baby: Weighing in at about 9 ounces (.25 kg) and measuring over 6 inches (15 cm) long, your baby is aware of all kinds of sounds, from the beating of your heart and growling of your tummy, to songs on the radio and the buzzing of your alarm clock. If you feel a "bounce" in your tummy when you hear a loud noise, it's because your baby hears it, too! This is the start of your baby's active phase. You'll feel every twist, turn, and wiggle. You may also hear your baby's heartbeat through a stethoscope, and it's probably faster than you expect — 120 to 160 beats per minute.

the kitty and the belly

Lately, Reno's favorite place to be is on my belly. Or next to my belly, or near my belly...as close as he can get. I wonder if he can hear the baby? Can the baby hear him? His heartbeat?

19 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, taking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom —about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

it's a girl!

Well, in my dream last night I gave birth to a healthy beautiful baby girl. She had big blue eyes and chubby cheeks. I gave birth peacefully and easily.

But please, hold off on the dresses...despite my 'vision' I guess there is still some chance it is a boy :)

official punching

Last night I felt the first official punch from the baby. Lying in bed, around 10:30pm, I had my hand on my belly. I felt about 5 little punches in a row, a few seconds apart, in the same spot. It was just left of midline, where we have heard the heartbeat quite a few times. It likes to hang out near my pulse, from the aorta, which is just left of center. I could feel the movements from both the outside (subtly) and the inside (rather strongly). Then it moved more toward the center and there were another 4-5 smaller punches. D put his hand on my belly to try to feel it, too. He felt something, but he is not convinced it was baby vs my body moving. I am. This was like nothing I have felt before. Baby is turning into a boxer on this new high protein diet.

breakfast meat

This morning's protein: Morningstar Breakfast Sausage. Mmmm. Dip em in maple syrup.

I'm going to have some cereal, too. But that isn't nearly as interesting as the protein quest.

150s

I had an 18-week checkup yesterday. Heartbeat is still in the 150s. Unbelievably, I have not gained any weight since the 14 week appointment. And I had lost a pound at that appointment. Despite donut day! I think I gained a lot of weight during the first couple of months, so I'm not too concerned about the slow down. Everything sounds good with the baby and my uterus is growing at the appropriate rate, so baby and I are perfectly healthy. BUT I was instructed to eat a serving of protein at every meal, including breakfast. And apparently, yogurt and cottage cheese don't count. This morning it was a hunk of pork loin. This is going to take some getting used to.

Unfortunately, it is still too early to hear the heartbeat with my stethoscope, which is KILLING me. I try every night before bed, though. You aren't supposed to hear anything until after 20 weeks. I'm just being impatient/optimistic.

18 weeks

How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Donut Sunday!

We woke up and looked on the calendar. To our delight, it was Donut Sunday! A quick consult with Google Maps for the nearest location and we all hopped in the car (Alyssa, myself and of course Merle).We enjoyed our donuts outside on this beautiful day at Wyman Park.

“I'll have the one with chocolate icing and sprinkles. No not that one, down, down, YEAH that one!”

Even donuts have handles.

What’s that on the horizon? A 15” beagle perhaps?

Across from Dunkin Donuts was a parking lot with film crew trucks and, more interestingly, period cars. The lot was right next to a 50's style high school, which we are guessing is one of the filming locations (a new Barry Levinson film perhaps?). Check out the pictures that I took here.

there's a fish in my belly

So, I'm finally pretty sure that I felt the little flipper moving around. I've been feeling faint flutters or bubbles for a couple of weeks, but it was unclear whether it was gas or digestion or some other gurgly gut function. But on Monday, I felt a little fish swimming around and it was pretty strong. I was lying down. Now almost every time I lie down I feel little whooshes and dives that I'm pretty sure aren't gut based :) Hi little baby.

17 weeks

Your Baby: If you hold out the palm of your hand, your baby could sit in the center! Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Your baby is growing a little more every day. This week, your baby begins to develop fat cells (also known as adipose tissue). As your baby grows, these fat cells are essential to maintaining heat production and body temperature. Right now, water makes up most of your baby�s body, but by the end of your pregnancy, more than three-quarters of his or her birth weight will be fat. Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Alyssa’s New Clothes

My oldest sister, Janet, sent me the greatest surprise today. She bought a lot of adorable vintage tops on eBay.  Ok the chicken one clearly not a maternity top. I love them. Thanks, Jan!

Click to Zoom In, Shift-Click to Zoom Out, Click/Drag to Move

The Nursery Part II: Painting

In Part I, we removed the current closet system and moved it into our bedroom. Now it’s time for a fresh coat of paint.

Now-a-days you have to worry about everything, including harmful paint fumes. The Freshaire Choice from Home Depot is a line of no VOC paint (Volatile Organic Compound) paint. The base paint and the pigments are free of VOCs which pollute your interior air as you paint and for years after.

So armed with a no-VOC paint and the added protection of a face mask for Mommy (just in case), we set out to paint the baby’s room. We choose a rather bright Citron color for the back wall and an eggshell white for the other 3 walls.

We decided that the “theme” of the nursery would be an eclectic “cool stuff that we think our baby would like” instead of something like trucks or jungle or anything like that.

Rocking Merle

Alyssa found this rocking horse Merle at a local antique shop. A little soap and water on the outside and a coat of fresh lead based paint on the inside and we should be in business!

Merle in front of the Rocking Merle

A little Murphy's Oil Soap and it's as good as new!

16 weeks

YOUR BABY THIS WEEK

Your baby is on the move, and you may start to feel it! Your baby weighs almost three ounces (.08 kg) and is close to 5 inches (13 cm) in length.

As this week begins your baby has fingernails, and the hair on his or her head is starting to grow. Although baby's brain is still tiny, it is beginning to send signals to muscles that allow arms and legs to begin moving. The motion, called "quickening" can be slight or more robust, but don't be alarmed if you don't feel it this week, you will soon enough.