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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

21...22...and 23 Weeks!

So I've been busy. I've got a lot going on but I promise, you won't have to sit there and spend an hour reading. I'd like to start way back on Mother's Day. I was 21 weeks along and it was officially my first. I got to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday (luv u Paul). Ate a delicious breakfast that I didn't have to make and of course spent time with my little man. I also got to see my own mom and mother-in-law.

A few days after that, Paul and I went for our second (and probably last) ultrasound. Traffic was bad so we were about 15 minutes late. Not such a big deal but it meant that I didn't see our usual technician. I can't recall her name but she was a little more personable than our last. We chatted for a while during the scan and it made the time pass a little faster which was good because this was the big anatomy ultrasound and it took about 45 minutes before Paul could come in. We had a good look at our lil' bean and saw him/her put a had to his/her mouth. We saw a kick, the heartbeat and of course a tiny foot. But, dun...dun...dun, the gender is still unknown. At least for me it is. That's right. Paul had the technician write down the gender and he alone knows if we're having a boy or girl. I thought it would eat me alive but it hasn't been that bad. The only thing I've really been concerned about is having a healthy baby and being prepared for a not so short labour. We'll see how long I hold out ;)

The first piece of big news at 22 weeks is that Pauly finally got his first tooth. One on the bottom of course. It's weird though. I've spent 11 months seeing a gummy smile and now that this tiny tooth is emerging my little man doesn't look like himself. I'm sure I'll get over it soon. Maybe it's just the realization that he's growing up.

I also had a midwife appointment which went well. All results were normal and the lil' bean's heartbeat was music to my ears. My mother-in-law came with me since Paul couldn't make it so I was able to bring Pauly with us. Basak, the midwife who delivered Pauly finally got to see him again. I had stopped by a few times with him but she was never in the office. Everyone was smitten with him.

One thing that has been a constant pain is my mom's gallstone. It was discovered a couple of months ago and she had it removed recently. Unlike kidney stones, a gallstone must be removed by surgically removing the entire gallbladder. It wasn't a very complicated surgery and took all of 20 minutes to do. The hardest part was the recovery. Four incisions around the abdomen made my mom mostly dependent on help for a few days. She was alright when it came to walking but sitting, getting up or any kind of twisting would cause intense pain. So for the first four days of her recovery my sister and I took turns spending the night. And we were usually both there during the day. I'm glad to report that my mom is doing much better. And although she still needs to be careful about how much weight she lifts and how she turns her body, she is healing up nicely.

In the process of being at my mom's, my sister and I came to realize that she's got a lot of junk collected in her basement. It's mostly just things that once had purpose but have now been replaced for various reasons. Or that my sis and I stored while we were living there and never took with us when we moved. While in the process of sorting, repurposing, and donating, I inherited 3 planters. They're the big clay ones and I can't wait to fill them with flowers. If the rain holds out I might be doing that this weekend.

As for the lil' bean, at 23 weeks he/she is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. About the size of a large mango. His/her sense of movement is well developed and can feel you dance and sway. Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the ears are picking up on noises from the outside world. Things like the dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner become so familiar now they probably won't faze him/her when they hear them outside the womb.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

20 Weeks Pt. 2

Although I'm happy that I've reached the halfway point of this pregnancy, I'm also a little sad. Mostly because I don't think Paul and I will have more than 2 children (never say never) and that this will potentially be my last time being pregnant and delivering a child.
I'll never have 1st trimester morning sickness again.
I'll never hear that first heartbeat again.
And I'll never feel those first flutters again. But even if I never experience these things again, I'll always be able to reminisce.
I sometimes wonder if my children will enjoy hearing about their births?

Speaking of...my newest nephew was born last weekend. We went to see him and he is just adorable. I was holding him for a while and it made me remember what it was like to be a new mom. I enjoy being pregnant but I can't wait to hold my lil' bean. It's an amazing feeling that you can't compare to anything else. So congratulations to my sister-in-law and her hubby on the safe and healthy arrival of their little angel.

As for things on the home front, we acquired a new BBQ just in time for the season. It's actually pretty monstrous. I haven't taken a picture of it yet but I will. It looks like two BBQ's welded together. One side is for propane use, and the other is strictly charcoal. It really is a man's grill. And of course the food that comes off it is delicious!

And with a good BBQ dinner comes dessert. Sour dessert! Only I didn't get to enjoy my daily grapefruit for most of the week because I didn't end up going to the Citrus Truckload Sale in Bolton. At the time I figured it really wasn't worth it but now I'm beginning to regret not going. I was at the grocery store and saw that their grapefruit wasn't nearly as big (or juicy?) as the ones off the truck. I left them there in hopes that another store would carry larger (and juicier?) ones.

So as Paul and I sat down in front of the TV for the evening (me sans grapefruit), he put in a movie and that's when it happened. Our Blu-ray player got busted. So sad, I know. The only hope for us now is moving the Playstation from the bedroom to the living room every time we want to watch a Blu-ray on the couch. I don't know exactly what to do with the player now. I'm sure we could get it fixed but is it really worth fixing? Maybe buying a used one would be a better option instead of getting a new one? Who knows, but for now we'll be using the PS3.

Towards the end of this week, I began really feeling my lil' bean moving around. It's what I've been waiting for since I found out I was pregnant and to me, it's a huge part of carrying a child. Usually during the first trimester you have to remind yourself that you really are growing a little human. And that the morning sickness isn't part of some illness you've suddenly come across. But those first few flutters that lead to more definable movement really makes it all worth it. So when the lil' bean starts moving I'm really trying to enjoy it since it will most likely be my last time feeling it. And all this movement made me remember that I haven't taken any decent belly shots. So some time in the following week I have to make time to do it. I find myself looking back to Pauly's belly shots and comparing them to my now growing belly. Sometimes I can't believe how different things are this time around.

Speaking of my growing belly, this week my lil' bean is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks the little one had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough that the legs are included in the measurements. So the new length is 10 inches head to heel! About the size of a banana. He/she is swallowing more which is great practice for the digestive system. The amniotic fluid being swallowed contains old cells, lanugo, bile and other things the baby has excreted. All this won't hurt my lil' bean but instead causes meconium to start building up in the bowels. This will go on for the next 20 weeks and his/her first poop will be this build up of meconium. Sounds yucky but I got lucky the first time around. Paul was the one who changed Pauly's diaper for the first week so by the time I got to it, I wasn't changing any meconium filled diapers! Maybe this time my dear husband will be kind enough to help out in the same way (wink wink!) :)