24 Weeks

I know I know...where's 23 weeks? Well, it couldn't be helped. I was on my baby moon last week and didn't have internet access. And it was good! I've decided to put 23 & 24 weeks in one post so I hope you're comfortable 'cause it's gonna be a long one. I suppose I'll continue with my vacation which was exactly what I needed. I only got a few days off for the Christmas holiday and prior to that, my last week off was in September. We dropped the dogs off at my in-laws Sunday afternoon, had a quick lunch with them and then we were on our way. It took us about 3 hours to drive to Wiarton and by the time we got there it was dark. We didn't have a problem finding the place but there was no way to see what was around us. We spent that evening unpacking and getting comfortable, aka snooping! After checking out the place we decided that dinner was going to be simple and quick. We got into the truck and drove the 9km to town. We ordered a pizza & garlic strips from New Orleans and headed back. I'll never order from them again. It was too saucy and doughy. So after dinner & a movie was...another movie! We raided the library shelves before we left so we had plenty to choose from.

Day 2 started with a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast & a tall glass of milk. We watched the Olympic games while we ate then headed into town to do our shopping for the week. That took us a whole hour and once we were back and everything was put away, I wasn't sure what to do. I decided to do my cross stitching and continued that for the next couple hours while watching season 1 of Sex and the City. Lunch followed and then back to cross stitching and Sex and the City. Paul tried to set up a painting station for his little men but that didn't work out to well. The sun began setting soon after he started painting and then the lamps didn't give off enough light. And to top if off, he hadn't brought his desk light. So after a short struggle he gave up and started a fire in the wood burning stove. Dinner was next and then we cuddled on the couch for a few movies.

The rest of the week was similar. I would usually be the first one up. I grabbed a book and read in the morning sun until Paul woke up. Breakfast and some Olympics followed. Cross stitching and painting until lunch. Then it was Sex and the City or True Blood until dinner. Board games, fires and movies were the evenings agenda. We did go into town later in the week to pass some time and check out the little shops. There wasn't much there though. One evening we spent some time feeling our lil' bean move around. He was so active that we could see my belly moving! We also spent some time walking in the woods around the cottage. We tried to guess what kind of animals made the various tracks we saw in the snow. We had a great relaxing week and I only wish we could do it more often.

As for other news, this baby is in constant motion. It seems he's always on the move when I'm sitting and sleeps through all my moving around. I love it! And so does my mother-in-law. We went out for coffee with my in-laws one day and my lil' bean was moving around quite a bit. She asked if she could feel him and of course I figured he would immediately stop once she felt my belly, but he didn't. She got a few good kicks and it was so exciting. What I'm not excited about is the back ache that's started, which I'm sure has to do with me being on my feet all day. It's not too bad right now so I think I've got to be more diligent with doing yoga in hopes that it won't get any worse. And of course taking a seat every few hours at work.

Another unavoidable travesty is the fact that it's getting harder to bend over. My belly isn't very big and I'm already adjusting my pose when I need to put my shoes on. It's not too awkward right now but I'm not looking forward to tying my shoes at 35 weeks! But I guess that's what family and friends are for lol.

Some doctor news this week has to do with my optometrists and my midwife. I'll be seeing my midwife in a few days and we'll be going over my ultrasound results. I'm sure everything will be fine but it's always good to be reassured. I also went to see my optometrists this week and although she noticed I was pregnant without me saying anything :) and everything is fine, I was a little disappointed with her. She's a great doctor but a horrible story teller. She's got two kids of her own and by her own admission, she can't tolerate pain. She told me that at her first prenatal doctor's appointment she asked when she should book for her scheduled cesarean section. And of course the doctor talked her out of it but she wasn't happy about it. She went on to repeatedly describe labour as the "most horrible pain you'll ever feel". Especially back labour, which is what she went through. She didn't have anything good to say about it. Not even the usual "it's horrible but worth it once you're holding your baby". Now don't get me wrong, i'm not ignorant to the fact that it's going to really, really, really hurt, but come on. You don't go on for 10 minutes telling a pregnant lady how horrible childbirth is without reassuring her it's all worth it. Or at the very least give her something positive to take away from your experience. And then to top it off, she told me "you'll know you're done having kids when you spot a mother dealing with a crying baby or changing an explosive diaper and you're happy it isn't you". Kinda makes me wonder what kind of grandma she's gonna be??

Well, let's change the topic to some administrative stuff. I've registered for prenatal classes at the hospital. They start on May 1st and are two consecutive Saturdays. I've also registered for our PreBirth clinic which involves filling out hospital forms and spending some time with a nurse. This will give us an opportunity to ask her questions if we have any.

As for us getting ready for baby...I've started thinking about it! I've been mulling over nursery ideas but still haven't decided on something for sure. I'm leaning towards a colour scheme of blue, green and brown. I'd also like to incorporate frogs into the mix. As a kid Paul was the "frog catcher" and I thought it'd be nostalgic to include it in our son's room. I've gathered some pics for inspiration and any comments and ideas would be appreciated.


And for the star of the blog...my lil' bean is now the length of an ear of corn. He is having REM sleep which may include dreams. The bones of the inner ear are starting to harden and all the noises he's hearing will be familiar to him once he's born. No need to worry about the barking dogs scaring him. He'll be used to it by then. He's gaining a little more fat and his lungs have started to develop surfactant. This will allow them to expand once he's born and theres also blood vessels forming in them. White blood cells have started production in order to fight infections and diseases and his brain is growing quickly. The fingernails are now completely formed and eyelashes have started to grow. Can't wait to meet this little guy.

22 Weeks

I think I'm going to start with the most exciting news. Paul & I went for our anatomy ultrasound this week. Luckily our lil' bean decided to co-opreate and we can proudly announce...."It's A Boy!"


Yep, another Paul Jr. It was so unreal seeing our son on the screen again. He had his hands by his head and his legs were all stretched out. He would curl them and kick them out. We got another good look at his heart. And when the sonographer showed us a close up of his face, we saw his mouth opening and closing as he swallowed amniotic fluid. He's got a perfectly round head, which he gets from his dad. I can't wait to meet him.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong but we won't know for sure until we see the midwife again. And that won't be for another 10 days or so. First we'll be relaxing, away from it all for a week! And it couldn't come any sooner. We booked a cottage in Wiarton and we're leaving this Sunday. I plan on having the wood burning stove going all week and enjoying time off with my baby daddy!

And of course my legs could use the rest. I stand all day at work and by the end of it my feet and legs are so tired. It's worse at the beginning of the week because of the weekend backlog. I usually find time to sit mid-week until Friday. I can only imagine what it's going to be like at 30 or 35 weeks. I'll just have to make time to rest my legs. The last thing I want is varicose veins.

The thing that's really surprised me is the dreams I've been having. I was never the kind of person to remember my dreams so I assumed they weren't very eventful, but that's changed. I'm now having vivid dreams that I remember when I get up in the morning. And they're so weird sometimes. It's actually kind of fun to wake up and wonder what was going on in my head during the night.
At 22 weeks my lil' bean is the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs a whole pound. His brain and nerve endings are developed enough that he is now experiencing the sense of touch. He may be stroking his face or playing with the umbilical cord! His eyes are developed except for the pigment of his iris. And if you could see him, he'd have deep wrinkles waiting to be filled with a layer of fat.

20 Weeks!!!!!

Today I hit a huge milestone. I'm officially halfway through my pregnancy. Yay!! And although I've enjoyed every minute of the journey so far, it has gone by quickly. I can see the next 20 weeks flying by and I intend to relish every moment of those weeks like I did the last.

But from here on out it'll be a different kind of journey. With each passing day I can feel my lil' bean getting stronger. Each movement has been more defined and he/she has definitely put on weight. It won't be another 20 weeks wondering how my lil' bean is doing. Instead, it'll be 20 weeks of feeling flips, kicks, and maybe even hiccups. There won't be a moment where I'll be wondering if there really is a baby in there! Also, my conversations won't go unnoticed any longer, along with daddy's. The two of us have been constantly speaking to our lil' bean over the last few weeks and it's comforting to me knowing that he/she can hear us now. It's amazing to think our voices will be how our baby will recognize mom & dad once we're able to hold him/her in our arms.

Next week will also be exciting for Paul & I. We're having our anatomy scan and we'll get to see our growing lil' bean again. Hopefully the computer screen won't be turned away the entire time but that all depends on the technician. The appointment will be an hour long and I'd love to see how my baby's been developing. This scan will show the brain, the heart and all other organs. We'll be sure that he/she has ten fingers and toes, along with healthy lungs and a spinal cord that is well developed. There are so many things to check for but the exciting part about it is that we'll hopefully know if our lil' bean is a boy or girl!

After all this excitement I know I'm going to need a break. That's why Paul & I have decided to go on a baby moon! Nothing fancy, just a week away, up north. We haven't booked a cottage yet but we've got 4 to choose from. I'm really looking foreword to sitting in front of a fire reading, playing a board game, watching the snow fall, feeling the baby move around, or just napping! And Paul will gladly drop what he's doing to feel the baby again. His face lit up the first time he felt it and it seemed he really couldn't believe what was going on.

Some of the not so good things of the week include sleeping, and trips to the bathroom :( My hips are still sore during the night and I've taken to using a pillow between my knees to alleviate some of the pain. It helps but when I switch sides, the pillow doesn't follow. I find myself being conscious of repositioning the pillow when I flip which causes some breaks in my sleep. Which of course isn't good for the bladder! I'm usually getting up twice a night to use the bathroom. And during the day it's even worse. Every two hours or so I heading to the loo. And standing up from a sitting position doesn't help either. But I guess I should be saving my complaints for later...

And what about my precious package you ask?? He/she is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks my lil' bean had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough and the legs are included in the measurements. So my lil' bean is now 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 meconium. Yucky you say but I'm the one who'll have to clean it!