honey dew

how far along?  36 weeks

development:  our babe is now the size of a honeydew melon at 36 weeks. he's right around 17.2 to 18.7 inches and weighs close to 6 pounds - he's come a long way since week 8 when he was the size of a raspberry... amazing! his skin is smoothing out and his liver and kidneys are in working order. circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too. his digestive system is the only major system not fully developed yet - he won't fully digest food until he starts breastfeeding. after this week, he is officially considered carried to term.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  i wore a non-maternity dress the other day that i've maxed out on - i almost couldn't fit into it, but got one last wear out of it for now. anthony joked with me that he wished i would have busted out of it like the incredible hulk (to put it nicely, it isn't his favorite dress, lol)

sleep?  been sleeping surprisingly sound the last few nights

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  a chill valentine's day with ghirardelli chocolates and dinner at a new bbq place  •  chuck e cheese birthday party for a one-year-old little miss  •  designing and having some artwork printed to frame for the babe's room  •  receiving a sweet, unexpected baby gift from a co-worker/friend and his wife

miss anything?  'normal' clothing and shoes other than boots (when can we start showing our toes again?) ;)

movement:  lots!

food cravings:  the norm - ice cream! also loving lots of milk, and cheese & toll house crackers.

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  oh boy… "when i grow up i want to be a little boy." ~ joseph heller

pregnancy symptoms:  pretty much same ongoing things

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  enjoying the last month of my pregnancy, but also meeting our babe!  •  weekly doctor appointments

randomness:
i don't know if i'd classify this as good or bad or either, but we've hit the one-month-left-to-go milestone!

last night we installed the car seat in the car - it's a weird thing to see in our own vehicle. ;) today we went to the township building to have it inspected. we're good to go!

evenings have been flying by so quickly recently. it seems that there's always something to do or think about. last night dinner didn't even cross our minds until we realized how late it was getting, at 7pm.

we'll be meeting our new pediatrician on wednesday of next week. we got some really great recommendations from multiple friends for the same office and it makes me feel good that we probably chose one that we'll be happy with, too.

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bags

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet, swing, infant seat, etc.

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower
- start thinking about birth announcements (thanks to shutterfly, we have a coupon already!)

he'll be here before we know it - less than 4 weeks! 

honeymoon salad… lettuce alone

how far along?  26 weeks

development:  baby boy is measuring in at 13.6 to 14.8 inches, and weighs 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, about the size of a head of lettuce. his eyes are finally starting to open and are more responsive to light, and he's taking breaths of amniotic fluid, practicing for that air he'll breath in march. he's gearing up his immune system, and most of his bodily systems and functions are now intact - the rest of his development revolves around putting on height and weight. reading about his development this week, he seems to be grown into even more and more of a real little person, as funny as that may sound - it's just amazing!  

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  wearing maternity jeans, leggings, a few maternity tops, long tanks and flowy sweaters. my pretty much daily wear also consists of boots and a scarf (it's not often that i'm not wearing a scarf). speaking of maternity clothes, i'm still waiting on that snazzy holiday dress i ordered, and i just also bought a pretty pushers labor & delivery gown (thanks jess, for the suggestion) so that i don't have to wear the sickly looking hospital gown and maybe be a little more comfy and cute in what i'm expecting to be one of the most uncomfortable times of my life. lol.

sleep?  been using my pregnancy body pillow to lean on and prop between my legs as i sleep on my side at night to try to prevent my hips from hurting. my sleep has seemed lighter and choppy, especially after viewing my sleep stats on the up.

stretch marks?  nothing yet

best moments this week:  picking out and decorating our christmas tree... thinking that this is the last year it'll be just anthony and i. hard to believe, this is our eleventh christmas together, and next year it'll be so different!  •  christmas music  •  being my crafty self and working on some home made christmas gifts  •  a relaxing pregnancy massage last week  •  anthony would say a bears win in monday night football!

miss anything? not too much. maybe sleeping on my stomach, lol.

movement:  the babe seems to be more active in the mid-afternoon and i usually notice it more when i'm sitting still at my desk at work. this past week was one of the first times that i noticed really seeing the movement of my belly - it's quite a weird thing... makes me laugh.

food cravings:  ice cream, mac & cheese 

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  all boy... "there's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm." ~ christina aguilera

pregnancy symptoms:  some back pain, an itchy belly and my hips hurt after laying on one side for too long. i used to joke with anthony about restless leg syndrome (mostly because it just sounds made-up), but apparently it's a symptom of pregnancy that's popped up a few times here and there recently.

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy for the most part and a little emotional here and there 

looking forward to:  holiday happenings at work - vendor lunch and company christmas dinner this week  •  continuing to receive (things i've ordered online), make, shop and wrap christmas gifts - hoping to tie up mostly everything this weekend  •  my next doctor's appointment is 12/20 for the glucose screening test. looking for good results and trying not to expect the worst with the taste of this stuff that everyone seems to complain about, the waiting, but most of all... i'd really like the results to be good.

^^^ a choppy night's sleep - deep sleep (dark blue), light sleep (light blue), awake (orange)

so i saw a second daycare facility last friday afternoon, and a third today. there's so much to think about. cost is obviously a factor, but other things have me thinking and need taken into consideration like:

- keystone stars program - a state initiative to improve, recognize and support efforts of early learning programs in pennsylvania. facilities do not have to take part in the program, but if they do, they are rated 1 through 4 stars for their Standards, Training, Assistance, Resources and Support (STARS). out of the three centers i saw, one was a 2 star, one was a 2 star actively working to soon achieve 3 and one was a 4 star. but in comparison, like i said, not all facilities have to be a part of the program so there could be an equally fantastic center out there not even rated, or a lower star rating doesn't necessarily mean that they'll care for our little one any less.

- one of the centers stated that formula is provided for infants, while the other two do not offer formula as part of their program. it just happens that at the center that i was visiting where they do provide it, the dad picking up his little one that i ran into raved about what a cost savings it is, and even more, not having to prepare bottles every morning.

- while all three provide breakfast and snacks, just two of the centers provide lunches to those eating solid foods (usually over 1 year old) as part of the weekly tuition cost and the third does not.

center 1:
4 star rated, most expensive, formula - no, breakfast, snacks and lunch - yes. locally operated, non-franchise

center 2:
2 star rated, least expensive, formula - yes, breakfast, snacks and lunch - yes. church run center

center 3:
2 star rated, almost 3 star, costs between 1 & 2, formula - no, breakfast and snacks - yes, lunch - no. locally operated, non-franchise

how to choose? i'm leaning towards one, but there's a lot to consider.

^^^ selfie... one of my favorite and oldest christmas ornaments (from '93)... and my boy fender, looking handsome as ever

week 26 down, only 97 days to go! we're into the double digit numbers and we're nearing the end of the second trimester!

i love you, but i cantaloupe

how far along?  24 weeks

development: baby boy is about 10.5 to 11.8 inches long and weighs about a pound! his lungs are developing branches of the respiratory tree, his hearing is fully developed and most vital organs are well developed by now. until now, he's had very little fat and now he is accumulating more fat under the skin which will then help him maintain an ideal body temperature after birth.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  yes, and discovering other clothing that i haven't worn in a while, trying to get creative with what still fits.

sleep?  it's been interesting tracking my sleep with my jawbone up - my light and deep sleep alternates as it should in a normal cycle and i've seen a pattern develop with what time of night i'm getting the best sleep. 

stretch marks?  none yet.

best moments this week:  homemade saturday morning breakfast sandwiches, a la mcdonald's, compliments of anthony  •  a row 5 night out to a hershey bears hockey game  •  my homemade apple pie (pat myself on the back) ;)  •  loving my new hair color - and yes, it's safe. unless ingested, hair dyes pose very little risk to a developing baby (as i read on many trusty internet sources). i did it myself and used a semi-permanent color with no ammonia, even better. in fact, it was such a more pleasant and less stinky experience that i may continue to purchase the same kind in the future. bring on the red!

miss anything? no too much

movement:  yep! getting stronger - feeling movements throughout the day off and on. 

food cravings:  my weekly ciabatta bread and olives from the grocery store! i also got back on the weekday breakfast smoothie wagon - protein powder, oats, frozen fruit, frozen spinach and oj

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  baby boy... "every puppy should have a boy." - erma bombeck

pregnancy symptoms:  some back pain. haven't noticed any swelling in hands or feet yet. 

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy!

looking forward to:  enjoying thanksgiving with family and being thankful for what i have in my life  •  gotta look at registering soon for a hospital visit and child care classes in the next few months  •  two daycare visits next week and one the following week

notes from dad: Who is he? Baby names! This one's tough. You always want to pick just the right one. But what's the right one? Of course, we have heard the "Do not call your baby!..." names: Johnnie Walker, Herschel Walker, Luke Sky Walker, Jimmie Walker (DYNOMITE!). Then there are those names that are too "ethnic" or too trendy. Not to mention, I have a preconceived image of most names - "Nope, I knew this guy once..." Well, we have our master list growing and new names keep popping up. I cant wait to decide - I am so proud and grateful to be able to give a life a name. It has to be just right. Our little whoishe?

so, i had another checkup appointment today - quick and easy. just a check on my blood pressure, listen to the babe's heartbeat, and a measure of my belly. almost not even worth the trip there, but glad to know that things are seeming to be as they should. 

i was informed today to watch my carb intake and asked if i drink many juices, since those especially contain empty calories. (after returning to work, i was briefly discussing the appt with my boss, since he and his wife went to the same practice and he laughed when i told him about the juice issue - the two of them referred to that doctor as the 'juice nazi', haha). 

the doc was not overly concerned with my weight gain so far, but wants me to be conscious of watching what i eat from now on. guess i'll have to give my ciabatta bread a rest.

my next appointment is the routine glucose screening on 12/20 to check for gestational diabetes, and how efficiently my body is processing sugar.

^^ homemade apple pie... and a pretty darn tasty one, if i do say so myself. 

^^ hershey bears hockey at the giant center - a winning game!

^^ i recently downloaded an iphone app called ovia pregnancy, and i thought one of the coolest features was seeing how big our babe's hand is from week to week. the gray outline is supposedly how large his hands will be when born, and the pink shows the size now, at 24 weeks. cute, huh?

one month until christmas, and the end of the second trimester. week 24 down, 112 days to go (less than four months!).