live love squash

how far along?  32 weeks

development:  the babe is now the size of a squash, weighing between 2.5 and 3.8 pounds and measuring 15.2 to 16.7 inches. i don't know what kind of a weirdo squash this is below, but i'm following what thebump.com is telling me each week, lol. we passed the pineapple stage last week, at 31 weeks. by now, all of his senses are fully developed, and he's going through major brain, nerve and eye development - his irises now react to light! the ovia app on my iphone says that one of his favorite activities now is sucking on his thumb, which improves coordination and familiarizes him with his own body.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  yes! 

sleep?  been sleeping ok at night, trying to rest as i need it

stretch marks?  maybe a few on my hips?

best moments this week:  lots! - picking out carpet for the babe's room  •  hospital tour  •  family dinner, and being surprised with gifts and time celebrating our babe-to-be  •  doctor's appointment - hearing his heartbeat and checking in on the growth of my belly!  •  child care class  •  saturday morning sleeping in and homemade buttermilk pancakes  •  receiving the crib we ordered

miss anything? laying on my belly  •  wearing 'normal' clothes - i feel like i'm constantly pulling my pants up and my shirts down to make sure everything's covered

movement:  pretty consistent movement, usually feeling him on my upper right hand side

food cravings:  nothing really crazy. glad to see that giant is still carrying the chocolate soy milk i love in the mornings - i thought they were going to discontinue it

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  boy… "prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish, and someday, you will be a real boy." ~the blue fairy from disney's "pinnochio"

pregnancy symptoms:  back aches  •  feeling large, but no swelling in my feet (thank goodness)  •  restlessness while relaxing on the couch in the evenings  •  a mind that won't stop thinking sometimes at night

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  mostly happy

looking forward to:  seeing the babe's room come together  •  finishing out the second of two child care classes  •  our next baby shower in a week and a half!

notes from dad: keeping busy working on the baby's room!

^^^ my fender pup... eight more weeks of this desk view 

^^^ selfie... oh so delicious and cute cake, celebrating with family!

randomness:

last week's evenings were busy, consumed with grocery shopping, a labor & delivery tour at the hospital, carpet shopping and lengthy conversations about daycare. i found myself somewhat emotional towards the end of our tour at the hospital, seeing labor & delivery and then the maternity floor where we'll be spending the first few days of our boy's life. we're keeping busy with things around the house and our minds are full of things to be weighed and decided on!

feeling grateful for family and friends that are surrounding us at this special time in our lives - i feel like i can't say it enough. it really means a lot to us that so many are supporting us, showering us with gifts, but most of all their love for us and our little one.

today's appointment at the doctor went really well, considering the doc seemed hurried, which kind of annoyed me. everything is checking out great - my blood pressure, the babe's heartbeat, the measurement of my belly and his positioning. since i feel his movements most in the upper right part of my belly, the doc said that's likely where he's doing his kicking and his head is down (where he should be for delivery and will probably stay like that since he's getting bigger and that's the most comfortable position for him). my belly is measuring right around where it should be - i felt lucky i managed to get this bit of information out of the doc that i found interesting and hadn't known before: measurement height in centimeters from top to bottom of my belly (called fundal height) should roughly equal the number of weeks pregnant, give or take 2 cm. today measured 32 cm, right on where it should be, considering we're at 32 weeks (so it could have been between 30 cm and 34 cm).

appointments from now on: the next two will be within the next month, two weeks apart from each other (feb. 3 and feb. 17), and then one appointment a week during the final month.

tonight's two-hour child care class was the first of two that we'll attend. obviously we can't learn everything there is to know about caring for a newborn over the course of four hours, but i think it's a good start. we covered feeding, cleaning and bathing tonight - it was pretty general, but informative and something i'm glad we're doing.

the babe's room is coming together... it's now painted two shades of grayish blue. we purchased a remnant of carpet which we love, some fairly inexpensive padding and anthony picked out the trim and is in the process of painting it. i have to get busy making/hemming the curtains.

to do list:
- figure out daycare (i think we're leaning toward one - just have to finalize it)
- decide on our babe's name (his first name is pretty much set… trying out middle names)
- wash and organize baby clothes
- pack hospital bag (started my list and have a few things prepped)
- make appointment to be sure our carseat is properly installed (yes, we have one - received as a gift!)
- attend hospital tour and two child care classes (one down!)
- write out birth plan 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

32 weeks down, just eight more to go!

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!

how do you say cauliflower?

how far along?  25 weeks

development:  baby boy should be measuring in at 13.6 to 14.8 inches, and weighs 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, about the size of a cauliflower. he now has a sense of equilibrium and knows which way is up and which way is down. his heartbeat is about twice the rate of mine, and his lungs are making the cells that will produce surfactant, a material that will make them inflate when he has to breathe on his own. his eyebrows, lashes and hair are growing but would appear white without pigment yet, and his ears and fingernails are complete!

from thebump.com

how do you say cauliflower? 

the two of us have different ways of pronouncing it. \ˈkȯ-li-ˌflau̇(-ə)r, ˈkä-, -lē-\

maternity clothes?  wearing mostly maternity jeans and leggings - don't think i can fit into any of my regular jeans now. most of my longer shirts still stretch and fit, or i've just had to wear a longer tank underneath. i've had a few 'fashion crisis' moments lately, as i call them, when i try to put something on just to find that it's not working and end up running around the bedroom like a crazy woman trying to fix it. i bought a snazzy new maternity dress last night to wear for the holiday happenings coming up - i went back and forth about whether it was worth the money, spending it on a maternity dress that might have limited wear. but i thought what the hell and bought it - can't wait to see it. that's the thing with purchasing online - waiting to receive it and hoping it fits!

sleep?  pretty normal overall, although last night was not the greatest night of zzzz's. keeping warm on these chilly nights with my warm aromatherapy wrap.

stretch marks?  nothing yet

best moments this week:  four days off of work!  •  time with family, some of that spent discussing baby names  •  feeling accomplished by getting a bunch of stuff done around the house - ahem, cleaning the garage  •  window shopping/adding to the babe registries  •  our first daycare visit - uncharted territory until now

miss anything? not too much

movement:  getting stronger - feeling movements more often throughout the day. boy was pretty active today.

food cravings:  not much, just trying to keep up on my water intake and stay hydrated

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  baby boy... "a boy is the only thing that god can use to make a man." - unknown

pregnancy symptoms:  back pain, dry eyes, an itchy tummy

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy for the most part! last night was kind of an emotional one, for no apparent reason. boo hoo...

looking forward to:  another daycare visit this week  •  picking out our christmas tree and decorating - we're going back to our local market to pick one, where last year we got ours and left payment in the honor box. trust, honesty and nostalgia at it's best in a small village! 

notes from dad: dad's been working hard, trying to work done on the house, agonizing over names and the upcoming holidays. little known fact: cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies. we have quite a good relationship with cauliflower in this house - we cook it up like french fry poppers, we mix it with mashed potatoes for a healthier side (Karin found this idea in Jerry Seinfeld's wife's cookbook) and we've even grown cauliflower in our garden, which isn't as easy as it sounds. you have to bind up the leaves to cover the head to keep it white, and if you don't it breaks apart and gets rice-like. wow, that was too much information. week 25, bring on the cauliflower.

^^^ our quaint little local village market last year

^^^ my trips to the store now include looking for deals on these 

week 25 down, 105 days to go!