making this a new year to remember

how far along?  29 weeks

development:  baby w is between 15.2 and 16.7 inches long and is weighing between 2.5 and 3.8 lbs, about the size of an acorn squash or a pineapple. he's still slowly packing on the weight, his muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and his brain is developing rapidly.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  yep!

sleep?  i've not had a good night of uninterrupted sleep, although i probably shouldn't expect it... been tired lately.

stretch marks?  nothing yet

best moments this week:  lots of family time  •  christmas and baby shower celebrations! 

miss anything? sleeping on my stomach and back

movement:  yes, since visiting the doctor a week and a half ago i've been trying to keep count of the number of times the babe kicks me - the doctor said that i should be consciously taking count at least once a day, and i should be feeling at least 10 kicks during the course of 2 hours. obviously he's more active at certain times than others, so sometimes it's been 10 kicks within just a few minutes. in the past few days, i've noticed more slow actual motions rather than quick kicks.

food cravings:  nothing crazy 

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  all boy… "little boys are just superheros in disguise." ~ art moms

pregnancy symptoms:  back and hip pains. trying to sleep with a pillow between my legs for the most part, which helps a little. i pretty much wake up throughout the night with hip pain on one side, and have to roll over to the other side.

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  making this a new year to remember!

notes from dad:  i've been to my first shower. turns out i didn't need the shower cap, but instead a bigger car. karin and i are blown away by the amount of love and thoughtfulness we've received, and there's only more to come. the start of a new year, a year that will change our world immensely. 

we were so lucky to have such a fabulous baby shower thrown for us by family in chicago. it was overwhelming, the amount of love shown and well wishes given. i met some very beautiful ladies that i had only previously heard plenty of, and visited once again with those whom i've known for the past 10 years. it was an emotional day and one that i will remember for a long time. i am so thankful to everyone that attended and shared our special day, and especially our loving sister, mother and aunts who made it all possible.

^^^ sweets table, complete with owl cupcakes and oreo cookie truffles

^^^ adorably cute owl centerpieces made by rachell from diapers, bibs, washcloths and burp cloths 

we tentatively have our babe's full name picked out, although we won't share it until he's born. we've had so many people tell us that we may not know if the name suits him until we see him. we also would like to keep it a surprise, so we can introduce our son to you all properly (or as properly as technology allows us these days, rather than in person) lol.

to do list:
- figure out daycare
- wash and organize baby clothes
- pack hospital bag
- attend hospital tour and child care classes (already scheduled for january)
- write out birth plan and preregister at hospital
- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, etc.
- make up some 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 first baby shower in chicago (working on it)

week 29 down, 74 days to go. just two and a half months!

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!