26 weeks and counting!

As you can see, he is growing (and therefore I am growing too)! I am going to start measuring and tracking my belly growth. This may spoil the toilet paper shower game, but right now I am 39.5 inches around. We'll see what next week brings!

I can hardly believe that this week he is 14 inches long. Well, maybe I can. Last week I felt him move in two totally separate locations at the same time (a first - before it was always one focused kick). I think his arms were punching my upper left side and his legs were kicking my lower right abdomen in one swift stretch of sorts. He must've been lying on an angle in there. He has had some really active days lately and they are just the BEST! Friday night I was too distracted watching my belly move to focus on the movie we were watching. Sometimes it even makes me laugh because he is just so wild in there! I want to know what he's up to!

Joe and I are reading to him a lot. Joe is a big Dr. Seuss fan so we've started those and I am reading him Curious George stories from a book Cameron & Casey Braybrook bought for us. I'm also reading aloud articles from Real Simple and other books and magazines - he doesn't really know the difference, right? I can't wait until he is here and we can read more fun books together. I have seen some really cute ones about city life that I can't wait to get my hands on.

I got the invite to my first baby shower, which will be hosted by Paula Nowakowski and the "group", last week! It was so exciting to get it in the mail and it is adorable! We're trying to finish up registering this week. It is quite overwhelming. Decor for his room is especially hard. I just want it to be perfect!

24 weeks!

We hit the sixth month mark on Saturday October, 11th. It was also Mike and Amy's wedding - congratulations to the Tomaszewski's! We spent the weekend in Lake Geneva, WI, where they got married. It was such a gorgeous fall weekend and it was so nice to be out of the city where we could relax. We went to an orchard and got a pumpkin family...three sizes, one for each of us, including a "baby" pumpkin for the baby! We were also able to swim, which felt so great.

My belly continues to grow exponentially! I have a theory that it grows the most over the weekends when I have a chance to do a lot of sleeping and eating. Whereas before my uterus was below my belly button, it has moved to above my belly button. For the first time today I could feel the baby move at least 1-2 inches above my belly button...it is a weird feeling when I am used to him being so much lower! Having him way up there is making it harder to bend over. Time to move to slip-on shoes!

He is a full 12 inches now (about the length of an ear of corn) and just over a pound. I can tell he is getting a lot bigger. Before, I could mostly just feel kicks or jabs. But now I can feel rolling and twisting (and even SEE rolling and twisting), and I notice these movements a lot more frequently throughout the day as opposed to every now and again. The movements definitely have that "alien" quality everyone talks about - it's so weird to see your belly moving like that without having any control. I read that he has learned to decipher up and down, since his inner ears have formed and they control balance. That is so cool!

He is a very good boy. For the most part he sleeps at night (although two nights ago I woke up and was absolutely ravenous...I grabbed a handful of almonds...I guess he was hungry! I would NEVER have done that before my pregnancy). He even "wakes up" in the mornings with me when Joe says goodbye and rubs my belly! We had dinner with Matt and Susan Maine last night and they got him an awesome onesie that says "Chick Magnet". Perfect for this sure-to-be handsome boy!

We've reached another milestone!

The doctor uses Saturday as the day of the week when I move forward a week in pregnancy. Today is 23 weeks! Every Saturday morning Joe and I have a ritual of reading from the book "Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy" about what's going on with our baby that week. It's something we really look forward to and was especially fun early on when he was developing his organs and major body parts. Today is a milestone because it notes that babies born after 23 weeks can sometimes survive (if taken care of in an NICU and without major complications)! His lungs are the big focus this week - they are growing rapidly.

BTW - I totally recommend the "Mayo Clinic" book I reference above. It provides very factual information without unnecessarily scaring you. I've heard "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is written in a tone that can freak moms-to-be out about everything. In the "Mayo" book they reference how your body and emotions are changing by month and also clarify when it's necessary to visit the doctor by month. So, pains or dizziness one month may be ok one month, but not the next. It's very clear. So far I've been able to remain fairly calm (with only two extra doctor's visits when I had questions to be safe)!

Guess who wants some attention?

He's doing lots of kicking to let us know he is there! I felt the first kick at 18 weeks, only two days after we found out he was a boy. I was in church and it was right at the end of mass! (You can read into this how you want!) At first it was pretty irregular, but now it is certainly getting to be a common thing. They are strong enough that others can feel him on the outside and I can see my hand move significantly if he gets me good. It is the best feeling in the world! I have given it some thought and think I will miss this feeling tremendously once he's born. One interesting thing to note is that he seems to get quiet whenever Joe puts his hand on my belly. I think it is because Joe's hand is warmer than my cold little paws and it is soothing to him. Also because he knows it's daddy! :)