26 weeks!

How big is baby?

He is about 14 inches and weighs 1 2/3 pounds - think English hothouse cucumber. And slightly larger eggplant.

What is baby up to?

His sense of hearing is now developed enough to hear a conversation between Jared and I. He is also practicing breathing amniotic fluid in and out of his lungs to prepare for breathing air.

Movement?

His official favorite location to hang out is right under my ribs. And his kicks tickle me and make me jump at inappropriate times.

Best moment of the week?

Jared being awesome while I'm on bedrest.

Update:

My blood pressure was still up on Friday. I had to go in for some more testing at the hospital (blood/urine sample) and also got to do a wonderful 24-hour urine sample all day Saturday. Eesh.

So far, the decision is to put me on "modified bedrest," which involves working as little as possible and spending the rest of the time laying down. I have to monitor my blood pressure 3 times every day and I will go back in on Friday for another checkup.

If things don't improve, or if my tests come back with bad results, I will most likely be placed on strict bedrest. The major risk is developing preeclampsia. Check out this site for more information on that:  

http://www.preeclampsia.org

Preeclampsia is more risk to me than the baby, but the only "cure" for preeclampsia is delivering the baby. It's way too early for that, so we're praying everything will be ok. 

I spent the weekend laying on the couch (rather than going shopping for baby stuff as we had originally planned), watching TV/movies and reading books. That's the plan every night until Friday. I'll update as soon as I find out more.

On a more positive note...

We're supposed to get more snow tomorrow night (possibly up to 4 inches) and that would probably mean another snow day. Hooray for snow!

25 weeks!

Holy baby bump, batman!

How big is baby?

The average 25 week baby is 13.6 inches and over 1.5 pounds. He's about the size of an eggplant. 

What is baby up to?

This week, his sense of equilibrium is developing. He's learning to distinguish up from down. Hair is starting to develop on his head this week.

Movement?

All the time, especially in the middle of the night. Or at least that's what has been keeping me awake lately.

Best moment of the week?

Celebrating the new year by going out to dinner with Jared (thanks Grandma Alice!) and then enjoying sparkling apple pomegranate juice while watching the ball drop.

News

I had another OB appointment today. I love hearing his heart beat. This time it was 148 bpm. She measured my belly, and apparently I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead. Not sure if that's good or bad. Unfortunately, my blood pressure is up, so I'll be going back again on Friday to make sure it's not too high. Keep your fingers crossed! That wouldn't be good for either of us.

Snow, hail, and food!

Pictures from the Thanksgiving snow (covering our new car):

 We had a thunderstorm with hail Wednesday evening. Then it froze overnight and the hail still hasn't melted.

 And I'm really enjoying cooking and baking. Bacon cheeseburger pasta...

 What to do with extra bananas and pears? Make banana pear bread, of course!

Banana Pear Bread

2 cups mashed bananas/pears

3 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cups cooking oil

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, bananas, sugar, cooking oil and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and a bit of salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until it’s well moistened but not too well mixed. Spoon batter into the loaf pans, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

24 weeks!

 

How big is baby?

He is about 12 inches and 1.5 pounds. The fruit of the month is still papaya, but his weight is going up more quickly than his height at this point. 

What is baby up to?

His skin is becoming more opaque as he is packing on the fat layer underneath. His lungs are beginning to make final preparations for breathing air. 

Movement?

He really likes kicking me in the ribs on my right side.

Best moment of the week?

Spending all day with Jared on Christmas and talking to family. 

Looking forward to?

Seeing how long I can keep running. Still going. Just really slow. My goal is to make it to Superbowl Sunday. My running group is holding a 5k and I hope to run the whole thing.

23 weeks!

I noticed I was wearing the same shirt, so I had to do a side-by-side comparison.

Here is the 23 week picture:

Don't mind the running clothes. I'm officially on a 2-week vacation and don't plan on looking nice unless I have to.

How big is baby?

The average 23 week baby is 11.4 inches long and weighs 1.1 pounds. The food size only changes every month now, so he's still the same size as a papaya. Just a little bigger one.

What is baby up to?

His lungs are developing rapidly this week, preparing for the outside world. He looks like a baby, just without much body fat. This is the earliest he could be born and have a chance of survival. I vote he stays inside for 17 more weeks.

Movement?

Making my belly jump. My new favorite hobby - watching my belly bounce all the time. This little guy loves to move. Jared caught me watching my belly. And apparently giving him an angry look as he took the picture.

Belly button?

Eerily flat.

Cravings?

Nothing specific. Just a lot of food. I am very excited to cook for the next 2 weeks - much more time to prepare food when I'm not working. 

Best moment of the week?

Hearing the heartbeat again yesterday. 158 and strong. He did enjoy running away from the doppler. My OB laughed at how active he was.

Looking forward to?

Christmas. Even if we're far away from everybody, I still love this time of the year.

Here's a rare photo of both cats cuddling with Jared. 

And cuddling with each other.

The cats had a vet checkup today and came home with the most adorable bandanas on.

Guess I'm not very good at this...

-5 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Scoring:

0-24 - Very Poor (Failure)
25-41 - Poor
42-58 - Average
59-75 - Superior
76+ - Very Superior

Jared took the test and scored +7 points as a 1930's husband. Looks like we both have some work to do!

22 weeks!

Simon's paw... :)

How big is baby?

Papaya! Baby is about 10.5 inches long and weighs a whole pound! His face is fully formed. His senses are developing, including touch, sight, hearing, and taste. He can grab onto the umbilical cord and can even perceive light and dark.

Movement?

All over the belly.

Belly button?

Still in.

Cravings?

Orange juice.

Best moment of the week?

Homemade guacamole. It was amazing.

Jared even enjoyed it. 

Our trip to Portland was very wet. It was pouring most of the day, thanks to the Pineapple Express from Hawaii. It looks like a nice city from the outside, and we even had a chance to enjoy Buffalo Wild Wings before we left. We passed the exit for Highway 12 to Aberdeen - drive east or west, you'll reach one eventually.

More fun baby clothes!

Jared's parents sent some fun baby clothes, so Jared and Simon had to show off a couple of them. Hooray for our little Vikings fan!