29 Weeks

Almost hitting 30 weeks - I seriously don't believe it. I know I say that so much but it's true! I'm feeling tons of movement these days - a few times a day at certain times she seems to be much crazier, sometimes I think she must be pedaling or kicking right against me, other times I watch my belly bounce up and down. It seems like whenever that happens no one else sees it though, I try to pull someone over to watch or feel and she stops. Argh! lol. Sometimes the movements seem like she's having little spasms. lol... I assume it's normal.

Symptom wise, still having upper abdomen and rib cage pain on the left side. I think this will be with me till the end of my pregnancy. It is very sucky and sometimes stops me from doing some things. I'm trying to start exercising a little bit too because I'm feeling sluggish and I feel like my body isn't prepared to support the rest of this baby's weight sometimes. I can't believe how much bigger I'm going to get... sometimes I think about it and I have heart palpitations. lol. I've also started having some pain in my hips and joints - I've heard this is pretty normal. Sometimes I have trouble walking. So, I'm probably going to be waddling soon. I've also started to get my RLS symptoms back (restless legs) which had sort of disappeared for a while. FUN!!!

29 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 - 3 pounds (like a butternut squash) and could be 15-17 inches long from head to heel. Though she's getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight. And as she grows and room in your womb gets tighter, you'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day. She is able to use all five of her senses, hearing sounds and seeing bright lights in her mother's environment, and tasting, touching, and even smelling the amniotic fluid surrounding her.

18 weeks, movement??

Yesterday we were 18 weeks pregnant! It's hard to believe. It's going slow and fast, all at the same time, if that is possible. Sometimes I just feel like... come ONNNN lets go, and other times I'm like, lets take this NICE AND SLOW! Anyway...

Right now, as many mothers-to-be are at this stage, I'm sort of obsessed with feeling the baby move. I am starting to get more sure I'm feeling it. Last night was one of the most definitive times... it was almost like 3 nudges within the span of about a minute. It actually flipped me out because it was so defined. And the day before while I was working and playing Bethany Dillon and singing really loud, I had a few nudgy feelings and a flutter or two. It is so exciting and is making it really feel way more real than it has up to this point. I pray it continues and things keep going smoothly. Baby keep moving! :)

18 Weeks Baby!

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. (Hopefully not, ultrasound Oct 20! :)

What about the mom-to-be? Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy. From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

16 weeks and love

We're 16 weeks today and I'm excited, because that means in 4 weeks I'll be HALF-FREAKING-WAY. I don't even believe it. I pray we can find out the sex of the baby that week as well!

16 Weeks Development: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Also, tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also thinking of Molly, Abraham & children today as they remember their baby girl Felicity Margaret who would have been two years old today. Prayers and comfort with you as we remember!

15 week sonogram

Had an "unofficial" sonogram at Great Lakes Insitute today. I felt a little like a lab rat as the students were learning how to measure, find things, but it was amazing! It was thrilling to see this baby, with all the parts, moving around and just EXISTING in there! I still can't feel things so seeing the movement was incredible. At one point it was kicking and moving and reflexing all at once. So amazing. She showed me the face too but didn't really get a picture of it or the whole body at once, so we sort of ended up with a bunch of pics of different parts. Still awesome. There's really a baby inside me!!! It weighs about 5 oz right now! Couldn't tell the sex yet, but that's ok.

The first image is the baby waving to me, I'm convinced :) The last two are lower body shots.

Going to put 3 of them bigger here too.









hi everyone! :)

13 weeks

Tomorrow we have a doctor's appt/check up where I pray I'll get the opportunity to record our baby's heartbeat. I keep being a little fraid something will be wrong. But so far everything seems ok and I'm praying over my little one's safety and protection. Will update the blog hopefully with some cool sond effects tomorrow!

Some cool 13 week information
Your fetus is now about three inches long, weighs about an ounce, and is around the size of a peach or a medium shrimp — and half of that length is head. By the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body. Your baby's intestines are moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing.

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

energy returning? (crossing fingers)

Tuesday will be week 12 of this pregnancy, and I slowly have felt my energy returning. Most notably was yesterday's wedding. It was a ton of work, and I was on my feet most of the day and shot some really great pictures. Instead of almost on the verge of losing it the whole day, I felt like I COULD do this, and I was in control.... during the reception I was truly enjoying myself and not really very tired. This could have been partly because the couple was awesome - but in general it was definitely a noticeable energy and motivation increase from the weddings I did in July and even early August. I am praising God, and not as scared about the beginning of September then I was before!

I've been in awe looking at pictures of 11 week old babies (from illustrations and ultrasounds) This baby looks like a real baby now, other than a disproportionate head, and has fingers and toes and is just so awesome - already about 2-2.5 inches from crown to rump. Beautiful...

I've been struggling with some fear and worry again the last few days that I thought I had shaken, afraid I might not be growing enough, that I can't feel my uterus, that maybe the baby isn't growing or something is wrong. I know it's unhealthy. I'm trying to stop. I have my next appt Sept 2 so hopefully that check-up will alleviate my fears.