25 Weeks

 Week 25 Complete

How far along? 25 weeks and 2 days, last week of my second trimester!

Baby is the size of: A cabbage at 14" tall and almost 2 lbs.

What did the baby develop: He has hair color now, his nostrils are opening and his air sacs in his lungs are developing, because he is producing surfactant he has an increased likelihood of surviving a preterm birth! His sense of balance helps him with up and down and it helps him rotate down for birth positioning.

Gender: Sweet baby boy, Adler James

How many:1 little squishy

Showing a bump: Yep. It is here to stay.

Maternity clothes: 75%, I still have some pants and skirts I can wear for work.

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Still sleeping well, especially when I am super active during the day!

Movement: Non stop during the day. Not so much at night yet though.

Best moment this week: Cleaning out Adler's room.

Miss anything: I am officially hungry more! I have the snacks and food I always eat at work with specific times I always eat them. And that has definitely changed! I figure it is all Adler because he has doubled in weight in the last 2 weeks!
Medical Help:  Daily Vitamins - Prenatal, fish oil, Vitamin D, Probiotic, Calcium/Magnesium, and electrolyte supplement
Emotionally Feeling: Great

Belly button in or out: In

Food cravings: Just want protein in the morning

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Symptoms/Side effects: Linea Nigra, minor twinges in my abdomen as my uterus grows and stretches, my skin reacts to things weird, struggling staying hydrated as it grows warmer. Get more headaches and cramps when I am not hydrated.

Wedding ring off or on: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Spending the weekend with my sis!
Things they don't tell you about pregnancy: The uncontrollable gas. I have always been a little gassy, but I literally cannot control it eeking out now! A wee bit embarrassing. Bare with me over the next 3 months people! It's all Adler's fault. ;)

25 Weeks along, can you believe it? 15 more to go! 

Still so incredibly thankful for all these maternity clothes. 

We had a yard sale last weekend. All the stuff in this room we got out of the house!

  

Thankfully we can see the floor again in this room.

This is our guest room soon to be Adler's room. We are taking a week off at the end of July to bust out the rest of the basement. Once we finish it, we can move all of this furniture down there and start on making this room Adler's! One project at a time though. And we still have 3 months to go. 

And of course part of our little garden this year.

 But here is my weekly question. What are the things you got that you never used? This goes off of last weeks question, but is just as important to know!

24 Weeks

Week 24 Complete

How far along? 24 weeks, 1 day (111 days left!)

Baby is the size of: An egg plant, a GI Joe, or a Puffin! 1.5 lbs and 13" long

What did the baby develop: Adler's lungs are producing surfactant the substance that will make them inflate/expand when he has to breathe on his own, and he is starting to develop taste buds! Time to really start on the Indian, Mexican, and all amazing flavored foods for this kid! And of course veggie overload. ;) He gained a quarter of a pound in bones, muscle, and fat and is really filling out his baby shape. His eyebrows, lashes, and hair are coming in, but still lack pigment.His ears and finger nails are complete! He can sense right side up and upside down

Gender: Sweet baby boy, Adler James

How many: 1 little squishy

Showing a bump: Yep. It is here to stay.

Maternity clothes: 75%, I still have some pants and skirts I can wear for work.

Stretch marks: Nope. But with the start of my bump really growing, I have started my anti stretch mark regime.

Sleep: Still doing well. I have switched to about 99% side sleeping with a regular thick pillow between my knees and under my head. The pregnancy pillows just didn't quite work for me at this point.

Movement: He is moving lots during the day. Non stop in the evening. Not so much at night yet though.

Best moment this week: Last Friday night when I was laying on my side watching a movie with Thomas and it seriously felt like Adler was trying to bust out my right hip. He was so incredibly active and it felt like he was punching to get out. I think it was the spicy enchiladas. It's those taste buds kicking in. I was able to get a video of it which was really fun!

Miss anything: I had my monthly appointment yesterday. All is well in our little world. Adler's heart beat is strong. My blood pressure is normal. But I did find out that although you don't eat for 2, you do drink enough water for 2. So I really need to step up my water consumption game with the summer heat and how much we do outside now. And I now know all the warning signs of preterm labor.
Medical Help:  Daily Vitamins - Prenatal, fish oil, Vitamin D, Probiotic, Calcium/Magnesium, and electrolyte supplement
Emotionally Feeling: Just dandy. Life is beautiful people.

Belly button in or out: In

Food cravings: I have wanted a donut for some time. The problem is that if I eat it in the morning I feel yucky the rest of the day. And there is only 1 donut shop that the donuts don't make me feel terrible. So I have to be smart about it. Maybe this weekend I can have Thomas run and get me one.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sugar or lack of protein in the morning.

Symptoms/Side effects: Linea Nigrea, sensitive skin stuff, gag reflex when brushing teeth, gums bleeding easily, randomly hiccup/burping.

Wedding ring off or on: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: The yard sale that was postponed from last weekend because of the weather. But we were able to finish our laundry shoot which is super exciting! And we are still on for the yard sale on Saturday so that we can clean out Adler's room and start dreaming. 
Things they don't tell you about pregnancy: What exactly will annoy you. For me it is the word belly. I don't like it. I would prefer people to ask or talk about my bump. Don't even ask me why. It's just a thing.

24 Weeks! And in my borrowed gift of maternity clothes.

The most vibrant rainbow looking east from my front yard.

Standing in the same spot, but looking to the west. Love the beauty that God creates!

OK, I know I asked about it on FB the other day and had a few of you look over my existing registry, but what was that top item once baby comes that you could not live without? The one that you want to give to every new mom because it turned your world around? It could be for the baby or for mom. Or maybe a suggestion for one of each?

23 Weeks

 Week 23 Complete

How far along? 23 weeks 3 days

Baby is the size of: A bunch of grapes or a barbie doll, although lets call him a ken doll since we know he is a boy. A bit over a foot tall and 1.25 lbs

What did the baby develop: Adler is gaining baby fat to keep warm and his lungs are still developing. He is also still transparent and a bit red because of his developing veins and arteries. His face is fully formed though! He can also hear really well now and can kick in response to things outside of the womb! Lanugo, the fur like hair he has now, generally sloughs off deeper into pregnancy as Skishy gains more of an ability to control his body temperature, with a more highly functioning nervous system, and increased accumulation of fat beneath his super-soft skin. Nearly all lanugo will be shed by three or four months after birth. And a disgusting fun fact: babies eat the lanugo that they shed while in the womb, and it builds up within them to form the substance that makes up their first poop, known as meconium. After Skishy sheds and eats his lanugo, he will develop vellus hair on the same areas that the lanugo coated previously. The vellus hair will continue to help Skishy regulate temperature as he transitions into the outside world until his beautiful adult (terminal) hair grows in.

Gender: Sweet baby boy

How many:1 little squishy

Showing a bump: Yep. It is here to stay.

Maternity clothes: Still mostly no, simply because I don't have many yet! Getting creative with my own wardrobe, but starting to feel that everything is frumpy and ill fitting!

Stretch marks: Nope! Starting my oils regiment pretty strictly now to try and prevent them!

Sleep: Still going strong!

Movement: Non stop during the day. Not so much at night yet though.

Best moment this week: Meeting with my friend Mary who gave me tons of maternity clothes! Once I get them all washed, I will be a whole new woman with that new wardrobe! She is also going to be our doula, so it was great to just talk about what each of our perceptions of her role was going to be! Thankful we have very similar visions. I think it is going to be a great match!

Miss anything: Thomas and I were able to see my stomach move when he started his gymnastics routine in there! Thomas has been able to feel him often which is just about the neatest thing ever!
Medical Help:  Daily Vitamins - Prenatal, fish oil, Vitamin D, Probiotic, Cal/Mag and electrolytes
Emotionally Feeling: Awesome! Life is great.

Belly button in or out: In

Food cravings: Just loving good food.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Symptoms/Side effects: Working on the water consumption, linea nigra, funny skin things are magnified, and lots of cherries make me (and Thomas) gassy!

Wedding ring off or on: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: The yard sale this weekend, so we can get all the stuff out of his room and start rearranging!
Things they don't tell you about pregnancy: That early on, you don't want to even touch your stomach at all, but then once you start showing and don't feel sick, I finally realize why women always have their hands on their stomachs! It is just kinda to say "hi sweet boy!".

My first and only purchased maternity shirt.

Starting to show straight on too!

This beauty was outside our kitchen window!

This is in the bathroom of my midwife's office. Love the break down of where the weight comes from!

 I have had a few of you look over my registry and all of your wisdom is AWESOME! So the newest wisdom is really from my cloth diaper momma's!! Tell me all your tricks of the trade! I know everyone does it different, but I am trying to learn and other then trial by fire in 4 months, I am trying to tuck away any bits of wisdom I can!

22 Weeks

 Week 22 Complete

How far along? 22 weeks and 1 day, exactly 5 months today!!

Baby is the size of: Corn on the cob or a water bottle, he is about a pound and a foot long!

What did the baby develop: Skishy is sleeping 12-14 hours a day, he is trying to touch anything he can including his face, body, or umbilical cord, he is working on his physical abilities and motor skills by practicing movement, and getting a feel for things. His inner ear is also developed to the point where he has a sense of balance. And his pancreas is already busy creating its own hormones, which helps alleviate my hormonal burden. His eyes are still developing, but he doesn't have eye color yet. Adler's organs are pretty much developed and now he just has to pack on the fat! He is developing his taste buds more this week though and his nerve endings are forming so he can actually experience the sense of touch.

Gender: Sweet baby boy

How many:1 little squishy

Showing a bump: Yep. It is here to stay.

Maternity clothes: A little, but mainly my normal clothes still.

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Doing fine other then when it is hot. But that is normal for me.

Movement: Non stop during the day except when I am really active and it is hot. But that could also be that I am not paying attention to him when I am hot. Not so much at night yet though.

Best moment this week: Thomas being able to feel him a few times. And the grin on Thomas' face every time I walk around the corner and he sees my bump.

Miss anything: It was Thomas' birthday and that day he ran a relay with 5 other people from Mt Rainier to Ruston Way. A total of 52 miles combined.
Medical Help:  Daily Vitamins - Prenatal, fish oil, Vitamin D, and Probiotic and Magnesium/Calcium
Emotionally Feeling: Awesome.

Belly button in or out: In

Food cravings: Nope.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. Back to normal other then 4 am teeth brushing. Later in the day I seem fine, but not that early in the morning.

Symptoms/Side effects: Skin stuff. The addition of skin tags, red bumps and the like that I already had are definitely becoming more pronounced. 

Wedding ring off or on: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Cleaning out the house so I can have a yard sale the following week and then start thinking about making his room exactly that.... His room!
Things they don't tell you about pregnancy: I always knew that people touch your stomach a lot, I didn't think about people seeing you and then automatically looking at your stomach to see how much it has grown.

22 weeks complete! And most definitely showing.

It amazes me how big his little hand is!

Thomas during his birthday relay. Patiently waiting for his first leg to start.

High fived Marg and then Emily.

Waiting for his second leg. Do you see Mt Rainier in the background? The group had already run 40 miles to get to this point!

Hand off with Marg who had just ran over 2 miles in the sand and then to Emily who finished off the last leg and brought us home!

It was so fun spending a whole day of Thomas' birthday with friends even in the heat, with all of them running. Maybe it helped that I didn't actually have to run anything.

Since I already made Thomas uncomfortable talking about the My Brest Friend pillow last week, I thought I would continue on that route this week with the best breast pump. My insurance covers both the Ameda and the Medela. Thoughts on those 2? Or is there a different one that is your favorite?

21 Weeks

 Week 21 Complete

How far along? 21 weeks, 2 days

Baby is the size of: Baby bok choy, brioche, baseball hat, 10.5" long, 12.7 oz

What did the baby develop: He is beginning to swallow amniotic fluid and absorb small amounts of sugar, but most nutrients still come from the placenta. Developing more nerves and his sense of touch. He has wrinkly skin to give room for filling out and getting his baby fat. He needs this fat to feed his brain and to help regulate his temperature on the outside of my womb. And he is still starting to produce meconium, the black tarry substance of his first poo. And Adler looks like a miniature person at this point!

Gender: Sweet baby boy

How many:1 little squishy

Showing a bump: Yep. It is here to stay.

Maternity clothes: Mostly no. I have just been creative.

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Still going strong.

Movement: All day! He is kicking and flipping around for sure! The last doppler, he kicked at the monitor 3 times. Also, Thomas felt him move for the first time yesterday June 1st! His hand was on my stomach and he felt him 3 different times! The look of wonder was awesome.

Best moment this week:Telling all of you Adler's gender and name. I loved how you all were so darn excited and supportive of us!

Miss anything: I got a cold for the first time this pregnancy. It always happens when I combine travel, not enough sleep, getting really cold (like a snow storm during a wedding rehearsal, and not being consistent with using my essential oils.) But I am almost over it!
We also went camping for the first time this summer. It was so much fun even pregnant. In fact, it really didn't seem all that different then non pregnant camping.We still rode bikes, ate amazing food, and flew kites!
Medical Help:  Daily Vitamins - Prenatal, fish oil, Vitamin D, and Probiotic
Emotionally Feeling: Just grand

Belly button in or out: In

Food cravings: Nope. Still loving fruit and especially watermelon because of all the extra liquid it gives me.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this last week.

Symptoms/Side effects: I gagged a few times, but also had a few headaches from lack of water. Just making sure I am paying way better attention to that.

Wedding ring off or on: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Thomas' birthday this weekend and his crazy relay race.
Things they don't tell you about pregnancy: People's responses to the name you have chose. "That is such a strong name", "I love that name", "That is the perfect combination of unique and yet not weird", "I am just not sure about that name. I will have to get used to it", and finally "Will you call him AJ?"

Thomas has strictly stated that if we wanted him to be called AJ, we would have named him AJ. So there you go. That is his feeling on that. You should see his face when people ask. It is pretty darn close to pure disgust.

I am getting so much bigger for sure! I really need to take a pic not in my jeans so that you see the pure belly. Also, lets not talk about the hair in this pic. New hair dryer cause mine broke. All I can say about that.

And so is he!

Adler's first camping/trip to the beach experience. Also, Thomas has been trying to do a picture like this for ages. Don't know why I don't like them, I just don't. So here is one with our rain jackets on, so you can't really even see the bellies. :)

"Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height...." Anyone?

Question of the week: Which did you love most and why? Boppi, my brest friend, or just use a pillow? Keep in mind I have a VERY long torso, so nothing probably will get uncomfortable after a while.