WEEK 23!!!

New News!

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound ( as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Well, he's been super active lately, which I love- he likes to move from one side of me to the other in the mornings. I'm getting bigger now for sure- I've popped! I get to go to the doctor on Thursday, so hopefully I will learn some more about him! This week we went to Bloomington for the Women's Little 500 race, which was so fun- the girls & GP did amazing! We also got to hang out with some friends- he realllly liked being at little 5 and was active the whole time I was down there!!! We will be back in Bloomington this next weekend (May 1st) for the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge with Whitney! Hopefully I'll get to catch up with some of the football boys too! I'm sure this little man will be excited about that (since he'll be playing football in the future!) Good Job to all the boys from IU who got drafted or signed as free agents!

That's about all I have for you today- not much baby news. I bought the first BOX of baby wipes this weekend- many more to come! We have the upstairs room painted and now just need to get the furniture in there! Dad (Vincent) was in Santa Fe this last week and got him a really neat cross to go above his bed- the metal that's used was from the old churches around! I bought a "feeding table" at a baby show I went to last weekend by Babee Tenda- it's awesome! They use them in hospitals-super safe too! It's cherry wood with a blue and white striped seat! So cute. It does so many things- that way I won't have to get a ton of other things such as a high-chair, bouncy chair/walker, etc. It does all sorts of things... I am also looking into Cord Blood Banking so, if you know anyone who's done it, let me know how they liked it! It's pretty expensive, but seems worth while! I've got to make my mind up on that soon! Well, love you all and thanks for reading!!!

WEEK 22!!!

New News! At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniture newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside of your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. He is entering his fifth month of existence. His fingernails are almost fully grown, and his organ systems are becoming more functional and specialized. He has a distinct pair of lips, and his first canines and molars are developing below his gum line. He looks like a miniature newborn. Blood is traveling through the umbilical cord at four miles an hour, fueling his growth with oxygen and nutrients.

This week nerve endings become functional enough so that your baby can feel! He may experiment with this new sense of touch by stroking his face or feeling other body parts to see how they move. You may feel your baby stretching his muscles by pushing against the muscular wall of your uterus with his feet or head.

In addition, your baby's liver is busy breaking down bilirubin, a substance formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in blood cells. Because a baby's liver can only break down a limited amount of bilirubin, the excess is passed on to you through the placenta to filter from your liver.

So, a lot is going on this week with the little man! I can definitely feel him moving around a lot more now. He's getting stronger, but still not taking (kicking or punching) the breath out of me quite yet! This morning I was waking up- and so was he- and I could feel him very stretched out. One part of him was directly underneath my right rib and another part of him was directly on my left upper pelvic bone. So, he's getting much longer and stretching himself out as much as he can-before it gets to cramped in there! I'm guessing he's a pound or a little more by now! He's starting to really take off and grow! Which means, I get to eat more :) Not much more for me to report- I think the articles above took care of about everything else that's going on! The belly pic this week isn't great, but that's because I had to take it myself. Stay tuned next week for week 23 and what's to come!!!

One last thing- GOOD LUCK TO THE CHI-O BIKE TEAM! They race on Friday April 23!!!

WEEK 21!!!

New News!

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now!

I seem to be growing just as fast as he is at this point! I slowly feel like all of my clothes are getting entirely to small for me to wear anymore- which is exciting because I can't wait for him to be bigger! I also feel him practicing football moves inside as well- he's going to be an active one for sure! That's about all I have to report today! Thanks for reading!

P.S. I look huge in these pics. I really don't think I look as big in person...FYI haha.

20 WEEKS!!! HALF WAY THERE!!!

New News! Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe! Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch. Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel - he the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY!!! I am officially half way through pregnancy now! It's gone by super fast and I feel the rest will fly by as well! I know he's starting to grow faster and faster each week- sometimes I literally feel likes he's grown overnight! I think now I will really start to become big, since I only have a tiny bump now! I am so excited to finally shop as well since I know he is a BOY! That's about all that I have now, but thanks for reading!! GO BUTLER!!!