2 year anniversary!

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary! We had a relaxing evening of Swiss Chalet and the season premier of House. Out big gift is our trip to Barbados starting next week.

Feeling: indigestion has been slowing me down in the afternoons, but I'm finding that exercising helps - good thing that dance practice and aquafit lessons start this week.
Movement?: he's located somewhere between my stomach and my intestines - and loves to kick and punch them a lot!
Cravings: chai lattes
Wishing for: still wishing for those maternity jeans, also adding 'comfortable bra' to the list!
Reading: "Hypnobirthing: The breakthrough natural approach to safer, easier, more comfortable birthing" - I'd been looking to learn some methods for drug-free pain management. It's interesting so far.
Current Project: packing for our trip to Toronto and Barbados - can't wait!

At 24 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!). That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs , those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

week 23

Today I am: 23 weeks and 2 days pregnant

Feeling: pretty darn good. i've got lots of energy and the cooler fall weather is nice, addy and I have been going for a lot of walks
Movement?: he gets hiccups at least once a day, which are my least favorite movements - feels like all my muscles are twitching! soon the midwife will be able to tell us where his head and body are positioned
Cravings: tomatoes, fresh ones from my and jeremy's mom's gardens. sooooo yummy
Wishing for: a nice fitting, comfortable pair of maternity jeans - I can't find anything nice!
Movies: watched 'Pride and Glory' with Rita and Rob after they hosted us for our first dinner at their new house
Current Project: planning my sister's bridal shower for this weekend, it's going to have a tea party theme
Weight: up 11 pounds

eeek - this one is scary!
At eight inches and slightly over a pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll when you are 23 weeks pregnant. This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double.

You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his or her little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops during fetal growth.

sugar baby

Feeling: Rested and relaxed from a nice 4 day long weekend.
Movement?: Still lots of kicks, more often now. Usually after I eat, or if I sit down. He's still pretty low - just waiting to get that first kick in the ribs.
Cravings: plums - I ate half a box in 3 days
Wishing for: a designer rocking chair at an affordable price. I've been looking for a nice comfy rocker for the nursery, but everything is either ugly or extremely expensive!
Movies: watched 'Last House on the Left' with Rob and Rita on their new TV.
Current Project: nesting is setting in, over the weekend I cleaned the entire house - everything!

At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery store. Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!

This week, he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids).

The eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

banana baby

Feeling: Like I never get full. I wouldn't say I feel hungry all the time, but when I do start eating I can't seem to stop!
Movement?: Lots of movement; somersaults, twists and kicks
Cravings: still loving the hot sauce
Wishing for: the long weekend! 4 day weekend coming up, yahoo!
Movies: watched 'I Love You Man' with Jeremy
Current Project: helping Rita and Rob move into their new house - ok, it's more like I'm sitting on the couch watching everyone else help Rita and Rob move into their new house!

By 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting. The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten. Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault.