BJ at Week 22

The week of June 22nd, 2009

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, BJ is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's continuing to develop tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see her, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until he adds a padding of fat called "brown fat" to fill them in. Inside her belly, the pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.(Babycenter.com) It's amazing that BJ weighs in at nearly a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. She can now distinctly perceive light and dark. She can also recognize my voice and distinguish my heartbeat from her own. What a smart baby!

The 20 week (halfway) mark came and went pretty fast. Now that we know BJ is a girl, the time seems to be moving much faster. Everyone said this would happen so we are just trying to get prepared for her as much as we can. But I still feel like so much has to be done. We were planning to clean out the closet in her room this week, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Not sure if we will. We still haven't picked out furniture for her either. Oh well, if push comes to shove (literally) and her nursurey isn't ready, she can just sleep in the night stand drawer next to my bed :) I know we have time, but it just seems to be going faster and faster and before I know it she will be here. Chip and I also need to start signing up for birthing classes and other classes to take at the hospital. So far, our doctor told us to take the Infant Care class where we'll learn to take care of BJ after she's brought home from the hospital, the Baby CPR class and the Labor and Delivery class. I'm also going to sign up for the Breast Feeding class. I'm debating that last one since after we have the baby we'll get free classes in the hospital, but I think I'd like to be prepared before-hand so BJ can start nursing right away (I hope). I'm excited about starting the classes but I can't believe how LONG they are!

Father's Day was really nice. Tre and BJ each gave their dad a card and a framed photo. I think he was happy and excited :) We celebrated Father's Day as a family at church and then we took Chip to PF Chang's for dinner. It was a beautiful day! Then it was home for a nap because we were both exhausted.

BJ moves around constantly now. I always feel her about 10-15 minutes after I eat something. Her kick-boxing skills are improving and are finally strong enough for Chip to feel them. Monday night was the first time he felt her as she moved and wiggled around. I felt her moving so I put his hand on my belly and she kicked a few times. He said, "Is that her poking you" I said yep, that's your baby. It was the coolest thing. After that he kept poking her to see if she would play back, and after that her poking in response got stronger and stronger. It was incredible. I'm glad he can finally feel her. And for me it was such an amazing thing to feel her move on the inside and the outside. What a special time that was! Now, I've heard at some point, you can actually see the baby moving, so now I guess we'll wait to see my belly flinching. So cool!

She is still VERY low and almost always has some part of her body on my bladder, so I'm constantly going to the bathroom. Also I hear it's pretty typical for your stomach to turn hard as a rock after you eat a big meal, which is very uncomfortable. I personally experienced this last weekend after eating at a birthday dinner for Chip's cousin Erica. I was extremely uncomfortable all night. I couldn't even get comfortable to sleep. I had to sit up most of the night. It was horrible. I vowed to not EVER do that again.

As for me, these days, the only things growing more rapidly than BJ may be my feet!!! As if my ever-expanding belly (body) wasn't enough — now my feet are getting in on the act! I read it's due to the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which loosens my pelvic ligaments. Well, it also loosens every other ligament too — including the ones in my feet. In turn, the bones beneath those ligaments spread slightly, which results, for many women, in a half or whole shoe-size increase. Ugggh! All my cute shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more stilettos, I've worn you as long as I can, now I must tearfully and reluctantly bid you farewell — at least for a while (that is if my feet don't out grow you). I guess it's time for more sensible shoes to help me balance my big belly and my changing center of gravity. Well, you know how much I love shoes!!!! What a great reason for new ones :) Maybe Chip will take me off new shoe purchasing punishment :) I might as well get something out of this too (other than a baby I mean) :) LOL!!

Don't forget you can subsribe to the blog and leave comments for me, Chip, and BJ.

BJ at Week 21...Over Halfway There!

The week of June 15th, 2009

BJ now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a banana. Sometimes I feel like she is practicing kick-boxing as her little butterfly fluters have now turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I think I am also starting to notice a pattern of behavior with her since we've had a while to get to know each other better. In other developments, her eyebrows and lids are present now. (Babycenter.com)

Speaking of activity BJ was very active this past weekend. I still haven't felt her kick on the outside, but her Aunt Keisha said she felt it before. Although, I have been feeling her move inside. I can't wait to feel her on the outside. So, the countdown is on to Father's Day. I have no idea what to do for Chip. I mean, he is a dad already, but now he is a soon-to-be father too :) So, I will have to think of something special for him, something from Tre and something from BJ.

BJ is grazing on whatever I eat these days, and I am doing my best to keep the stretch marks away or at least to a minimum! Lucky BJ, so won't get one stretch mark from all the growing she's doing. So, BJ is about the size of a large banana — and chances are if I eat one this week, she will get a taste, too. That's because she swallows amniotic fluid each day (for nutrition, hydration, and to practice digesting), so she eats whatever is on my menu.

In other (not so welcome) news, as my body expands my belly and boobs just keep on growing. I've had some anxiety over this lately, but then I realize, there's really a baby in there! Now that I've really started to look pregnant (and not just like I've been eating tubs and tubs of ice cream) and BJ's kicks can no longer be mistaken for other bodily functions, the reality of pregnancy is beginning to sink in. But, I am hanging in there. I know that this baby is a blessing and that God will surely work everything out. In talking with other moms, some said that at some point in pregnancy (usually when it becomes very visible) just about every expectant mother (and father!) begins to feel anxiety and fear as though she's on a runaway train — with enormous changes coming around every turn. They say it is completely normal to feel anxious.

Physically, I am still pretty comfortable. Ever since I got my pillow for work, my tailbone has been fine. I also started going back to the chiropractor every 2 weeks, and that has helped tremendously. I have noticed that my skin is producing more oil, so I am going through another round of acne, like a teenager. But all that is in it I guess, and I will be worth it to see her sweet face and hold her in my arms. So, that is how I am feeling these days. It won't be long until we're in the 3rd trimester and that's when all the real fun begins!

BJ at 20 weeks: Half way there!

The week of June 8th, 2009

According to babycenter.com BJ should weigh about 10 1/2 ounces now, but she isn't quite there yet. We had our 20 week visit on Wednesday and she only weighed 10 oz. I guess she's slowing down from the fast growth spurt she had a few weeks back. She should also be around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the size of a cantaloupe. (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.) She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate and we will see it in her first soiled diaper (ugggh I can't wait).

I can't believe I'm halfway through my pregnancy!!! Chip's sisters Chanda and Tasha came with us for our 20 week appointment. They got to see their very busy niece at the sonogram. Tasha says she has a chin and eyes like mine. Tasha is a nurse and she's such a wiz at figuring out what body parts are showing on the sonogram screen. I had to ask the lady doing to sonogram to slow down because I just couldn't see what she was seeing. It was really cool seeing her at this stage. At one point, she looked like she was opening and closing her mouth, like she was talking. She wasn't moving much though. Her heartrate was 158 and she was just relaxing. He heart looks perfect and so does her spine and her kidneys and everything else! There are still ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and the doctor said everything was fine. My placenta is anterior, which means that it's right in front of the baby, but apparently that doesn't bother BJ. Initially, I read that with anterior placenta it can be harder to feel the baby kick, or I might not feel her until much later in the pregnancy, but something very exciting happened this week.

On Monday night, Chip and I were lying still listening to her heartbeat on the handheld doppler ( I have one at home). We found the hearbeat and it was almost 170. She was moving all over the place so I had to keep repositioning the doppler to keep up with her, then all of a sudden, a felt a big jolt and a thud on the doppler wand. BJ was kicking it or hitting it and me!!! It was the most amazing thing. She kept doing it everytime I pushed the doppler down on my belly (her home). I guess she doesn't like that or she was just having some fun playing with it. Since then, she has been kicking up a storm. On Tuesday I was holding her cousing Boston as he slept. He was laying on my belly. He woke up and started shuffling his feet , and wouldn't you know it, BJ kicked back! I guess she wanted to play too. I love those little kicks, it's the coolest feeling in the world. I wish her dad could feel them on the outside. Soon enough I guess. Soon enough.

Here are some pics of BJ at 20 weeks!

Here is a picture of her profile. Her placenta is sitting right on top of her!

And here is a picture of her sweet face!

BJ at Week 19

The week of June 1st, 2009

BJ's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear voices now, so we shouldn't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune. Our baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a mango. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid. (babycenter.com)

Wow it's hard to believe I am now 19 weeks pregnant! Time sure has time flown!!! Chip and I have been very busy so there's lots to update. First of all since we found out we're having a girl we decided to register, so now we have that out of the way. Plus my family and some friends back home are giving me a baby shower on June 13th so I knew I needed to get my registry ready. And it doesn't hurt to have that done since I will be having other showers in a few months with friends and family here in Kansas City. So for anyone that would like to check out what I've registered for you can go to http://www.babiesrus.com/ and just enter my name or Chip's name and you should find us under our due date 10/28/09. We also registered at Target and Wal-Mart and we are registered for BJ's bedding at USA baby (a local store).

We found a travel system with a carseat and stroller and a swing that were floor samples, so we found them at a really good price. We also have some other items that were given to us and some that have been purchased. Thank you everyone that has already bought BJ some things. I can't wait until she's here and she can wear them and play with them!!

We also have some sad news this time. Chip's nephew CJ passed away on Sunday, May 31st. CJ has gone on to rest with the Lord, and we will miss him greatly. It saddens me to know that BJ will not get a chance to meet her funny cousin CJ, but she was very active during CJ's celebration service, so I just know that he's speaking with her and getting her ready for her arrival. Praise the Lord!! Lastly, Chip and I are so blessed with family and friends and everything in our lives. We just can't say enough about how grateful we are that God has blessed us. I can't imagine my life without God in it and without our families and true friends and I know Chip could say the same thing.

Stay tuned for the 20 week belly photo and more updates about this busy body baby!