24 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  24 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Corn (12.5 inch, 1.25 lb)

Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Dodger (corn dodger - small fried corn cake), Biscuit (corn bread i.e. biscuit)

Weight Gain:  27.4 lbs (Christmas, ouch)

Milestones:  With all his rapidly developing senses, he should probably be able to sense what is upside down and right side up.  His respiratory system is also rapidly growing, lungs are developing in preparation for breathing, moving amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs.  For now, baby still gets oxygen through the placenta. 

Symptoms:  back pain, headaches are back this week
Cravings:  Orange juice, Thai Food (still sounds fabulous)

Aversions: meat, sweet potatoes
Recap of the Week:   Big week!  Let's just start with the doctor appt.  This week was my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  Also, the first Dr. Appt that I've attended totally by myself... Sad, but had to come some time :)  Basically, I had to drink a completely disgusting sugar-water orange-soda flavored concoction within 5 minutes.  I then was instructed to wait exactly an hour & return to the lab at 9:12 to get blood drawn for the test.  In the meantime, they called me back for my actual appt with Dr. Bailey.  I already saw him for my 11 Weeks appointment but it was Christmas week and there weren't a lot of options. :)  He listened to the heartbeat for a few seconds (which he found IMMEDIATELY).  The fastest his little HB has ever been found.  Basically heard it as soon as the dopplar was placed on my tummy :)  He then answered my couple of questions:

Q:  I can feel my heart beating in my ears, fast heart rate pretty much every day.  OK?
A:  Yes, such a large increase in blood volume during pregnancy.  Will have an increase in pulse and this is a normal complaint. 
[doesn't make it any easier to sleep when this happens but good to know it's alright]

Q:  Should I be counting kicks (to reach a certain number in a certain period of time, etc)?
A:  Nope, just let us know if you notice a large decrease in movement.  Even movements from day to day can vary greatly.

After seeing Dr. Bailey, I went back to wait in the waiting room until 9:12.  Then went back to the lab, had my blood drawn, scheduled my next appt for Jan 17th, and left.  I was feeling a little weird/dizzy from the sugar drink so was actually really worried I'd have gestational diabetes.  But, they said they would call if the results were bad... it's been over a week now and no phone call so I'm assuming everything is fine.  A girl at my work got her bad result within 2 days so I'm feeling pretty good about it.  REALLY really didn't want to have GD.

Christmas was this week!  Merry Christmas to all :)  We went to Charlie & Mollie's house on Saturday morning to do presents with the kiddos (Ally, Quentin, & Carlie).  They are such sweethearts & I can't wait to have one of our own!  Sunday was the party at my Granny's house and it's always good to see her.  95 years old in November and she CANNOT wait to meet the newest little addition to our family in April :)  We finished up the Christmas parties with Mom & Ronnie and Sis & the Girls at our house last night.  We had an AMAZING dinner & it was great to catch up.  While mom was checking out the nursery, she decided to laugh at the crazy quantity of wipes I have.  Granted, they do totally fill up the bottom drawer of the changing table but I got a great deal on two jumbo bulk boxes.  LOL.  She then had to tell my sis so everyone could tease :)  It was fun showing off Bray's little clothes and things though.  Now it's time to take down Christmas and focus 100% on baby!

Couple of final thoughts for the week, one scary and one exciting.  First, I had spotting again this week.  No matter how many times it happens, it still stops my heart a little.  Luckily, it was the same as the prior times and stopped very quickly.  Second, I have a daily baby chart on our refrigerator that I use to check off days until due date.  This week, one of the days said the following:  "More than 1/2 of babies born now will survive".  I know it's not great odds but it made me feel so good.  We're getting there! :) 

23 Weeks

Tay's attempt to include the Christmas Tree :)

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  23 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Large Mango (11.5 inch, 1.1 lb)

Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Grandma's "Lil' Man Child" (LOL), Hayden (a type of Mango)

Weight Gain:  23.2 lbs (depressing)

Maternity Clothes:   Nothin New - Ordered some grey leggings but don't have them yet.

Milestones:  Bub is quite active by now and mommy should be able to feel movement or kicks in the belly.  It might even be possible to see the movements on the surface of the skin.  Overall, Bub is now more proportioned from head size to the rest of the body and is looking more and more like a newborn.

Symptoms:  ACHES and PAINS, geez!  Was on my feet all day baking on Saturday and I've never had worse back pain in my life.  I could barely walk by the end of the day.  Ridiculous.  How do people have jobs like waitressing, etc while preg?  HOW???
Cravings:  Orange juice, Thai Food

Aversions: meat, BBQ.  Was able to eat a couple bites of steak that Tay cooked for me but just a couple of bites.  It tasted good, I just can't handle it for some reason!

Recap of the Week:   My favorite accomplishment this week is signing up for Childbirth Classes.  I completely CANNOT wait.  I signed myself and my wonderful Husband up for the following:

Childbirth Class:  Sat, Jan 21st 8:30-3:30 and Sat, Jan 29th 8:30 to 12:00

Infant/Child CPR:  Sat, Feb 11th 1:00-3:00

Breastfeeding:  Sat, Feb 18th 9:00-12:00

Bring on the learning!!  :)

I've been feeling more and more movement.  Seems like he moves the most when I'm laying in bed at night.  The other night, it felt like he was just completely rolling around and having a party in there.  It was fantastic.  I just can't wait for his daddy to feel it!

  The kickoff of Christmas Party season started this week!  Wednesday was our lunch Christmas Party for work.  We went to Neal's and I had some YUM chicken tenders.  Thursday night was Taylor's work Christmas Party at the Holiday Inn.  It was for all city employees and it was a great time!  Tyson was a premium sponsor and we had Tyson chicken, rice, veggies, and cake/pie for dinner.  It was great to meet several of the people he works with that I hadn't met yet.  Also great to catch up with the ones I already knew!  They had a Christmas play put on by I believe the Methodist Church.  Those kiddos were adorable!  Friday night was our annual party at Ash & Rene's house and was fun as usual!  I found myself wishing all day Friday that Ash would make her dip and she DID!  Baby Boy was pleased.  Saturday, I baked cookies and chex mix for the neighbors, my co-workers, Tay's co-workers, and family members for the party at Grandma H's house on Sunday.  I made lemon cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and chex mix :)  I love to bake and can't wait for our son to enjoy (hopefully) some of mommy's desserts one day.  Sunday was our family Christmas Party at Grandma H's house.  We all met after church, had pizza for lunch, and did presents.  It was good to see some cousins I hadn't seen in a very long time!  Sunday night, I was planning on cleaning the house, BUT just couldn't bring myself to do it :)  Instead, we watched movies (Rise of the Planet of the Apes [got it in gift xchange at Ash's party] and something else that for some reason I cannot remember right now!).  Also watched Rocky on Saturday while I was baking which is always a classic.  One of my favorite movies of all time :)  Merry Christmas Everyone!!

And a couple of Skeet & her daddy :)

22 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  22 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Spaghetti Squash (11 inch, 1 lb)
Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Noodle (Noodle Squash is another name for Spaghetti Squash), Stringbean (spaghetti made her think of this.  LOL)

Weight Gain:  20.8 lbs (wooo hooo for going down this week :) )
Maternity Clothes:  I may eliminate this category next week b/c all I wear are maternity clothes now (except for at home).  I just scrolled through my blog starting at week 4 to monitor the belly growth, and WOW!  :) 

Milestones:  Bub's senses are really developing this week.  Taste buds are forming and nerve endings are developed enough for Bub to experience the sensation of touch. (i.e. I'll be rubbing my belly a lot & hope that he likes Thai food and hot sauce...)

Symptoms:  heartburn but better than last week, pains (achy, crampy, sharp, ETC)
Cravings:  Orange juice, Thai Food (YUUUUMM.)

Aversions: the smell of fish

Recap of the Week:   I LOVE LOVE LOVE that he's finally 1 pound!  That seems like an extremely wonderful milestone.  It took him 22 weeks to become 1 pound and it'll take him only 4 more weeks to be 2 lbs.  Seems so crazy but that boy is GROWING now!  We went to bed early last night (as usual) and Taylor went right to sleep.  I was reading a book (side note:  The Hunger Games series is ADDICTIVE!) and resting my hand on my tummy to see if Bub would kick me.  Well, he started rolling/kicking/moving around a ton and it sucked that Tay was already asleep since he hasn't felt it yet :(  This was the strongest I've felt him from the outside by far - it just made me smile :) 
More room pictures and mom/sister will be glad I'm done getting on the ladder now :)  The border is hung on the top of the wall, blinds are up, valance up, decorations on the wall are done, and the mobile is put together (since last week).  Love his room.  I visit it often just to make myself happy.

21 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  21 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Banana (10.5 inch, 12.7 oz)
Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Caven (most popular banana in U.S. is Cavendish), Abe (German name for Banana is "Banane", Abe made from the letters).  Side Note:  Bub will be 1/16th German as Bub's momma is 1/8th German as Bub's great-great-grandpa (Arvil Raymond Kohler) was 100% German.

Weight Gain:  21.6 lbs
Maternity Clothes:  Every Day :)  Even old favorite sweatshirts are getting too short but I still wear them anyway. 

Milestones:  As baby's digestive system develops, he will begin to swallow amniotic fluid and absorb small amounts of sugar.  However, most of his nutrients are still delivered from the placenta.  Inside the uterus, while there's still room, he is actively moving around, kicking and flipping positions.  Might be able to track patterns in his movements.

Symptoms:  the heartburn has started with a vengeance!  not triggered by anything in particular except eating. :)
Cravings:  Orange juice, cheese.

Aversions: red meat (becoming more and more ok with chicken)

Recap of the Week:   #1 accomplishment this week:  I felt Bub kicking from the outside.  Taylor still hasn't felt it & I've only felt it once.  Seems like ya need really good timing.  I was laying in bed reading and just resting my hand on my tummy and I finally felt it.

Also, we picked up the crib, changing table, and dresser from JCPenney this week!  We borrowed Ronnie's truck and headed out early Saturday morning to pick up the order.  When we got there, the JCP loading people expressed concern that all the pieces would fit in the truck...  and there was good reason to be concerned.  After much maneuvering, it finally fit (I wish I took a picture of this b/c it was PACKED but I forgot).  Since we had to turn the boxes in all directions, on their smallest side, etc we had to buy some tie-down materials at Sears.  We finally got the whole thing tied down as good as we could and headed for home.  Of course, Saturday was the windiest day I've seen in a long long time so it was a little scary driving home.  Only on the strait stretch before Hindsville did the stuff start moving but it just shifted and we made it home fine.

Once home, we waited on mom & Ronnie to help us unload & pick up their truck.  And the next day, we got all the furniture set up!  My glider also had arrived on Friday (2 business days early!) so we were able to complete all the furniture.  I took pictures with my phone so not the greatest but you can kinda tell what it looks like.  Still have a lot to do (put up blinds, window valence, ETC) but the room is coming together and I LOVE it!  I will definitely have final pictures when it's totally ready.

20 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  20 Weeks (HalfWay!!!)

Size of Baby:  Small Cantaloupe (6.5 inch, 10.6 oz)
Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Rocky/Ford (Rocky Ford is a type of cantaloupe).

Weight Gain:  19.4 lbs
Maternity Clothes:  Loving my new 50% off maternity clothes from Kohl's on Black Friday! 

Milestones:  His skin becomes covered with a waxy-like substance called vernix which will protect his skin from becoming scratched or chapped.  He is also starting to produce meconium, the result of digestion, which will accumulate in his bowels and eventually pass during delivery or in his first diaper.

Symptoms:  pains (crampy, sharp, etc) in the back and belly.  worrisome but appear to just be stretching pains.
Cravings:  ORANGE JUICE, YUM!!
Aversions: meat, the smell of tuna (gag).

Recap of the Week:   Loving that we are halfway to meeting the little sweetheart.  Thanksgiving was this week & was fun and delicious as usual.  We went to Tay's parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner & before to catch up with Joe, Diane, & Tyler.  Black Friday started Thanksgiving night (sis picked me up at 8:00pm) and was a whirlwind of fun and sleepiness.  At the time, I couldn't remember what/for whom I bought but after wrapping presents last night, I discovered I'm almost done with Christmas shopping!  We got home at 6:00 am and I went strait to bed unlike my crazy sis who stayed up to wrap presents immediately!  Can say with certainty that Black Friday is harder being pregnant but it was still a good time.  Let the tradition continue :)  My favorite purchase was this dress & matching onesie from Kohl's (half price!).

After a couple hours of sleep, we went back to Tay's parent's house to visit with Joe, Diane, Tyler, Lisa, Ally, Charlie, Mollie, Quentin, Carlie, and of course Donna & Dana and to watch the depressing LSU game.  We did gift exchange with Joe/Diane/Tyler since they won't be back at Christmas and the Little One got a onesie claiming his "Auntie is the Best" and a soft bunny blanket toy (this is a bad description but I'm not sure exactly what it's called).  The little angel's first Christmas presents! 

We put up the Christmas tree and decorations this weekend which was so much fun!  Can't wait till we can share our first Christmas with Bub :) 

Saturday, we went to the theatre to see Twilight:  Breaking Dawn Part I.  We VERY rarely go to the theatre but since I love Twilight so much, I'm always able to convince Tay to go with me (such a good husband!).  It was awesome of course and I can't wait for the final movie next year... just wish they wouldn't drag it out so long.  We went to dinner at Red Robin after the movie & had some awesome chicken sandwiches.  I think it's actually been years since I've been there.

Sunday was the day I've been waiting for - registering!  Please check it out if ya want at http://www.target.com/ under mine & Tay's name.  It was so much fun to pick out everything for the little one :)  My sis and Jenn were of great assistance, even when I changed my mind about something 17 times.  We then met the girls (Sam & Sierra) at Target, finished shopping, and had milkshakes from Steak & Shake, yum!  Which brings me to the point that I ate WAY too much on this long weekend and that really has to stop.

Monday was a vacation day for me and I got LOTS accomplished around the house.  I totally cleared the nursery (removing final boxes, etc) and wrapped all Christmas presents from Black Friday.  Updated my Christmas shopping list and welcomed the FedEx man with my bedding set!  I then made some salmon & rice for dinner and started putting the border around the nursery.  This was harder than I anticipated & I only got about 1/4 of it put up.  You have to cut strips, dip them in water to activate the paste, make sure they are on the wall evenly, etc while climbing up and down and up and down the ladder.  But it looks really good & I can't wait to finish.  Also CANNOT wait for the crib, changing table, & dresser to arrive so the basics of his room will be complete :)

 

19 Weeks

And... Tay's Candid Shot:

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  19 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Heirloom Tomato (6.0 inch, 8.5 oz)
Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Lincoln (Abe Lincoln is a type of Heirloom Tomato).  Learie/Tom (can be spelled from Heirloom & Tomato).

Weight Gain:  17.2 lbs (this is getting a little scary.  my new goal is to not surpass my pregnancy week [19] with my weight gain.  really really hoping I can accomplish that...
Maternity Clothes:  Pretty much always.  Ordered a couple new things from Gap & Old Navy but they haven't arrived yet.  My new favorites are leggings! 

Milestones:  His senses are developing as specialized areas in the brain are being designated for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.  Millions of motor neurons are continuing to develop in his brain allowing more controlled and conscious movement.

Symptoms:  sleeplessness, headaches, achy, acne! (not a new pregnancy development but especially bothersome this week), dry skin
Cravings:  nothing in particular.  maybe Reeses.
Aversions: meat

Recap of the Week:  I am feeling Bub every day!  He kicks/punches/etc mostly in my lower belly but I've felt a couple nearer my belly button.  I really love it when he's moving around :)  I try to touch my belly but still haven't been able to feel him from the outside.  Can't wait till Tay can feel him too!

Went to the Springdale Convention Center on Saturday for a craft show with my sis-in-law.  It was really fun to look at baby stuff but I was disappointed with the quantity of girl vs. boy stuff!  I got a little summer outfit with a crab on it (so cute!), a hooter hider (excited!), and some puppy dog shoes.  It was really fun to spend time with Mollie & talk babies, and see my awesome nephew & niece!  After leaving Charlie & Mollie's house, Me, Tay, & Bub attended Kostas's 33rd birthday party for Greek Food & fun!

Also, purchased some big things for the Little One this Week Including the Crib, Changing Table, Dresser, Glider, and Bedding.  Can't wait to register for everything else!

Finally, since we know he's a sweet little boy, we're trying to finalize names.  Our favorite at the moment is Braden August.  Braden was my grandpa's name & we both really like it.  I told grandma that we might use it & she was really excited.  Pretty sure it's the one :)  Middle name is up for grabs but we like it a lot.  See future posts for subsequent decisions!  & a big thank you to my Samantha's suggestion of Samuel Braden Samples..  nickname "Sam" of course with full nickname of Sam Samples.  Oh, my :)

Super excited to see family for Thanksgiving, go Black Friday shopping (Thursday night), and start a baby registry!  Next week's post will be a big one.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

18 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  18 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Sweet Potato (5.6 inch, 6.7 oz)
Nicknames (Gma & Gpa W):  Henry/Little Sweet Tater.  Explanations:  "O Henry" is type of sweet potato.

Weight Gain:  14.8 lbs
Maternity Clothes:  almost every day.  Have new favorite grey corduroy pants.  No panel, just elastic waistband.  My tummy likes to be free! 

Milestones:  Many of the bones in his body are starting to harden.  Among these first bones to develop is the inner ear which is part of the reason why he might be able to hear sounds such as mommy's heart beating or tummy growling.

Symptoms:  happiness :)  and headaches.
Cravings:  not really anything lately...  starting to get some heartburn (need to add this to the symptoms)
Aversions: meat & BBQ & depends on the day!

Recap of the Week:  I'm starting to feel stronger movements... more of a poke instead of a tickle.  Still can't wait till these movements are consistent & stronger!  During one song at church on Sunday, the little angel moved the whole time then popped me a really hard one - it was fantastic!  That was the hardest kick so far and they've been light again since then. 

Please reference picture #1 for the MOST fun news of the week!!  Love my little angel boy! 

The doctor appt was wonderful!  Me & Tay left the house a little later than usual (nice) to make my appointment.  They had told me last time to make sure my bladder was full for the ultrasound.  I really wasn't excited about this..  but I drank a cup or so of OJ and I wasn't miserable and they seemed to be fine with it.  Also had some wheat toast and Reese's for breakfast (to get the little guy moving).  We were called back for the ultrasound fairly quickly.  The u/s tech led us into a dimly lit room with 2 monitors - one was a small one for her and one was a large TV monitor hung on the wall for us to see.  She first asked if we wanted to know the gender and I said "YES, hopefully!".  She replied that they usually didn't have any trouble finding out and that she'd let me know as soon as she saw.  She then started all the standard measurements, keeping us aware of what exactly we were seeing the whole time.  When she took a picture of the legs, she moved on to check for little girl or boy parts.  And since my baby boy wasn't shy, it was easy to tell!  I asked if she was sure and she said she was pretty much 100% sure :)  Little one was moving a LOT so obviously the crazy breakfast helped :)  He was kicking his feet so much that it took her a long time to get a foot shot.  At the end of the ultrasound, she told us he was measuring right on schedule - just a day off, so no change to my due date.  She finished the u/s and sent us back to the waiting room. 

Me & Tay were super excited & talking about names.  T was also talking about teaching the little one baseball & basketball, etc.  Very Sweet :)  Next, they called us back to get my weight and blood pressure (blood pressure pretty good.... weight not so much - this based on my assessment b/c the nurse didn't actually tell me anything).  Then she handed me the u/s pictures (posted above) and DVD (which I'd like to post but can't get it to copy to the computer!). We were sent back to the waiting room to wait for the actual appt with Dr. Hix.  This is when I TRIED to text everyone.... I downloaded a new app to create contact groups and it seems that some of the people got my group text and some didn't....  Jenn was actually the first to know b/c I wanted to ask someone if they got the group text (she never did).  We waited a while and were called back to see the doctor.  Dr. Hix said that everything looked great on the ultrasound (placenta, cord, fluid level, growth, etc).  This was great to hear even though the u/s tech had already said everything looked good!  He then answered my couple of questions...

Q:  Had spotting again (3rd time).  What is causing and is it ok that I didn't get the Rhogam shot since I'm A Neg blood type?

A:  Probably sensitive cervix & it's usually nothing to worry about (there was a lot more discussion than just this but this was the final conclusion).  It's ok not to get the shot with a small amt of bleeding & that they worry more about it when there's a lot of bleeding, car wreck, or in the 3rd trimester.  Since I'll get the shot anyway at 28 weeks, that should cover it.

Q:  hot baths?

A:  As long as you run the hot water first and don't run more hot water into the bath later, it's fine b/c the water begins to cool immediately.  Never use a hot tub or sauna b/c the temperature is constantly reheated.  Hot baths are fine & nothing to worry about.  The point is to never raise your core body temperature.

Q (Taylor's):  How far along would she (me) need to be for the baby to survive birth?

A:  Normally, 34 weeks would be out of the danger zone but babies are born much earlier than that and are fine.  Dr. Hix actually said his first son was born at 26 weeks, weighed a pound and 1/2 and was 14 years old today and doing fine.

After questions, Dr. Hix told me that my next appt will be my glucose test and he instructed me on what I could eat/drink before the appt. 

Also, g-ma read some nursery rhymes to the little one this week: