A happening

I saw the baby kicking today! She was kicking pretty hard, so I looked down, and within a few seconds a little bump rose and fell. It was super cool. Hopefully she'll do it more tonight so Kevin can see. He felt her kicking again last night. Lovin' it!

I'm feeling the itch to register soon. Within the next month, at least. I spent some of the snowy morning today researching cribs, mattresses, and rockers/gliders in my Baby Bargains book. It was a bit overwhelming, but made me change my mind about our previously made-up minds regarding the crib. At first, we were turned off by the selection at Babies R Us. Cheaply made furniture does not float our boat. We considered going the Amish route, which was WAY too expensive. Then we considered the homemade route by asking my dad to build the crib, which after today, I realized wasn't a good idea because of safety concerns. Not that I think my dad would build a deathtrap, but because the cribs you buy have to pass certain safety standards. I realized today that there's so much more to it than having a crib made in the brown maple we love. Even down to the nitty gritty things like hardware, it's better to have something that I know has passed safety standards. So, we will buck it up and buy a decent-quality crib at Babies R Us and be happy.

We braved the snow this evening to go to Wal-Mart for groceries. As usual, I wandered the produce looking for the food item that represents my baby this week. I had never paid much attention to papayas or spaghetti squash before, but holy moly they are big. I held it up to my stomach (and when I do this, I wonder if people are wondering what the heck I'm doing), and I told Kevin I was unsure about pushing something that size out. He was so kind to remind me that Raina has many more weeks to grow, and she'll only get bigger. I weighed the produce, too, and was semi-comforted that they weighed a hefty 3 pounds, which was 2 pounds heavier than Raina is right now.

22 weeks: Mama Paquita

Mama Paquita
Mama Paquita buy your baby a banana,
A ripe banana, and a papaya.
A ripe papaya that your baby will enjoy!

Rain is the size of a papaya (or a spaghetti squash) these days, which is the equivalent of 11 inches, and we know he weighs at least 15 oz. His nipples are sprouting, and his cute little face is fully formed, including his eyes. He has lanugo (fine hair) that covers his body and deep wrinkles, which will fill in when he adds a padding of fat. His pancreas is developing steadily. He can now hear outside noises. Last night Kevin and I read "10 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed" to him. The book was a gift from a friend. I was the narrator, and Kevin was unenthusiastically the doctor. A very annoyed one, to say the least, even though he had the easiest part. Hopefully the baby enjoyed it, though. Rain is starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12-14 hours a day.

I may start noticing stretch marks at this point. Let's hope I've kept them at bay. I've been using Jafra's Royal Almond Body Oil religiously lately, as I've heard that it works to keep stretch marks away. I also notice I lose less hair, which makes my already thick hair thicker. After baby's born, I might lose the excess in clumps. Scary! My rings are getting harder and harder to take off each night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do--wear them as a necklace, or buy an inexpensive, plain band in a size bigger to wear until my rings fit again. I just don't want people staring at me--pregnant, no rings--wondering if I'm an unwed mother.

Ultrasound update and more

'Ello there! Just wanted to stop in and tell you about our ultrasound we had on Friday.

First up, I only gained 1 pound since my last visit. Grand total: 11 pounds. The baby is measuring right where she should be. She weighs 15 ounces. I'm not sure on the length. Her heartbeat was 124 bpm. We saw the four-chamber heart pumping, the stomach, the kidneys, the spine, and all sorts of other cool stuff. It was amazing to see her in there moving around. At that moment, she was head down with her legs up and around my belly button. The doctor seemed to deem everything as normal and working beautifully. We didn't get to see Raina's face because she was facing towards my back, but that's okay.

My favorite part was when we saw her little hand waving at us.

The latest baby dream went a little something like this: It was our first day home with the baby, who was a boy (again). He needed his diaper changed, and it was the first poopy one, so I called Kevin over to come and help me so he could learn. I set the baby on the floor in this tiny, wood-paneled room, and looked up to see if Kevin was coming. When I looked down, the baby was a white piece of paper cut out like a gingerbread man. He had brownish yellow stains on him, which was the poop. We got him all cleaned up (at least I assume, because I don't remember this part of the dream), and put him down for a nap. Then the next thing I remember about the dream is sitting around a table talking to people, and all of a sudden thinking, "Oh my gosh! I have a baby! I can't just sit here! I need to go make sure he's okay!"

My parents came up on Friday night and stayed until just about an hour ago. My mom and I spent almost all of yesterday baking cookies (and this is after reducing our numbers from last year). Meanwhile, Kev and my dad worked on the baby's room. They tore the carpet out, and tried to find a way to put an overhead light in the ceiling. The ugliness and uselessness of the room in its present state is more than enough to motivate us to get the new trim and carpet installed ASAP. Maybe (just maybe) over Christmas break I'll spend some time painting the trim, since it should arrive by then. Then all we need is some carpet, a closet organization system of some sort, and we're ready to move in!

Today, my brother, Kathy, and Zach came up to celebrate my dad's and my birthday. We had quite the feast (ribs, mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, fruit salad, bread), and now we have quite the leftovers! 'Twas grand times.

Just say it.

There's no doubt I'm showing.

Week 21: Bananarama

Raina is the size of a banana this week! Up until this point, the produce measurements were taken from crown to rump. This week starts the head to toe measurements. She's about 10.5 inches long and weighs about 12.7 ounces. We'll find out for sure on Friday at our REAL ultrasound how she's measuring up compared to her peers and bananas. She's busy gulping several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. Her taste buds are actually working now. Apparently, some studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Do you think it's true or they're just saying that so it makes me feel guilty for not eating enough vegetables?

Kevin felt Raina move for the first time last night! She was kicking away, so I put my hand on my belly where the kicks were, and felt one on the outside (as I have felt before), so I called Kevin over, and he finally felt it too! It was just one little tap, but he was pretty excited about it, in his own little way.

My dear friend Jessica, who is 28 weeks pg, and I got a chance to meet up this past weekend. We hit up Babies R Us and the Mall of America for some baby and maternity shopping. Mostly, we discussed the essentials. She found a crib she liked and ordered. Then we moved on to strollers and infant car seats and made a big decision together in those aisles. Nothing big--just what we plan on using for the stroller. We're both pretty excited about it, though. She bought me the book Baby Bargains for my birthday/Christmas/congrats, you're having a baby! gift. Surprisingly, when I got home and read the section on strollers, the authors agreed with us! We are so smart. Our plan is:
This:

Plus this (or something like it, you get the idea):

Equals this, being used by Naomi Watts. Click on the picture to see the whole thing.:

We figured that since we'll have infants in the summer time, what's the use for the big, heavy travel system when the baby is just a bitty thing? This is the compact way to go.

We also took some time out and paused by her Christmas tree to take a picture together. Me=20.5 weeks, Her=28 weeks. She knows how to turn her body to be flattering, and she's wearing black, which is why you can't see her cute, cute belly.

21 week belly pictures to come soon!

Fo reals?

A parent of one of my students told me today that I've popped. I have noticed that my stomach is noticeably hard. Every week my belly button gets shallower and shallower, rounder and rounder. I had a dream a few nights ago that my belly button popped out and looked like a mushroom. Scary thought.

20 weeks: Halfway there!

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Cantaloupe.
Cantaloupe who?
Cantaloupe with you tonight!

Yeah, dumb. I know.
Rain is the size of a cantaloupe now. The size of a melon you'd definitely share with others. One you can't eat all by yourself (at least in one sitting). His digestive system is making meconium. That's baby poop made out of the amniotic fluid he's drinking, digestive secretions, and dead cells. This black, tarry poo is going to show up in his first diaper. Can't wait! He's measuring in at 6.5 inches and 10.6 ounces.

How am I feeling? In general, I guess you could say better. There are some times that I need a snack and I need it NOW because I feel sick, but those urgencies are decreasing.

Rain is definitely moving around in there. I feel him more and more every day, mostly once my students have left the building and he can have some peace and quiet. Then he continues bouncing around on and off for the rest of the evening.

I seriously can't believe I'm halfway done incubating this little being. The time has flown by! In celebration of the halfway point, here are a few dorky full-body shots.



And the one where I look like a sasquatch: