A few favorite images from Christmas

The last week of the 2nd trimester!!

This week, the baby is the size of a large Papa John's pizza (which didn't even occur to me as sounding fantastic until I discovered this. Now... wow does it sound great). This week the baby's eyes have fully developed, although her eyelids are still sealed shut. Air sacs are developing in her lungs, and by the end of the week it's possible that she could breath on her own. But my favorite line from this week's developments is: Break out the sparkling apple juice—baby has now completed two-thirds of her stay in Hotel Womb. Wahoo for being done with the 2nd trimester by the end of the week!!

Last week was a hectic week, but a really good one. I was feeling a little sick on Christmas Eve, but there wasn't much that could break my excitement. All day on Christmas all I could think about was how drastically different our next Christmas would be -- and how exciting that was! We were so happy we were able to make it to all our families' Christmas functions and see everyone. It was especially exciting to see Alexis and her growing little baby bump.

The baby even received two presents this year -- a cute outfit from Grandma Kershaw (surprise surprise, the shirt said something about how much she loves her grandma haha) and a recorded Twas the Night Before Christmas book from Grandma Adams and Uncle Eric (which may or may not have gotten me a little misty-eyed listening to it).

Today was my 6 month check up with Dr. Maurus. The baby's heartbeat was really strong and clear -- staying consistent at 150 bpm. I have gained about 2.5 pounds since the last time I went, bringing me to a grand total of almost 7 pounds gained so far. I go back in two weeks from now to get tested for gestational diabetes and a couple other things, but so far so good on the health front.

This week is going to be all about getting the house organized, catching up on some much needed relaxing, and enjoying my time at home before I start the last leg of this school year (just 12 short weeks until I'm done!!)

Week 25

This week the baby is about 13 1/2 inches long -- the length of those obnoxious plastic recorders we all played in grade school. She weighs about a pound and a half. Her hands are now fully formed, and her arms and legs are almost proportional to the length they will be to the rest of her body at birth. The capillaries in her blood are starting develop, so she's finally turning more "human" colored and less translucent. :)

This week was a bit of a stressful one. It was finals week at school, so lots and lots to do there, and on top of everything my left leg was hurting all day long on Wednesday. Because the doctor had specifically mentioned to call if anything out of the ordinary was happening with my legs after all my back problems, I gave them a call. They were a little concerned that the leg cramping and aching might be a sign of poor blood circulation, so we made an appointment for the next day just to check things. The appointment went well -- I found out I am still at the 4 pound mark weight gain wise, which is good, and after checking me over t he doctor wasn't at all concerned about my leg cramping.

We got the rest of the baby's furniture in this week and the carpet came in yesterday, so we moved the dressers and a few other little things in last night. We are so excited about how it's turning out! I'm anxious to get the headboard in and set up the crib to really complete the look, but it's quite the improvement over just the course of a day!

We are very much looking forward to the holiday this week and spending time with our families. It's kind of cool -- I'm 25 weeks pregnant on Dec. 25 this week. Before we know it, we will be in the 3rd trimester and time is going to really fly by. Once school starts, I will be only 12 weeks away from my due date!

this week: a tribute to my alma mater, the land of the corn

Week 24: Week of the corn. This week, the baby measures just over a foot long - about the length of an ear of corn. This week her inner ear has fully developed, and she can now distinguish when she is right side and upside down.

Last week was pretty relaxing, as I had two days off for a conference followed by two snow days. I could get used to bumming around the house in my pajamas all day. Thursday night, however, was another "bad night" as far as my back goes, and I spent most of the night attending a self-pity party in bed with the trusty pregnancy pillow from Molly. Since t hen, I think the baby has shifted to a new area. I don't think she has traveled higher, unfortunately, but I am now getting kicks on the other side of my belly which is kind of cool.

On Saturday, Travis and I watched our two favorite Christmas movies snuggled on the couch with the cats and then decided to venture out and try to register for baby items. That proved to be a bit challenging and overwhelming, but I think we got a good start on things. I think we'll definitely have to have Aunt Molly take a gander at it for us and find all the glaring things we need and don't need on the list. :)

Then later on in the weekend, Travis decided to get the baby's furniture out of the boxes to make sure everything was okay. The wood color is absolutely beautiful -- I am so glad we chose the set that we did. Unfortunately, the company decided to glue Styrofoam to said beautiful wood, so we have to have a bit of an exchange in the next couple days. I'm sure glad he checked before our return period had passed!

Aside from these things, this week I've really been thankful to God for each healthy day we have. It seems like all around me, people are having hard times with pregnancies, babies, and deliveries. A guilty pleasure of mine is the TLC show 18 Kids and Counting, and I've enjoyed following Michelle Duggar's pregnancy this season because we are only about two weeks apart in due dates. Seeing the news that she delivered her baby last week totally stunned me -- a 1 lb 6 oz baby that was born now only 6 days older than our own baby. The fact that both mother and baby are still doing well proves that God really can work miracles. Travis gives me a hard time for getting so wrapped up in the lives of people I've never met, but I feel like there is some sort of unspoken connection between all pregnant women -- reality TV celebrities and country high school English teachers alike. My thoughts are with them.

This week will be all about surviving and getting to the end -- where Travis has some vacation time and winter break finally begins for me! I am looking forward to some lazy sleeping in mornings (I know they won't always be there for me in the near future) and spending time together getting some last minute things ready for Christmas!

Harry Potter week

This week, the baby is roughly the size and length of a Harry Potter book (she's about a pound, so I'm thinking one of the bigger books like Half Blood Prince). Her sense of movement is well developed now,so she's very well-attuned to my walking around and such. She is also getting familiar with the sounds she hears often from the outside, recognizing familiar things like Dad's voice and in our case, most likely the purring of cats.

This week hasn't been too full of big events. The baby is kicking stronger and more often. Travis has finally gotten the big strong kick he's been asking her for. I have been really hungry lately so I finally feel like I'm eating for two, as the saying goes. The walls in the baby's room are finished, the furniture is in, and the carpet is ordered.

Last night, I finally broke down and bought my first "girlie" outfit for the baby. I was in St. Charles for a conference, so we went to the outlet mall to do some Christmas shopping last night. Osh Kosh B'Gosh had the cutest little brown corduroy dress on clearance and I just couldn't resist. So now on top of some onesies from a few different people, the baby now has her girlie outfit and her Chicago Bears tomboy outfit :)

Other than that, not a whole lot of new things to report. Things are going well, I'm feeling well, and I couldn't really ask for much more!

Today was our day...

The week we found out we were pregnant, we noticed a sign in the HyVee parking lot for expecting mothers and immediately made it our mission to park in those spots as often as possible. Unfortunately for the last five months, the spots have always been filled (and usually, we see as we walk out to the parking lot, with women far more pregnant and miserable looking than me. So I always feel bad for cursing them for taking our spot). But then today, the magic of Christmas descended upon us in the Best Buy parking lot. And the angels rejoiced.

Belly and Wall Improvement

As per request, here is the latest belly picture. Here we are at 22 weeks, 6 days pregnant :).


This is what the baby's room looked like when we moved in. It didn't take us long to decide that the walls and carpet had to go asap.

So, Travis has been working diligently getting it all ready. He primed the walls (a few times) and tore up all the carpet getting ready for the new. Hopefully by the beginning of the year, we will have a freshly painted room with nice, new carpeting!

5 Month Dr. Appointment

It's hard to believe, but I have now been pregnant for over five months! The baby is due to come in four months and 3 days. Today we went in for my monthly doctor's visit. I have now gained just under 3 pounds, which is good news still at this point. This time the baby's heartbeat was really cool to hear -- very strong and loud around 150 bpm. The results of our sonnogram came back with no health concerns so that was a nice sigh of relief. We talked for a bit about the back pain I wrote about earlier this week, and he told me to keep a close eye on it and let him know if it gets any worse. He prepared me for the chance of bed rest if it gets worse and time goes on, but assured me at this point I didn't have anything to worry about. We also asked him a few questions about the labor process, just a few things I have been wondering since our visit to the NICU last week. He also put our minds at ease with that talk, assuring us that at this point in the pregnancy and with the health the baby and I are in, there is a less than one percent chance of things not going smoothly on the big day. We like those odds.

A little salty, a little sweet and a very busy week

This week our little baby girl weighs about the same as a bag of tortilla chips and is the length of a package of Oreos. The nerves in her fingertips have now developed, so she now has the sense of touch and is busy touching her face and everything else in there. Her eyes have now developed fully, except for the eye color. The hair on her head is also bright white for a bit longer until the color starts to come in a few weeks down the road from now.

This week she has really been making up for lost time in terms of moving and kicking. Travis has felt her move around a few times and likes to try to coax her into a good kick when he gets home from work at night. Today has been her most active day yet -- she's been moving around in there non-stop for the last 5 hours or so! She was even kicking enough to wake a sleeping cat in my lap after dinner (the cat wasn't pleased).

Thanksgiving was last week, and with that came one of the first big signs that we both truly love this baby: we got up before dawn was even a glimmer on the horizon to get a deal on chair for the baby. I had my first Black Friday shopping experience. We got up at 3:30 to head into Babies R Us. When we got there, the people right ahead of us got the last chair that was in the store, but we still got to order it through the store for the same price. And, I got a call saying it's already in so it took no time at all! We were pretty excited to get such a comfy chair (and ottoman!) for half price! Since the Toys R Us sale was at midnight, we really missed the rush going in for just baby stuff that started at 5 a.m. Feeling then adventurous, we headed to the mall to try our luck there. Even the mall wasn't as terrible as I had imagined. We got a couple Christmas presents and a couple things for the house, so all in all it was a successful outing.

After our leisurely nap, we ordered the baby's furniture Thursday afternoon. After some sweet talking on the phone, I managed to get the $385 they wanted to charge us for shipping (TO THE STORE, MIND YOU!) waved and we were both proud and excited for that (as was Aunt Molly). Travis also decided to finish getting the primer on the walls to get rid of the horrible zoo stripes in the baby's room and pulled out all the old carpet and padding to make way for the new carpeting. So right now, the baby's room is a barren, empty place. But, we can both see what it going to be, which is very exciting.

We were also very excited to see our families this week and get a chance to ask Uncle Eric, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Molly to be the baby's godparents. Some may find it a bit odd to ask such a question so soon, but I've always viewed the godparent role as a very big deal and I thought it'd be cool to ask before the baby is born. All three seemed excited to take on the role!

Saturday night was one of the worst of the pregnancy so far. Every time I spend the day on my feet doing things around the house, my lower back aches by nighttime. It had, up until that point, but irritating by manageable. But on Saturday, the pain just kept getting more and more intense. After some brainstorming and talking with Molly, we've determined that we're pretty sure the baby is sitting on my sciatic nerve during those times. So, I decided to lay on the couch for a little while with an ice pack on my back, hoping the cold might inspire some movement. By the time I stood up to try to go to bed, I could not lift my legs without my body buckling. Luckily Travis was there to help me get to bed, and by morning things were much better.

Tomorrow is our 5 month check-up with Dr. Maurus. Travis got us all signed up for our birthing classes at the hospital next month, so we'll be spending yet a little more time at ol' Trinity. I'm really glad my doctor is located right in the hospital the baby will be born in, but man I feel like I'm there once a week anymore! My prediction is that I have gained 5 pounds so far -- 5 pounds in 5 months. We'll see if I'm anywhere close tomorrow!

Root beer week: tales of color palletes, moving, and anniversaries.

This week the baby is the size of a bottle of your favorite beverage -- I went with IBC Root Beer of course. Hair is growing on her head (perhaps) and so are her eyebrows! Her heartbeat is now strong enough to be heard with a regular ol' stethoscope, so I'll be interested to see if that's the route the doctor takes next week at our appointment.

The past week has been a lot of fun getting a little more prepared for the baby now that we know she's a girl. I had a bedding set tentatively picked out for either gender, but the more I thought about it the less excited I got about it. Then, searching through with Travis we found a set and fell in love with the colors:


We ordered a throw pillow to get a swatch of color to start getting paint colors together to paint. I'm usually not a decorative visionary, but I can definitely see this whole thing coming together. Plus, the Muppet stuff we've collected will fit right in with the green accent color. I think it'll be perfect :).

We also got to take a trip down to Springfield to help Uncle Adam, Aunt Molly, and Alex move into their new house. The following pictures accurately depict Alex's opinion about moving day:

All in all, things are going pretty well right now, pregnancy-wise. Being over my cold has made me so thankful to have the energy and voice to teach every day.The baby is starting to move a little more frequently, even though I still don't think she is "kicking" all that much. Maybe that means she will just be a polite young lady. Now that she's getting bigger and developing more of her personality, I'm anxious to start getting to know her little quirks - foods she reacts to, sounds that she likes, etc. We're both wondering if we will get a laid-back, chilled baby or if we will get one that is like her mother was.... I'm sure a part of Grandma Adams is hoping for the latter just for retribution, but we're definitely hoping for the exactly opposite of me when I was a baby!

This week has also brought on yet another set of things to feel so thankful for -- a huge support system of family that is so excited and invested in this baby's life before she is even born. And even moreso, a clean bill of health so far. A favorite student of mine that graduated last year had a baby girl last week, and she's not having an easy start. Travis and I visited her in the hospital last night. Scanning through that NICU room at the desperately hopeful parents sitting patiently next to their tiny, tiny babies put a huge lump in my throat. I admire her strength and tenacity as she sits there, sun up to sun down, staring at the tiny life in front of her and playing out a million different scenarios in her head of her baby's future. It's a seat I hope I never sit in myself.

Yesterday was also Travis and I's first anniversary. I can't believe how much our lives have changed over the course of one year. By the same token, I can't even begin to picture what we'll look like a year from now. Probably more tired. :)

20 week sonogram pics

This is the baby's face looking right at us -- you can see the eye sockets.

This is my favorite pic so far -- baby's head, arm, hand, legs, and feet!

This shot is for Grandma Kershaw -- somehow in that mess of grey there are 3 little lines that tell us the baby is a GIRL! :)

Look at those strong legs!

3D image -- the big round thing there is the placenta, but the baby's face is on the left. The big white circle in front of her face is her hand. She was sucking away on that thumb!

Another further away 3D shot -- the placenta is blocking most of the baby's face there.

It's a......

..... GIRL! Tonight we went in for our last sonnogram and my choice of food and beverage did the trick (even though it gave me quite the stomachache later). Even though there is always room for error with sonograms, we checked several different times at several different angles and, as the technician put it, she saw "no evidence to prove otherwise." We are so thrilled -- and I hope to get the new pics up tomorrow if I can find a scanner at work!

counting blessings and growing to the size of a Red Bull

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.

Jeremiah 1:5

If there is one experience that has strengthened my relationship with God, I would have to say this pregnancy would be it. Although I was greatly looking forward to becoming a parent in the near future and have always desired to be a mother before all else in life, I never planned to become pregnant this summer. But God had a plan. I see the good this baby has brought into our lives already before it is even born, and I have no doubts that God has a wonderful purpose for our child. It is supposed to be born exactly when it will be. It will have the exact personality it supposed to have. It will be exactly the gender it is supposed to be - boy or girl. The fact that God has a plan for my life isn't a new thought for me -- it's an idea I have grown up with since before I can remember. But now this idea has been strengthened by experience. He has provided for Travis and I at every turn of our life together as we have needed Him to -- willed the both of us to attend the same college to meet each other, provided for us when we had bad part time jobs and lived on Spaghettios, provided Travis with his first job, me with mine close to my family, Travis a new job in the area before we had to make tough living arrangement decisions, a home for us to live in and save money, another home to truly make our own at the exact point in time we needed it, and now, a little life to celebrate and cherish every day. Yes, this year at Thanksgiving, I will truly be thinking about all the blessings our Lord has provided me and my family.

So, I'm taking those thoughts in with me to our sonnogram tomorrow. As I understand it, this will be our last glimpse at our baby until it comes to greet us in 4 1/2 months. I will drink in all the moments we have watching our baby dance on the screen, and I'm not going to worry for a minute whether or not the baby will allow us to find out what it is. If it resumes its Indian style position, I'll know there is a reason. If it bears it all for the room to see, I'll know there is a reason. Regardless, I'll leave the room with a smile on my face if all we learn is that our baby is normal and healthy.

Now, onto the usual weekly updates....

The baby has grown to the size of a favorite for both mommy and daddy: a can of Red Bull. In fact, there have been 3 of them in the fridge since we found out about the baby and they have been all too tempting to me during the last 4 1/2 months! My sources tell me that from now on, the measurements given will be from head to toe, unlike the last 20 weeks that have been from head to rump. The baby now stretches an impressive 11 inches from head to toe! This week the layers in the baby's skin are starting to form, and its digestive system is getting a workout.

This week was a crazy busy and stressful one, and I am so glad it is over! It was full of late faculty meetings, long and nerve wracking play rehearsals, quick food on the go, parent teacher conferences, and the play performances. So, I decided on Saturday to schedule myself a prenatal massage to celebrate having survived the week still intact. It was so awesome. I think if I won the lottery, I would definitely make weekly massages my luxury item. I would highly recommend getting one to any pregnant woman. And if I can sweet talk my husband into it, I think I might get one more at the end of the pregnancy. :)

The baby has been moving around a bit this week, but I still don't think I've felt a definite strong kick. The books I read tell me it can happen anywhere from 18-22 weeks, so I know I just have to be patient.

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of the pregnancy. I can't believe it -- honestly. I'm really looking forward to this second leg... and mostly, what (and who) will be waiting at the finish line!

"Eat Fresh" week

The baby has officially made it to the length of my favorite sub at Subway, the Italian BMT. This one pictured isn't on Italian Herbs and Cheeses bread, but I suppose it'll do. This week the baby's kidneys are fully functioning. I personally find it a bit gross to think about the baby peeing openly -- into the amniotic fluid or not -- inside my body, so I'm not belaboring this point too much. I know it's nature and all that, but it's still kind of gross. Neurally speaking, the baby's brain is really working on sensory functions this week. It's really starting to process and react to sounds and light/dark sights. Even though all the experts don't agree, I know that the baby really can hear me at this point so I don't hesitate to talk to it while I'm roaming around the house. I'm sure the cats think I've gone crazy.

Speaking of the cats, they have really starting taking a liking to the ever growing baby belly. Gizmo loves to curl herself up to it at night and purr her little heart out, making my belly vibrate and on several occasions, making the baby move around a little bit. It'll be interesting to see how they react when we bring the baby home.

This week baby and I won't be having too much time to bum around the house with the cats, as the play opens Friday night (Friday the 13th! Am I daring or what?) I can't tell you how excited I am to know that in a week's time, the play will be finished and I can come home and STAY home every night after school. My goal is to start painting the baby's room over Thanksgiving break. Then we can order the carpet, the furniture, and the bedding and really get this ball rolling. I'm hoping that by the end of Christmas break, the baby's room will be set and ready to go. I have a feeling time is going to fly with a million and one things to do during those last couple months before the baby arrives, and the more things I can get out of the way now while the baby belly is still manageable, the better :).

The baby has also been moving fairly regularly, at least every other day or so. I haven't managed to pinpoint a pattern to it yet -- like a certain time of day, certain type of food consumed, or action being performed or anything like that. I hope I discover something over the next week so I will have a battle plan going into that sonnogram. One way or another we have to get that baby dancing for us! :) The coolest moment of the baby moving so far was when it happened to finally be moving around when Travis was home and he got to feel the little flutters from the outside. Now we're just waiting for one of those big kicks I've been warned about!

So, I suppose that is all for now.Tune in next week when we will have new sonnogram pictures of the baby and maybe, possibly, hopefully a sex to reveal as well!

Baby movements and another trip to the doctor

The day after our baby sat stubbornly for "picture day" it was definitely rumbling about for most of the morning. At first I wasn't sure what it was -- hunger pains, gas, it's all been frequent lately. But after a few minutes, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it was our little one exercising those ever growing limbs. It immediately put me in a euphoric state -- the kids could have been total jerks all day and nothing could have erased the smile on my face. I couldn't think of anything special I had done or ate that morning, and I haven't felt much since then. I know Daddy is awfully anxious to feel it kick himself, so hopefully the baby will be in the mood to move around for us again this weekend.

Today I went in to see Dr. Maurus. To my utter disbelief, I weighed in at the exact same weight I was back in July at my first appointment. So, so far I'm flucuated back and forth 2-4 pounds, but haven't really gained anything that stuck. The doctor isn't concerned at all though because I was a bit overweight to begin with. I'm hoping this means that perhaps it'll be a bit easier to lose the weight after the baby is born (I know, wishful thinking).

We also scheduled the sonnogram for November 16, a week from Monday. And so another countdown begins! :)

Sonogram pictures

This is a 3D image of the baby's face. It's a little funky because the baby was moving around so much and they need it still for about 7 seconds or so to get a really clear shot. The umblical cord is on the right there coming out of it's middle and going up by its head and then there is a hand there on the left near its cheek.

This is a shot of the baby looking right at us. You can sort of see its eye sockets there on the left hand side.

This is the other 3D image with the face turned a little bit.

This shot makes me smile because its a shot the tech captured from a little shot she showed us a couple times of the baby yawning. We thought, however, it also could have been the baby laughing at our vain attempts to find out its sex. Anyway, you can see its two little lips open up at the top. The dark areas in its mid section are the stomach and the heart.This is probably the clearest and coolest shot we have. Good looking spine, I think :).

One last look at our little guy/girl! Until the next round...

Sonogram excitement

This week the baby has grown to about 5 1/2 to 6 inches -- roughly the size of a green bell pepper. The baby's senses are also starting to connect to its brain -- it's ability to see, smell, taste, and hear are really starting to develop. Lots of the books I read tell me the baby can almost irrefutably hear and distinguish my voice at this point and most are starting to agree that it can also distinguish noises it hears on a daily basis (so maybe it has opinions by now of the smart alecs in my 2nd hour too).

Tonight we had out 18 week sonogram. Grandad and Grandma Kershaw drove up to meet our little baby, so we had a nice full house to see the baby today. It was truly amazing to see the baby move. It wasn't moving around for our last sonnogram - sound asleep - but I drank some coffee before we went in and I think that helped inspire it a bit to move for us. We got to see it wave its arms, turn its head, move its knees a bit, and even yawn but it wasn't budging from it's position to show us its good for anything. We watched for about a half hour and then eventually had to give up. It's just amazing how clear the picture is when you are there in person. It really makes it all sink in. I hope the next 22 weeks fly by because I can not wait to meet our little baby face to face!
The bright side is because the baby was positioned in such a stubborn way, the sonnogram isn't considered complete because they still need to check for things that weren't visible. This means we get to come back in a couple weeks and have another chance to find out the sex. I read some tips online today for how to get the baby moving, and I am definitely going to try chugging some orange juice before the next round!

We got to take six pictures home, and I'm hoping to find a scanner at school tomorrow so I can get those up so everyone can see what we saw!

We go to see Dr. Maurus on Thursday and I think we will schedule the next sonnogram that day as well. I'll keep everyone posted once we know the day we'll be going in!

anticipation

I don't have lots of time because I'm monitoring study hall, but I just wanted to write about the overwhelming excitement we are experiencing waiting for our sonogram to come today. I know I have been talking for weeks about how excited I am to find out what the baby is -- and don't get me wrong, I'm still very excited -- but today I am just very much looking forward to simply seeing our baby again and hearing that it looks healthy. I know everyone says that all they want is a healthy baby, but until now I've never really quite known how totally true that statement is. I know this baby will bring an unbelievable amount of joy to our lives no matter what it is. So yes, I am very much hoping the baby is dancing around when 4 p.m. rolls around. But as long as we see a little tiny heart beat and ten fingers and ten toes, I know it'll be a fantastic day.

Baked potato week: week of decision making (at least a few)

This week, week 17, is the week of the baked potato. This week, the baby is working on packing on the pounds. According to some of the things I've read, the baby's weight will increase 6 times over the next month. The baby's bones are also hardening this week. Pretty cool!

Let's see, what has happened this week. On Friday I went to the doctor after school to have some blood work done. Before I headed to the lab, my nurse weighed me and we chatted for a bit about my cold. I found out I have gained about 2 pounds so far, a little less. I also felt less dramatic when they heard my cough and were concerned too. Not that I was thrilled to be sick, but I was glad I wasn't making something out of nothing all week. Getting my blood drawn went well, although for some reason it hurt more this time drawing only a couple viles than it did last time, when they drew 10!

We spent the weekend in Springfield. It was so nice to see everyone, even though I was coughing and hacking much more than I was hoping I would be. It was so shocking to see how big Alex has gotten! The pictures just don't do those blue eyes justice. Saturday Adam and Molly wanted to go to Babies R Us, which worked out perfectly because we had been meaning to get their advice on a few items. We think we have now picked out our car seat, furniture set, and stroller. We also purchased our first outfit for the baby -- a Bears outfit, of course. I think completing a registry and figuring out the items we are going to need for this little one is going to be MUCH more complicated than choosing silverware designs for our wedding registry :). I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it because I keep hearing from so many how quickly the time flies by. And I can believe it -- I'm less than a month away from being halfway done with this pregnancy!

On Monday, we got in for our second sonogram and -- if all goes to plan -- we will find out the sex of the baby! People keep giving me little bits of advice to make sure the baby is moving when we get to the appointment, and I think I might just try them all just to be sure :). But if for some reason the baby isn't cooperating, then I know there's a reason we're not supposed to know yet. Regardless, I hope the baby puts on a little bit of a show because it looks like Grandma and Grandad Kershaw are going to come up to meet our little one! So, make sure you get in your votes for what you the the sex is, those of you are that are still on the fence! :)

bigger fruit, muppet mania, and a runny nose

Well, we've made it to week 16: the week of the avacado. Baby is now about 5 inches long from crown to rump. From what I can tell, over the course of the next few weeks the baby will be increasing in weight moreso than length. Perhaps that means next week we will have to find something fun to show the baby's weight as well as it's length. The main "feat" baby is overcoming this week is its eyes have moved to the place they are supposed to be and will stay. This makes getting the email of the 3D image of the baby each week a bit more exciting as it looks much less like an alien now :).
On Friday, my good friends Melanie and Amanda gave me a call and asked me to come over because they had some exciting things for the baby. I wasn't quite sure what those two crazy girls would have come up with, but I was SO excited to see what they found. I think we are pretty much set in the ways of Muppet decor for the baby's room after their finds! Other items can of course make their ways in, but at least now we have enough to justify a bit of a theme!

In other baby news, on Friday I got a call that my doctor's office had received its shipment of H1N1 vaccines, and since the virus has already spread pretty well through our district so early in the season we decided (after much back and forth over the last couple weeks) to go ahead and get the vaccine despite the controversy surrounding it.

I had also been having some really terrible dreams about something being wrong with the baby (I blame a movie we watched last weekend), so I also requested to hear the baby's heartbeat for a bit of reassurance. Then a wave of silent panic washed over me when it took the nurse and I nearly 5 entire minutes to find the baby's heartbeat. It was 5 crackly minutes of me biting my lips and the nurse saying things like, "Sometimes the doppler is a little sensitive" , "Are you sure we could find it previously?", and "Do you remember where we had the best luck last time?" Then finally, after a second try, we found the baby hiding away in a corner. 155 bpm. I almost cried in relief. And, I managed to record it on my phone so I can listen to it occasionally and put a smile on my face.

Unfortunately the relief found Friday afternoon was quickly overcame by the sickness that followed that weekend. I woke up for church Sunday morning with a sore throat, and then we met Angie and her parents for a Sunday morning brunch. By halfway through the meal, I was feeling a full blown cold coming on. That afternoon I get hit hard with a runny nose, uncontrollable chills, a slight fever, and a terrible headache. I slept for a few hours that afternoon only to feel progressively worse as the night came on. Travis was truly amazing the whole night -- getting me drink refills, extra blankets, and helping me with dinner despite the fact that the Bears were playing an important game. I slept on the couch in hopes it would help me drain my sinuses a bit, and without a word from me Travis camped out on the floor next to me to make sure I was okay throughout the night. He's pretty much a keeper.
I stayed home from work on Monday and slept from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., taking only a half hour break for some soup at lunch. Our water heater also died on us Sunday evening, so my dad was here for several hours trying to fix that for us. It was nice to have his company, even if it was frustrated company :). Then it was early to bed and back to work for me today, which may have been a bit too soon. By 11 a.m. or so I was feeling pretty queasy and my heart was racing, so I didn't get much accomplished in classes for the rest of the day. Tonight the plan is to take it easy (mom is even making dinner!) and hopefully things will get better by tomorrow.

The most frustrating part of all this sickness is the helplessness of it all. Normally when I'm sick I'm pretty attuned to what is going on with my body and what I need to do to feel better. I'm not one to go to the doctor with any sort of sickness, really. But with this, I find myself second guessing a lot of decisions. I don't want to overlook any symptom as something small that can be cured with a little orange juice and couch time only to find later it was something that required something else entirely for the baby. I'm finding it hard to find the line between justifiably concerned pregnany lady and hypochondriac paranoid pregnant lady.

Kit Kat bars, baby bumps, and cribs

Today marks the baby's graduation from a lemon size to a Kit Kat size (about 4 1/2 inches from crown to rump). From what I've read so far, our little one's exciting new ability this week is to detect light, despite the fact that his/her eyes are still sealed shut. His/her legs are growing longer this week and he/she has mastered moving all of the joints and limbs.

Here we officially have the first chapter of the growing baby belly. Nothing too crazy yet, but in a few weeks I know it will really start to pick up!

Even though I haven't gained a lot of weight yet, I've started slowly slipping a few maternity items into my wardrobe. My work wardrobe was starting to get a little slim pickings in clothes that wouldn't look trashy over my expanding upper region, and my mom got me these amazing dress pants that one cannot resist wearing when choosing between them and a normal pair. They are a little big, but definitely make the work day more comfy! Today mom and I went shopping and got a few more shirts that I can wear to school and church, so I feel a lot more prepared for the upcoming weeks now!



Here are some images of a couple cribs we especially liked when we were out perusing today. There are a few more from Target that we liked, but the image upload from Target isn't exactly cooperating. But, I think we have the style and color for the most part narrowed down. Travis really likes the cherry wood color, so I think we're either going to go with that or expresso, which is a very dark brown. We started looking at car seats and strollers, but the in store selection was pretty limited so I think I might do a little more looking around online tonight. In general I've started to become much less stressed about all of these things and have started to try to instead just sit back and enjoy it all. And so far, it's been working out :).