15 Weeks!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Well, nesting is kicking in! It usually kicks in for me during second trimester. One may ask what a woman does as far as nesting when she doesn't have a baby to prepare for? Declutter the house, prep for post-birth, etc. When you have kids, there's always something to declutter or clean, so I'm good there! I'm not at the prepping for post-birth, yet. For me, prepping for that time is about making some meals in advance (less for hubby to worry about), deep cleaning things that I won't be able to do for a month following the birth, getting my pumping supplies ready and so on. I do anything around the house that will make it easier on me during postpartum. I think some are surprised that I'd bother doing these things, when I don't have a baby to care for, but there's still recovery time for me. And then when you're exclusively pumping (which means every two hours at first!), you need time to just do that and rest, not having to worry about a lot of other things. I'd rather focus on pumping and my kids and husband, not worrying about laundry or what have you. (Thankfully my husband is like many good husbands in that no chore is "my" chore, he does them just as decently as I do, if not better!)

My energy is coming back a lot more, hence the nesting. I'm feeling baby a bit more than the week before. I still need to be pretty still, but I feel the bumping around. My fundal height is just a bit higher, right at or slightly above (maybe by 1/4") my navel now.

I had an appointment last Friday with the OB. She did a quick ultrasound and my placenta is low, but there's no reason to worry really. Baby looks good, solid heartbeat and all. She began to scan between the legs, and while it was still very early, it's possible to see the gender at this point. So, I looked away, even though I am anxious to know! I'd rather find out in a few weeks when the daddies are in town for our "big" ultrasound. Speaking of that, it'll be mid-February hopefully. I'm waiting on the imaging department at the hospital to make that appointment, though (they won't schedule it yet as it's too early to do that in their system). I am excited to see baby then, I'll admit. I think more so I am excited for my IFs to see the baby. It seems to make the pregnancy that much more real, especially for the intended parents of the baby, when it's a surrogate carrying your child.

So, not much to update overall. I'm just taking it easy in between cleaning and decluttering, drinking massive amounts of water (cannot get enough!), and feeling pretty good right now!

Green My Air, Baby!

Over the past few months, I've come across a number of articles online about "greening your air." There are some plants that are very purifying for the air in your home, and in this day and age, with the toxins in our air - I think everyone could be of benefit from having some of these helpful plants through out their home!

The research posted over on Green Your Air's web site is extremely helpful and informative, I thought! Check it out!

Looking at the sources for chemical emissions is horrifying, I think. We have many of these items in our home - the top one being carpet - which I dislike, but have to live with because we're in a rental! Drapes, paints, photocopiers (yes, we have more than one), upholstery - of course! It all contains different toxins, but they all add up and can and do hurt our health.

Well, call me selfish but I won't ditch my drapes, paint is necessary (though there are healthy alternative paints!), and getting my husband to ditch even one printer/photocopier .. just isn't happening.

I actually went out and bought a plant from Home Depot that I found on a list of plants that benefit the home and our health. But paying $20 to a store as large as Home Depot wasn't as fulfilling as it would have been to pay $20 to a smaller and locally owner store. (Sadly, no smaller garden centers carried the plant I wanted at that time)

Good news - Green Your Air is offering a discount on their plants right now! They are offering 25% off on all plants with code ALISONA25 (ends Jan 22nd and they ship to mainland USA only). I've looked through their selection and was surprised to find that their prices were very reasonable, more so with the discount. All plants come in a eco-friendly, non-toxic pot as well! (I think the pots are incredibly cute by themselves! Much better than the ugly green plastic pots that most plants come in!)

I plan on ordering my plants from Green Your Air in the next couple of days. I'll be sure and post an updated blog about my thoughts on quality, as well as some photos of them in my home. I am excited to add some greenery to my home that is also beneficial to the health of my family and myself!

Check out Green Your Air on Facebook and Twitter as well.

14 Weeks!

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

14 weeks! Amazing! So, I began feeling some brief movements from Sprout last week. It feels like a butterfly fluttering around basically. Yesterday I began feeling kicks or jabs of some sort. They are still very light, but feel like tiny pokes. I sat here last night, just amazed that I was doing this again, and feeling incredibly blessed! This has made me excited for the point at which the baby is sticking things out and making your belly resemble Sigourney Weaver's from her nightmare in the "Alien" movie. Okay, it's not that dramatic.. usually.

I am feeling good, exhaustion is almost completely gone! I have a doctor appointment on Friday, and hopefully the doctor will give me a referral for the 20 week scan. I am wanting to get that scheduled as soon as possible, so the daddies of this little one can get their flights scheduled to come out here. So exciting that we're at this point.

Happy New Year to all! :D