25 weeks (+ 2 days)

I'll update more next week. The stomach virus (that some call the 'stomach flu', but it's really gastroenteritis) hit our house a few days ago. Despite my best efforts, it hit me on Wednesday. Baby and I are fine, even made it to my regularly scheduled OB appointment yesterday. And yes, they said to come in despite my illness. All is well, I'm just trying to get my body to accept food again. I'm a little tired of depending on fluids, no matter how important they are, because darn it, I enjoy food!

More next week.

24 Weeks! (Two videos + two photos)

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

24 weeks! It feels like this is a milestone, partially because this is what many consider the week that babies are viable outside of the womb. I have no worries of Sprout coming early, of course! It just feels like a good milestone to hit. It feels like the pregnancy has slowed down a wee bit in the past two weeks. But I know that overall this pregnancy is flying, and he will be here before we know it. It's exciting!

I am feeling good. My appetite has flown the coop though. I'm so thirsty, drinking a lot (as I always do), but eating is just.. meh! No thanks. I of course have to eat, and I do, but food is just not something I care to think much about. Nothing looks good whatsoever!

I'm definitely more tired, which is frustrating because I have a touch of insomnia it seems. I'm taking naps, which doesn't help the attempts to sleep at night, but hey, when I want to sleep, I WANT TO SLEEP. I'm not the kindest person to be around when I'm running on little to no sleep, even I can admit that. ;)

It feels like the baby has grown a lot in the past week. His kicks are so much more noticeable, he has woken me up from a deep sleep a few times even! I love this, though. I can say that now, because he's pretty much off of my bladder and kicking away from my bladder as well. Such a good baby already, ha.

I did a video of him kicking and posted it on my Facebook earlier this week. I did a couple of short videos of him kicking yesterday as well, thought I'd share here. Pretty soon I'll be able to see things poking out (most likely feet or elbows, that sort of thing). But I love seeing these kicks, they are so out of the blue sometimes, too.

Oh, and forgive the stretchmarks and herniated navel! My poor navel has given up and needs repaired surgically eventually. ;)

First video, look just to the right of my navel and at 7 seconds there's a kick.

Second video, look to the very right and the kick is within the first second of the video!

AND the monthly belly shots (soon to be taken every two weeks):

23 Weeks!

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Oh, how true the above is. Sprout is squirming like crazy lately. I can see his movements more and more everyday. I can even feel him when I'm driving, and he's poking around in there! I love this part of pregnancy. I'm starting to feel the weight of my belly, yes, but seeing the movements, and not feeling like a whale (yet, lol).. love this. Sprout now jumps when he hears a loud noise. One of my children came in the back door the other day, still using his outside voice, and before I could shush him, Sprout jumped from the noise of my son yelling so loud! It was funny, though it shocked me for a moment, to feel the baby jump like that.

I'm to the point of having to eat every two hours. I've noticed that lately, but the other night I ate a large meal for dinner. Bad idea. BAD BAD BAD. I felt terrible for a good 12 hours following, from how bloated and large it made me feel. Oops! ;) Small meals from now on!

The baby reacts to certain things I eat as well. If I drink water that is ice cold, he wakes within ten minutes of my first sip. I typically sip from my water bottle all day (refilling it multiple times), so I don't have ice cold water much. I kind of feel bad when I have that or a bit of ice cream, and a few minutes later it hits and he wakes up from the cold. (It's proven babies can feel the cold!)

I am back in major nesting/planning mode. I've been making lists, for my husband even. Thankfully he takes it in stride, though I know he's rolled his eyes at me a time or two (or three).

Right now I'm planning on breast pump supplies. I'm slowly getting some here and there, as I find sales and such. It's kind of exciting, though I admit that pumping is far more work than pregnancy is, I think. I've heard friends say the same, though! It's definitely a lot of work at first, pumping every 2-3 hours, getting up to pump at night. It's worth it, though. There are so many obvious benefits for the baby, but a some for me as well! It gives me something to plan for, which is nice.

I'm definitely feeling a lot better after the ultrasound last week. I'm still taking it easy! We have some projects we want to accomplish in the house over the next month. Poor hubby will be stuck with the heavy lifting, of course. Hopefully my cleaning out closets makes up for this, haha.

Happy 23 weeks to Sprout!