Sunday, November 30, 2008

Bump Picture

21 weeks, 2 days.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Twenty-One Weeks

Today Nick is 21 weeks old. Only 133 days to go! I am finally feeling him move. It feels like he's just bumping around in there, although at first it felt like when I lose my stomach on a roller coaster or fast long elevator. It's amazing to finally feel him moving around in there, and my pregnancy books say he is establishing awake and sleep cycles, which I may even start to be able to predict! My weight gain/bump growth has been very gradual, so I'm not having terrible stretching pains or round ligament pains, and I'm not getting stretch marks yet. At least I feel like I finally look pregnant, and not just fat :) And thanks, Becky Simmons, for giving me Ina May's birth book. I'm excited to read it!

According to The Cradle, right now Nick looks like a miniature newborn. His face looks peaceful with closed eyes, nostrils, and a nicely formed mouth. Every once in a while, his thumb or finger will slip into his mouth and he will practice sucking.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Nick weighs approximately 12 ounces and is about 10.5 inches head to heel. Nick's measurements will be given from head to heel (as opposed to crown to rump) from now on as he is stretching out and an accurate, full-body measurement is easier to take. Nick is busy moving within my uterus, surrounded by amniotic fluid, learning how his arms and legs move, and using his hands to feel his facial features, which I may be able to see on an ultrasound.

According to Baby Center, Nick now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. I may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I may also discover a pattern to his activity as I get to know him better. In other developments, Nick's eyebrows and lids are present now.

According to The Bump, Nick gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, I should think about what I want Nick to eat as I prepare my own lunch.

Jeff and I are in North Carolina for one more day. We have had a lot of fun, spending time with Nick's Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack and their friends here in North Carolina. Krystyn and Zack are coming to Michigan for a week at Christmas, so it's not long until we'll see them again - yay :) Krystyn and I went shopping today on Black Friday - I bought one more pair of maternity jeans and some scrapbooking supplies so I can make a pregnancy scrapbook.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Nick wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving :) We are certainly thankful for him, and for all of our friends and family!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Bump Picture

20 weeks, 2 days.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Twenty Weeks

Today Nick is 20 weeks old. Only 140 days to go! I look more and more pregnant every day. I still don't think I've felt Nick move but I'm not positive. I am sure eventually I will. Our integrated screen results came back "negative" - whatever that means. Obviously the most exciting thing that happened this week was finding out our baby is a boy. We are so excited!! It's so fun to be able to say him, his, he, and Nick.

According to The Cradle, Nick weighs about 11 ounces (308 g) and measures about 6 1/3 inches (160 mm) in length. Most women feel movement for the first time between weeks 17 and 20. Feeling movement helps form the attachment or emotional bond between the mom and the baby that will last a lifetime.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Nick is now about 6.5 inches crown to rump (about 10 inches head to heel) and weighs approximately 10 ounces. Nick is now big enough that I may be able to tell when he or she is awake or asleep based on the level of activity. I can also see a lot of movement in the ultrasound image. Looking at ultrasound images of other babies can help me figure out what I'm looking at when I see Nick's image.

According to Baby Center, Nick weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

According to The Bump, Nick is now the size of a cantaloupe! Nick gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, I should think about what I'd like your Nick to eat as I prepare my own lunch.

Jeff and I are going to North Carolina to visit my sister and her husband for Thanksgiving. We leave tonight and we are coming home November 29. I am very excited for my sister to see my baby bump in real life!

Here are some cute things I bought at Target for Nick - I couldn't resist:

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

We're Having A Little Baby Boy!


We had our "big" ultrasound today and found out we're having a boy! Nicholas Paul Lundberg is still on track for an April 10 or 11, 2009 delivery. We were able to see our son's arms, legs, hands, feet, bladder, kidneys, belly, face, all four chambers of his heart and both sides of his brain! We only received four pictures - here is one where you can see Nick's little hand.

Now we are even more excited for the 3D/4D ultrasound in December!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bump Picture

19 weeks, 2 days.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Nineteen Weeks

Today Baby Lundberg is 19 weeks old. Only 147 days to go! Still feeling great. I had a cold this week, and I never would have thought I could get through a cold without Dayquil and Nyquil, but I made it. I still haven't felt the baby move yet - at least I don't think I have. Less than a week until we find out if Baby L is Baby Nick or Baby Kate!

According to The Cradle, occasionally, Baby L will hiccup, causing a rhythmic jarring of my abdomen every two to four seconds or so. While there is no air to intake, hiccupping in the womb involves the same sort of muscular reactions as in an air-breathing child. The hiccupping generally stops in about a half hour.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Baby L weighs approximately 8 ounces and is about 6 inches from crown to rump. The exterior layers of skin tissue are developing to form Baby L's one-of-a-kind fingerprints. The amniotic fluid that surrounds Baby L allows for him or her to freely move his or her arms and legs and is also sometimes swallowed to practice digestion.

According to BabyCenter, Baby L's sensory development is exploding! His/her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear my voice now, so I shouldn't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes me. Baby L weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his/her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

According to The Bump, vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats Baby L's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) We might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if Baby L is premature.

I am strictly in maternity pants now, although some of my regular shirts still fit, and my maternity shirts are all still too big. Maternity pants are soooo comfortable!! We are beginning to research daycares (after struggling with choosing a nanny or daycare, we have decided to go with daycare). As soon as we find out the sex, we'll be able to plan and buy so much more!! I really feel like this pregnancy is flying by - I am almost halfway done and I remember taking the positive test like it was yesterday. I am trying to enjoy every minute!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Cloth Diapers

Here is a link to a great article that sums up the reasons some people may choose cloth diapers over disposables. It's really long, so I'm providing the link instead of copying and pasting the whole article:

http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=756

We bought a Bum Genius diaper on Friday just to see what they're like. The store only had green, so we only bought one. This is an all-in-one one size fits all cloth diaper, with a waterproof polyester cover and organic cotton interior. The manufacturer says these diapers fit babies from 8-35 lbs. Here are some pictures - these are not the cloth diapers our moms used!

These have elastic sewn in on the leg openings and the back. It has a full strip of velcro across the front to make the size adjustable. It has two velcro closure tabs, and two inside tabs to close the velcro tabs with when washing the diaper.







Here is the inside. It has a sewn-in full cotton liner, and two cotton "inserts" that are sewn in at the top and bottom, so you can adjust them depending on the size of the baby. You can also buy additional inserts if your baby needs them.







You can see the three rows of snaps in this picture. This is what makes the diaper one size fits all - you snap it up for smaller babies and leave it all the way unsnapped for the biggest babies.





We are very comfortable with our decision to use cloth diapers. We know it won't be the easiest thing to do, or the most convenient, and because our baby will be in daycare while we work, our baby still might have to have disposable diapers on at least some of the time - but we think we are making a good decision and we are going to try our best to stick with it!

Bump Picture


18 weeks, 2 days.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Eighteen Weeks

Today Baby Lundberg is 18 weeks old. Only 154 days to go! Still feeling great. Waiting for the round ligament pains to start, and hopefully I'll feel the baby move soon! I still don't think I'm showing very much yet, which is why I haven't posted any bump pictures. I think I just look like I've gained weight, instead of looking pregnant. Hopefully in a couple more weeks it'll be more obvious!

According to The Cradle, sometime during this week the process of myelinization begins. Myelinization involves coating the nerves with a fatty substance called myelin to speed nerve cell transmission and to insulate the nerves so messages are uninterrupted. Baby L, who has been growing so rapidly inside me, now measures 5 1/2 inches (140 mm) in length, big enough for me to cradle in the palm of my hand.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Baby L weighs about 6.5 ounces and is 13.97 centimeters long from crown to rump, or about the size of a large pickle. The digestive system is starting to produce meconium, its first fecal matter.

According to BabyCenter, head to rump, Baby L is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. Baby is busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that mom will start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Baby's blood vessels are visible through its thin skin, and baby's ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from its head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around baby's nerves, a process that will continue for a year after baby is born. If baby is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from view during an ultrasound.

According to The Bump, Baby L is now the size of a sweet potato. Baby L. has become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And Baby L is finally big enough that mom will soon be able to feel baby's movements.

Only 11 more days until we find out if Baby L is Nick or Kate!

I finished all of the baby wipes. Here they are - all 89 of them! A friend of mine from high school who is also pregnant told me about this great place in Ann Arbor that does cloth diaper seminars. www.treecitydiapers.com. Jeff and I are going to the next seminar on December 6. They carry all of the brands of cloth diapers, and they will demonstrate them, talk about proper care of the diapers, all that good stuff. I can't wait!