24 Weeks

[23w5d]

Merry Christmas to everyone (albeit, a bit late) and happy new year! Tomorrow, I will 24 weeks along, and I've been feeling great. I had a doctor's appointment last Friday, and he said everything looks good. I heard the heartbeat and was given clearance for my trip to Rochester in January. Dr. Ives said that as long as I'll be near a hospital with a NICU -- just in case -- it's fine for me to travel now. I was glad to hear this since we already bought my ticket.

Adam and I spent Saturday morning at Target finishing our baby registry. I think we have all the basic necessities on there. It was my goal not to go overboard and just register for essentials. We didn't register for things like clothes or toys because I figure people will find cute clothes and buy them just because they're cute and they're baby clothes. I mean, baby clothes are cute. We also didn't register for a crib or cradle because we have them on loan. The cradle is already set up in the baby's room.

I'm also trying to get a registry up at cottonbabies.com for cloth diapers. I've spent a lot of time researching cloth ones and would prefer to use them instead of loading up landfills with stinky, nonbiodegradable diapers. And new cloth diapers like these are cute and work like disposables (no diaper pins or folding necessary).

Admittedly, I think I'm going to be a granola mom. I'm okay with that.

Adam got to feel the baby move, which is exciting. The kick/punch combos keep getting stronger and occur most frequently when I'm reading in a quiet room. I've also been sleeping 9+ hours a night but feel good overall. I have a doctor's appointment before my trip north and another with the specialist the first week of February for our last ultrasound.

Also, according to some sources, the pregnancy has reached viability (though other sources say 27 weeks). So, Baby C's chances of making it as a premie have gone up. That's good news.

22 Weeks

[ 21w5d]

Not much to report. I feel the baby move more and more frequently. It feels like little taps in my lower belly and always happens if I bend forward, I suppose because that squishes things. Speaking of bellies, mine is not so little anymore, but it's small enough that people haven't felt compelled to touch it. It's weird when I hug Adam, though, because my belly protrudes enough that I can't get full frontal contact. I told him that soon enough I'll only be able to do the "butt-out" hug.

I'm also going to Rochester for a week in January to visit and par-tay pre-baby style.

Thank you all for visiting this blog. I hope everyone is enjoying keeping up with the pregnancy. I made this blog so that friends and family far away could see my development and hear about how things are progressing. It was never meant to be a substitute for actual communication. Adam and I would love to hear from everyone, either via phone or email. Or feel free to leave a comment!

Baby C can't wait to meet you all!

CPC Update

Yesterday, we had another ultrasound at the specialist's office to check on the cysts in the baby's brain. The ultrasound was more intensive than the previous one. They checked the heart, brain, and other major organs thoroughly, as well as other indicators like the face and the behavior of the hands. Thankfully, the cysts are gone and the baby looked completely normal! From what we read about choroid plexus cysts, it's normal for them to go away on their own (many people probably had them in utero but will never know because their mothers didn't get an ultrasound -- heck, I could have had them!). We have a follow-up ultrasound on January 28, just to make sure everything still looks good. We gladly scheduled it because my obgyn doesn't offer anymore ultrasounds after the 18 week one.

I have gained a hearty 17 pounds so far, which is incomprehensible to me since I had weighed the same for the past 12 years. The baby makes up one pound of this (so far).

Also, I am feeling the baby move more and more. It's not very strong and feels like tickling in my abdomen. Adam keeps encouraging it to become a ninja. I think he's amused that the kid will be smacking my insides around. I'm just glad to feel confirmation that it's in there and it's busy. :)

Halfway Belly

[20w4d]

Apparently I'm Losing My Mind

Today, I went to leave the house after lunch, got in the car, and realized I forgot something. I quickly unlocked the door, grabbed what I needed, locked up, and got back in the car. I put the key in the ignition and realized I forgot something else. So, I did it all again, this time annoyed and promising the cat, who was stretched out on the back of the couch, that I would not be back no matter what. Luckily, I didn't forget anything else.

When I got back to work, though, someone from the production department showed me that what I had turned in to them this morning said it was meant for the December issue, which has already come out. I laughed and said that it was meant for February. Oops.

This has been happening more and more frequently. I'll be online and think about going to a site for a specific reason and I'll either get there and have forgotten what I wanted to check or lose track of which site it was in the first place. Also, twice in the last week I have walked from my comfortable spot on the couch to the back of the house to get something and couldn't for the life of me remember why I got up.

Apparently, this is common for pregnant ladies. Unfortunately, I find little comfort in that fact.

Halfway There

Yesterday was the halfway point. It's all downhill from here -- to the birth and meeting our little bundle of joy!

Not much to report. I think a few times I've felt the baby move, but nothing definitive yet. As much as I want to feel it, I'm trying to enjoy the little bit I have left before this kid starts going ninja-style on my insides.

I finished reading a book about writing a birth plan and now have to actually sit down and write one. Adam and I also need to start thinking about registering for baby goods and decide what we plan to do with the spare bedroom.

I finished making my maternity shirt this weekend. It turned out pretty well, I think.

Overall, I've been feeling pretty good. I can tell my abs are stretching more because I can feel them ache a bit in my lower abdomen, where they are now holding up my little belly.

Speaking of bellies, I hope to have an updated picture up soon. With my dad's visit, things got hairy and getting the camera out was overlooked. As far as I can tell, it hasn't changed much since the last picture, but I was reading today that I could wake up at any point and find myself with an engorged, protruding belly that appears out of nowhere.

But we've made it halfway. Unbelievable!