22 weeks -- baby block is a spaghetti squash!

ha! this one i like. fall is coming and i adore spaghetti squash!

from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life's changing:
At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate. What's important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby's growth is on track.

You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby. At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There's no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching.

Write it down "I kept a journal for my son while I was pregnant, and I brought it to the hospital with me so I could write in it as soon as I was up to it. It really helped to share all the feelings I was having." — Anonymous

Surprising Facts: Body changes beyond your belly
You expected your belly to grow — and perhaps your breasts, too — but the following physical changes may take you by surprise. As with many pregnancy changes, hormones play a role in most of these alterations in your looks.

• Thicker, more lustrous hair You're not actually growing more hair, just losing less than normal. During pregnancy, your body sheds hair much more slowly than it did before. What to do: If thicker hair is a boon for you, enjoy it. If it's making your mane more unruly than ever, ask your stylist to do some thinning at your next cut. These changes won't last forever. After your baby's born, you'll start to lose this excess hair, sometimes in clumps.

• Increased body hair Sex hormones known as androgens can cause new hair to sprout on your chin, upper lip, jaw, and cheeks. Stray hairs can also pop up on your belly, arms, legs, and back. What to do: Tweezing, waxing, and shaving are all safe ways to manage these temporary changes.

• Faster-growing fingernails Your fingernails may grow more quickly than usual, and you may notice changes in texture. Some women's nails get harder, while others' get softer or more brittle. What to do: Protect your nails by wearing rubber gloves when you're cleaning, and using moisturizer on them if they're brittle.

• Skin changes Some pregnant women report that their skin has never looked better. If that's you, enjoy the proverbial "glow." Others find the hormones of pregnancy aggravate skin conditions such as acne. What to do: Wash twice a day with a gentle soap or cleanser, and make sure that any moisturizer or makeup you use is oil-free.

• Stretch marks As your belly expands to accommodate your growing baby, you may get tiny tears in the supportive tissue that lies just beneath your skin, resulting in striations of varying color. These marks will begin to fade and become considerably less noticeable about six to 12 months after you give birth. There's not much you can do besides trying not to gain more than the recommended amount of weight. Heredity is responsible for the natural elasticity of your skin and plays a role in determining who will end up with stretch marks.

• Skin discolorations Increased melanin can cause splotchy patches of darkened skin on your face. These pigment changes may become intensified if you spend time in the sun. What to do: Protect your face by using a sunblock that offers both UVA and UVB protection with an SPF of 30 or higher, wearing a hat with a brim, and avoiding the sun during peak hours of the day (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

• Larger and darker nipples and areolas You may find that your nipples and the pigmented area around them (the areolas) are getting bigger and darker. The little bumps on your areolas, known as Montgomery's tubercles, may also be more pronounced. These bumps are oil-producing glands that help fight off bacteria and lubricate the skin. Some women also notice more pronounced veins in their breasts. What to do: Nothing!

• Larger feet Your feet may go up half a shoe size or more. Lax ligaments may make your feet spread a bit — permanently. Swelling can make your shoes feel tight as well, although it will go away after delivery. What to do: Buy comfortable shoes to accommodate your growing feet.

now do you see why pregnancy gets me down sometimes? or do these body changes seem absolutely heavenly to all of you? =P

myregistry.com -- AWESOME!

thanks to jenn merritt who let me know about this nifty site!

since we couldn't seem to keep our registry items to one store, we were worried about how to let people know about where to shop for certain things (crib here, bedding there...). and we honestly didn't want anything left out.

my friend jenn let me know about myregistry.com a few weeks ago. i'm just trying it out today and it's awesome! i can go through my registries from other sites, click on the link, and add it directly to my registry list on myregistry.com. then our guests can go to that site and find everything that we've registered for RIGHT THERE! you get redirected to the site from which we have registered, and you also let the registry know that the item has been purchased so it can be logged.

this will work out great. i'm very excitedly going through everything now. it takes a while, but that's ok.

you can get to our registry by using the button at the left. =)

edit: feeling kicks FOR SURE!!!

yep, it's official. this baby is kickin'. not just moving, not just pinching my sides the way he/she was before (though that still happens). baby block is really kicking.

i feel it right in the middle of my belly. and you can actually feel it from the outside. it's not very regular yet, but it's there. she kicked my hand right off my belly last night, and even daddy got lucky enough to get a feel (yay!). i've been feeling baby block pretty constantly since yesterday, and she's even active this morning (unlike her). maybe she likes coffee. =)

this is a great new stage.

i also realized i'm only 4 weeks away from the 3rd trimester. wow. this pregnancy is going fast. (good thing too... i love feeling the baby, but otherwise i'm not sure pregnancy is for me. LOL)

feeling the baby in new ways...

i think i'm starting to feel the real "kicks" from the baby. the ones that are working their way to the outside. there's almost a palpable rumbling in my tummy that you can feel with your hand. it's light, and you do have to concentrate to make sure you don't miss it, but it's there.

these things make otherwise difficult pregnancy days so much better.

great gift!!!

my intern talya's last day was friday. **sniff, sniff** i am very sad not to have her here anymore. especially since she's such a thoughtful person!!

she brought me (us) a gift. get a load of this onesie! how cool is this? the funny part is that i had actually seen this online recently and made a mental note to buy it for the baby. and then talya gives it to me.

so damn cute!!!

21 weeks: baby block is a carrot!

um, yes. this week, our baby is also the color of his/her room. LOL...

from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life's changing: You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints.

go baby block, go!

"ew!" art

thanks to my friend terry on the howforums... this was both fun and gross!

what do you think of the above artwork? it was lovingly created by a mother for her child. lovely, isn't it? want to know which materials she used?

well, her placenta, of course!

yes, this print was created using her means of creation -- her very own placenta. apparently this is not unheard of. in addition to burying the placenta and, ::shudder::, eating the placenta -- both of which i have heard of before -- they even sell placenta print kits. it's an, um, novel way of doing something for your child. and i guess it's non-toxic...

being an artist, i'm open to a lot of different mediums and ideas. but bodily fluids/by-products has never been an area i'm cool with. ew!

there is hope -- traveling with kids

so if you know me well, you know the thing that really concerns me about having a kid is traveling. we have so many places we still want to go, and we are just not sure what the future holds for that part of our life together now that baby block is on the way. i am definitely not adverse to traveling alone and leaving the baby with grandparents for the week, but still, that can't happen as easily as it used to.

however, this month on apartment therapy's ohdeeoh, they are following parents that travel with their kids. these crazy people are going everywhere with their children... staying in the states, traveling abroad. the families offer great tips on how they successfully keep their children happy while still getting a trip the adults love. sounds good to me!

example of the day -- alicia's trip to belgium and france with her husband and toddler son. you go girl!

also from ohdeeoh -- city walks with kids. these guides come in card form instead of a bulky book, so you can pick out your walk for the day and go. i think this is ingenious! even having grown up here in nyc, i think the kid walk cards can be very useful in the years to come.

thanks ohdeeoh. you continue to give me hope for a balanced life after children!

be free greeting card by artsharyne.

pregnancy and vanity go hand in hand

skinny me, last summer, with aunt loren. confused, maybe, but skinny!

i want to preface this entry with a disclaimer: i am over-the-moon happy to be having a baby. i've wanted to be a mom my whole life, and now is definitely the right time with the right person. i cry at commercials with moms/babies, i have always ooh-ed and ahh-ed at every baby on the street... i'm an excited, loving-babies sort of gal. yay baby!

ok, now that that's out of my system...

me and my less-than-svelte self -- i know, i'm going to get MUCH bigger. ::sigh::

i found out something about pregnancy. it's not all it's cracked up to be. i mean, the usual complaints go without saying -- being sick, being exhausted, etc. ok, fine. but those i knew were coming, and so in the end i'm not really so bothered by them. it's the other part of it you don't expect -- the vanity and selfishness that it brings out in you. or, at least, in me.

all my life, i thought pregnant women were beautiful. i would glow at a friend's glow. i would always want to touch the belly (not a stranger's belly!). i actually desired that body for the past year, as my biological clock started to sound. i wanted to be that person.

aunt carrie and me in cape cod, at week 17.

now that i am the pregnant woman, i am not loving it all so much. oh, i love feeling my baby move inside of me. but i mourned -- and am still mourning -- the loss of my waist. i feel fat and dumpy. i'm hating the pregnancy clothes, cute as some of them are. oh, how that part of me wishes that i could carry the baby without actually growing bigger, or somewhere on my person that was already larger. like, in my ass... i mean, i've always had a big butt. couldn't that just be used for this? at least all that fat would be put to good use!

is this why all my girlfriends would roll their eyes whenever i told them how beautiful i thought they were with their bumps and their new curves? i guess so. i never thought of myself as that person -- i mean, i've always struggled with weight, and i knew i'd have issues giving up a body i had just come to peace with. but i never was vain, i never looked at myself and said, "wow, look at how hot you are!" now, i find myself looking at photos from last summer and saying, "damn, i looked good. i wish i looked like that now."

and the selfishness! ok, so, i have to give up my body -- issue number one. but what about afterwards? while i am fully aware that being a parent changes your life, and i'm more than committed to giving this new little person 90% of my -- or our -- time, i do find myself wondering about whether or not i am going to have to sacrifice that other 10%. or if i even want to.

i'm a full believer in keeping an adult social life in addition to being an attentive parent. i don't go out much now on the weekends, and i haven't partied it up in bars weekly in years. but the birthday parties my friends have annually that brings us all together? i want us to be able to go to those. a movie out without the kid? absolutely. girls' brunches once every couple of months? sure! so can i -- or can we, as a couple -- keep doing these things? it might be selfish, but i'm not ready to let those go.

and maybe i don't have to. i mean, i may be less than "mother earth" about this whole experience, but maybe it's ok to not be thrilled with gaining weight. and maybe it's alright to have a few nights out a year without panicking that i'm a bad mom, or that we're awful parents if we go out together without the little tike. or maybe it's not alright, and i'm going to crash and burn as a mom.

somehow i doubt that. but it's in the back of my mind regardless.

sigh... ok, the other personality currently existing inside of me wants to take over and talk to the baby. gotta go now.

20 weeks and halfway mark -- baby block is a banana!

yes, finally, baby block is getting measured out in head-to-heel fashion, instead of head-to-rump. so he/she makes banana status this week!

from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby 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).

See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:
Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. (If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less.)

Make sure you're getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

If you haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one, especially if you're a first-timer. A structured class will help prepare you and your partner for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, one-day session. Many communities have independent instructors as well. Ask your friends, family members, or caregiver for recommendations.

so, actually, the childbirth classes are next on our list of things to do for baby, after we square away the registering. i just got a list of recommended classes today from my midwife.

and all is good on the baby front. she said that the baby was indeed looking just fine. all measurements, organs, etc. are right on target. woohoo!! neither i nor dave can get over that the pregnancy is half-over... seems like it flew by, despite all the issues that naturally come with it. i'm sure the later days will go a lot slower than i'd like, but that's ok. in the end, it's all worth it.

Ultrasound Details! AKA, "Our Stubborn Child"

whew... so glad i'm feeling better today and am up to posting. yesterday was pretty awful... on top of the headache, i got some cramping around my bikini line last night. turned out to be nothing, just round ligament pain, but it made me a little concerned for a while. dave took care of me and made me feel better.

ok, so, the ultrasound!

we went in at 11:30 on monday morning -- two proud parents-to-be. the technician was lovely and welcoming (by the way, methodist hospital is really nice! good place for the delivery!). we settled in to get cold gel squirted on my belly and to watch the HD version of our first home movie.

as soon as they began the ultrasound, we were amazed! it was so clear! first thing we saw was the baby curled up, sleeping, his/her spine rounded in a tight little ball. wow... we could watch the heart beat and listen to it as well. really incredible stuff.

the technician began to move the sensor around my belly, both trying to get better views and gently prodding our child to wake up and move. well, baby block was having none of that! he/she just wasn't in the mood to put on a show. the little he/she moved, it was simply to adjust herself better into her sleeping position. forget it -- this kid was going nowhere. i honestly should have known this would happen. i don't feel baby block moving much in the morning -- the movement starts later in the afternoon and continues pretty steadily at that point until late night. but not so much in the morning. alas, i booked the ultrasound before i started to feel movement.

at one point, the technician pointed out that my bladder was full (big surprise), and maybe i should get up and go to the bathroom. the hope was that walking around would stir the child. no such luck. i came back, we tried again. very little. i turned on my left side... very little. i turned on my right side... very little. in fact, the baby started to put his/her little hands in front of their face, as if to say "leave me alone! stop photographing me!" the only issue with the baby not moving is that it made it hard for the technician to measure everything and check out all the organs. she worked on me for an hour, and finally got everything she needed (i think, anyway).

at the end, she called in a doctor to have a look. this made us nervous... why do we need a doctor to look at this? he came in, was quite pleasant and had a look around. he got to the heart, and started to view the fluids/blood pumping through its chambers and the surrounding area. then he started pointing this out to the technician and asking her questions we couldn't understand (doctor terms). this made us really nervous. what are you asking about? why isn't anyone telling us what's going on? finally, the doctor looked our way and said, "everything is fine. i'm just quizzing her." oh, gee, thanks for the update! why tell the nervous, first-time parents that upfront, before scaring them half to death? sheesh!

anyway, it seems as though in the end, all was good. i'll get the full report at my midwives' tomorrow. but as far as we know, baby block is perfectly healthy, a perfect size, and completely stubborn -- just like his/her dad. =D

sorry

i'm having a bad headache day and can't type much... i will finish the details later if i'm up to it. if not, i promise to finish them tomorrow.

ultrasound photos

baby block sucking on his/her thumb!

behold... our beautiful child! ok, maybe the face photos kind of look like an alien face... but at this stage, that's expected. the cool part of the face pics though is that you can actually see the eyeball. freaky! and honestly, the thumb sucking picture is downright cute.

all photos are full size -- so if any family members or friends out there want to download the photos for printout, go crazy!

baby block – scary alien face number 1.

baby block – scary alien face number 2.

baby block – arm and hand extended.

baby block – arm and hand clenched.

baby block's little baby legs -- check out both feet at the bottom.

little baby feet!

baby block's knee.

ultrasound this morning -- details to come

hey all. we had our ultrasound this morning. while baby block was sleepy and pretty much refused to cooperate, we still managed to get some good first baby pictures. and it seems as though the baby is good and healthy, and at the right size -- about 10 ounces. 10 fingers, 10 toes.

we are currently dealing with the idea that we have a mouse in our house -- ewww!!! -- so i have to scan the pics later.

19 weeks -- baby block is an heirloom tomato

um... these descriptions get odder and odder. but tomatoes are fabulous this time of year, and so is our little baby!

from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, taking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom —about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

See what your baby looks like this week.

custom bedding -- may be the way to go...

yes, yes, i'm back to the crib bedding. so if you're sick of hearing about it, just close out of this blog now. =)

when with auntie loren on saturday, i realized that no matter where i look, i'm still going to have issues with the crib bedding. there are few a la carte options for buying decorative pieces, so you usually have to buy a set. but we have absolutely no intention of using a bumper or a quilt, so what a waste that would be -- either for ourselves or whomever would like to purchase bedding for us. we just want to get a crib skirt, maybe a light blanket, and some fitted sheets.

what are some very picky parents to do?

after taking a look around etsy for crib bedding (there are some really cute options on there by the way), i realized that some of the vendors actually did custom work. so i've contacted them, and we're weighing our options. i just figured that this would be much more economical and way less wasteful than getting a set with 1 or 2 major pieces that we won't use (and would have paid for!).

dave and i have only begun to discuss our ideas for the bedding and colors, but i'm still leaning towards black and white or gray and white, with punches of color (turquoise, light green, yellow -- palette options above!). i'm starting to think that gray and white might be best -- less harsh, still graphic, easily going with both the orange in the room and the other colors we want, AND it would still go with the curtains!

everything has a way of working itself out in the end...

found by....

... auntie carrie, the gicleé prints by olivemoonprints on etsy. how cute are these things? i'm not sure yet if these are pieces we could use to decorate with, but i agree with her that they are quite wonderful.


if anyone comes across something that they think is cute for baby block, send it on over! i'd love to post it up.

exciting weekend!!

lots of things happening on the baby block front this weekend. woo-hoo!!

first, auntie loren and i went to buy buy baby together on saturday afternoon. i needed another opinion about the crib, and i needed to ask the people at the store a few questions. so, lor joined me, and we waited out the rain amongst the strollers and breast pumps! it was fun!

and we've mad the decision to go with the crib we like at buy buy baby. i double checked the price -- which is $120 less at that store than anywhere else i've found online, so i wanted to makes sure i didn't miss something. but that was a go, as is the delivery time, the conversion kit (so while we're still in the apt., we can convert the crib to a toddler/day bed), and the colors we can choose from. yay!!! i reported all this back to dave and we decided to go with it.

i'm very happy about this -- now i can register for most of my stuff from buy buy baby, and just register elsewhere for the few other things they don't carry. whew! now, just to figure out the bedding...

in other, more important news, the baby is easily felt now that i know what to look out for. yesterday, while at the movies with grandma maria, grandpa hank, and great-grandma mary, i spent about 20 minutes playing with baby block. her movements felt like sharp little pangs, like gas pockets (i wish i had a more elegant description, but really, that's what they felt like!). so i started to press on the area where i felt her/him, and after waiting a beat i could feel the pang again. this went on, back and forth, until i couldn't feel it anymore. but every time i would feel it through the day, i'd play back. i even made dave reluctantly press on my belly when he got home (he thought he'd hurt him/her), and let him know when the baby pressed back. i figure it's the closest he'll get to "feeling" baby block for a few weeks.

i'm loving this. i could spend the whole day just waiting for the baby to move again. how does one work when someone else is saying hello inside of them??!!

had to write this immediately -- just felt the baby move

i've been waiting very patiently for this... everything and everyone says you don't feel your baby move for the first time until you're 16-22 weeks along. and it's usually 18-20 for first-timers. so, even though i've semi-analyzed every feeling in my tummy for a while now, i didn't expect to feel a thing.

but for the past 30 minutes, sitting here at the computer and watching tv, i've been feeling flutters. they haven't stopped. even as i write, i feel it.

all i could do was call dave to report it, and then write this. and cry a bit.

glad to have something to record this.

why i love my husband -- and why he'll make the best daddy

dave is away this weekend with his boys -- taking advantage of the pre-parent days that are so numbered for us right now. i'm enjoying my weekend of girliness, quiet, friends and family.

but while i'm here on my own, making a fab dinner and watching what not to wear, i like to think about what's coming. and why i'm so grateful to have dave as the one to share it with.

- he rubs my belly every time he's near me, at home or in public. i love that he's proud of his blossoming family, and he likes to let everyone know it.

- he's happily listening to my new needs (on a semi-daily basis) and responds in kind, without making fun of me... well, not too much at least! when i told him last week that, since he clearly wasn't getting my overt hinting, i needed to be told more often than usual how much he loves me/misses me/etc., he smiled, got the message loud and clear, and has since made sure to do just that. without complaint.

- he thinks i'm sexy, even with my ever-burgeoning belly.

- he was sad to miss the heartbeat last doctor's visit, and has since vowed not to miss one appointment if he can avoid it.

- he tolerated the first stage of baby-store madness for an hour with me... this is about 30 minutes over his usual half-hour capabilities in any shopping arena.

- he STILL takes care of me, without complaint, when my migraines emerge, which has been going on almost daily for 2 years now.

- he likes the current search for middle names for baby block, picking them out with great care.

- he always lets me drive, because i love to drive (even though he calls me "rage" whenever he can while i'm behind the wheel).

- he makes me laugh, smile, giggle, and sigh on a daily basis. this has yet to stop in our 8.5 years together. i just know he'll do the same for our kid.

for all these reasons, and countless more, i am incredibly grateful. daddy block is a good man. just hope everyone out there feels the same about their sig. other/co-parent of their child. =)