Happy Halloween!

So this year, I am dressing up as a blue-haired hippie punk (whatever that is). :o) I had some fun with the camera...and here are some of my recent belly shots and Halloween pictures. For those of you who don't see me regularly, I'm not as huge as I may look in the photos. People who don't know me continue to accurately guess how far along I am (5-6 months). Some have said that I look like I just have a soccer ball in my belly. In case you were wondering, I take that as a compliment. Hehe. So here they are...

Hello BLUE!

Whoa belly! There's a baby in there!!

So far so good...

Well, things continue to go quite smoothly for us! I haven't really blogged recently, because there isn't a whole lot to blog about. :o) This little guy is moving around A TON and we can feel him kick from the outside! That has been a lot of fun! I am right around 24 weeks along now, and here's what that means for the baby's development:

Your baby now weighs around 1.5 lbs (700g), and measures about 13 inches, but this varies from baby to baby. Your doctor should be able to hear your baby's heartbeat, using a stethoscope or Doppler ultrasound device. If your partner puts his ear right on your belly in the right position, he might even be able to hear it unaided if there is no background noise. Your baby sleeps and wakes in a more regular pattern now. You may notice that your baby is particularly active when you are resting. The center of your baby's bones are beginning to harden. If your baby is a boy, the testes will start to descend into the scrotum now. Your baby can make a fist now and may already have a preference for the right or left hand. By the end of this week, your baby will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready! With modern medical technology, your baby would have a chance to survive if it were born now.

Fun idea...

A friend of mine asked all of her family to send her their wishes for her new baby, and she wrote them onto the walls of her baby's room as a border. I love this idea, and have modified it a little. I will be taking the matte inside this frame (below) and have everyone at my baby shower/s write their wishes for our little guy themselves (with a silver sharpie). It will be so fun to have the entire matte filled with wishes from all of our family and friends! The picture that's in it right now is just some random stock photo...obviously when our little one gets here...his cute picture will go inside! The frame is 14x18, with a 4x6 cut-out. We'll put the finished piece in the nursery. I'm so excited about this idea...I just had to share it!

updates...

The baby and I seem to be doing well. I can definitely feel the little guy moving throughout the day (and night!). I have been feeling great up until this past weekend, when I began to experience some pretty awful lower back pain. It isn't constant (thank God)...but when I feel the pain...it's really bad. I just have to be more careful about how I bend to pick things up...or watch how I get up from a laying or sitting position. Aside from this, I am still doing very well. Although I am looking bigger and bigger, my weight gain is still very slow and steady (I haven't gained anything in two weeks). I still need to be better about making healthy food choices. I LOVE ice cream and I have also been craving Indian food like crazy. :o)

Below are some pics from this week. The outfit that I am holding up is probably going to be the coming home outfit for our little guy. It says, "All aboard..." on it. Very cute...and really soft. I say "probably" because it is quite possible that it may change between now and February. :o) We'll see!

Utah Canyon...

Have you ever been in a situation where the amount of work you have to do far outweighs the amount of time you have to do it? What stress this creates in one's life! We (or I should speak for myself really)...I am experiencing this right now! We have so much to do in our home before this little guy gets here, and it seems as though with each project, new ones arise due to unexpected problems. In the end, when all the work is finished, our house will look and feel beautiful. This will be wonderful. But right now, it's just in the pits. Being pregnant, my nesting instincts have kicked in, and there is nothing I can really do about it. Enter stress. :o)

On quite a happier note, Kevin and I went away for an overnight getaway for his birthday this week! It was awesome! It felt so good to just get away from day-to-day life and enjoy time together. We are really working on cherishing our last few months together before our life makes a HUGE change. Here are some pictures of our exotic Utah Canyon themed hotel room:

Kevin is checking out the big-screen tv...you can see the king bed behind him.

This is the view from our bed.

Behind the tv, you can see the jacuzzi. You can't tell here, but it was HUGE!!

20 weeks...

At our appointment yesterday, our little guy was measuring at 20 weeks, 2 days (a few days ahead), and weighs in at 12 ounces. Here's what I'm looking like these days:

WOO HOO!!!

Introducing our baby BOY!

No mistaking that little thing between those legs!! ;o)

Mommy already thinks I look like Daddy!!

I'm scratching my head...I'm already a deep thinker!

And here's me smiling at the camera!

Wow...What a TOTAL surprise!! We're having a little BOY! We couldn't be more excited!! Tears welled up in my eyes throughout the entire ultrasound. He is ADORABLE...and we love him SO much already! He was kicking and moving around a lot, playing with his toes and scratching his forehead. Personally, I thought his profile looked a lot like Kevin. SO cute!! Everything was measuring right on track and he appears to be in perfect health! (PRAISE GOD!) It is just still so surreal. WE'RE HAVING A BABY! AND WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!! :o) My cheeks are awfully sore from smiling all morning. I am absolutely giddy with joy. We have a SON! YAY!! Now we just have to come up with a name. This may take some time, but that's okay. We have a little more time 'til he's here!

Confession...

I am SO scared. Our BIG ultrasound is TOMORROW!! Yes, part of me is SUPER excited!! But the other half of me (and the part that's dominating right now) is filled with fear. What if something goes wrong? What if we go to see our baby and s/he has died in the past two weeks and we never knew it? What if it's missing arms or legs? What if....what if....what if?? I need to stop this insane thinking. This fear is NOT from the Lord. And the stress from worrying so much can't be good for the baby. I have literally been worried to the point of crying! UGH.

Part of my worry for the past day or two has been because for the first time in many weeks, I feel a bit crampy. I've been having intense shooting pains in my abdomen and don't know what they are. However, they could be completely normal, stretching-type pains. I just don't know...and not knowing is driving me crazy. I want this to be a joyful time...not a fearful one! I think I just need to curl up with my Bible and remind myself of His promises. He is good. He has a plan for me. He knows my fear and wants to help me overcome it! And with His help, I will!

Strange dreams...

So I had a couple of strange dreams last night. One was that we were at the ultrasound (which is in less than one week, by the way). We were sure that it was going to be a girl, but then we saw "boy parts!" We were surprised but WAY excited! :o) I wonder if that dream is prophetic at all?? We'll see!! The other dream was a half-awake dream in which I opened my eyes and thought I saw something right beside our bed. It was a venus fly-trap with it's mouth open like it was going to eat me. I literally threw the covers over my head and ducked down for a few seconds (until I realized that it was only a dream). Very strange.

18 weeks!!

Whose got a belly? I do, I do! Woo hoo! :o) I am LOVING my pregnant body. It is so fun that people now assume that I am pregnant (instead of wondering...pregnant or ate too much?). And I love that after eating a nice, big meal, I don't feel like I need to unbutton my pants or suck in to squeeze into what I'm wearing. I just let it all out! And it's BEAUTIFUL! I've had people ask if they may touch my belly. And so far, I'm totally fine with that. I'm sure as it gets bigger and bigger, more people will be drawn to touching the mysterious growing belly. :o)

Anyway...only two more weeks until I will be half-way through this pregnancy! Can you believe it?? I can't! Time is flying by!! I can't WAIT to hold this little one in my arms. It'll be here before we know it!