25 weeks!

Pregnancy: 25 weeks (6 months)

Weight Gain: Up 14 ::swallows loudly:::

Sleep: Getting more uncomfortable.

Gender: Girl.

Name: Courtney Holland

Feeling: Good.

Health: Great except for the terrible heartburn I've had the last few days.

Movement: Yes. She has her moments where I wonder "what are you doing in there?"

Belly: Definitely growing.

Next Appointment: March 10. I'll be 27w6d. I'll be getting my rhogam shot (because I am O- and Mike has A+ blood) and I'll also be taking the 1 hour glucose tolerance test (to test for Gestational Diabetes) again.

Baby this week:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

She weighs as much as an average rutabaga:

V-Day!

No, not Valentine's Day. Viability Day! Today I am 24 weeks which means little girl has made it to another big milestone. This means that if Courtney was born anytime after 24 weeks she has a 50/50 survival rate and the NICU would do everything in their power to save her life. BUT, I plan for her to stay in there as long as she wants.

My doctors appointment went well yesterday. I am measuring right on and the results from my 20 week ultrasound show that she is measuring right on with my dates. I'm really working hard at keeping my blood pressure under control (I get nervous every time I go to the doctor) and the first time they took my BP it was 190/70. :-O After I met with the doctor, the nurse took it again and it was 134/64. She said that is great and next time tell the nurse to just take my BP after my meeting with the doctor. I was given the glucose drink and told to drink it right before my next appointment and they will take my blood exactly one hour later. If you don't remember, this is to test for gestational diabetes. I took this test at around 8 weeks and failed the 1 hour test and then passed the 3 hour. Now I get to do it again. UGH!

Mike is gone to South Carolina for Boarding Officer training until March so I'm just trying to keep myself busy.

Here is a little about the baby at 24 weeks:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

23 week belly pictures!

Since Mike's going to be gone for the next 5 weeks I thought I'd have him take my last belly picture until he gets back. Here I am at 23 weeks with special guest, Daisy.

23 Weeks!

This past week Mike was able to feel Courtney kick from the outside. He feels it sporadically and I've learned to stop asking "Did you feel that?" Little girl has received some wonderful gifts this past week from my sister. Some adorable pink and white shoes from Old Navy and of course a bib that says "My auntie loves me", along with some other great things. I also received a pair of red and white striped leg warmers from Stephani which was very sweet of her. I'm so thrilled that Mike was granted leave and we will be coming home to California for a whole week in March. I can't wait to see everyone and for everyone to see how much BIGGER my belly has grown since I was home in November (I had no bump then).

How baby is doing this week:
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.



What baby looks like inside (from pregnology.com)

22 Weeks

I'm at the point now where times seems to be going slowly. This could be a good thing (more time to get everything ready for little miss Courtney) or a bad thing (I really want to see my little girl). Mike and I headed out to Lynwood, WA last weekend to register at the closest Babies R Us (approximately 2 hours away including the wait and ferry ride). We decided to eat lunch before we headed into the store, which was a good idea. Thanks to Mike's eagle eyes, he spotted a Claim Jumper in the mall parking lot and I almost jumped out of my seat with excitement. I love Claim Jumper and I thought they only had them in California. It was so yummy.

We headed into Babies R Us and the employee set us up. Mike was handed "the gun" and we went on our way. Three hours later...THREE HOURS LATER, we were done. Seriously, when you have to choose from 600 different pacifiers, nipples, bottles, sanitizers, bottle warmers, etc., it takes some time to decide. And to think we had actually done some research before we headed into the store about items we knew we wanted to try, like Dr. Brown's bottles. But who knew you had an option between glass, standard plastic and wide mouth plastic? (BTW - we chose the standard BPA Free Plastic) What I loved most about our trip to register is how much Mike enjoyed picking out things for his little girl. We had talked about not registering for clothes, but guess who makes a pit stop in the clothing department and starts scanning all the pink he can find? That would be my husband. I found it sweet and I let him do it. I just love him and can't wait to see him hold his little girl!

How baby is growing from Baby Center:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her 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 her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

She's getting stronger!

The last few days little girl was very quiet. I felt her only a few times throughout the day but it was very light. I think she may have been turned around and was kicking inward instead of outward. Last night I decided I'd play some music for her. We had bought the Jewel Lullaby CD from iTunes and downloaded it onto my iPod. The music is so soothing and relaxing. She was kicking so strong last night while I played the music that I actually think I felt her kick from the outside. It was ah-ma-zing! Unfortunatly Mike is away in San Diego (can I say jealous? I want to be in California) for the week so he wasn't here to feel it but I'm sure she'll be up for it again when he gets home Friday.

This is the CD:


I should also add, to play the music we use the maternity belt that came in this gift set (given to me by my sister) and the head phones go under the belt to play the music. The doppler that comes in this set doesn't work (or so I've heard from my sister and Erin who have both used this set before me).


If you are interested in a home doppler, we have the HiBebe and it works great. I got it for Christmas (thanks babe) and it was very reasuring knowing that she was doing great between appointments. It has a digital screen that tells you the heart rate.

133 Days to go!

Today I am 21 weeks. I am over that hump of the half way point and am now at the point of counting down to D-Day (or due date). 133 days to go! Courtney's kicks are becoming stronger but still feel like twitches (I just know what they are now). We aren't able to feel them on the outside yet, but hopefully soon before Mike leaves for South Carolina for a month. We did a little bit of shopping over the weekend and picked up two outfits (one at Target and one at Kohls) and together they were both under $20 bucks. Yeah for deals! I'm feeling really good (loving the 2nd trimester) and am looking forward to our trip to Babies R Us this coming weekend to start our registry. Babies R Us is about 50 miles away plus a ferry ride so this is our chance to look at the items we like and decide between items like strollers and carseats. It's not like we can go back easily if we forgot to look at something.

A little about baby this week:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a banana. 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.