So for some reason the website won't let me upload photos this week. I'm not sure what is wrong with it, but it is kinda frustrating. Hopefully it will start working again for me soon.

Today is V-Day for me and Peanut. No, not Valentine's Day. Viable day. We have finally reach the point where if for some reason she needs to be born early she has a fighting chance to survive. Of course I don't want her to be born for another 16 weeks, but it is good to know that we have reached this wonderful milestone.

My family is throwing me a shower today! I'm quite excited to get to see everyone and celebrate Peanut. It is making me realize that the nursery is still just a guest/storage room right now and will need a lot of work before we can start taking all the baby stuff in there. I can't believe how fast all of this is going.

On a not completely baby related note. I got a digital SLR camera yesterday! It is a Nikon D90 so I can use my old lenses from my 35mm Nikon and borrow some lenses from my dad too (or just take them ;)). I am hoping to learn a bit more about the camera and start taking some better photos and hopefully get some better lights and backdrops so that we can save some money with Peanut and do our own "professional" photos instead of spending money to have someone else do them.

23 weeks

So nothing that big and exciting has happened this week as far as the pregnancy goes. I've been feeling many more kicks and punches, but she is still really shy about letting other people feel her kick or punch.

This past weekend some of Sean and my friends from Toledo came to visit so now I'm exhausted, but we had a lot of fun. Steffy and Kris gave us this really cute scrapbook for the baby's first year. I took pictures of it that I will post on here hopefully later today because Steffy did just a great job making it.

How far along? 23 weeks 2 days
How big is baby? about the size of a small doll
Total weight gain? again, I'm not saying. I guess if the doctor isn't worried about how much I have gained then I won't worry either :)
Stretch marks? none yet :)
Sleep? Not all that great, but better since I got a new body pillow
Maternity clothes? yep
Belly button in or out? still kinda in, but mostly flat
Best moment this week: getting to open the first official gift for her
Movement: There is a lot of this, especially on my bladder :(
Food cravings: not so much a craving, but I've been eating a lot of dairy, particularly milkshakes, because it helps with heartburn.
Labor signs: none yet :)
What I miss: Well this weekend it was actually beer because we had company and I couldn't have any...I just had to settle for smelling it.
What I am looking forward to: Baby shower this Sunday with my family :)
Milestones: I think I am finally done registering...there is just way too much baby stuff out there.

22 Weeks

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

How far along? 22 weeks 1 day

How big is baby? About 10 inches

Total weight gain: I don't really want to say :)
Stretch marks? Nope (hopefully it will stay that way)
Sleep: I'm sleeping a lot better than I was a few weeks ago. Now I'm just waking up to try to roll over, or when I need to go to the bathroom (which right now is only 1-2 times a night :))

Maternity clothes? A must

Belly button in or out? Ummm...neither? It is kinda flat right now

Best moment this week: Starting to buy things for our little girl

Movement: There has been lots of movement. A lot of the kicks are visible if you happen to be looking at my belly at the right time
Food cravings: Just cold things since it has been so hot here
Labor Signs: None thank goodness
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: Painting and setting up the nursery
Milestones: I have been able to brush my teeth without feeling nauseous all week :)

A couple months ago I went to a garage sale and the lady had a whole bunch of little girls clothes in the right size/season as what we are going to need for our little one, but at the time I didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy. I took the lady's name and phone number and told her I would call her if we found out we were having a girl. I went this morning to look through all the stuff that she hadn't sold and bought so much. I got about 30 different outfits plus a bunch of extra shirts all for around $50. If I would have bought all of this new it would have been well over $300. I figure if our little peanut doesn't wear it then its not a bit deal because I didn't spend that much. She said she is going to have a garage sale ever year so I need to keep her address handy.

Ultrasound Photos

The ultrasound tech was super nice and got a lot of good pictures.

Peanut is a girl!

So we had our big ultrasound yesterday and everything looks great, plus we got a very clear view that Peanut is a GIRL! We are both super excited. I can't wait to go out this next week and start buying stuff for her. I'm sure she is going to be super spoiled (although, I have a feeling a boy would have been spoiled as well). We received some cute ultrasound pictures that I will try to post tonight or tomorrow, whenever I get my scanner hooked up.

Halfway!

So today marks the halfway point of this pregnancy. I can't believe it has already been 20 weeks. This past week was a bit harder at work than typical for me, just a bit more walking/standing than sitting due to a coworker leaving to go back to school. Because of being on my feet a bit more I noticed Friday and Saturday that my ankles and feet were really swollen. Today I took it easy around the house and just spent time watching tv and reading baby books all afternoon with my feet up. The swelling has gone down and I'm feeling a lot more relaxed. While I was laying on the couch I felt the baby move a few times and when I looked down I could actually see it! It was really weird to see part of my belly poke out at random times.

I have been researching a bunch of baby stuff and feel I am almost ready to venture into the baby store again. Last time it was so overwhelming because I didn't know about any of the brands or anything, but now I feel prepared.

Thursday is the big ultrasound day! Hopefully Peanut won't be modest and will give us a good view of whether we should be buying blue or pink.

I decided that since I am at the halfway point now would be a good time to include a baby belly bump picture. The first is 5 weeks pregnant, taken just a few days after we found out, and the second was taken today.