Growing with Friends...Nate and Brenna

When I was 6 weeks pregnant +/- Michael and I were in charge of the monthly Engaged and Newly Marrieds Class event which was whirlyball. About two weeks before the event we found out we were pregnant and decided that a bunch of mini car wrecks (whirly ball is like a bumper car/la crosse hybrid) probably wouldn't be good for a growing fetus. Fortunately, I was supposed to get my braces on the Friday before and so I planned to use a headache/sore teeth as a reason not to be out there driving around and crashing into our classmates.

At the whirly ball event, our good friend Brenna also said she needed to sit out because she "just hadn't been feeling good." Once everyone was out on the court ready to drive I asked if she was sick. Her response? "I think I'm pregnant." Turns out she knew she was pregnant, but they had only told family and were waiting until they were further along to tell friends. She told me, because 1) if you know Brenna she does not have a good poker face 2) because if you know Brenna she would have felt guilty about 'lying' and 3) because I'm her favorite person (but that one's just hypothesis). :-) I was so excited to know that we'd get to share in our pregnancy experience with some of our very favorite people - Nate and Brenna - but we hadn't told any of our family yet and weren't planning to for another month and half, so with all of the will power I have I managed not to tell her right then and there that we were due just 5 days before they were.

For weeks (6 weeks to be exact) Nate, Brenna's husband, asked Michael if we were trying to have a baby, if we'd 'been successful' at making a baby, etc. and Michael just tortured and tortured him. One night we were all out to eat at Chuy's and when Nate and Michael went to the bathroom Nate straight asked "Is Natasha pregnant?"

Michael: "Yup."
Nate: "Really?"
Michael: "Yup."
Nate: "REALLY?!"
Michael: "Nope."

Anyway, when we finally told our families that we were pregnant, we were so excited to call Nate and Brenna and tell them that our baby was due Feb. 7th (theirs is due Feb. 12th). It has been so wonderful to share a pregnancy with a friend like Brenna and I can only imagine that it will be even more fun to share the experience (and provide support to each other) as we both add new babies to our lives within the next two weeks.

We haven't been very good about documenting, but here are a few pictures before their baby, Dane, and our baby _ _ _ _ _ _ _ meet 'in person' so to speak.

Below: Brenna and Me at 28 Weeks - Front View

Below: Brenna and Me at 28 Weeks - Side View

Below: At 31-ish weeks at my shower with the hostesses.

Below: At Brenna's shower at around 35 Weeks

(my belly looks so much bigger than hers in this picture!!!)

Below: Brenna and Me at 38 Weeks

(We actually played Wi Fit at their house this night which supposedly sent our friend Angie into labor.... but it didn't do squat for either of us as we're both still pregnant at the time I write this!)

Below: Brenna and Me at 38 Weeks - back to back

We love you guys and we can't wait to meet your beautiful (probably red-headed) son Dane when he decides to make his appearance! I'm already looking forward to the play dates....

38 Weeks and Counting...

Well, here we are two weeks from the due date. I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb and it seems the rest of the world views me that way as well considering the faces I got at the gym on Saturday when I went to the pool and people asked "How far along are you?".

I have to tell you, it's very satisfying to say "9 months". Satisfying because I know the end of the huge belly is near and satisfying because the moment when we meet this little girl is near. I have so many friends that have little ones that are now a couple of months old that say they see me and miss being pregnant, so I will try and relish these last couple of days... I AM certainly enjoying the lots of sleep that I'm currently getting, but there are things I miss like my mobility, jean selection, hugging Michael like a normal person and running. (Granted, it's not like I was running consistently when I got pregnant, but I see people out jogging and I miss it. This stands to be compounded as Michael begins "race season" with marathons, half marathons and tri's on the schedule for this Spring. I always enjoy watching the races, but without fail they get me excited to get out and do one!)

Below: The belly at 38 Weeks.

I know that not all things I miss will return immediately - that it will take time for life to find a new normal - but there are also things that I am looking forward to with _(baby name here)_. This week I have started thinking ahead....

• to Easter and how Michael's family (and others we love from College Station) will be up in Dallas for LTC (Leadership Training for Christ) and how _ _ _ _ _ _ _ will be the perfect age for seeing her first chorus performance or puppet show
• to cousin Brenna's wedding and how _ _ _ _ _ _ _ will get to meet some of our very extended family and visit SA
• to my first Mother's Day
• to Summer at the Sparkman pool
• to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ meeting Clara Skow and all the other babies that have recently arrived
• to family vacations with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ who will be experiencing all of these things for the first time

There are many other things that I am looking forward to that are even further away and I can't help but anticipate all that is to come following the moment that we welcome this little one into the world. We can't wait to meet her and we can't wait to share her with all of the family and friends that anticipate her arrival as well.

The Nursery (37 Weeks... and Counting)

Below: 37 Weeks, Belly Front View

Below: 37 Weeks, Belly Side View

(On a Side Note: These khakis are from Old Navy and fit terribly - they're bunchy in the front with extra material way below where the pregnant belly would be and the panel hits right at my belly button which is such a strange and uncomfortable spot. Pregnant friends, you might steer clear of these - they have to be ordered online and then if you want to return them it's like $6 in return shipping... that's precisely why I still have them, b/c with the coupon I used, that was like 1/3 of the cost and so I figured I'd just keep them.)

Who cares if the original goal was to get the nursery done in the second trimester. I was full term as of Monday 1/17, 37 weeks, and the nursery is BASICALLY done. And by basically, I mean if the baby came today, I wouldn't cry alligator tears!

Below: Clear glass, rose knob on the closet door.

Below: Our closet, stocked full of diapers thanks to the awesome girls in our neighborhood who threw a diaper shower for Andress and me. Yes, there are also a pair of skinny jeans in there - who knew they made these for baby!?!

Below: The nursery with the crib, glider, curtains and some misc. items laying around that need to be hung on the wall.The baby has transitioned from a honeydew to a watermelon this week and she's perfecting her "breathing" in the womb. I have officially passed the stage in my pregnancy that many of our friends have skipped (the large majority of our friends over the last 6 months have had their first babies up to 4 weeks early) and as much as I really didn't feel I could go another month, I have tried to mentally prepare myself to go all the way to the due date, though hopefully not beyond!

We had a sonogram at the end of the 37 weeks where we weren't able to see much since she is so jam packed in my belly at this stage, but we can tell a few things:

• Baby's organs all still look wonderful and appear to be functioning properly
• Baby's head, torso and femur are all measuring as normal
• Fluid around the baby is not too much, not too little
• Baby is enormous

Okay, so maybe she isn't ENORMOUS, but they estimated her at 8 lbs. as of 37 weeks and 4 days (+/- 1.5 lbs). Because she is measuring large, which she has been since about 27 weeks, they've actually scheduled another sonogram at 39 weeks to check on things - assuming that I haven't gone into labor by then. For now I guess, it's just a waiting game!

Until 38 weeks...

36 Weeks and Counting...

Baby is still the size of a honeydew according to TheBump.com, but she's been that size for what seems like weeks now and I KNOW my belly has grown. Holy cow has it grown. My skin hurts and my insides hurt as my body works to accommodate a full blown baby in there... as much as I am uncomfortable, I am still sleeping well (and hard) and for the most part getting around very well. Even with the discomfort, the wonder of what God designed our bodies to do is there along with a sense of gratitude for my long torso (which God designed as well, haha)!

Our weekly doctor's appointments start this week and next week we'll have a sonogram to "guess the baby's size". The only function that is still maturing for baby is 'breathing' as her lungs practice expanding with the amniotic fluid. As far as I can tell she hasn't "dropped" and if you asked me how she was positioned, I'd say that she's breach with her head on my right side, but that's just me guessing what all these lumps and bumps are. They haven't felt the belly to see how she's positioned at any of our last visits, but she's getting to the stage where MOST babies turn down so I guess we'll know in the next couple of weeks if she has.

Michael has really been pushing this last week for me to pack a bag and make his "hospital cheat sheet" which makes me smile because it's just him wanting to make sure he knows exactly what to do when I call him (probably panicked, I mean, let's be real here for a moment) to say "THIS BABY IS COMING!".

Just the other night he looked at my belly and sighed "Man, when is she going to get here?" His impatience makes me smile and I can't wait to see the joy in his eyes when he holds this little girl for the first time.

35 Weeks and Counting...Nursery Progress

Ooohhh baby... You are large, or at least you sure feel that way. You do strange things with your pointy little limbs particularly when I lay on my side at night. You are wide awake around 4:30am (around the time that I have to get up for a bathroom break, which is very inconvenient for daddy who usually gets woken up too and whose alarm goes off just 30 mins later). Aaand for some reason you make my belly jut out at the top, slant downward and then round out at the bottom.

Below, the Belly at 35 Weeks

35 Weeks was an important week for productivity in our expecting-Anderson-household. Michael installed shelves in the baby's closet...

Below, Michael reading instructions for the shelves.

Note: Michael said he'd prefer if I not take pictures of him reading instructions, but rather take pictures of him working with tools. I explained to him that he was much more of a man for actually reading instructions than for knowing how to use tools.

We installed baseboards (shout out and thanks to the Francis family who had a saw we could borrow)...

Below, Michael uses the tiny flowered hammer I got from mom this Christmas to pull out the nails from the OLD baseboards. Huck is a great supervisor!

Below, Michael puts in the finishing nails for the baseboards.

We assembled the crib and dresser...

Aaand we found out that the lovely bedskirt mom and I made is too long, so I begin yet another sewing project for baby - shortening the skirt. I'm hopeful that pics of that are to come for week 36!

32, 33 and 34 Weeks... and counting

Well this is the home stretch people! It hurts me to bend over and get things out from under my desk and I occasionally request help putting on shoes or socks depending on how limber I'm feeling. Mostly, I just feel LARGE and yes, I know, it will only get worse. Our baby feels like she is all knees, elbows and heels these days. Michael marveled the other night at how little flesh stands between us and this little girl in there squirming around.

32 Weeks

33 Weeks 34 Weeks

We've purchased baseboards and they have one of two coats of paint, the windowsill has been primed, and we've completed our "Labor in a Day" Childbirth class at the hospital. We've pulled the shelving out of the boxes and Michael is going to begin that installation this afternoon when he gets home from work. Later this week is baseboard installation. We OWN a crib and dresser that await assembly once some of the "construction" is complete.

My bellybutton has had a tough couple of weeks and is now hardly an outie and more like a little bump with a wrinkle at the top. It now has a stretch mark right at the top as well (thank you pregnancy fairy) and I'm at bi-weekly doctors appointments. As we left College Station to head back to Dallas from Christmas we realized that the next time we see our families our baby will be on the way or here... wow, now THAT is crazy!

Our holidays were wonderful and as the cameras flashed and people cheered and made funny raspberry noises with their mouths to try and get a grin out of our sweet nephew Jackson for his first Christmas, I am excited for next Christmas when Jackson will be 18 months and showing his 10 month old-ish cousin how this whole Christmas thing works. I'm also excited to be the one that crashes my family's Christmas with the first great grandbaby - sure to be into everything by the time next Christmas comes around.

29, 30 and 31 weeks... and counting

Well it's time to face the reality of it all. I'm 31 weeks pregnant, the nursery is not done, we do not own a crib, our "sitting room" looks like Babies R Us threw up and I have done about 10% of my Christmas shopping. We did have a wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving, but last/this week I am back to work where we are discussing some major re-branding to happen early next year and 2011 Media plans. This is all just work-speak to you guys, but for me it means travel (just this week) and very busy work days at least until Christmas.

The upside of the nursery... My bedding is totally complete, I just haven't posted any pictures because there isn't really a good way to "display" it so I'm just waiting for the crib. The room is painted, Michael took all the wiring OUT of the nursery closet and rewired it to drop into the hall closet as well as replaced all the sockets with child proof ones. The blinds are back up and the closet is completely painted. Dad was here a couple of weeks ago and helped dramatically with putting a coat of paint on the walls and helping us sand and patch the closet. Cleaning the carpet, painting the windowsill, and installing baseboards and closet shelving remain.

Below: See dad and Michael "discussing" in the nursery.

It is noticeably harder these days to:

• Put on socks, pantyhose, shoes, etc.
• Shave my legs (thank heaven it's winter!)
• Roll over in bed at night
• Get up off the floor or out of a chair
• Bend over to pet Huckleberry (or to scold him and drag him out of the backyard where he is chasing squirrels)

I am still sleeping hard and sound at night and I am VERY thankful for this. I am dreaming vivdly, but not having any crazy baby dreams. I am exceptionally hungry and thirsty most of the time. Every couple of days (what used to be) my belly button hurts and burns while my body tries to grow and accommodate this little person that God is growing in there, but other than that and the occasional aching in my left leg I really still feel pretty good. I am VERY thankful for this as well! At times Michael and I can distinctly feel something hard pressing from inside my belly like a butt or head or knee (ha! it's distinctly there under the skin, but it's totally indistinct what it is!) and this is exciting b/c it's different than the little jabs and kicks we were feeling before when baby had more room to move.

At 29 weeks my friend Allison who is a photographer was so kind to take some maternity photos of us in downtown Grapevine. You can see some of the pics on her blog http://allisonharmsphotography.blogspot.com/2010/11/michael-and-natashas-maternity-shoot.html and you can see others here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=583980&id=864180073&l=b640afaa04 . They came out so great and we have so many that we love of Michael and I + baby belly.

During week 30 we had our second super high-tech sonogram and confirmed the baby is still a girl! Whew! She still looks perfectly healthy (so much to be thankful for!), they estimate she weighs 3.7 lbs and her femur measured longer than average... shocker! She's measuring about 2 weeks ahead of my due date, but our OB said the Dr. that did the sonogram always tells people their babies are huge, so maybe she's not quite so large after all.

The belly at 30 weeks.

The belly at 31 weeks.

Sweet Things...

Last weekend we were in College Station and got to have lunch with Ninny and Opa at Red Lobster after church. I don't remember how we got to the subject of the baby, but Michael said "Did you ever think you'd be sitting here talking about your great grandbaby that is on the way?"

I wish that I would have done a better job of mentally noting what Opa said, but the gist of it was that he didn't ever expect it because sometimes as you're going along through life you just have no idea what good things that God has in store for your future. There is no way of us knowing what our future might hold and what events might occur to change your circumstances in ways you never expected... He said that sometimes when we're younger we just don't know how good we have it so that we can just stop and appreciate where we're at, at that time.

I thought this was such a nice thing to be said in regard to this sweet first great grandbaby on the way. Ninny and Opa, I know that you are so much looking forward to meeting this baby girl that is growing by the day and I hope that you know how very excited we are to share her with you.

Psalm 127:3-5
Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them...

26, 27 and 28 Weeks and Counting...

Well, sometimes life just gets in the way of things we intend to do... and for me, it gets in the way of blogging. Ha! Among other things! I tried to tell Michael that he was behind on updating the blog (I believe he last posted several months ago), but I am the one that started this weekly pregnancy update in the first place.

Here is my attempt at catch-up! The last couple of weeks have been full. Full of my birthday, Halloween (I guess technically these two things were on the tail end of week 25), our 2-year anniversary (which included a wonderful and relaxing trip to Hot Springs, AR), our first baby shower (yay!), a visit from my dad and plenty of other things!

Week 26 we got started in the baby's room which involved quite a few samples of paint, some ripping out of base boards, some patching of holes in the wall (they were there before, we did not make them!) and some Halloween dress-up. The belly pic for 26 weeks was actually taken on the last day of week 25 so that we could document our fabulous last-minute costumes that we donned for passing out candy. My 80's make-up is so awesome that the little girl next door kept saying "Why does your face look so different?" Michael said he found it disturbing that I even owned the colors of eyeshadow that I wore that night, but he got some funny looks himself since I think the neighbors weren't sure if his 'white trash' costume was a costume or not!

Below: 26 Weeks - Family Photo

Below: Cozy Bed and Breakfast, Hilltop Manor, where we stayed in Hot Springs, AR

Below:The baby loves hiking! The fall color there was really pretty though you can't tell very well from this picture. Notice the camo jacket!

Below: View over Hot Springs. A note about these maternity jeans, I should have bought the smaller size... the droopy booty is especially evident in this picture!

Below: The belly at 27 Weeks - Hucklebear gets in on the picture action just to make sure you know that he was here BEFORE the baby. :)

My College Station shower was this last weekend on the 13th and I had such a wonderful time with such lovely hostesses! Susan Fox (my 'adopted mother') hosted the shower at her home along with my two fabulous sisters-in-law on the far left and the far right, and college friends Meredith (with the glasses) and Stacey (in green) - see picture below. This is one of those things that makes the baby feel very real. We received so many beautiful little outfits and blankets and toys as well as some of the essentials that we so desperately need - it reminds me that this precious little person growing in my belly right now will soon be joining our lives. I am so thankful to be surrounded by such love and support during this joyous time - it makes what is already a happy time all the sweeter!

Below: Me and the hostesses for my College Station Shower on Nov. 13th.

Below: We also had a joint celebration for both mine and Michael's birthday while in CS with the Anderson fam.

On the last day of week 27 I officially finished the organizer that Mom and I started sewing for the baby's room, the crib bumpers are done, and today I plan to finish the crib/bed skirt. Since we're in town this next weekend I am hopeful that I'll have pictures to show of the painted, baseboard-ed nursery and bedding by week 29.

The baby is about the size of an eggplant these days and she's practicing "breathing" the amniotic fluid to prepare her lungs for life outside the womb. She's most active in the mornings and in the evenings, so usually it's just Michael that catches her punches and kicks, but she did put on a little show for Aunt Sara during church this last Sunday. Baby Girl Anderson is anywhere from 1.5 to 2.2 lbs these days and still wrinkly, but less so as fat deposits under her skin. I'm still sleeping hard at night and hoping this lasts as my friends that pass the 30 week mark tell me that's when it gets hard. Yesterday I bought the biggest YAM at the grocery store I'd ever seen. I was showing it to Michael when I realized it was about the size of our baby.

Below: Michael 'burps' our baby Yam. What a good daddy!

We have another big sonogram appointment on Michael's birthday, Nov. 23rd so hopefully we'll have some great sonogram pics to show off before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Below: Last, but not least, this is where we're at today at 28 Weeks

Until next week... or a few weeks from now... :)

25 Weeks... Hello 3rd Trimester, Goodbye Stomach Bug!

Well the 24th week ended up being tougher than expected thanks to some strange flu-like symptoms including fevers, chills, vomiting and sore throats that plagued the Anderson household. It spared no one but Hucklebear, which basically means it took Michael and I out for a few days. That said, we're much much better now and moving on into week 25.

Week 25, baby will celebrate my birthday with me (in my belly), her first Halloween (in my belly), attend her first San Antonio Builder Guide Builder Rally (in my belly with all the candy that I'll plan to eat there), and begin painting her room (from my belly). Fortunately for her, I took two days off this week to allow for all this quality time!

This is also the week of the much anticipated glucose test. I'm certainly hoping that I don't find out I have gestational diabetes as we approach the holidays!!!

The belly at 25 weeks.

Me exasperated because I was trying to get the pants situated to take the belly picture and the camera died. Then the OTHER camera died. Either way, this is the belly at 25 weeks.

24 Weeks and Counting...Sewing, Showing & Growing

This past week I went to San Antonio for work and stayed through the weekend with mom to work on baby bedding. We made incredible progress over the weekend sewing virtually non-stop and have nearly completed our project. I will be attempting to finish the bedding up myself and I'm hoping this attempt is successful since I also broke down and bought a pattern for baby clothes on Sunday. Whoops! haha

Mom cutting out pieces on the bed - there was fabric everywhere for this project!

Me adjusting my shirt to prepare for MORE cutting. The belly really looks large here!

At 24 weeks, I regularly incite comments like "Op! Looks like someone has an additional passenger." as I worked my way through the security line at the airport and "You shouldn't be lifting that. Can I carry that for you?" And the belly continues to grow! It is noticeably harder now for me to bend over and pick things up, it's harder to roll over in bed at night and I am hungry all the time, but I can't eat nearly as much in one sitting because of all the space that baby now consumes.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by the growth that is to come in the remaining weeks. I'm overwhelmed when I think about our baby being here in 112 days or less (that's right people, I'm still not hoping she'll be past-due but I do really appreciate all of you that tell me about your babies that came 2 and 3 weeks late) and excited about all of the learning that we have to do between now and then AND after she arrives.

I'm particularly amazed to think of her in there this week because my twin cousins Heather and Holly were born somewhere between 24 and 25 weeks and I feel like they give me a glimpse of what Baby Anderson must look like in there. They were so tiny with red skin that you couldn't rub because it hurt them, no visible nipples at all (which is why I found it fascinating that these are on Baby Anderson's development list for this month!), their eyes were still sealed shut and admittedly, they were still very unprepared to be in this world. However as unbelievably tiny as they were, they were in many other ways more prepared than you would expect for being born just over half way through a pregnancy. They were living breathing babies and with help from the NICU they and are now happy 1-year olds! So when I think about our daughter being that much of a baby hanging out under this swell of belly.... well, that is pretty amazing.

I look admittedly tired in this picture, but I wanted to hurry and take it early into week 24 for accurate documentation. The belly at 24 weeks.

23 Weeks and Counting...Hi-YAH!

Having never had to write out the noise that you would make when doing a karate chop, I'm not sure if "hi-YAH!" is the proper spelling, but it's my best attempt.

At 23 weeks on the dot, Michael felt the baby move. He's also seen the baby move my belly! So much of the time it seems that she is active when we're not together (e.g. when I'm at work, or happen to be up later than him) but Sunday night after Michael arrived home from his Vegas trip and we'd eaten dinner with Murray, Helen, Charlie and Cathy at Pappasitos, I sat on our bed and waited. Michael leaned on the edge of the bed waiting and watching and then he saw it - little bumps from tiny punches and kicks on the surface of my belly.

The growth spurt as promised a few weeks ago from our doctor has begun. I'm sure the pictures will only get more entertaining from here, but I share these because they're part of this crazy journey that is our first baby and because I know all who read this blog love us (big belly and all). Oh, and some of you may have made special request to see the belly button! haha

The baby is continuing to beef up for 23 weeks and as I travel to San Antonio for 5 nights this week (Wed. - Sun.) I am sure that she will grow even more and surprise Michael when I return home. Truthfully, it doesn't even feel like my body when I look at these pictures below because it's sort of surreal that this whole process is taking place separate and apart from anything that I am consciously doing for this baby. She grows on and the belly stretches on and for the most part I am still feeling pretty good!

23 Weeks from the Side

23 Weeks from the Front (plus one cute Hucklebear!)

22 Weeks and Counting...Thumping Pumkins

Well, Wednesday is better than nothing for my weekly update! I am starting this post late at night on Tuesday actually (though I doubt it will be finished for days) and Michael has already gone to bed. I'm up working, but I just couldn't resist starting this post now because....

Last Wednesday, midway through week 21, we had our monthly checkup. Dr. Thurston listened to the heartbeat and measured my belly and assured us everything was completely normal even though I wasn't feeling the baby yet. Apparently the way the placenta is positioned acts as a big pillow in front of the baby, making it harder for me to feel her movements, blah, blah, pregnancy talk. Anyway, I think it was Thursday afternoon at work (the very next day!), when I was sitting at my desk and thought I felt her move... then again! ... and again! I didn't have this feeling of flutters, bubbles, or these other tickle-y sounding feelings that other people described. Instead, this felt like a thumping on the inside of a pumpkin and that pumpkin is my belly! Truthfully, I told Michael that it was like thumping a melon from the inside out... but I mean, it's October now - so, pumpkin it is!

As I sit on the couch she was moving around like a mad woman in there and I could even feel her when I put my hand on my stomach. And so, I ran and woke Michael up, put his hand on my belly and waited.... nothing,.... stillness... of course! Back on the couch she's up to her previous antics! SIGH. Maybe it will be another week or so for daddy.

The week by week developments now are more general because her main task is to gain weight. All of our resources compiled guess/estimate the following things for this week: she is sleeping 12 to 14 hours a day (JEALOUS!), she can now hear noise outside the womb, she is sprouting nipples (more on why this is fascinating later), her face is fully formed, she's growing tooth buds beneath her gums, and she is about the size of a papaya.

She's still got thin wrinkly, hairy skin - until her body pads up with fat - and the irises in her eyes still lack pigment. Now don't get me wrong, this is our precious daughter in there, who I am sure is just lovely... but it does sound like this week she's still got a pretty good look going for Halloween! haha

This week marks the first week that people have asked me when our baby was due and if I had an announcement. I am now CLEARLY pregnant to the world - and so much so that these people are brave enough to ask. Michael is still "just ready for her to get here" and is loving watching the growing belly thinking about his daughter-to-come. I'm not joking when I tell you that if you think daddies with babies are sweet, it will melt your heart to watch your husband preparing to become one. I definitely shed a tear at Target the other day three pages into a picture book with little quotes called "Why Daughters Need Their Dads".

Until we blog again....

22 Weeks (note the awesome maternity jeans that cover up a large portion of the belly and do a strange wrinkle thing in the back still because my belly isn't big enough to pull them tight)

Cramps, Cravings and Other Pregnant Oddities...21 Weeks

Today (Monday) I am officially past the halfway mark, I am 21 weeks. Just to clarify (if you're like me before I was pregnant and your brain doesn't work in pregnancy weeks) I have been pregnant for about 4 1/2 months now and I am 'in the 5th month'.

I haven't talked much about pregnancy symptoms in these blog posts, but let me just take a moment to tell you about all the strange little things that many people fail to talk about in regards to pregnancy... My calves are tight like I've just done 100 calf raises and didn't stretch afterwards - they cramp regularly in the middle of the night causing me to leap from bed and startling Michael awake. My mouth is extra watery. I am extra thirsty. My nails are growing fast, but they're thin. My cravings and aversions are random and unexplained - I want Cesar salad desperately, first trimester regular mint flavors sounded gross and now the cinnamon that I replaced the other mints with tastes strange. I gag when I take vitamins or any other pill, which I never did before, and this is especially inconvenient now as I have more pills to take than ever with all the vitamins (and now Tylenol thanks to braces)! Last but not least... a better known 'symptom' is the popping belly button, but it feels entirely too early for my belly button to be on the way out - in my mind that is for 'really pregnant people' - but perhaps I just don't realize that I'm in that category!

Still, as I tell anyone who asks, this pregnancy has been so easy compared to others I've heard of, I really can't complain! I feel good most days and all the check ups I've had have been positive. We love our doctor, I have a wonderful, supporting husband and friends and we're really looking forward to sharing this beautiful little girl (skeletor) with our loved ones.

21 weeks from the side
21 weeks from the front