Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween and I was shocked to find a ton of people dressed up in my office as a pregnant woman! I guess an e-mail was sent out that since there are already 7 pregnant women in the office that everyone else would jump on the bandwagon and be knocked up for Halloween :)My little purple monkeyCharley and Gadget, my little monkey'sMe 24 weeks, Ami dressed up, Suhail dressed up, Jessey 29 weeks and Cristina 16 weeksDoshie the pregnant clown, Henriette pregnant super hero, me, Melissa pregnant super hero, Beverly resident midwife and CristinaCristina, me, Jessey and AmiJessey, Ami and I.Jessey and a headless monkey :)

24 Weeks!

Charley has been crazy active the past few days. Yesterday I was sitting at the office and my belly started jumping up and down. It was awesome! When I got home she was still active so I asked Shaun to come talk to my belly for a little. Her kicks got so hard I thought for sure she was going to come right through my belly button! She loves to kick her daddy. Sometimes I feel the same way, so I completely understand :P I was especially happy that she was so active the past few days because my heartburn has been so bad I thought I was going to die. Thank goodness she was able to balance out the good and the bad or I don't know if I would have made it this week.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 he hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.You may find tying your shoes and bending over are more difficult as your baby bump grows bigger. Your unborn baby's growth spurt means you may have itchiness and soreness as the skin stretches to make room. Your joints will loosen as pregnancy hormones soften them to accommodate your baby and to prepare your body for labor. You may be discouraged to see the scale inching (or jumping!) upwards. Pregnancy is not the right time to try to lose weight or begin a rigorous exercise regime, but regular exercise can be beneficial and ease some of your pregnancy pains. Happy Halloween everyone :-D

Tower of Terror 13K

Last night Shaun ran his first race. Shaun decided he wanted to start training for a marathon this past January. He turned 30 in September and had never run a mile let alone a marathon. This 8 miles was an important milestone for him. Last nights Tower of Terror 13K was awesome. I was so proud of Shaun, he was incredible. I had a lot of fun watching him accomplish his first race.
Signing the Hotel RegisterReady to start the raceStanding in line for a porta-pottie. Oh the captured memories.At the start line.On last one of the two of us before he's off.In the line waiting to leave everyone in the dust.My orange blob running the streets of Hollywood Sudios mile 7Mile 8, ready to finish.Finished! Look at that shiny medal!It was a great night, Shaun started a little after 10pm and finished around 11:30. Then we walked around a fairly empty Hollywood Studios until almost 2am, so it was quite the night. This morning we were able to view Shaun's time.Pretty amazing for someone that couldn't run a block without having an asthma attack in January. Awesome job honey! I was so happy to be there for you. I'm so proud of you and I love you!

23 Weeks!

I was feeling bored with the same old black sensor boxes so I decided to spice up this weeks censored cartoon naked pregnant lady with orange "pasties." I'm feeling a little spunky this week :) I finally feel like I'm able to work out without passing out, which is nice and makes me feel like less of a fat cow. I've had horrible heartburn/indigestion and sciatic nerve pain, but aside from that I feel ok. Charley kept me up ALL night last night kicking the crap out of me. It's so nice to feel her and I smile every time, but in the middle of a sleepless night I was ready for her to settle down and let me get some sleep. I realize she's preparing me for all those sleepless nights to come once she's here, but she's got a while to cook before she's ready to come out and I'd prefer to sleep a bit in the meantime.How your baby's growing: 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.Twenty-three weeks marks an important point for your unborn baby. Your baby-to-be is far enough along in her development that she could have a chance at survival outside the womb. According to the March of Dimes, of all babies born at 23 weeks, 25 to 35 percent survive. This number goes up considerably when you add just a couple weeks: babies born between 50 to 70 percent of all babies born at 24 to 25 weeks survive. And 90 percent of all babies born at 26 to 27 weeks survive. Although all of your baby-to-be's internal systems are in place, she needs more time for those intricate systems to mature.

22 Weeks

I'm 22 weeks and obviously pregnant. I'm starting to get comments (mostly questions) from strangers. A lot of "When are you due? What are you having? How are you feeling?" and yesterday some random college student walked up to me, looked at my belly all shocked and said "Oh my gosh, congratulations!" I thought it was pretty funny, since I had no idea who she was.
You're probably feeling fetal movement throughout the day now that your baby's getting bigger. And as she grows, your body has to make room. Your stomach will have less space to expand, meaning you may suffer heartburn and indigestion, especially at night. Add to that the fact that pregnancy hormones can slow digestion making your tummy troubles even worse. Slight swelling may make your shoes uncomfortable. Your back may also ache with the added weight of your baby bump. Your bladder is also suffering from the space crunch, so expect plenty of potty breaks. My PG-13 "naked lady."At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and about 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.

21 weeks.

I'm 21 weeks and officially hate every single picture of me. I'm not sure if it's the photographer ::coughshauncough:: or that I just look like a complete idiot. I'm quite sure I'm asking Shaun to take nice pictures when he snapped this one....fail.
Here's later in the day...they were so bad I demanded a redo and although i was tired and my makeup had been washed away, it's still a little better then the first.Anyway, I've started to call Charley my little ninjarina because I'm quite certain that she is part ninja and part ballerina. She swims, she kicks, she dances, she punches and before I know it she's going to gain size and strength and it's going to feel like she's swimming, kicking, dancing, punching her way out of me. Tuesday, at the office, I even felt hiccups for the first time. She had finally settled down in there and had been quiet for an hour or so and I started to feel soft little rhythmic kicks that lasted for about 5 minutes. It was so cute and I got absolutely nothing done because I just sat there smiling and touching my belly. Here's my weekly censored naked lady.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.

Shopping for Charlotte!

I got my first two baby items in the mail today. My lovely diaper bag, which smells of shipping and musty storage and needs a good washing (good thing it's dishwasher safe). I love the pattern and think it will be very functional, especially since it will be so easy to clean. We got it on super sale at Mama Bargains which is a great site for baby item deals. I can't wait till we wash it and I can play with it.and my beautiful blanket that I am so in love with. I found it on etsy.com by seller YATOIL who makes beautiful handmade blankets, washcloths, pillows and onesies.

20 Weeks!

20 weeks and happy as a clam as evident by this weeks picture :) I'm exhausted and oh so moody. Charley's been kicking me like crazy, if what everyone keeps saying is true and babies act similar to how they were on the inside, we are going to have one active baby on our hands. It's oh so cute to feel her until she gets close to my bladder and then I start to get nervous. One hard kick in the right direction and I'm not sure what will happen!
Here's my (safe for work) naked lady of the week.Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She'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 her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.) She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).You're finally comfortable in your maternity clothes—your protruding baby bump proudly declaring you're going to be a mom, soon. In fact, you're halfway there! By now you're feeling your unborn baby wiggle and kick—which may be caused by your baby experiencing hiccups. Along with your progressing pregnancy, you may also notice more aches and pains. Your lower back and abdomen may be sore from your growing belly. Heartburn, indigestion, and flatulence are frequent as your expanding uterus allows less space for your stomach. Swelling, called edema, may make your hands and feet uncomfortable, too.