21 Weeks!!!

Your baby is now just over 7¼ inches long from crown to rump (18cm); the size of a banana. Baby weighs just over 10½ oz (300g), still a featherweight. From this point onwards your baby will focus on gaining weight rather than growing in length. Baby will double in length but weight-wise there will be about a 12-fold increase. There is a slowdown in growth but different organ systems within the baby are maturing. By this time the fetal digestive system is able to swallow amniotic fluid; after swallowing, the fetus absorbs much of the water and the rest of the fluid is passed into the large bowel. Researchers believe swallowing amniotic fluid may help in growth and development of the digestive system; it also helps the digestive system to function after birth. Evidence indicates babies at full term may swallow large amounts of fluid as much as 17 oz or 500ml in a 24-hour period. Essential nutrients are passed to the baby from the amniotic fluid.

Our little dresser!

This past weekend we spent the day celebrating my mom's birthday & Father's day in Ventura. It was a great time that all 6 of us (mom, dad, me, Ryan, Kim & Mike)..ok 7 of us (Little Baby Smith too!!!) got to hang out. At any rate, after lunch we walked around downtown Ventura & went into this great antique store and saw this super cute antiqued dresser! I had to have it for LBS' room!!! So...we bought it! I'm just going to change the knobs of the dresser. I'm also going to add a changing pad to the top and use it as a changing table also! Can't wait to use it for the baby!

20 weeks....again!

Since my due date was changed...here is our actual 20 week photo. Wanna know what's going on with LBS?....just read last weeks post! For an update on us though, last night I was laying in bed and felt the baby kick and noticed it was a pretty hard kick. Up to this point, neither Ryan or I have been able to put our hands on my belly & feel the movement. That is until last night, I put my hand on my belly & felt the kick! I woke Ryan up and he immediately put his hand on my belly hoping to also feel the kick...but no such luck. :( This morning, I woke up and felt a bunch of movement, I felt the kicks with my hand and woke Ryan up again with hopes he'd feel it too! Well, after a couple of minutes, I asked him if he had felt that kick & he did!!! He (and I ) were so excited! Another step closer to holding our little baby! We're so excited for all the upcoming events with our little ones development!

Stroller!

Here's a picture of the stoller our friends the Madding's bought us

Crib

Here's a picture of our new (but used) crib! I'm planning on repainting it and maybe "antique-ing" it. None the less, we're stoked to have it!

A change in plans...

Well, we went to the doctor to have our 20 week ultrasound...but didn't. Instead, we had our 19 WEEK ultrasound. Apparently the doctor gave me the wrong date. So, our new due date is November 10th. I thought I might be upset about this, but I am not at all. To be honest, I wanted the baby to be born in November, and didn't want the baby to be born on Halloween...so this makes the option a lot less likely.

On a lighter note, we did get to see Little Baby Smith...and boy has he/she grown! We could actually make out what looked like a baby! It was very exciting. I can tell you that the baby does have 2 legs, 2 hands, 2 eyes & only one head!!! All is good with me and with the baby!

1st picture--baby's head, 2 little fists, & belly
2nd picture- bottom of baby's belly & their legs

Half way there! 20 Weeks!!!

How our baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He'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 his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Crib Bedding is on it's way!!!

YAY!!!!! We bought our crib bedding. While I originally wanted bedding from Pottery Barn, I reevaluated the cost and found something I love even more. I looked around for awhile and found this cute elephant theme bedding & was able to buy it last night! It should come this next week. And while our crib is still in someone else's garage, it's still exciting to think that now the baby can sleep in a cute room. What you see in the picutre is pretty much what I bought. (minus the furniture) I will defeinitely post a picture once I get all of the stuff in the baby's room...I still want Ryan to have his music room in the mean time! :) At any rate, I'm stoked and can't wait to see it all put together--but even more excited to put our baby in their crib!!!

19 Weeks!!!

It's crazy how fast 19 weeks have gone by. Especially when I think of how just 10 short weeks ago I got to see our little baby's heart beat. I'm so excited for next week when we get to see just how much our baby has grown. Just another crazy and amazing reminder of how blessed we are. I still don't think I've felt the baby move at all though...anxious to feel it and actually know what I am feeling. The other day I was watching a movie with Ryan and felt a kind of "flutter" in my tummy and told Ryan how I thought I just felt the baby move...but since I don't really know what I'm feeling for...I'm kinda in the dark. One thing is for certain...I can no longer stand up straight and see my feet! I knew it would happen sooner or later...but it has officially happened! I now need to slightly bend over or kick my legs out in order to see my feet. But like I said, I knew it would eventually happen & I'm glad it has! :)

How our baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

never too early to start planning!

Yay! One step closer to baby...my friend Hayley is throwing me a baby shower and we've picked a date. September 12th won't come soon enough. I love the little steps that bring us closer to seeing our little baby!

Just thought I'd share the exciting news...now off to bed!

toodles,
jen

18 Weeks!!!

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

17 Weeks!!!

How our baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

how big is the baby?

I saw this online and thought it was a pretty good reference!

check it out!

http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/blogs/nb_checklists/pages/how-big-is-baby.aspx

16 Weeks!!!

How our baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now,he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

15 Weeks!!!

How our baby's growing--Week 15:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

14 Weeks!!!

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches —about the size of a lemom — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

A little taste of reality...

Well, Ryan and I went to the doctor today and we got to hear Little Baby Smith's heartbeat. It kinda took the Dr. awhile to find it...seemed like 20 minutes (more like a minute) and then we heard this weird techno-sounding beating noise. It was so exciting. Although, I must say, I was kinda disappointed in the technology. We can send a man to the moon yet the Dr. pulled out this walkie-talkie looking thing to listen to the heartbeat. Really? Oh well, it did the trick! It was just another reminder of God's blessing to our family! It really put us on a high for the day!

I have also had a LC (life-changing) moment when I put on a pair of maternity pants this week. OH MY GOSH! Why have I waited so long to experience this comfort? I should always wear them...pregnant or not! They were even cute looking. I am a firm believer that fashion can come at a cost...and sometimes that is comfort...but holy cow! These were cute and comfy! I plan on purchasing more in the near future.

Just thought I'd share an update of LBS and my stretchy baby pants!

toodles,

jen

13 Weeks!!!

How our baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed in your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

12 Weeks!

Here's a little info on how our Little Baby Smith is growing this week:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.