Dr. Visit

Had my final dr. visit while I'm here in VA today! It went really well! Of course, I've gained weight but I don't think too much... didn't want to ask the doctor too afraid he would frown on the amount. Heard the heartbeat and tried to take a video but not the best one... but it was still there and that is all that matters! Also learned that the placenta is sitting in front so it's acting as a cusion / spong to any kicks and jabbs. I'll still feel the baby on the sides and on the bottom just not in the middle. Hopefully this means toward the end they won't hurt. ;) Other than that, my fundal height measured 22 cm which is right on since I'm 22 weeks! :) Only 3 days left!!! We're excited to see Gary / daddy! :) I finally got a newsletter from parents.com for this week and this is what they have to say... My Baby: In addition to those teeny tastebuds he's sprouting this week, your baby is also developing his sense of touch -- he can experience what his own face feels like, for example. The hair on his head also continues to grow this week, although this is one area where your genes might not make their mark right away. In many cases, the locks your baby's born with bear little resemblance to the hair he'll have at six months old.

22 weeks... about 124 days!!

I had the weekend to myself and it was the best weekend ever while I've been here... besides of course the weekends that I spent away from here! I got a lot done... almost completely packed just have the things I'll be wearing this week. The apartment is cleaned and I also did the March of Dimes March for Babies this weekend. Walked 5 miles @ 5 months!! :) It was great!! The weekend was wonderful!! Great weather... hope it's like this when we get home. Today is a day to be less than desired... it rained all day all the way up to Greenbelt, MD and back again for the most part. Currently, it's thundering out and raining on and off. But it cleans the air and smells wonderful. The grass was also cut this weekend... I love that smell!!! Only 4 more days and Gary and I will be on our way home!!! I think he's going to be very surprised when he sees me... I've got a belly!!! Most of the time I just feel fat. :) Have one more Dr. visit tomorrow. Excited to hear the heartbeat again... it's such a relief month to month to hear that little sound... I'm sure other mothers out there can agree... Our March of Dimes Team: Wallops Young Professionals Organization! A picture I took along the route... toward the end... I think it's my favorite!! My Baby: Hair today, gone tomorrow? Your baby develops two kinds of hair in utero--the soft, downy body hair called lanugo, which generally falls off before or shortly after birth, and the hair on her head. Many parents are surprised (to say the least) to see their baby's hair at birth--blond couples often have black-haired offspring, dark ones are just as likely to deliver a little blond or redhead, and parents who have tight, wiry curls often produce babies with soft, loose ones. The bottom line seems to be that birth hair--or lack thereof--bears little resemblance to your child's "real" hair. The birth hair generally falls out by the time the baby is 6 months old, to be replaced by a more logical set of tresses. Baby's Length: 7-7.5 in. Baby's Weight: 1 lb. Baby's Size: 1 lb. bag of coffee beans How your baby's growing: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his 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 his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Surprise Baby Shower as Good Bye Party!

I've finally reached the single digits!! A week from today Gary and I should be in northern Maryland!! Wednesday a coworker, Sandy, came into my office and gave me a baby gift! :) It was awesome and very thoughtful. I also had my last presentation that day. One step closer to being home. Then today there was a planned Pizza Party as my good bye party and low and behold I walked in and it was a baby shower theme! :) It was a great surprise. The branch came together and gave me some great gifts including a gift card to Wal-mart... I'm sure everything will come in handy when the wee one gets here. Very exciting! Taken Wednesday just before my presentation. The gift from Sandy... all wrapped up... so cute! When I got home I took a picture with me and the blanket. Adorable!! My first homemade baby gift... amazing!! I thought it would be cute to take a picture of my growing belly with my badge... this is only temporary. LOL... My surprise baby shower... :) Not my proudest moment... I look like crap... wasn't expecting this but still wanted my picture taken with the cake. All the gifts that were in the bag! Gift card, baby toothbrush/ gum stimulator, teething rings, baby fingernail clippers, silver frame and a little Pooh toy (very adorable). It's been a pleasure working with the Wallops System Software Engineering Branch -Code 589!

Just over 21 weeks... about 131 days to go!!

I had an uneventful weekend. Played on scrapblog.com most of Saturday watching old movies on tv like Chitty chitty bang bang, and the sound of music... Sunday was also uneventful for me. I went to a movie, Duplicity, out to eat at Famous Daves and finally to Walmart to get a few groceries. As of today I only have 11 days left here!! Wahoo... baby and I are both excited to be home. The wee one is active at times and at others not so much which worries me a little but I know it shouldn't. I have one more doctor visit left while I'm here next Tuesday. Get to hear the heartbeat again and that will ease my worries for a few more weeks. I hope this is normal because it always seems after two weeks since my last visit I start to worry about the wee one again... is the baby moving enough but not so much to cause danger... I'm afraid of the umbilical cord wrapping early and hurting the wee one... is this just a mothers worries this early on? Anyway, we'll be seeing everyone shortly!! We're excited!! :) My Baby: By the end of this week, he'll measure about 7 inches from crown to rump and weigh nearly a pound. Not bad for a little guy who weighed barely an ounce 10 weeks ago! His hearing is developing, and sounds from your conversations can be heard inside the uterus--along with your heartbeat, stomach rumblings, and the pulsing of blood vessels. In fact, the womb is so noisy that it's been compared to an airport runway during takeoff; it's thought that the stimuli prepare the baby for the cacophony of noises, sights, and sounds that will greet him at birth. Baby's Size: Cantaloupe Baby's Length: 6.5-7.0 in. Baby's Weight: 10-13 oz. How your baby's growing: 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. These are two of the pictures I played with on Saturday... I think they turned out awesome! Just wish I had this much patience to sit and do it with my sister... maybe I should give it another whirl! :)

Just over 20 weeks... about 136 days to go!

I'm a little late posting but it's been a rough week to start with. I went to see my sister this last weekend in PA. We went to Philly on Sunday and didn't get back until late so I stayed another night and got up early to drive back to work. It was a rough morning... I had to stop and take a nap to make it to work but I also had to call Gary to help me as well. But thankfully, I made it safely to work. :) Today I woke up feeling dizzy so I stayed in bed and eventually it went away but it was really weird. Finally, here's what the sites have to say My Baby: This week marks the halfway point in your baby's development. And right around now, nature gives her a spa treatment--a white, cream-cheesy moisturizer called vernix coats every inch of her skin, keeping it smooth and wrinkle-free for the next 20 weeks as she floats in a warm bath of amniotic fluid. She'll still be covered in vernix when she's born; your doctor or midwife will wipe it off a few moments after birth, revealing skin that's (you guessed it) baby soft. Baby's Size: Coconut Baby's Length: 6-6.5 in. Baby's Weight: 9-10 oz. How your 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.) (Which doesn't make sense to me since the wee one is still curled up...) 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).