25 weeks

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is about 8.8 inches. Weight has increased to around 1.5 pounds and fat is still being deposited at a high rate. Babies come in all shapes and sizes, so your baby could vary slightly from these `average` measurements. Your uterus has grown quite a bit bigger this week. The top of your uterus is between your bellybutton and your sternum. Your uterus is about the size of a soccer ball now!

If your baby is delivered at this time, it would have a good chance of surviving. It is best for your baby to remain inside of you for the remainder of the pregnancy, but great advances have been made in the care of a premature baby. Ventilators, monitors and medications all help premature babies develop and grow outside of the womb. If your baby were born this early, he would probably have to spend several months in the hospital and would be more susceptible to infections and other complications.

You can hear your baby's heartbeat with both a Doppler and a stethoscope at this time, and your partner may even be able to hear the heartbeat unaided if he puts his ear in the right position. Sex differentiation is being completed now. If you are expecting a baby boy, the testes start to descend into the scrotum. In baby girls, the vagina is hollowing out. Your baby is able to do more with their fingers now and can move his fingers to make a complete fist. As your baby becomes more dexterous, he will be able to touch and hold her feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time. Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, you might begin to notice these patterns as well. Some women experience the most fetal movements while they are trying to rest.

The furniture arrived this weekend and Joey put it all together. It took him about 20 minutes with the help of our friend Arnold and his car. I will have to say I was a little skeptical about their means of getting the furniture home (see picture), but it all made it and Joey said they both were pretty easy to put together. Our next task is to search for some window treatments and some sort of rocking chair to put next to the dresser. I am thinking of a rocker-recliner instead of a glider. I think that once we stop using the chair in in the babies room, that it can come out and be used in the living room. Of course not in the small place we live in now, but we have plans to get a house with in the next couple years and I am sure we will have room then. But, we will look around and see what the best option will be.

I took Audrey out on the town on Saturday for Hannas bachelorette party. Yes, I was the sober pregnant lady who went to the bars and clubs. Yes I danced a bit. Yes people gave some wierd looks. And Yes I was exhausted at the end of the night (I haven't been out let alone been up till 3am in a LONG time) But I had a great time with my girls.

Latley I have been asked a bunch of questions about our journey to parent hood, by my friends, family, and co-workers. Since most of you all have access to this blog I will just answer all of them at once:
How long did it take you to conceive: 16 LONG months

Since it took you so long, did you have a doctors assistance: Kinda. I went in to my OBGYN (who specializes in infertilty) at the 1 year mark. Since I went off birth control at our 1 year anniversary, my menstral cycle was LONG and unpredictable. At the 6th month mark I starting charting my basal body temp to make sure I was even ovulating at all. Doing this determined that I was ovulating but not every cycle and it was very hard to predict when since my cyles were all over the place. Anyway, my doc ordered a lot of blood work and Joey and I had to do a few simple tests. I had to had to have an HSG and Joey had to do a seman analysis. Both of those tests came back normal. The doctor did discover that I had a small case of PCOS that could be due to a very high insulin reisistance which could be the factor in me not ovualting as regularly as I should. So she put me on metformin (a diabetic drug) and told me to restrict my refined surgar intake and exercise more. I ended up losing 15 pounds and just felt healthier. My cycles normalized and I was able to predict ovulation more easlily. On my last cycle of taking metformin (I did it for 3 cycles) was when we found out we were pregnant. If I did not get pregnant that cycle she would have referred us to an a Reproductive Endocrinologist. I definatly was very affraid and scared that we could not do this on our own but we did and I am very thankful for that. I will tell you, we would have done ANYTHING to get pregnant even though I knew it would have been a much harder journey. I am glad the things worked out the way they did.

Did sex feel like a chore: Sometimes it did but not always. But the night Joey and I conceived our little bean was after a night out at a friends wedding. We had some drinks and it was sex for fun. Go figure. If this is a TMI- too bad its the truth

Will you go back on metformin to concieve the next child? Not sure. We will cross that road when it comes. Right not I am enjoying being pregnant with the 1st.

24 weeks

This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, your growing baby is still tiny. Your uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above your bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as your pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter!

Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on her scalp and her eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, she no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

The unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed.

The child practices breathing by inhaling (up to a liter/day) amniotic fluid into developing lungs.

Ahh 24 weeks- a big milestone. If the baby were to come now, it has a chance of surviving. BUT, I am hoping she stays in there until at least 37 weeks to when she is full term. She has a lot more growing and developing to do. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure of that.

Nothing much new to report but that we ordered the furniture so that should be here with in the next couple weeks. Joey is really anxious to put it all together. I am looking forward to seeing the room come together. Yea! Oh and we also made an appointment for our 3D/4D motion ultra sound. I can't wait till March 15th.

How far along?: 24 weeks
Total weight gain: 22 pounds
How much does baby weigh?: 1-1.5 lbs
Maternity clothes?: I'm still trying to get use out of my every day shirts but my selection is starting to dwindle. I bought two maternity shirts that I ended up hating, so I may just have to rotate between a select few. oh well.
Stretch marks?: nope :)
Sleep?: its getting better. I have an ambundence of pillows that I use through out the night to keep my body comfortable
Best moment this week?: ordering the furniture
Movement?: all the time
Food cravings?: Lemonade
Labor signs?: no way
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: nothing
Milestone: Hitting the 24 week mark.

23 weeks

This week your baby's length, from crown-to-rump, is approximately 8 inches! Your growing baby has finally reached one pound. Your baby is about the size of a small baby doll and looks very human. The baby's face and body look similar to that of a newborn at this time.

Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but your baby still looks red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. Your baby looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form. You should be feeling your baby moving quite a bit throughout the day as she will kick and punch the uterus walls. Babies also run their hands along the umbilical cord and touch their body parts while they are in the womb. Your baby now can suck her thumb for real, where she was just sticking it in her mouth. Your baby will continue to swallow amniotic fluid and recycle it as urine. The liquids and sugars that the baby retracts from the fluid is a supplement to the nutrients that the placenta delivers. You might be able to feel small `jumps` inside of you when your baby gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid.


As the baby continues to grow, it has less space to move around in the uterus. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily.

Audrey's room is finally cleared out and painted. We went for a soft sage green color. Thanks to the hubs who did it all by himself. Well, I helped by taping up the molding. Now time to order the furniture. We have it all picked out so we just have to order it and that will probalby happen this weekend.

Sleeping has become a big task. I sleep on my sides but my hips get really sore after about two hours of sleeping on them so I usually have to flip to the other side and/or get up to stretch or use the restroom. I have tried a contour pillow in between my knees but that only helped the first couple of nights I used it. I have a doc appt this friday, maybe she can give me some tips. Someone mentioned that I am not getting enough calcium so we'll see what the doc recommends. I am getting used to walking into work as a zombie at 6am so I guess its just getting me ready for when I have a newborn. I am trying not to complain and take it all in stride because it is all going to be worth it when our little bean arrives.

Audrey is growing and moving quite a bit. Her movement and kicks are getting stronger and stronger each day. I just love the feeling. If I haven't felt her in a while I usually play music for her just to feel her move just to put my mind at ease. I can also see her kicks from the outside which is also pretty cool. Even though sleeping is hard, I love being pregnant!!

22 Weeks

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 7.6 inches and your growing baby weighs about 12.25 ounces now! Your uterus is about 2 cm above your bellybutton and you probably feel comfortably pregnant.

Your baby's body continues to grow and develop every day. The organ systems in your baby's body are becoming specialized for their particular functions. The fetal liver produces different enzymes than it will produce after delivery. The liver is responsible for breaking down billirubin, which is produced by the breaking down of blood cells. Because the life span of a fetal red blood cell is shorter than that of an adult, a fetus produces more billirubin than adults do. Billirubin passes from fetal blood to the placenta and then into your blood. Your liver helps get rid of fetal billirubin. A newborn baby that has high levels of billirubin may show signs of jaundice. Jaundiced babies have a yellowish tint to their eyes and skin and are often treated with phototherapy.

Your baby's senses are developing daily. The fetus now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and your baby may stroke its face or feel her arms and legs.

Your baby now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth).

The ovaries of female fetuses contain primitive egg cells, all of the eggs a woman will have for her entire life. The uterus of female fetuses is also fully formed.

ONLY 125 DAYS LEFT!! Seems sooo far away yet sooo close. I can't wait! We finally decided on a paint color for the room. I think painting day will be Friday. After that the furniture will probably be ordered. Things are coming together. Audrey's closet is definatly getting full. Joey and I have picked out some things (can't pass up the good deals) and Joey's brother, Danny, has already bought a bunch of cute clothes in all different sizes. Its fun to look at all of the outfits! I can't wait to dress her in them.

I feel Audrey move more and more each day. Yesterday, I didn't really feel her all day except when I was trying to go sleep. Go figure. But I enjoy every minute of it and still can't believe there is a living person inside of me. VERY COOL. Its amazing what our bodys can do.

A couple weeks ago I posted a pic of Joey's cat snugglin with the baby belly. Now my little kitty is getting in on the action. I think this picture is so cute. Both kittys are still on me like white on rice. Everytime I sit down one of them plops right down next to the belly. They start to purr and Audrey has a hay day and constantly kicks. I love it and I am sure they do too.