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I am 23 weeks today.  This week has been really good.  Nothing new to report.  Just relaxing after the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and now I’m looking forward to a quiet New Year’s Eve at home with my family.

Baby girl is still moving around almost constantly in my tummy, and she has hiccups all the time it seems.  Faith talks about her baby sister ALL the time.  She hugs and kisses my belly throughout the day.  She really is very excited; more excited than I thought she’d be for a 3 year old.  She talks about how she is going to show baby sis all her toys, and play with her.  She wants to help feed her and give her a bath.  She says she wants to help her learn to walk.  She is always talking about the things she wants to do with her sister.  She said I need to save her clothes when she grows out of them and give it to baby sis :)  It’s amazing to me just how much she’s thinking into the future when it comes to her new sister.  I’m touched, and so excited for her.  She is already in love with her.

23 weeks belly pic…

 

She insisted she look like a dinosaur for this week’s pic.

What baby looks like at 23 weeks…

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 the size of 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.

 

Here is a few end-of-the-year selfies!  Everyone have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve, and I’ll see you next year! ;)

 

It has been a good week.  Nothing new to report.  I still weigh 150.  Weight gain is going very slowly.  I can’t complain.  The less weight I gain, the better my blood pressure will be and I may not get severe swollen ankles either.  Also, older moms who gain a lot of weight have a higher chance of developing preeclampsia.  I’m trying to eat healthy and drink lots of water.

Next week classes start back up for me.  Just one class this semester and I’m done.  Finally.  I will graduating very soon!  I had a nice winter break.  Relaxed as much as I could and simply enjoyed time with my family.

24 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 24 weeks…

 

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since she’s almost a foot long (about the size of 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 she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Today we finally had our first snowfall of the winter.  It’s only 14 degrees outside, but Faith was extremely excited to play out in the snow.  She has cold urticaria (allergic to the cold).  She develops hives when her skin is exposed to the cold, and if she’s out for too long, it gets worse and she has an asthma attack.  Poor girl.  Today she could only be out in the snow for about 10 minutes before hives appeared and she started wheezing.  I feel so sad for her.  I personally hate the cold, but as a child I enjoyed playing in the snow.  I grew up in Chicago.  I would play in the snow with my neighbors for hours!  I would come in from the cold feeling numb to the bone, but no hives and I didn’t even have a problem with asthma back then.  Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing in the snow.  My dad would take us to the park and we would go sledding down a hill.  We built snowmen and had snowball fights.  Faith really can’t do any of that.  I hope she grows out of it.

 

I hope her baby sister will not have this disorder as well.  I wonder how it will be for Faith if her sister can play out in the cold for as long as she wants, or can play outside at recess during the winter while Faith would have to stay inside?  I worry that Faith will be angry or jealous about this.  I pray the girls will get along well and grow to be great friends during their lifetime.  I want them to comfort and support each other.

At my next baby check up, I will be having another ultrasound to see if we can get better pictures of baby girl.  Faith is excited about this.  We all are.  Faith is ready to meet her already!  Just a few more months!!!

I have finally gained back my pre-pregnancy weight of 155 pounds.  During the 3rd trimester is when weight gain happens fast, so it’s important I eat healthy and don’t overeat.  High blood pressure, and gestational diabetes is what I’m concerned about.  I need to lay off the salt and the sweets!  God help me lol.

My belly is steadily growing, and so is my boobs.  I need to shop for new nursing bras and nursing shirts so it will be easy to breastfeed once baby girl gets here.  She is constantly wiggling around now.  Aaron and Faith can feel her movements whenever they touch my belly.  Faith is constantly kissing my tummy and asking when she will get here.   I keep telling her once the leaves grow on the trees, the flowers bloom and the butterflies return is when baby girl will arrive!  She keeps looking out the window :)

We won’t be having a baby shower, but it might be nice to have a little celebration when she arrives.  Balloons, a little cake and some spring flowers for Aaron, Faith,  baby girl and I to mark this special occasion with; especially for Faith’s sake so she can experience what a gift it is to welcome a new little one into our family and acknowledge God’s blessings.  I just hope I have the energy to set up a small party for us :)

This year will be very important to me.  This will be the last year I have Faith at home with me before she starts Kindergarten.  This year I will have Faith and baby sister home with me – together.  All of us will be home for one year.  Once Faith begins Kindergarten, and baby girl is 1 year old and weaned, I will start looking for work and put my degree to use!   I am only a few months away from graduation :)   Babygirl is suppose to arrive right at the end of this semester.  I look forward to having a picture of me in my cap and gown, with Faith, babysis, and Aaron at my side :)

But for now, I want to enjoy this year focused solely on my family.  After classes end, there will be no more homework deadlines and no job to drive to yet.  It will be just me, hubby, Faith and baby getting 100% of my time. Playing in the backyard, planting a vegetable garden, and planting flowers.  Catching fireflies and eating meals outside at the picnic table.  Trips to the library,  movies and popcorn on the weekends, and tucking them in every night.  Home sweet home.  Nothing to distract me from my family.  This year will be very precious to me.  I know I will be tired caring for a newborn, but this is what I’m striving for.  I want to make the most out of this year.

Tomorrow I am having another ultrasound!  I’m excited.  Aaron and Faith will be there, too.  I hope we get to see some better pictures of our baby girl.

25 weeks belly pic…

 

Here is what baby looks like at 25 weeks…

 

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn’t much more than an average rutabaga, but she’s beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she’ll start to look more and more like a newborn. She’s also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you’d now be able to discern its color and texture.  Her senses are becoming more sophisticated, too. At 26 weeks, fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your belly, your baby will turn her head, which means her optic nerve is working.