Week 22

Hope everyone had Happy Holidays. It's been mad, crazy busy in our neck of the woods.  Holidays can do that.  Today is New Years Eve.  I would love to be getting all dolled up to go out with friends and drink sparkling apple juice.  Unfortunately, I have managed to get sick.  :(  Thankfully, I am the only one with the illness.   But it still sucks to be sick.  I want to curl up under the covers while my momma takes care of me, unfortunately I gave up that privilege when I started wearing big girl panties.  LOL

EM is enjoying the post holiday and season playing with all his new toys.  One of the great things about being over seas is that packages get here whenever they feel like it, so he's still getting Christmas gifts.  :)  We got EM the Cars movie (first one) and Shrek (the series), he loves them and I get the bonus gift of sofa hour long sofa cuddles.   And if there's popcorn, I'm getting nominated for the Best Mommy Ever award.  :)

We got a box in the mail of some of EM's old baby clothes, I can still EM in all is fluffy glory wearing these outfits.  So thankful that I'm able to reuse EM's clothes.  Nice quality baby clothes are very expensive here, and ordering EVERYTHING through the mail gets tiresome.  You miss out on the sales and rummaging through the racks at Ross and TJMAXX for those hidden treasures.

Babylove #2 is moving up a storm.  I went from nothing to lots and lots.  I started feeling movement around the end of 21 weeks.   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.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and kiss-filled New Year's!  2012 is going to be an awesome year.  I can feel it!  Claim your blessings now!  :)

What's the same and is it a boy or a girl?

Part of my quest to figure out the gender of Babylove #2 involved me comparing this pregnancy to the first.
Morning Sickness:  None the first time, none this time

Cravings:  The first time, I wanted comfort food all the time, mashed potatoes, baked mac n cheese, lasagna, old fashioned Southern banana pudding and OJ.  This time.  No real cravings.  In fact, I often struggle with what to eat, cuz I'm not craving anything

Aversions:  The first time around meat; This time around, meat.  The smell of raw meat will send me into a cleaning frenzy

Size: I think I was bigger at 20 weeks than I am this time around.  Though this time, the girls seemed to outgrow their holders in the first month, with the first one, I didn't get new bras until after the birth.

Weight Gain: See above  This time, I'm not "throwing caution to the wind", but I'm not being restrictive either. I just don't go overboard every day of the week.

So all this stuff coupled with my husband's (and EM's) insistence has me thinking I'm having a girl.  Actually EM tells me there are two girls hanging out in my belly.  LOL  So I spend a lot of time thinking and praying cause I am really quite terrified of having a girl.  I had to get my mind around having a little girl around.  Plus i was going to go broke with a little girl.  There are so many cute things for girls.  After boys pass 12 months the cute clothing options start to dwindle.  I have to admit I am also really afraid little girl hair.  OMG, you can ask my sister about the times we had together when she was little and I was trying to do her hair.   Plus, I can't shave it off when time gets tight.  LOL

So you can imagine my surprise and shear delight when the OB tells me that Babylove #2 is ... a BOY!  I was so relieved, but now I'm kinda missing that little girl that I was starting to come to terms with.  I would love to say we'll try for a girl next time, but I quite honestly think the next one would be another boy.    At any rate I'm so happy.  Plus the frugal mama inside is relieved that I'll be able to use most of EM's stuff again!  Whoop!

Week 20

Half way there ... in theory.  I was 3 weeks a five days early with EM, and history has a way of repeating itself.  That means we're more than halfway there. AAAAHHHHHH!!!  Que Sera, Sera! :)

EM has a serious obsession with cars and trucks.  He wants to take one everywhere he goes.  If there is a topographical change in terrain (A hill, grass, dirt, pavers, etc) he MUST stop and drive his little vehicle over it.  The other day I put him to bed with a stuff animal.  I went back to his room before I turned in for the night to discover this...

I had to remove the truck so he wouldn't poke out his eye while he slept.  I need to find him a stuffed truck to sleep with.

I felt babylove #2 kick for the first time week.  It was after a late night drink of OJ.  :)  Babylove also gets quite excited when there is Indian and Filipino food coming down the hatch.   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).

Week 19

EM had a bowling date this week with some of his buds.  It was a LOT of fun.  The boys would get so excited and yell and scream congratulatory words when your ball made it to the end.  Seriously, if you're not feeling to great about your bowling game, you need to bowl with these kids.  EM would carry his ball up to the line and give a push to send it on its way.  Ya'll, it took the durn ball 5 minutes to get to the end of the lane.  When it got to the end it might have hit 3 pins.  Still this warranted some serious applause.

 

Pay no attention to the other ball that's stuck at the end.  We wouldn't let that minor technicality hold up our game.

A little dance to help the ball down the lane.  Poor ball needed all the help it could get.

As you can see, it was a close game!   He obviously gets his bowling skills from his mom.  :)

Babylove #2 is doing quite well.  Still not feeling any movement, but I know baby's in there dancing up a storm.  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.

I'm starting to look pregnant and not like I was over indulgent at the buffet table.  :)  How do I know? Because the guys at work are starting to ask questions.  Most guys know to keep their mouths shut about a woman's expanding waist line, but when it's quite obvious they they can't help themselves.  :)
Here's a visual...

 

How far along?  19 weeks

Total Weight Gain:  Ummm... next question

How big is baby?:  baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato.

*Maternity clothes?: Mostly, today I wore a non-maternity sweater.

*Sleep?: Eh!  It's alright.  EM has started waking up at 4AM to come in my room and ask me if I want to read a book.  Uh, no!  Mommy wants sleep! 

*Best moment this week?:Watching EM play around with his friends while attempting a game of bowling.

*Movement?:  I can't feel it.  My placenta is in the front providing an extra layer for kiddo to kick through, so until those little leg muscles are strong enough to kick through that I won't be feeling anything.

*Food cravings?: Fruit and Fruit Juice

*Labor signs?: Nothing to report

*Belly button in or out?: yes to both.

*What I miss: My chipmunk

*What I'm looking forward to: New Year's Day!

*Milestone: I can no longer bend over at the waist to pick up things off the floor.

Week 18

Apologies for missing a week.  It was the week of Thanksgiving.  Busy, Busy week to say the least.  But I'm back.  :)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  We invited some friends over (one family had never celebrated Thanksgiving before).  It was really nice with lots and lots of food.  EM woke up everyday asking for turkey and came home every day asking for turkey.  LOL. I finally had to kill the turkey (much to EM's dislike). We froze most of the meat and made stock out of the rest. 

Every phase that EM gets to, I'm convinced that this is the best and I worry about the next phase he'll enter.  While he certainly has his moments, he is the most awesomest three year old little thing.  Last night, I was doing a load of laundry and he asked to smell the fabic softener.  "Mmmm, dadiscious"  was his response.  :)  This morning, I was out of the Cheerios that he likes to snack on in the morning, I gave him prunes instead - sure that they would be rejected.  He responded with another "dadiscious" followed quickly by "thanks Mom.  You're the best mom ever?"  I like that he put the question mark at the end, like I'm supposed to confirm this.  I just smile.  I remember when he was a babe and he would poop and pee and puke on me and then smile the biggest toothless smile.  Then the next day he would pee on himself (which was hillarious.)  I remember being so excited when he started talking, walking, eating, etc.  I was so utterly in love and amazed that his daddy and I created this little being.  I've been in love since minute one, in fact I wanted to make another right after the doctor gave the green light.  :)  So happy that we have another on the way and that this new addition will have an awesome big brother from which to learn the ways of the world.

Babylove #2 is doing great.  Doing a superb job of stretching out my belly and growing.  Head to rump, 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.

EM is convinced that baby is not one, but two and he thinks they are both girls.  Daddy thinks it's a girl, too. I'm holding out hope for ...  What do you think we're having?

Week 16

I got EM a new clock.  It is fantabulous.  How?  It keeps my kid in the bed.  This clock glows yellow during the night, so it acts like a night light; however, in the morning it turns green.  EM knows to stay in the bed until it turns green.  Not only does he know it, but he actually does it.  Then he comes in my room tapping me on the head telling me, "It's green!  It's green!"  So there is an added bonus that I will not oversleep.  :)

Babylove #2 is growing up a storm.  In the next few weeks, 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.

More and more people are getting up the nerve to ask me, "Are you...?"  I can no longer blame my protruding belly on lunch.

Baked Potato Soup

Photo credit: Randy Mayor and Iain Bagwell - taken from Cooking Light website


I've never made potato soup before.  For some reason it seemed complicated and intimidating, though I'd never looked at a recipe before.  LOL.  I had a bowl of this delightfulness at work a couple of weeks ago and have wanted another ever since.  I decided to take matters into my own hands! :)  A quick web search led me to Cooking Light's version of potato soup.  It did not disappoint.  I used skim milk and regular sour cream, I also did not use bacon.  It was still fantabulous! Recipe below:

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) 
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces) 
• 6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional) 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
• Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2007

Week 15

Babylove #1, EM, has discovered "Step Into Reading" books.  He's on Step 1.  Of course, the first one he got put his little hands on was the one about Cars.  It stays on his night stand.  :)  The joy on his face when he is "reading" in priceless.  He gets so excited!  I have ordered a few more for him, hopefully they will be met with the same level of enthusiasm.  He has also developed an intense love for Old School Sesame Street!  He will watch it over and over and over.  I love that he loves it.  Though I have to admit I cringe a little, when I see the little kids playing in a junkyard full of rusty on metal pipes and boards. EEEKKKK!!!!  However, we still have great love for Kermit and Grover (and the fact that there is no Elmo).

We went to the beach earlier this week with some friends.  It was lovely!  The beach was small and not crowded.  The weather was perfect.  The water ... was cold!!!!  EM was not interested in frolicking in some cold water.  He said he'll wait till he gets home and will frolick in a nice warm bubble bath.  That's my boy!  He was none to pleased to walk down to the shore and dip his toes in, only to return to the blanket with sand covering his feet.  Reminds me so much of his Moonpie.

EM is doing great as the mommy protector.  I can not wait to see him in action with his new sibling.  Right now he likes to rub my belly and given it kisses.  So sweet!

Babylove #2 is doing his/her on thing and not caring too much about what going on outside my belly.  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). Baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through their nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. Baby's legs are growing longer than her arms now, and baby can move all of her joints and limbs. Although baby's eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, baby's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but baby 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.")  I am holding out till delivery to find out the gender, though hubby wishes otherwise.

I keep thinking I'm going to take a belly shot to post, but I keep not doing it!  : p  The problem is I'm rarely wearing a form fitting top when it's time to take pictures.    Maybe by Week 20????

I think I'll save the survey for once a month.  Seems like posting it every week has me saying the same things over and over.

Happy November

Halloween was yesterday.  EM's school had a Halloween party.  Let me tell ya, some of the cutest creatures were hanging out there that day.  They were seriously so cute,  I didn't want to leave them.  EM dressed as "Captain D'America."

Since Daddy is out the house for a while, EM is taking his role of protector quite seriously.  He makes sure I get down the stairs without falling and tells me "You're doing a good job, Mommy" when I get to the bottom.  He's also put a few cars and one cement truck in timeout for pulling out in front of me while driving.  He then reports, "Everything is OK, I took care of it, Mommy." :)

Babylove #2 is doing quite well, too.  This week, we will have a nuchal translucency scan to test for Down's Syndrome.  (S)He is quite busy in there dancing up a storm.  Usually in the middle of the night after I got to the bathroom (down to one visit @ 3:30 AM) Little one stretches and wiggles.   :)

Week 14
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 lemon — 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.

*Maternity clothes?: They are making a more steady appearance.  Whenever I wear a maternity top I get tons of "Are you ...?"  Ha Ha Ha

*Sleep?: Can not get enough sleep.  This weekend, EM and I slept in until 10-10:30 AM, both days.  I would love to go to bed every night at 8 and sleep until 7.  But to do that, the dishes wouldn't get done, there would be no clothes to wear the next day and no lunches to eat.  :(

*Best moment this week?: Looking more pregnant and less fat

*Movement?: Not really, some times when I feel a little squiggle, but not too much and not too often.

*Food cravings?: Chili.

*Labor signs?: Nothing to report

*Belly button in or out?: yes to both.

*What I miss: I miss wine and beer, though I don't really drink much in Qatar.  I also miss my 30 Day Shred.

*What I'm looking forward to: feeling el bambino move

*Milestone: none really.

Week 13

Whoo Hooo!!!!!  Made it through the first 12 weeks.  They weren't that bad really.  The hardest part has been trying not to consume all the ice cream and frozen yogurt that Doha has to offer.  I enjoy reading the blog of Transatlantic Blonde.  I like what she did in her blog when she was expecting.  Imitation is greatest form of flattery, right?    ;)


How far along?: 13 weeks

*Total weight gain: Yeah, I don't know

*How big is baby?:  Baby's now the almost 3 inches long about the size of a peach!

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Fingerprints have formed on 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. Info from BabyCenter and The Bump.

*Maternity clothes?: Uhhh, yeah!  This weekend I made room for the maternity clothes.  I must say I really do love a nice elastic waist and sometime wish I could work them into my non-maternity wardrobe.  Some of my non-maternity clothes still fit, but not enough to make it wardrobe.

*Sleep?: Eh!  It's alright.  I get up twice a night (midnight and 3AM).  Thankfully, I've gotten back to sleep before the 4:30 call to prayer.  There have been a few weeks were I was up from 3-4:45 because I didn't drift back to sleep before the call the prayer ... I wasn't happy about it.

*Best moment this week?: Seeing my little jumping bean on the ultrasound.  They do them at EVERY doctor's appointment.

*Movement?: Not really, but if I pull my right leg up to my chest I can feel el bambino.  Figured that out while painting my toes.

*Food cravings?: Ice cream, yogurt, milk, fruit.  Totally different than with Emerson.  With him it was all pasta, all the time.

*Labor signs?: Nothing to report

*Belly button in or out?: yes to both.

*What I miss: I miss wine and beer, though I don't really drink much in Qatar.  I also miss my 30 Day Shred.

*What I'm looking forward to: feeling el bambino move

*Milestone: I made it through the first 12 weeks.

News to share

E has taken on a new role in his life.  One that he's been thinking about for sometime and talked to both D & I about.  We thought he was up for the challenge, so we offered him the position.  He happily accepted.  It is with proud hearts that D & I announce that E will be a big brother in late April / early May.