21 Weeks/Vocabulary/Bedding/Zoo!

Moving right along :) No issues- still craving sour candy. Cody is always bringing me home goodies from work (Sour Skittles, Sour Starburst, Sour Nerds, Sour Jelly Beans...anything!) Emma is becoming VERY active and is kicking me a lot now!! I just start giggling :) Reese loves to give Emma hugs and kisses and even try to share her milk with her!!

Week 21 (Emma is the length of a banana):

Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. Your baby's crown-to-rump length at this time is 7.2 inches and she weighs approximately 10.5 ounces. Your growing baby is about the size of a large banana. You should be able to feel your uterus about a half of an inch above your navel. Your weight gain so far will be around 10 to 15 pounds.

Your baby's different organs and systems are maturing. The fetal digestive system is functioning in a simple way and your baby can swallow amniotic fluid. After your baby swallows the amniotic fluid, she is able to absorb water and sugars from the fluid and then the waste is passed as far as the large bowel. Your baby swallows the amniotic fluid in order to prepare itself for life outside of the womb. Some babies consume as much as 17 ounces of amniotic fluid in a 24-hour period. Your baby already has a high number of red blood cells and the white blood cells are beginning to be produced. Taste buds are being formed on your baby's tongue this week also. 

Reese:

Reese's vocabulary is growing daily! She can now say "more" and "boo". She likes to cover her eyes with her hands (to hide) and then when she opens her hands she says "boo!" It really is cute! Her vocabulary consists of the following:

Dada, Momma, dog, get!, shoes,  what's that?, up, down, more, boo, cheese, and she tries to say diaper (but only cody and I can translate that one)! 

She understands a lot more than what she can say. I can say "do you want a bath?" and she will run into the bathroom and pull back the shower curtain :) I can say "do you want to eat?" or even just sign it and she will run to the fridge and try and open it! She understands "upstairs", "inside", "outside", "milk", "Cheerio", "elephant", "turtle", "fish", "ball", "apple", "banana", "strawberry", "baby", "eyes", "ears", "mouth", "nose", "foot/feet", "belly button", and she just learned "head". I am sure there is more that I just can't think of right now, but we sure do think she is smart!!

Reese has successfully completed her 1st week of school! She has had no problems whatsoever! She plays, naps and eats well (she refused to eat the tuna noodle casserole one day, I don't blame her!)

This past week Nana came to visit!! Reese loved spending time with her Nana :) Here are a few picts from an evening stroll around the neighborhood:

Putting on her glasses by herself!

She's ready to roll...

We went to the San Marcos outlets this past weekend and ended up finding Reese "big girl" bedding there! We didn't ended up liking the fabric swatch of the previous bedding I posted before. The duvet cover is pink with white polka dots and is reversible. The sheets are the reverse (white with pink dots).

We did order that white sleigh bed with the trundle for her! I am going to start taping off her walls today so we can begin the painting process!! I want to get her room painted before her furniture arrives so the fumes will dissipate by the time I want to start transitioning her into this room. Then, I will be able to start painting Emma's room! 

On Sunday we went to the zoo early enough that all the animals were actually awake!! Reese was amazed with the monkeys, hippos and turtles. If you ask her what a monkey says, she will try so hard to make monkey sounds! It is too cute!!

This bird wanted Reese's Cheerios :)

Crocodile

Turtle!

It's A Special Day!

Happy 4th Wedding Anniversary to Cody & I!! We have grown so close and accomplished so much over the last 4 years: getting married, moved into 1st house, had a beautiful daughter, sold our 1st house, moved cities, celebrated Cody's graduation from pharmacy school, and expecting daughter #2!! It's amazing what we have accomplished together. I can't imagine our lives being any different. I AM SO INCREDIBLY IN LOVE WITH CODY!!! Happy Anniversary- I LOVE YOU and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you! Just think how much we will grow and accomplish together in the years to come!

20 Weeks- The Half Way Mark!!

20 Weeks (Emma is the size of a cantaloupe):

Congratulations! This week marks the half way point of your pregnancy. Your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.6 to 6.4 inches. The fetus weighs about 9 ounces and your belly definitely has an obvious bulge. Your waistline has expanded and is no longer visible. Your uterus has now moved up enough that it is pushing your abdomen outwards. The top of your uterus is even with or just below your navel. 

For the remainder of your pregnancy, the growing uterus puts pressure on your lungs, stomach and kidneys. This will make you feel short of breath, the need to urinate more frequently and can cause indigestion. The added pressure on your abdomen can also cause your bellybutton to protrude and cause an `outy` instead of an `inny`. Many pregnant women begin to notice stretch marks around this time as well. Your abdominal muscles are being stretched and pushed apart as your baby grows inside of you.

Your baby's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Your baby's sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the upper lip and eyebrows.

Reese:

Boy oh boy is she developing a personality!! She can now say "up" and we are currently trying to learn "more" and "help". She loves to crack up laughing spontaneously :) She is also learning how to blow kisses and likes to have her boo-boos kissed  by mommy :) She has also become attached to a blankie and teddy bear, which she walks around the house with all the time. If I take them away she will cry...got to love the security blankets!!

Reese sure is growing up to be a BIG girl and fast!! She now is interested in dressing herself....YIKES! She pulled this winter hat out of her dresser drawer and wanted to wear it. Then she was trying VERY hard to put her socks back on! She cracks me up!!

We got the OK to switch Reese to forward facing in her carseat by the pediatrician recently (since her toddler carseat wont fit in my car rear-facing). So a few days ago we made the switch and she seems to really like it!

The big news for this week is Reese starting school at Concordia Lutheran Church. I was very nervous about having to start her somewhere new but she could not have had a better day! She didn't cry and she played, ate and napped well. She didn't even notice me walk into the classroom when I picked her up!! Her are a few pictures of Reese practicing wearing her new backpack (from Ms. Amy).

Cody:

Proud to announce: Cody Sweatman, Doctor of Pharmacy!

19 Weeks and 2 Little Girls Room Make-Overs!

I'm 19 weeks already! These weeks are just flying by! I still feel completely great! I don't even notice I'm pregnant unless I walk past a mirror or Emma starts to kick me (when I'm trying to go to sleep of course)!!

19 Weeks:

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.2 to 6 inches this week. Your baby weighs approximately 7 ounces and will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and birth! 

Most women have gained up to 14 pounds now and only 7 ounces of that is your baby! The placenta weighs about 6 ounces and the amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby weighs 11 ounces. Your breasts have increased in weight by 6 ounces each and the uterus has grown to 11 ounces! You may be gaining weight in places other than your abdomen and this may be affecting your posture and sleeping habits. 

One of the most amazing aspects of your baby's growth and development is that of the fetal brain. Your baby's brain is one of the first organs to appear. Your baby's oversized head shows the brain's importance in his development. Because the nerves that connect the muscles to the brain have grown into place, your baby's movements are consciously directed. Your baby's ears stand out from the sides of the head and the buds for your baby's permanent teeth appear. Your baby's arms and legs have reached their relative proportions and his feet are approximately one inch long.

Emma:

We have ordered Emma's crib bedding!! We will be re-using Reese's crib furniture for Emma and actually she will be getting Reese's current bedroom so that I don't have to move her nursery furniture.

Here is the bedding we ordered (to some degree....we are having it changed up a bit).

There won't be any of the floral fabric that you see on the inside of the bumper. The blue damask that is on the outside of the bumper will replace it. The right/left sides of the bumper will be replaced with the pink polkadot pattern you see on the ribbon. Her name will be monogrammed on the inside center of the crib bumper. The sheet isn't included, so we will find one separately.

Reese:

Yesterday and today I took Reese to her new school to meet her teacher and play for a bit to get used to her surroundings. She did MUCH better than I could have hoped for!! She starts on Monday.

Here is the twin trundle bed we are 99.9% sure we will be getting Reese for her new big girl bedroom!

I have ordered fabric samples of both girl's bedding so I can start matching paint colors! It's going to be SO MUCH FUN having 2 girls!!

Cody & I:

This Thursday we close on our house in Corpus!! Woohoo!! That will all be behind us soon! We have had irrigation installed in backyard already and this week we will be having 3 TX Red Oaks planted followed by soil and grass!

Saturday Cody graduates pharmacy school!! This is such a big accomplishment and I can't believe he has finally made it to this point! It has been a LONG 4 years of school for him (and me). I couldn't be more proud of my husband! This summer he will be taking 2 board exams and then officially be a pharmacist!!

Reese's 15mo Check Up

Reese had her 15 mo check up today bright and early (not sure what I was thinking scheduling it so early)! Her new stats: weight 20# 6oz (16%), length 32in (91%). She had to get 3 shots today... Poor baby!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Today was fun, exciting and nerve racking all at the same time! We met the new OB this morning and all seemed well. I had gained 1 pound in 2 weeks, blood pressure great, etc. I went to the appoinment knowing we were getting the anatomy sonogram done for the gender. At the end of our meet and greet he said "ok, that's it for today, we will schedule you for the anatomy sono". I was SHOCKED! I said, we were scheduled for today, it was confirmed and I was even told I could video record it! He said he didn't have the time to do the anatomy sono because of other patients. I got upset and explained to him that Cody took the whole day off work for this and we were expecting it. He made us wait a while, but he did the sono (himself). The sono machine was very old and outdated and you couldnt really see anything. He said he was 90% sure it was a girl, but I didn't see the money shot. That wasnt a good enough answer for me!! I need to know!! I need to plan!!

So I frantically called the first 4D ultrasound place that showed up on my google search and got another sono scheduled for 12:30!! I was so nervous at the thought of not knowing!

The 4D ultrasound was AMAZING and the guy who did it was awesome! He immediately told us the gender:

It's A GIRL!!

Meet Emma Grace!!

Reese:

Today Reese turned 15 months and found out she was going to have a little SISTER!! When I told her she was having a sister she smacked her lips like she was giving a kiss!! Reese is going to be so lucky to have a sister that is close to her! They will get to grow up together being best friends! I imagine lots of hair bows, matching outfits, tutus, gymnastics and lots of fun! I am so blessed to have a wonderful sister...Reese is going to be equally blessed!!

Happy 15 Months Reese!

Tomorrow Reese has her 15mo check up, which unfortunately involves shots :(

18 Weeks!

Today I am 18 weeks!! I feel like I hit a milestone making it this far :) In just 2 days we will know the gender of this baby!!! I can hardly hold back the anticipation!! I have dreams every night about laying on the ultrasound table and the tech looking for the gender. Every time they say "boy" (in my dreams of course)!! Cody still firmly believes it is a girl :) We have our names picked out...just waiting to know which one it will be! I still feel great! No issues. We meet the new OB at our appt on Thurs and I've very optimistic that he will be the right OB for me.

 I think my new dose of Synthroid is working, I don't feel so run down anymore. 

My TSH was 6.4 (normal range 0.3-5.1)

My Thyroid Antibodies were 135 (normal range <30)

This means my body is still attacking my thyroid. I had a thyroid ultrasound done this past Friday. I'm still waiting on the results but the tech said I still definitely have one nodule (had 3 small ones when I was pregnant with Reese).

18 Weeks:

By week 18 of your pregnancy, your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5 to 5.5 inches long. Your baby continues to develop fat layers and weighs about 5.25 ounces. Your baby will continue to grow and develop, but the rapid growth will slow down for a little while. At this point of your pregnancy, your uterus is approximately the size of a cantaloupe. Although weight gain varies from woman to woman, your total weight gain at this point should be 10 to 13 pounds. 

Around this time, your baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that your baby can hear now. Your baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as your heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. Your baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound.