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!