24 Weeks and a few days

If you are counting by weeks, this marks the beginning of the sixth month of my pregnancy. Over the past couple days I have been thinking about how quickly the time has passed, but at the same time some parts of it have passed slowly (like the treacherous first trimester. Ha!). I had my 24 week appointment this past Friday and met with one of the other Obstetrician's at my doctors office. Since there are four doctors in the practice I will meet with all of them, over the course of the next few visits, in case I deliver after hours and my doctor isn't all call that day. Other than meeting with one of the other doctors it was a rather routine appointment. My blood pressure was good, she checked the baby's heart beat (which was good), we discussed the pediatrician I have been thinking about picking, and I got a flu shot. Generally, I go without getting a Flu shot ever year, but since I'm pregnant my doctor made a few valid points as to why I should get one. If I weren't pregnant I would've passed on getting one like every year, but since I'm set to deliver in February (still in Flu season) I went ahead with it.

I've been noticing that bending over isn't as comfortable as it used to be and it's more comfortable for me to sit up straight to "open up" my abdomen. Also, I'm more out of breath than usually during my runs and slower than I used to be. This week the baby weighs between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and is about 12 inches long. The baby will start putting weight on quicker now that it's body and organs are developed. I think I'm going to carry pretty low from now on...maybe with a little luck I'll be low enough that the baby will just have to walk out when I deliver. Ha!

This week we have an ear of corn!!!! Seems fitting for Fall.

Lately, I've been having lots of feelings about motherhood. For some reason the enormity of being a parent hit me this week. While I know it will be wonderful I've been feeling/wondering whether I will be a good parent and how I will figure out what/when to do it. I know motherhood is a natural part of life, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared and feeling a little overwhelmed. The bright spot is that the more I read about pregnancy, breast feeding, ways to comfort your child, fetal and baby development/needs...the better I feel. It has made me feel more prepared. I started a book called, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League International. While the need and desire to breast feed is natural it can feel kind of intimidating...probably due to it's importance and wanting to get it right. This book has been an awesome source of information about breast feeding and connecting with your baby. I would definitely recommend it!

On a lighter note, I made a wonderful discovery this week! Maternity leggings from Old Navy are AWESOME!!! The designers at Old Navy must have had me in mind when they made them...they are incredibly comfortable and only $10 a pair. I'm already so attached that I will be pretty sad when I won't have an excuse to wear them anymore. Until then, they are amazing and I can't believe I didn't find them earlier. I will probably order another pair just to have a spare. If you are pregnant you definitely need a pair. KUDOS maternity leggings!

Our dogs seemed especially interested in the belly picture this week. They might be feeling a little neglected, so here are a couple pictures of their attempt to participate. Enjoy!

Hope everyone has a great week!

23 Weeks and a few days

This past Friday was the 23 week mark for me and I all the sudden realized how fast my pregnancy is going. It's kind of scary and really exciting at the same time. The baby's movements have been much stronger lately. It no longer feels like little nudges or pokes...now it's kicks and jabs. I have my 24 week appointment this coming Friday and I think I might have another ultrasound. At my last ultrasound they found the placenta was resting close to the bottom of my uterus and wanted to follow up in a month to make sure it was growing up the side of my uterus, instead of across. So that means we get to see the baby again! Now, that its growing faster it's really cool to be able to see how much it grows over the course of a few weeks.

As I move through my 23rd week the baby is starting to put on more body fat and the face is fully formed. It's about 11 inches long and weighs anywhere between 12.7 to 20 oz. At my 20 week ultrasound it was measuring about 12 oz, so it's probably on the higher end of the spectrum by now. My bump doesn't look much bigger, but it is starting to feel bigger.

This week's fruit and veggie comparison is a Papaya! I think I like this one the best...so far

It feels more basketball-esque this week.

What else is going on in our life...

This past weekend has been the first cold weekend we've had. It was nice on Friday, but we woke up to sleet/rain and COLD temperatures on Saturday. Needless, to say I was not ready for the cold and felt like I had to say my goodbyes to summer. Tyson even had to break out his cold weather, Halo playing outfit! I thought his ensemble looked so funny/cute I took a picture of it. Enjoy!

He is so good about putting up with my antics. He even smiled for the pictures while I was trying not laugh so hard I could've cried. Do you notice all the pillows stacked up behind for support?!

In other news, I started a new job (within my same company) today. My new job will require much less travel than my old one, so that will be good for our expanding family. I will very much miss my old role and the teammates, but since I'm with the same company I won't be too far away and will still be able to catch up with them. Overall, the new opportunity I was given will be really good for our family and that's what counts.

Until next week! Have a good week!

22 Weeks!

It's been a busy week for the Lawrence household. My grandfather passed away last weekend, so Tyson and I made a last minute trip to Arkansas this week. It was wonderful to see all of my family and most of my extended family, but I genuinely wish it could have been under different circumstances. It was a short trip and we are both tired, but it was very much worth it. We even made some time to go to La Huerta! YUM!!! From what I could tell the baby loves La Huerta just like its parents. My parents were able to hear the baby's heart beat and it was great to have the opportunity to spend time with parents and siblings...even though it was short. Roya, my sister in law, rented a fetal heart rate monitor so we were able to hear her baby's heart beat as well.

No new baby updates this week. It has been really active, which based on our ultrasounds isn't surprising, and it tends to move around a lot when I attempt to take a nap. I love to feel the baby move and I like to take naps, so you can see my predicament. I know what everyone is thinking...I guess I better get used to it. This week the baby weighs almost a pound and is about 11 inches long. Drum roll please...

This week the baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash

It's pretty hard to believe it's that big already! My belly is becoming more round as well. I feel like it's becoming more obvious that I'm pregnant.

How I've been feeling lately:

• Overall, I feel pretty good.
  
• Right now, the baby is breech so it does a jig on my bladder on a regular basis. All the movement can make conference calls and my morning runs kind of dicey.
• I've been feeling like I don't get around as quickly as a used to. Sometimes making fast movements can be kind of uncomfortable and I don't walk as fast anymore.
• I've found it takes more time for me to get comfortable when going to sleep at night. It seems to require lots of pillows and Tyson giving up most of his half of the bed. Love you hunny!!
  

21 Weeks and Counting!

This past week has been a big week for us. We had our "growth and development" ultrasound this past Monday, which was very exciting. During the ultrasound the doctor was unable to get a clear image of the Corpus Callosum. The Corpus Callosum is the fibrous part of the brain that allows the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate with one another. So, my doctor sent us to a high risk pregnancy specialist for another ultrasound. At first, I wasn't really worried about it...I figured she was just sending us as a precaution. Unfortunately, I started looking at "Dr. Google" (as Tyson likes to say) and read everything I probably shouldn't have. Of course, I started freaking out immediately! I know, I know...everything you read on the internet should only be taken as a grain of salt considering I'm not a Obstetrician. The only excuse I have is that I'm an emotional pregnant woman who was curious and worried; a horrible combination. We had our appointment at the Antepartum Testing Unit on Friday and met with a high risk pregnancy Obstetrician. As it turns out, our little ones Corpus Callosum is fully developed and is very healthy. The doctor was able see that all parts of it's brain are fully developed. HURRAY!!! She went over all the gross anatomy again and said that it appears that we have a very healthy little one. Talk about two very relieved parents-to-be!

We had a busy weekend of chores too. We (mostly Tyson) finished unpacking, putting our bookshelves together, assembling baby furniture, worked on the yard, and cleaned our old apartment so we could do the final walk through. I have a wonderful husband and I'm ready for another weekend!

Tyson was checking out his handy work (spreading grass seed)

On to everyone's favorite part of the blog...the baby bump picture and stats. This week our little one weighs about 12 ounces and is about 10 1/2 inches long. It's about as long as a carrot!

The baby has been moving around a lot! Right now, it's breech (right side up) and has been using my bladder as a trampoline. I'm ready for the baby to turn. The baby's movement has become more forceful and doesn't feel like just little nudges or pokes anymore. It now feels, mostly, like kicks. I hope over the next couple weeks Tyson will be able to feel the baby move! It seems like the baby is most active late morning into early afternoon. It moves around when I first wake up in the morning too. It's almost like the baby is telling me "Good Morning!".

I feel like my belly has grown a lot over the past couple weeks.

Even though our weekend was successful and started with good news, we did get some very sad news. My grandpa passed away, very suddenly, on Saturday. We will be heading home this week to spend time with my family and the attend his service. While it will be wonderful to see my family, it's a very sad loss as well.

I hope everyone has a great week!

20 Weeks and New Ultrasound Pictures...YEAH!!

Hey Everyone! As of last Friday, I was 20 weeks. We are officially half way there! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was avoiding food and trying not to get sick around every corner. On Monday I went to my 20 week appointment and had my "Growth and Development Ultrasound". This is usually when people find out the gender, but we stuck to our guns and didn't peek! It was really hard and I feel like we spent the whole time looking away. The ultrasound technician was very graceful and prompt when telling us to look away...she was great. I didn't realize how much they look for during this appointment. I thought it would only last a few minutes, but our ultrasound lasted about 45 minutes. It was really cool to watch the baby move and feel the baby move at the same time.

Well, here is what everyone has been waiting for...

Since we aren't going to find out the gender, they had to be careful as to what pictures they could give us. The baby was moving around, a lot, during the ultrasound so my doctor is having me go in for another ultrasound next week to get some clearer images of the baby's brain. It's looking like I will have more pictures next week! I've been feeling the baby move around more frequently, lately. Hopefully, in the coming weeks the baby will start moving around enough for Tyson to feel it move too.

Other than that we finally moved last weekend. Tyson awesomely orchestrated the whole move and we got it all done in one day. With the help of one of our friends (Thank you Zach!) and Tyson's brother (Lain) we made it all in one trip and were unpacking by Saturday afternoon. I haven't taken any pictures of the house, but I will post pictures this week along with a new belly picture. The dogs are very happy with there new yard and we are loving all the space!

Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!

19 weeks and few days

Here we are, almost half way there. We hit a milestone this week. I felt the baby move for the first time! It wasn't much, but as soon as it happened I knew what it was. So far, it's been one of the best things about my pregnancy. It felt like a small poke or a nudge...I think I would have easily missed it if I hadn't been waiting for it to happen. It was truly one of the most amazing things I've ever felt. Everyone talks about how wonderful it is to feel your baby move for the first time, but you never really know how great it is till you actually feel it. I think it's the closest thing to a miracle I've ever experienced.

It's here, it's here! We finally move this week! We spent all of Saturday finishing packing so we can start moving our stuff on Thursday. The dogs don't know it yet, but they are going to have a backyard! YEAH! That means no more taking them out when it's cold or raining...they can take themselves out now. Along with packing we also spent some time at IKEA looking at baby furniture. Needless to say, Tyson was definitely not prepared for all that is IKEA. We went to look at cribs, but they aren't going to be available for another two months because they had to do 'safety modifications' on all their cribs...basically they had redesign their cribs to they wouldn't have the sliding gate anymore. We didn't get a crib, but I found lots of other house items...of course! Before we even left the store Tyson told me I wasn't allowed to go to IKEA by myself...I found it very easy to 'need' tons of stuff! Haha!

So, lots of people have been asking me about pregnancy inspired food cravings. Honestly, I don't really crave 'out of the ordinary' foods. One thing I have been loving is peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches. That's right...just plain peanut butter and jelly! I'm convinced it's a kick back to my childhood. For some reason I can't get enough of them...I like them so much that I'm likely to growl at anyone who might ask for a bite. Haha!

This week the baby is only weighs a little over half a pound and is only a little longer than a dollar bill. It's hard to believe that my baby bump is a big as it is, but the baby is still so tiny!

This week the baby is about 6-7 inches long and weighs about 8.5 ounces. It's size is comparable to a mango!

Here is a funny addition to my belly pictures. Tucker was very curious as to what all the fuss was about. Tassa wasn't as interested..I think she felt that lounging on the bed was a better use of her time.

I hope everyone has a good week! I'll post pictures of our new house with my next post.

P.S. I wanted to say congratulations to my brother Joe and sister-in-law Roya! They are going to welcome their little one in March 2012! Congratulations guys!!! Love you.

18 weeks and a few days


I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

This past week has been the week of dreams and less sleep. I have always enjoyed the fact that I am pretty good sleeper, but lately I haven't been sleeping very well. I sleep for a few hours and then I spend the rest of night dreaming and sleeping off and on. Most of the books I've read talk about how you dream more vividly during pregnancy. I would say my dreams are more random... I dream about telescopes (I know...it's weird!), my friends, flashbacks to when I was in high school, about driving around in my car, strangers, etc. I dream so much that I feel like it interrupts my sleep. When you are dreaming you are supposed to be in a deeper sleep, compared to when you aren't dreaming, but lately it's been causing me to wake up more often during the night. Dreaming is fun, but I kind if wish I could do it less so I could sleep better!

This weekend marks two weeks till we move to our bigger place. Right now, we live in a one bedroom condo close to downtown and a lots of stuff to do. While we love where we live, once we found out I was pregnant we knew we had to find a bigger place. So, we found a house and we move on September 15th. The closer we get to our move date the more excited I get because we will have lots more room and our dogs will have a backyard to play in. So, this weekend we started the dreaded packing process. In a word...yuck! It's inevitable, but still no fun. Even the dogs don't think moving is very fun...

For those of you who haven't had the chance to get acquainted with our bubs...Tassa is the one in the front and Tucker is the one in the back.

Now for the much awaited belly picture. Feast your eyes everyone...it's getting bigger! Please forgive my ragged appearance, but its a holiday weekend so all efforts to look nice are off! Ha!

This week the baby is about 5-6 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. I read about two different comparisons for the size of my baby. So, here goes.

We either have a dill pickle or....

I prefer the bell pepper, but I thought the dill pickle was kind of funny! This past week people have started to notice my bump more and more. It's fun that people notice, but sometimes I run out of creative and cute responses. It could be worse...people could be trying to touch my belly already. Ha!