The countdown continues!

A couple of interesting facts about today:
1) 100 days until our due date!
2) We've been married for 600 days today! I told Jon it only feels like 500 -- ha ha!

Here are the top ten interesting/funny/weird pregnancy/life related moments of this week:

10) We saw the movie "Be Kind, Rewind" and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
9) We postponed the Baptism class so Jon could go to Knights of Columbus initiation. Hey, pool registration is starting!
8) I bought a heating pad for my back because I hurt myself cleaning.
7) We ate oatmeal for breakfast every day -- we are keeping our hearts healthy!
6) My fabulous hairstylist Thomas agreed to come in to work early to give me a blowout before my baby shower.
5) My mom sent us a great box with baby blankets that I remember Tommy using and Tommy's christening gown.
4) We started a registry at Babies R Us.
3) Someone finally got up to give me their seat on the Metro -- it's about time!
2) It's my last week without an OB/GYN appointment. I start going every week after the next one.
1) My bra broke at work so I had to leave work at lunchtime to go buy a bigger one.

25 weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks. The baby is the size of an eggplant. Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

We also had a sonogram this week. The baby weighs 1 lb 10 oz. As you can see, I've gained a little more weight than that! The doctor says everything is progressing just as it should with the baby and with me. My blood pressure has been holding steady, but the doctors are keeping a watchful eye on it. It's a very good sign that I am not (yet) swollen.

This week I started working on the first step of getting the baby's room ready -- cleaning it up and out! I had a couple of extra days off to "recover" from the International Builders' Show, and I worked hard to get everything in shape so Jon could move the furniture around. It took its toll on my back, though! I got the clear from my doctor to use a heating pad on it, and splurged on one that was big enough to cover the whole lower back. What relief! I am now thinking that I should have put more money in my Flexible Spending Account this year -- oh well, lesson learned! I know there's only more to come!

For the last 2-3 weeks, the baby has made a point out of stretching out to the point that it looks (& feels) like it's going to blast out of the right side of my tummy.

It looks and feels very weird when it's happening. I wish I could get a sonogram then because I would love to see what's going on in there! It feels like the baby is standing up. You can even see it through my clothes, which was a little embarassing when I was having a business meeting, and all of a sudden, someone pops up to say hi! Already wants to be the center of attention!

Mommy & Daddy

Jon and I have been comparing belly sizes. I am now an inch bigger than him!

Catching up

Here I am in weeks 21-24. I had bronchitis and then had a business trip to Orlando, so things were a little busy around here! I'll be better about posting now!

20 week ultrasound pictures

You sure have a squirmy baby!

That's a direct quote from our ultrasound technician. NO KIDDING! :) We had the "big" ultrasound this week, our 20th. Everything is progressing just as it should. We got to see the 3D/4D ultrasound which showed our baby's little face. S/he blew us a kiss, did some toe-touches and rolls, but couldn't keep still long enough to get a good picture of the face. We have plenty of legs, arms, organs, etc.

Here's what's going on with the baby developmentally: Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Here's a picture of me at 20 weeks 2 days. This weekend, my yoga instructor (who knew I was pregnant) told me I didn't have to suck in my stomach. I told her I couldn't even if I wanted to!

One week down, 13 more to go!

I just completed the first week of my second semester in the part-time MBA program at George Washington University. Oh yeah!!!

It actually wasn’t bad at all. I feel very fortunate that five or six people I met last semester are also in some of my classes for this semester. Coming from a small undergraduate school (there was less then 1,000 people in my graduating class) I find it comforting to already know and trust people in each of my classes.

On the down side, it means I’m back to hauling my bag of books back and forth on the METRO again. Since the morning commute on the Orange Line is really a vicious fight for seats and then standing room, I often find that my book bag is the best device for getting a seat for Anne and/or keeping others from getting too close to us. I have so much stuff crammed into this bag that it’s almost impossible to get around it without breaking one of the unspoken codes of METRO conduct.

However, by the time I’m heading home, my book bag becomes something of a liability. Perhaps it’s simply because I haven’t really been toting it around for a month, but it also seems heavier than last semester. I admit that within a day of carrying it, my head, neck and shoulders just start screaming for some Aleve.

I can only imagine what it will be like carrying all of my stuff and the baby’s…