Week 27!

Baby's Size:  This week, the baby weighs almost 2 pounds – like a head of cauliflower - and is about 14 ½ inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on.

My Weight: I won’t be weighing myself at home…what’s the point!?  We are scheduled for an appointment on July 20th, so we will see at that point how I am tipping the scales!Maternity Clothes: No new maternity clothes, but I will need a new dress or two for the upcoming baby showers we have planned, so shopping or internet searching is on the list.
Movement: She has been moving a lot!  It’s weird to see my stomach moving around… if I stare long enough at my belly, it looks like fireworks could be going off in there!
Sleep: Still having trouble getting into a good sleep position.  I am constantly tired though, so I seem to fall asleep pretty quickly once I get settled. 
What I miss: I miss not complaining about a pregnant ailment!  I feel like I am always saying, my rib hurts or my back hurts and it is getting old for me and I am sure it is getting old for Justin!!  Best Moment this week: I was pretty pumped when my mom came over to help with putting up a new window shade in the nursery and a curtain rod for the curtains she made.  Sadly, J & I aren’t the best at home-improvement projects, so we usually have to ask for help so we don’t screw anything up too much!  Last time I put a curtain rod up myself, he was none to pleased with the result.  Oops!  The nursery is definitely coming along and I can’t wait to get some things up on the walls because it is looking a little bare in that department.Looking forward to:  Next week’s doctor’s appointment!  We will get to see the baby by ultrasound again, so that is always exciting!  We will then get to make an appointment to do 4D ultrasound!  The place we are looking into doing this at is called Triangle Imaging.  They offer a feature called Sonostream LIVE, which allows us to share the entire 3D/4D ultrasound experience live – in real time, privately across the Internet with anyone in the world aka Grandma & Grandpa Crooks!!  I definitely have to call there and figure out when that will work best for everyone.

http://www.triangle4dbaby.com/

Cravings:  No real cravings.  I seem to be wanting ice cream a lot lately, which is unusual for me.  I particularly want fruity flavored ice cream – peach & black raspberry are the two favs for the moment.  I do know that my appetite has picked up.  I feel like I could eat and eat and not be full!
Symptoms: Same symptoms: rib pain, back pain and leg cramps, Oh my! 
Pictures: Justin took this picture before we went out to dinner because I knew my stomach would look way bigger after I ate!  Brinkley has apparently felt left out the past few posts because she got in my picture and sat so well…she wasn’t missing out again!

 

Week 26!

Baby's Size:  The network of nerves in the baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both my voice and Justin’s as we chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches – an English hothouse cucumber- from head to heel.
My Weight: My June 29^th appointment went well and I have gained 9 lbs in just a month, leaving my grand total at 13 lbs!  I guess I was bound to gain some weight, but it seemed like a large jump!
Maternity Clothes: I bought a cute tank top to wear to a 4^th of July party.  Still holding strong with just 2 pairs of shorts and some dresses!
Movement: The last few days she seems to have stepped it up a notch.  She doesn’t seem to enjoy certain positions when I am lying down and will move around like crazy until I re-position myself.  Justin has been able to feel lots of kicks lately as well!
Sleep: Falling asleep seems to be the only difficult part.  Once I am asleep, I am pretty much out for the night.  Between my rib ache and back ache, I have to be very careful how I lay down; otherwise I toss & turn for a bit.
What I miss: I’m not really missing anything at the moment.    
Best Moment this week: There were soo many because we got to have lots of fun with friends!!
Looking forward to: Getting the house back in order and figuring out some nursery stuff.  We will be heading to NY at the end of July, but that still seems far away.  I am sure time will fly by though!
Cravings:  I got to eat my NY corn on the cob!  It was a yummy treat!  No unusual cravings at the moment though.
Symptoms: Same old, same old!  Lots of midnight leg cramps! 
Pictures: I had Adam take this picture before we went out to dinner.  He isn’t the photographer that Justin is, but he got the job done!!

Putting Together the Nursery Furniture!

After work today we decided to pick up the Nursery Furniture.  We weren't sure if we were going to attempt to put it together, but we had until July 5th to pick it up.  There were 3 large boxes - a crib, dresser, changing table- & a mattress.  Once we got home with everything, Justin started to make dinner and Katie DOVE into the project!  We are so thankful & lucky to have such great friends!!  I honestly don't know how long it would have taken Justin & I to put everything together on our own.  We would have gotten it done, but we aren't the best at these types of projects. 
Below are some pictures of everyone working hard! 
Thanks so much to Mike, Katie & Justin for getting it all done in one night!!

The Foreman has chosen her workers



Mike looks like he is working hard!



Again, why does it look like only Katie is working?



The problematic dresser



Happy with their creation, but maybe not with eachother!



Much better...the happy crew!



The changing table with some of Mia's stuff

 

The dresser & a sign Nana & Papa sent us

 

The crib!



The changing table & crib

 I literally did nothing during this whole time...I was on the couch watching everything go down.  I tayed up way past my bedtime, but it was totally worth it!  I am so happy & excited that everything has been put together and is at least in the room where it should be.  Next up, my mom will be making curtains for the window.  I wasn't a huge fan of the curtains that went with the bedding, so Cindy to the rescue!  We picked out a fabric that we liked and then I showed Justin just to make sure he liked it as well, he did!  Things are moving along quickley!

Week 25!

Baby's Size:  Head to heels, the baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

My Weight: Still waiting for that doc’s appointment on June 29^th!

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing the outfits I have…haven’t purchased anything new.

Movement: She is very active, but seems to always settle down when Justin touches my belly.  I am hoping that this means she will be easily soothed by him once she arrives!

Sleep: I miss being able to fall asleep and sleep through the night…I am up several times for a bathroom break, but usually fall back to sleep pretty quickly.  I still am surrounded by many pillows and when I move to a new position, they all have to be rearranged!  It’s kind of a pain in the butt!!

What I miss: I miss being able to clean my house!  I know this sounds silly, but I wish I had the energy to just clean or fix up the house how I want it to be done.  Not only do I not have the energy, I also ache horribly like an 80 year old woman if I do too much!  Justin has been a HUGE help with the cleaning and trying to do things to my expectations, but it just isn’t the same.  I know he doesn’t mind helping out, but I feel like I am ordering him around and he is my slave! 

Best Moment this week: Lots of fun stuff going on in the Crooks household.  We have friends in town and have gotten to spend a lot of time with them!

Looking forward to: Seeing Justin’s brother, Adam & our friend Eric!  They will be driving into town on Friday and will be here until Monday. 

Cravings:  I ate some corn on the cob I had been craving, but it wasn’t the best batch…hmmm, maybe I will ask Adam to pick me up some good NY corn on the cob!!

Symptoms: The same old back ache and rib ache…once all of our visitors have left town I plan on using the massage gift certificate my sisters & Ian got me for my birthday! 

Pictures: This picture was taken after a LONG Sunday.  We had about 20 people crammed into our townhouse for homemade pasta & sauce.  The boys somehow pulled together a great meal for everyone even though they were hung-over and looked like they’d rather be lounging!

Whoa baby, I am getting B I G!

Week 24!

Happy Father's Day to Justin! 
It's hard to believe that in one year, we will actually be celebrating with our little one, I'm beyond excited!!!
Baby's Size:  Baby C is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long – picture an ear of corn - she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

My Weight: I still haven't weighed myself...I have a doc’s appointment on June 29^th though so we will see what I’ve gained soon!

Maternity Clothes: I haven’t bought anything new!  I still need a few tops, but I’m not overly concerned right now with finding any!

Movement: She moves ALL the time!  I had a stomach ache last week and her movements weren’t helping the situation! 

Sleep: Sleep is becoming somewhat of a pain…I can’t get comfortable at night, but once I do I am down for the count. 

What I miss: I’m not missing a whole lot at the moment; nothing comes to mind this week! 

Best Moment this week: Well, I turned the big 30 on Friday and I was able to head out to Sunset Beach with the family.  Justin couldn’t get work off so he stayed home and watched Brinkley & Ollie.  I was able to spend all of Friday and some of Saturday on the beach.  Saturday night we went to dinner with a bunch of friends which was also a lot of fun.

Looking forward to: Picking up the furniture for the nursery!  The only part about this that I am dreading is putting together ALL the pieces! 

I’m also looking forward to having the Fanelli family in town!

Cravings:  I’m not craving anything right now for some reason...except now that I am looking at that corn on the cob, I really want some!!

Symptoms: No new symptoms, same old same old!

Pictures: This lovely picture was taken after I had eaten dinner and had 2 helpings of dessert!

How could you not LOVE that face!!

Week 23!

Baby's Size:  Baby C is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound - abut the size of a large mango! Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as the dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. 

What about her father yelling at the Yankees?  Will she be prepared for that?!

My Weight: I still haven't weighed myself...Oops! 

Maternity Clothes: I surprisingly didn't buy anything new this week, oh wait, I lied!  I bought a maternity swimsuit last week.  It was $20 from http://www.destinationmaternity.com/.  You can't beat that!  I have been wearing a friends maternity suit that she let me borrow, but I also don't want to wear it soo much that I stretch it out!!

Movement: She is still kicking up a storm!  I usually feel her at night but have started to notice movement at all hours/times. 

Sleep: I am still sleeping pretty good.  Nothing to complain about here!

What I miss: The good sushi!  I miss the sushi with raw fish on top soo bad right now! 

Best Moment this week: There were several "best moments" of the week!  We received our diaper stacker in the mail and loved the pattern.  We then decided on the exact furniture we wanted & purchased it.  We went to Lowe's Home Improvement and bought paint for the nursery AND Justin painted the whole room today!!  He did a great job and I felt somewhat bad not being able to help. 

Here is a sneak peekof the nursery paint job and pattern of the bedding...

Looking forward to: Our furniture delivery!

Cravings:  For some reason coconut covered fish sounds YUMMY!

Symptoms: I still feel really good.  I've had a few headaches here and there, but nothing monumental!  I've also recently been waking up in the middle of the night with horrible calf cramps, fun times!!

Pictures:

It's kind of dark, but you get the idea!

My pretty girl getting acquainted with her sisters bedroom!

 

Week 22!

Another week down!  I feel like the summer is going to fly by especially since we have a few fun events coming up!


Baby's Size:  This week, Baby C is about 11 inches long and weighs around 1 pound!  I looked at several different sites and here are what they are comparing the size to:  a small doll, a papaya or the length of a spaghetti squash.
Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside the womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas is developing steadily.
My Weight: I don't typically weigh myself at home, but I guess I should see how close our scale is to the doctor's scale.
Maternity Clothes: I found a cute tank top this weekend at Kohl's.  Justin pretty much now knows that whenever we enter a store, we will be looking at the maternity section.  Doing this literally takes 5 minutes tops because the have a very limited selection!
Movement: I have been feeling her move around a lot more lately, but she doesn't like to perform for anyone else when they touch my belly.  Hopefully soon!

Sleep: Sleeping is starting to get annoying!  Its hard to get comfortable and I have a total of 6 pillows surrounding me that need to be repositioned throughout the night.

What I miss: Not really missing anything at the moment...Life is Good!

Best Moment this week: On Saturday Justin & I were very productive!  We found furniture we really liked and mapped out the room by laying down magazine pages to make sure everything would fit.  We also bought a ceiling fan/light for the baby room which Justin & our friend Danny will install.  For some reason the people that built our townhouse didn't feel the need to put light fixtures in the last 2 bedrooms, just the Master bedroom.

Looking forward to: Our Babies R Us delivery!  Justin & I picked out bedding that we think we like, but ordered a small piece (a diaper stacker) just to make sure we really liked it before committing to it.  If we decide we really love it, then we will take it to Lowe's Home Improvement to match it to some paint for the nursery!
Cravings: Still craving that Margarita!  I've also been having cravings for Fruit Punch Gatorade...seems random!
Symptoms: I'm still feeling great!  I continue to have the pain under my rib and a pain in a small spot on my back, but I feel like that's nothing in the big scheme!
Picture: