Peanut is the size of a Rutabaga

Week 25: Rutabaga

Your baby rivals the average rutabaga in weight -- about 1 1/2 pounds. (Length: 13 1/2 inches, head to heel.) Head to heels, your 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.

Life Update:

1. Landen woke up this morning with goop & crust covering his eyes… Geez! If it’s not one thing, it’s another!
2. I started Physical Therapy last week. I really like my PT, Donna Goodwin. Last night was my 2^nd time going there, and my 1^st time actually doing anything.  As it turns out, I’m a little sore today, but not bad. I hope this helps to make my fibro and my pregnancy pains more manageable.
3. Keith finishes his finals this week! WOOHOO!
4. My sister’s baby shower is this weekend! I’m super excited about it, and about giving her the gifts I’ve made for her… I’ll post pictures next week.
5. I was in desparate need of caffeine yesterday towards the end of the work day. I went to the Pepsi machine in our break room, and got myself a Coke (it’s weird that the Pepsi machine has Coke and Diet Coke). I didn’t have exact change, so after pushing the Coke button the machine gave me my change… only it wasn’t American money – The machine gave me Canadian change! I guess that’s Pepsi’s way of getting me back for wanting Coke products!
6. We had a get-together with Keith’s brothers and dad this weekend. It was fun to grill out and play games with everyone.
7. I had such a great time at the Chi O reunion!

Pregnancy Update:

1. How far along? 25 weeks 1 day
2. Total weight gain? 1 lbs (I think)
3. Fundal height? 26 ½
4. Baby bump? Absolutely
5. Maternity Clothes? Exclusively wearing maternity clothes… PLUS my Maternity/SI Lock support belt, which, despite the fact that it is NOT flattering AT ALL, really seems to help!
6. Movement? Yep, it’s not to the point of being really painful, so I enjoy watching my belly move and jump. I realize that at this point I should be noticing some kind of pattern, but this kid seems to be a bit of a free spirit. There is no pattern, no established downtime; he is wiggly all the time – at random times.
7. Cravings?  Yep, and almost all of my cravings this week have been unhealthy! Aside from milk, I have been dying for nutty-buddy bars, Christmas tree cakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls, caramel, etc. Come on kid, don’t you want some veggies?!
8. Aversions? Meats, onions, spiciness of any kind, and sandwiches
9. Symptoms? Pains (back, sciatic, leg, hip, neck, etc), Cramps (stomach, back, and into my thighs), Legs falling asleep, Headaches, TIRED, Forgetfulness, Cranky, Heartburn, and a few unmentionables
10. Sleep? If I could JUST GET COMFORTABLE and have normal dreams without waking 25 times to pee
11. Gender? Boy! And still a nameless child… we really are going to work on that!
12. Belly button? In
13. What I miss? Energy, sleep, easy mobility, lying down without getting heartburn, etc
14. What I’m looking forward to? Naming this baby! Seeing my sister and throwing her baby shower! Christmas!
15. Concerns? Landen having pinkeye. Maternity leave (or lack thereof).
16. Blessings? Being able to feel Peanut move – knowing he is doing fine! My blood pressure maintaining. Having a job. Keith. Landen. Family. Friends. Landen’s daycare.

Peanut = Ear of Corn

Week 24: Ear of Corn

Your baby has caught up with an ear of corn in size and gained about 1/4 pound since last week. (Length: a foot.)

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Doctor’s Report: Peanut weighs just over 1 ½ lbs and is just over 1 ft long. His head is down; pushing into my cervix (pleasant… I KNOW!). He is measuring about 1 – 1 ½ weeks ahead. Because I am carrying him SO LOW and his head is way down in my pelvic floor, I have to start wearing a support belt. Hopefully, this will make me a little more comfortable and have fewer contractions. With all the pelvic and sciatic pain, my doctor wants me to go see a physical therapist. My blood pressure was good this time! She is hoping I can make it 3 more months (to the end of February)… we shall see.

Life Update:

• Thanksgiving was great! We had awesome food, Landen played with his 6 yr old cousin for HOURS!
•  Landen decided to be more talkative than ever… Dictionary of Landen:
•  “Pea” = please, green, tree, pink, peas, and beans
• “Bawwh” = ball
• “Bouw” = brown
• “OHWWOW” = yellow, anything exciting/surprising/different, or if he falls down
• “Ay” (pronounced like Hey without the H) = hey, peak-a-boo, anytime he finds something he was looking for, cat appears
• “Uh oooh” = when he falls, drops something, can’t find something, or someone/something/cat disappears
• “Up” = cup, or if he wants up or down
• “Yea or Yesh” = yes
• “Yea ya ya ya” = when he is very excited about getting or agreeing to something
• “That” accompanied by a pointing finger = anything he wants, sees, or wants others to see
• "Oh" = orange
• "Bwuh" = black 
• "Behw" = bear
• We put our Christmas tree up! This is the first Christmas tree we have ever had, so we had to get ornaments and I attempted to make some…. FYI making ornaments is a nightmare great. I am terrible at it!!! How is it that I can be SO artsy in so many areas but NOT ornament decorating!?! Anyway, I am still working on the ornaments; I managed to make 1 that was tree worthy. Landen helped Keith hang all the ornaments. When we turned the tree lights on, Landen just stood there pointing at the tree saying, “OHWOW WOW OOOH WOW,” and then he tried to run over the tree with his push car… stinker.
• Landen started daycare (aka school) on Monday. He seemed to enjoy it and was quite a happy kid when he got home. When I was driving him to daycare this morning, I asked him if he wanted to go to “school” and he said, “Yea!” while passionately nodding his head up and down. Once we got there and I took him to his class, he turned and waved bye to me… His contentment with going to daycare makes me feel SO much better about him going!
• Landen face planted off his toy horse yesterday and busted his lip... AGAIN!
• Keith is sick. He starts finals tomorrow. Not a fun combination.
• This weekend is going to be super busy! We are having a Chi Omega reunion all weekend, our small group is doing a service project for the men at the Foundry on Sunday, Keith’s dad wants all of Keith’s brothers (& wives/fiancés/girlfriends and Landen) to get together on Sunday, Keith has finals next week and will be studying all weekend, and I know there is more but I can’t remember it all…

Pregnancy Stuff:

1. How far along? 24 weeks 1 days
2. Weight gain? 0 lbs (I broke even after Thanksgiving meals)
3. Baby bump? Obviously
4. Maternity clothes? AND a maternity/SI support belt
5. Movement? YES! And he is getting stronger
6. Cravings? Chocolate, pizza, balsamic vinegarette, nutty-buddy bars, Christmas tree cakes, and MILK
7. Aversions? onions, bell peppers, meats...
8. Symptoms? Back pain, pelvic pressure, sciatic pain, headaches, stomach cramps/contractions, tired, legs falling asleep, and some other not so pleasant things.
9. Sleep? It’s not great. My dreams are just plain NUTS!
10. Gender? Boy
11. Belly button? In
12. What I miss? Sleep, being able to reach stuff under my desk, laying on the floor and letting Landen crawling all over me, getting comfortable, laying on my stomach.
13. What I'm looking forward to? Naming this child!
14. Concerns? My sister having her baby and me not being allowed to travel there for her. Maternity leave (or lack thereof).  Missing work to go to all my doctor’s appointments AND to physical therapy appointments… ugh! Why can’t they work hours that I DON’T have to be at work!?
15. Blessings? Family. Friends. Small Group. My job. Keith. Landen. Peanut. Blood pressure maintaining. Daycare being a good experience for Landen.
16. Pictures:




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Kicking the mess out of me... straight legged kicking



O Happy Day!

It's Friday!

Pinterest.com is becoming one of my new best friends

I have begun following an absolutely hilarious blog: Grasping for Objectivity

I only have to work until 1:30pm, and then I get to spend the rest of the day with the other man in my life... LANDEN!!

Morning sickness has hidden it's ugly head for the past 3 days!

AND...

I am superexcited about some Alabama Football this weekend!


Life update:

- 2 Kings is complete and I am now entering into the realm of reading 1 Chronicles... I've never read it before but I hear it's not the most action packed book in the Bible. Hopefully, I will be able to focus on God and his awesomeness rather than the lacking adventure... We shall see!

- Landen is 15 months old... he is working on tooth number 13! I KNOW, it's absurd! He makes a "bbrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmm" sound anytime he sees or plays with a car. The fact that he, not only, can put his head on the floor and look through/between his legs... but can throw a ball between his legs with his head still on the floor is the coolest thing in the world to him.

- The University of Montevallo is having RUSH this weekend, and I am SERIOUSLY hoping I can make it down there to support (and bring some food) to my Chi O's down there... we shall see

- Keith and I have been visiting Church of the Highlands for the past couple weeks. I thoroughly miss our Sunday School crew at SMBC, but I am loving the intense worship experience at the Highlands. Total mixed feelings.

- I have my OB appt on Tuesday, September 13... can't wait to hear Peanut's heartbeat again and be told that everything looks good and seems normal ::high hopes and finger's crossed::

- We got Landen a car seat... forward facing... Nothing shy of a Blessing. They are really stinkin' expensive, BUT we managed to find left over gift cards to Bed,Bath,&Beyond and Buy,Buy,Baby (from our wedding and Landen's baby registries) to combine with a 20% off coupon... and VIOLA!! We paid NOTHING! (actually we had $19 remaining on the BBB gift card). FYI Buy,Buy,Baby will price match any item. Thank you Walmart for your low(er) prices! God is good and provides a means before we even know the need!

Happy Friday. Happy Weekend!