home stretch

The home stretch begins today- that is, the Third Trimester! :-)

This week, the little princess is approximately 14.8 inches and can blink her eyes (which already have eyelashes!) She is developing her eyesight and tons of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat to prepare for her arrival into the world!

I am getting ready to head home to St.Pete for a wonderful week with friends and family and baby shower fun. I leave tomorrow morning, and am going to miss Toby and Scott, but love knowing I have someone with me at all times. :-)

"Everything's changing while the day sky stays blue."

TGIF!

What a wonderful week it has been. I have been loving feeling little baby LeRoy kick her way around in my belly. I have been able to feel and see her move around and can tell when she is laying low or pushing up against my belly.

I've been doing prenatal yoga at a yoga studio with a fabulous teacher I found. I love it and hope to do it up until delivery. I think the little one likes it, too!

I am slowly starting to feel my energy dip, but hoping it stays around long enough for my trip back to Florida. I am leaving next week for baby showers and family fun. I can't wait to see family and friends and enjoy my last trip back to Florida before she is born.

We've been back and forth on names for so long now. It is such a difficult decision!

Time for some more popcorn...

baby update!

This week our growing baby has been compared to two vegetables.

Cauliflower and eggplant.

Weighing about the same as a head of cauliflower, as of Friday she was 772 grams or about 1.7 pounds.

She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, and according to many people, babies get adjusted to their mom's sleeping and waking schedule. She is also opening and closing her eyes and with lots of brain tissue developing her brain is very active.

I've enjoyed tickling her feet and body with my fingers against my tummy and she usually gives me a little kick back. :-)

"Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do."

karate kid

Our little angel inside is quite the mighty kicker, and enjoys showing me she likes to play by lots of tiny kicks in my belly. It is such a sweet reminder of the joyful surprise inside.

This weekend friends came to visit and we got to play with their 2 year old (Carsen) as well as baby sophia, who is now about 7 months old. we had a wonderful time and got to talk a lot about babies, baby gear and got some good mommy advice. I am always up for learning more when it comes to breastfeeding, sleeping and especially labor! Scott even got to 'babysit' for a little bit, which meant feeding Carsen babyfood without a spoon! oh boy, i'm in for some fun!

We had a doctor appointment Friday and she is doing great! Everything is going perfect and she is right on track, and weighs over a pound! It's always so much fun getting able to see her bounce around on the ultrasound. I scanned the image which is mostly of her head and her chest, and her arm is reaching up towards her eyes. She was saluting us!

can you see her head and little arm waving hi?

A couple more belly pics as I am 6 months along. WOW, only 3 more months to go!

she's so hot!

hothouse english cucumber that is!

from head to heel she's approximately 14 inches long.

wow, what a growing little cucumber!

she can hear us talking and is inhaling a bunch of amniotic fluid. yum!

week 26 is going to be great, we have a doctor appointment at the end of the week to check on the little cucumber. i feel good and have such a wonderful, loving, happiness inside of me.

she is going to be the most loved and adored baby ever.

i also started taking prenatal yoga classes, which is great for stretching out my belly (and the rest of my body) and helps alleviate some of the pain in my back. i recommend it for anyone who is preggers. it's not strenuous at all, just mostly stretching, breathing and relaxing- something i must take advantage now while i still can. ;-)

"Whether your pregnancy was meticulously planned, medically coaxed, or happened by surprise, one thing is certain -- your life will never be the same."

Fabulous!

week 26 is slowly approaching, and the tummy is growing more a bit every day!

we had a FABULOUS day walking around the mall, seeing 'shutter island' at the movies and then trying out a fantastic new peruvian restaurant down the block. it was a great day, and i am sure the little princess enjoyed every bit of it!

tummy is growing!

she's having a blast kicking around in there!

bundle of joy

Running errands and talking on the phone,
I am pleasantly reminded that I am not alone.
Little tiny hands a precious rounded knee
pushing and twisting that no one can see.
Oh sweet child kicking up your heels,
it is our little secret that only I can feel.
I look forward to your birth,
when I can kiss your skin,
but for now I will just smile,
As I feel you play within.

march madness

almost at the 25 week mark, my belly is finally starting to get BIGGER and i am feeling it.

my nights are a bit more restless, lots of tossing and turning. being a back sleeper my whole life, i am trying to sleep on my side, and often times wake up in the middle of the night on my back, only to tell myself to turn over!

scott came back yesterday, so we are having a good weekend of r&r and much needed make up of hugs and kisses. i worked hard on the house while he was gone, and noticed my energy level is starting to deteriorate again. i hope i have atleast another month of spunk left in me, because all i feel like doing now is kicking my feet up!

fyi: pregnancy is a wonderful time to be lazy. nobody can say anything to you, and you get doors opened for you, bags carried, and can eat anything under the sun! :-)

i've also started to really feel her kicking, especially when i am laying down in bed on my back. she's squirming around and practicing her dance moves!

pregnant with a princess

feeling good. and pregnant!

daddy's coming home

After 3 long weeks of Scott being gone, he finally arrives back home today!

YAY!

Me and baby bump can't WAIT to see him.

I have gotten a lot accomplished around the house, swapped the guest room and the baby nursery around and painted both, did some decorating and got some more things to make it more 'homey'. Scott has been the only thing missing!

I made some yummy oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies, just hope I have some left by the time Scott gets back.

We are tossing around baby girl names, and it is so difficult. Thinking of all angles, nicknames, initials, etc. makes it quite tough! But we really like about 5 or 6 names, and maybe before she arrives we will choose one!

She weighs just over a pound, and face is basically complete now. The eyes are close together on the front of her face and they are still shut. Her ears have moved into their final position on the sides of her head, and I have been told that she can hear sounds. Music anyone? I think she will come out liking anything, and won't be afraid of dogs barking!

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

it is so hard picking out a name.

a name lasts a lifetime.

it symbolizes so much.

and for us it must be perfect.

perfect for the princess.

so i have read, looked up, seen, thousands of names.

so many are cute, so many are not cute.

i think about how it sounds with the last name.

what the possible nicknames would be.

i will even write it out.

it is so hard. but i know, once we pick it, it will be perfect.

we have been thinking about some pretty unique names, something important to us.

that is also pretty.

and fun to write. :-)

suggestions are always welcomed.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."