How to Get Baby to Move

So far this baby has been incredibly active in utero. Even to the point where people across the room have seen him jumping around in my belly. Not really the attention you want during business meetings, but there is not much you can do to settle a baby when he wants to be active. The other problem with an active baby is that when he decides not to be active it definitely starts one worrying. That is what happened over the last couple of days. From a logical point of view I am pretty sure he has shifted positions and is now kicking toward my back which I can not feel as much as when he was kicking directly into my stomach. From a worrying mother's perspective movement slow down means that something is wrong. I still feel him moving but just not as strong and definitely in a different position than he was before. I am sure in the next day or so he will shift again to some new and interesting position with new challenges and discomforts.

This is why I decided to find ways to reassure myself that my baby was doing well. I definitely don't want to interrupt his sleep cycle or to disturb him while he grows big and strong in my tummy, but once in a while when the worrying gets to me there are ways to make sure that he is still doing well. My favorite discovery (just found out tonight) is the use of a flash light placed on my stomach. He definitely starts moving after the flashlight. That is one that I reserve if everything else doesn't work. The other baby moving techniques that I have found are eating dried apricots, drinking a large glass of water, or simply relaxing (he tends to sleep more the more active I am and will move more if I am lying on the couch or in bed). He also seems to know when I have a full bladder and its exact location and will start kicking there just to keep me on my toes. But for tonight I am reassured that my baby is happy and healthy and definitely growing as my belly button is progressing towards an outie more and more. That is all I can hope for as I have 3 more months of pregnancy before I get to meet my little man.

26 Week Belly Pictures

From a day to day basis I can't tell that my stomach is growing, some days I don't feel that big and some days I feel huge. Taking pictures and comparing them to the pictures taken 3 weeks ago definitely shows me that something is happening and this baby is getting bigger. I can't imagine how big I will be in 3 months. 26 weeks marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester - I have heard that this trimester is not very much fun. All the fun times I have to look forward to in the coming months! And I can't wait because it means I am getting closer to meeting this little guy of mine.

Games with Baby

Everyday I can feel more and more movement in my tummy and am starting to feel the difference between general kicking and full body shifts in movement. Some days I swear he gets himself stuck in one position or another where a body part will be so squished in the uterus that he makes my belly lop-sided. When this happens I can feel him shifting and then one corner of my belly or even the middle will be sticking out at an odd angle. I can feel him right under the surface on those lopsided areas and it is definitely an interesting experience.

Anther new development that has occurred is I think he is interacting with his environment now. It could be a lot of coincidences, but when he is active and awake if I poke my belly he will poke back. He actually did this for Andrew the other night and I know he really enjoyed seeing his baby rather than just hearing about it from me. We were sitting on the couch and the little man started moving around so I told Andrew to watch and he saw my belly starting to pop whenever the baby would kick (this was also the first time Andrew saw my belly move rather than just feeling the kicks). He started poking back where he saw the movements and the baby would follow suit. This has happened a few times for me as well, where I would feel him moving, but not necessarily kicking and I would poke where I felt him and he would kick back.

The recent movement and shifting of positions make it seem more real every day. In 3 months I will have a baby in my now completed nursery. It still seems so far in the future, but it just keeps getting closer and closer. I am nervous about all the changes that will occur in my life as well about the actual birth, but I can't wait and am so excited to meet this little guy that keeps reminding me that he is coming.

I need to take more belly pics and get them posted - maybe tonight? maybe later this week.

Nursery Completed!!!

Andrew went to pick up the furniture on Friday from the Lynnwood Babies R Us. He planned on borrowing a friend's SUV to pick up the crib and dresser as we definitely don't have a car that would fit either item. After several set backs (waiting for the keys, fixing the broken seat that wouldn't recline and Friday night traffic) he finally made it home. We were both so excited to see the furniture in the room so even though it was late and Andrew had to leave later that night we brought everything in and started putting the crib together. We had everything put together in about 40 minutes and it looked amazing!

Even then we just kept putting everything that we had so far for the little man in the room and before we knew it, everything was basically complete. The only thing missing was the rocker which we had to Scoth Guard. Tonight we put the last touches on the room (added the rocker and put in a Windows Valance). I am so amazed with how everything came together. We still have many more items that we need before we are ready for an actual baby, but I know I have to wait on those until Christmas and the baby showers that are planned. The room looks better than I could have imagined and Andrew is so happy with how it turned out as well. Our son is already spoiled and has the best room in the house! It looks much better in person (as I am not a photographer and do not know how to capture the room in photos) but here are a few pictures of the Nursery!

Nursery Stage 1

We (as in Andrew) are just putting the finishing touches on the first stage of our nursery. We have painted the room a taupe color and added white paneling with a chair rail on the bottom half of the walls. It looks amazing and I can't wait to get the furniture in and start decorating (stages 2 and 3). I know it was a frustrating process for Andrew, as he had to deal with all of the construction, but it turned out amazing and I am so lucky to have a husband that is handy around the house - if I didn't we would be lost as power tools and I do not get along!

I just got a call this morning that our long awaited crib and dresser have arrived at Babies R Us and we can pick it up any time. I think Andrew will be able to pick it up while I am at work on Thursday so I should have stage 2 pictures up soon. I already have the bedding and some decorations for the room so stage 3 will be a work in process but not far behind. I can't wait!

24 week appt

So today I had my 24 week appointment with the OB and all is well. The baby's heart beat was a strong 142 beats a minute, my blood pressure was good at 110/60 and everything else seemed to be on track. For the first time today the nurse measured my belly, I didn't get the measurement nor do I know what it should be but I am guessing it was good. I also found out that at my next appt I get to do the glucose test and they sent me home with the choice of either orange or fruit punch juice of some kind. I thought the fruit punch would be the lesser of two evils. An hour before my next appt I get to drink the whole bottle and then have my blood tested. Hopefully all goes well as I don't think I would survive well on a Diabetic diet - I love sugar way too much. I would have to make the sacrifice for the baby, but it would be extremely hard on me. But I don't have to worry too much for another month. My next appt is on December 4th.

So my weight gain so far has been on the high side according to the doctor. I have gained 18lbs thus far in the pregnancy and I still have 3 more months to go. I want to gain a healthy amount for the baby and I have been trying to eat healthy and get all the nutrients both the baby and I need, but I don't want to gain so much weight that it will be difficult to get off after the baby is here. I just need to stay active and stay away from the sweets. The active part I am definitely working on as I have water aerobics every week and try to walk around and take the stairs whenever possible. Staying away from sweets is another issue, especially with all of the Halloween candy at the office, but I am trying. Either way if I gain too much weight or just the right amount the baby is healthy and definitely active.

What is in a Name?

Before we knew that our little guy was actually a guy and not a gal, Andrew and I threw around a bunch of names and decided on a girl's name and a couple of boy names that we liked but were not completely sold on. Of course we end up with a little boy (and we are very excited!) but we still had to figure out a name. Girl names seemed so much easier, there were several that we loved and one that we knew was perfect for our little one. Boy names were a lot harder for us and we seemed to like slightly different names. Most evenings we would go through the baby name book and throw out names to each other but for a number of weeks there didn't seem to be one that we agreed on, or one that really fit the baby that was growing bigger and stronger ever day inside my belly.

However there was one name that we kept coming back to, at first it didn't seem right but the more we thought about it the more it seemed to fit. As we went over every other name that was on our 'maybe' list they just seemed wrong and made the one name seem more right. I am probably confusing everyone at this point, but we have decided on a name. We have also decided not to share the name with anyone until he is born. We have several reasons for this decision. First we want to make sure that this is the right name for this baby and that it fits who he is. Second there are always those stories people tell you when you mention a name you are planning on calling your baby. Those "I knew a Sam once, he was a jerk" or "I went to school with a Tom and he was an idiot" stories and I would rather stay away from those stories and not be influenced by others opinions. Finally third, everyone knows that we are having a boy and it is kind of fun to keep one thing a surprise for when he is born. We will be able to properly introduce him to our family and friends for the first time when he is born, rather than having his name be common knowledge for 9 months before he even takes his first breath.

I know some people find this to be extremely frustrating, and want to know his name even more when I tell them that we are not sharing the information until he is born. It is kind of like teasing your little brother when growing up that you know something that he doesn't. I know I would want to know if I was in their shoes, but I really like our reasons for keeping his name a secret and I think it will be even more rewarding when we finally do get to share his name with everyone.