21 Week Update

I am now in my 21st week of pregnancy. Developments for the baby include:

-weighing .75 lbs and measuring about 10.5 inches long (or the length of a carrot)

-eyelids and eyebrows are now present

No new changes for me this week – still enjoying the baby movement and I am looking forward to it moving all the time! 

Last weekend I visited with Nicole again and she has changed her sex guess to a girl! Due to the tragic loss of our friend’s sister, we have moved the date of our ultrasound back a week to the 29th so we can attend the funeral. Please keep the Shryock family in your prayers. 

Once we do find out the sex, we’ll have a name ready to go! If it’s a boy: Liam Scott MacDonald. If it’s a girl: Isabelle xx MacDonald. We haven’t thought of a girls middle name yet. Any ideas?

We’ll be traveling down to Gainesville, FL for Christmas to stay with Brian’s sister, Kristin, and celebrate with his family. Myself, Brian and Baby Mac wish you a very merry Christmas!

20 Week Update!

Yesterday (Thursday) marked the beginning of my 20th week of pregnancy! Half way! It’s quite the milestone! I’m told that the next 20 weeks will go by much slower BUT will be more exciting (baby movements, finding out the sex, nesting, showers, weight gain!).

Developments for the baby include:

-Weighing 10.5 ounces and measuring 10 inches head to heel (about the size of a banana!)

-Beginning production of meconium (gross poop) for its first diaper

Changes for me include a growing uterus, increased fetal movement (its so much fun to feel it moving around!), and from here on out I should be gaining a pound a week, yikes! It has become more difficult to get a good nights sleep and I’m slowly bringing giant pillows to bed with me to make my rest more comfortable. Its quite difficult maneuvering the pillow around the cat at 3am without waking Brian up – he has yet to complain, he’s the best!

19.5 Wk Belly Shot

As I mentioned before, my belly has finally popped so I’ll continue posting pictures (perhaps weekly) to document the growth! Please don’t mind my white socks throwing off my sleek ensemble, my feet were really cold!

19 Weeks

Today marks my 19th week of pregnancy! Developmental changes for the baby include:

-sensory development (hearing, vision, touch, and smelling)

-hair growth (Brian was born with a full head of hair…I was not)

-weighs 8.5 oz and measures about 6 inches long

My belly has exploded in growth over the past week – even though it was expected, its still pretty crazy! Now that there is a definite belly, we will begin posting pictures with various updates. I am feeling definite baby movement now too – its fun, like the baby and I are sharing our own little play date! And today, Brian felt movement for the first time…he was a little weirded out! Andy (the dog) was given a lecture at the vets office yesterday on the importance of being a good big brother – he didn’t seem too interested.

18 Weeks

Happy Thanksgiving! Today marks the beginning of my 18th week of pregnancy and we have a lot to be thankful for! Developments for the baby include:

-lengthening to 5 1/2 inches (or the length of a bell pepper)

-blood vessels are visible through its skin

-flexing of the arms and legs is more active

-its ears are in their final place (why did it have moving ears in the first place?!)

Over the past 3 days my belly has finally begun to pop! I’m sure Thanksgiving dinner today will aid in that progress! I keep thinking about the Friends Thanksgiving episode when Joey wears Phoebe’s maternity pants to dinner. I am thankful for maternity pants.

Nursery Furniture – new front runner

After posting the original choice for nursery furniture, I couldn’t get over how much I didn’t like the items on their own and really started doubting that selection. I started searching and came up with a set that I REALLY like – even without cute decorations! It’s the Storkcraft – Aspen series and I’m beginning to think that the extra drawer space is much more important than hanging space (I mean, what does a baby have to hang?!) And yes, I threw in a glider…it looks like heaven!

17 Week Appointment

We had our monthly doctor appointment yesterday and everything is right on track! They were very pleased with my lack of weight gain: ZERO LBS!!! I’m very pleased as well given the large amounts of french fries I ingest each week! They said that within the next month my body will really start changing and the weight will come out of nowhere – can’t wait.

He asked if I have felt the baby move and I told him I’m feeling something light but not quite sure if it’s the baby. The doctor said that is normal and that right now it’s like the baby is in a swimming pool – it can touch the edges if it wants but can also just hang out in the middle. Within the next 2-4 weeks it’ll be like an adult in the bathtub- touching the edges all the time with no where else to go!

I also mentioned that I’ve had some dizzy spells and he said that is very normal since my blood production hasn’t quite caught up  with my enlarged blood vessels. It’s nice to know there’s nothing wacky going on in my head!

So far this has been my favorite doctor of the practice because he recommended flying instead of driving places, and that Brian and I plan a “babymoon” before the baby comes since our lives will never be the same…Mexico?

And finally, the date for my “Big Ultrasound” is Monday, December 22nd when we will be finding out the sex. It’ll be our own little Christmas gift to ourselves!

Nursery Furniture

We’re becoming more serious about possible nursery furniture and during a recent trip to IKEA we found a set that we both like – the LEKSVIK series. The pieces don’t look so great on their own in the pictures below. But put them together and decorate with sex appropriate linens and such and you have a pretty cute nursery.

Crib (I’m still amazed that these things are convertible! It turns into a toddler bed!)

Toy box

These next three (closet, changing table, and cabinet) will all be grouped together and cute on one wall

*Update*Here’s a picture with some of the pieces actually set up and somewhat cute. Still not the best looking, but I promise that it was really cute in the store!

17 Weeks

Today marks the beginning of my 17th week of pregnancy! Highlights for the baby’s development include:

-Skeleton turning from soft cartilage into bone

-Ability to move all of its joints

-Weighs 5 ounces and is 5 inches long

-Sense of hearing is developing

Changes for me are supposed to be a growing belly and decreased balance. I haven’t experienced much of that yet but I’m sure it will come. Still waiting on definite baby movement! Our next routine doctors appointment is Wednesday at lunch time.

Early Call

While Nicole says that it’s still too early to make a definite call regarding the sex of the baby, I insisted that she make a preliminary judgement just for fun. She agreed to make the call but did add the disclaimer that since I haven’t gained hardly any weight (that’s probably just the best friend in her being nice) she’d really like another month before making the final guess. Fair enough! Her early call is: It’s a boy! I’ll see her again the weekend of December 13th when she will make her guess official!