Some More Fun Facts

Today marks the first day of week 23:

How your baby's growing: 

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango) you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. 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 your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

My Symptoms:
Good news, I have NOT noticed any swelling of the hands, feet or ankles yet.  I hear sitting or standing for long periods doesn't do you much good so thankfully my active job of moving around with kids might be helping!  Not to mention I've always been good about drinking lots of water and that helps too.  Other pregnancy symptoms include an annoying red, acne-rash-like spot just to the right of my nose that goes down towards my mouth.  Has been there the entire pregnancy!  I've tried several different natural remedies, I don't wear foundation or powder and the rest of my face is acne free.  Frustrating, but I'm aware things could be worse.   I have to file my nails once a week - NEVER have I had to file my nails.  They have always grown so slow and are thin and usually tear off when they get "long".  Sleep... I was very sad at first to lose my good sleep and hearing people laugh that this was preparing me for what lack of sleep I will soon experience did not help.  I'd rather keep sleeping good until that day comes!  :)  Anyway I seem to be getting more used to my new sleep, but if you see Josh with a black eye it's because I am hormonal and he was snoring too loud.

21 Weeks!

Thanksgiving in Pioneer

I was not very good about taking photos at Thanksgiving this year - too busy just enjoying everybody I guess! :)  Dad & Donna flew into Oakland earlier that week and then the four of us plus Indie and our bags and our food managed to fit in my Fit.  Barely, ha!  We drove up to Josh's mom's house in Pioneer, CA for a relaxing day of food and family.  Josh's brothers both came, Jake with Carli and Nathan and his wife Heather with Declan who is almost always laughing.  Beth and Philip spent the day with Josh's Dad in Sutter Creek and Sarah lives in NY so they were both missed.

Declan Arcadis Hill - age 1 year

Setting up for the feast!

Me & Josh - Baby Bean 21 weeks

Donna, Dad, Me & Josh (Indie showing his backside)

Jake & Carli

Me, Cheryl (Josh's Mom) & Josh

Favorite Things To Date

By FAR my favorite thing is feeling Baby Bean bump and thump around right now :)  I feel him a bit in the morning and different moments throughout the day, but like clockwork, when I lie down to go to bed he starts his most active routine for about 10 minutes.  The other night I laid there feeling him and then he stopped.  I said something out loud to him and got a big old thud in response that made me laugh out loud!

Another favorite thing that I'm trying to enjoy every minute of is my belly bump.  I realize this is going to start to take on a life of it's own and I will not be so pleased.  For now it's quite enjoyable and after a lifetime of worrying about my muffin top, the only part of my body I've ever disliked, I finally get to have it all pooch out and for a beautiful purpose, ha!

I am so very happy to have been loaned the pregnancy wedge pillow from Amy Morgan.  I would have had no idea about this and it's wonderful.  Small and easy to shift around when you change positions as well as pack for traveling and so supportive and yet I don't even realize it's there.  Our cousin Abi is due 2 weeks later than me and I told her about it.  She just received it and right before a trip to San Diego.  I'm hoping she finds it as helpful as I do.  I also have the boppy pregnancy pillow which doesn't work for my belly yet, I think it will once I'm bigger.  For now it's great for between my knees and using behind my back for sitting up in bed to read.

Food:  I'm still not in the hungry hippo phase yet, but there are a few things I get in my head on that I feel I must have soon:  Decaf coffee, fresh croissants, Zacharey's Stuffed Pizza (spinach and mushroom with pepperoni on top), Chipotle's veggie bowl and little treats to satisfy my sugar craving here and there.  To be honest, I'm not sure this is a whole lot different than when I'm not pregnant, I just don't go actively pursuing them as I do now.

And Josh and I joke about having a girl and naming her Clementine because I eat them constantly!  There is always one or two rolling around my purse.

Two of my favorite books right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Book-Baby-Child/dp/0982338317

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Baby-Book-Natural-Approach/dp/1475185421/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387053190&sr=1-1&keywords=the+other+baby+book

"Halfway Point"

Starting Week 20!

And NOW we have movement!  For sure this time :)  About a week ago I felt a few multiple sensations of bubbles popping against my uterus and now I feel them several times a day.  It makes me smile every time, it's rather amusing.  I'm aware I need to enjoy this as much as possible before I'm complaining of lil bean moving and kicking my organs.

So what else is new... Nothing much!  Trying to figure out my income earning situation as of January 1st, a month earlier than I thought, but as I've had my official freakout I'm already on the optimistic track.

I urged Josh to try and read just the intro to each chapter in the pregnancy for Dad's book so he could also be connected to this new and exciting process with me.  That might have been a mistake on my part, lol.  As he read the first 3 pages of month 5, he learned that the baby can now smell and taste what I eat through the amniotic fluid.  This morning he convinced me to add tobasco to my eggs so our kid can get used to spicy and not have the aversion to spice that I do.  Seriously, I bet this will not be the first fun fact he'll find that will affect my habits I'm sure.  LOL

First Photo!

Today Josh and I had our first appointment with our OB, Dr. Kochenberger.  He's very kind and funny, we liked him.  He gave me my first sonogram and it was a blast!  I wish I could have gotten a photo of Josh's face, I'm not sure I've ever seen him with such a big grin.  He was amazed at how much lil Bean was moving :)  We saw his hands go up around his face and head, almost as if he was annoyed by the sonogram and trying to shoo it away, haha.

To many, this grainy photo may just be a few blobs, but if you look at the circle to the left, that's it's head and the black part the brain and at the top, the profile of it's nose.  The circle to the right is it's chest and the small black shadow in the center is his/her heart! :)

Other good news is that rough measurements show his/her size is right on track, shows a good, healthy spine, I have plenty of fluid and my placenta is up and away from my cervix.  All good signs.

Start of Week 18...

And the beginning of heartburn and back pain.  Good news is it seems eating coconut oil makes the heartburn go away.  I'll try this out a few more times and see if it wasn't a fluke.

I've got a little wedge that my friend Amy is letting me borrow.  I didn't realize I should maybe have been using it before now.  I didn't think my belly was big enough yet to need support, but my back is now telling me differently.  I ordered a pillow that will support my belly and fit between my knees, it should be here Thursday!   I've also been told that I may benefit from a belly band support thingy, a bit like what people where when doing heavy lifting.  I'm holding off on that for now.  If anyone knows anybody who used one, let me know what they have to say about it!

UPDATE:
So my SIL Sarah emailed me just after this post and said she used one and it helped a lot.  The very next day I went to my weekly chiro visit and the other Dr. there is 32 weeks pregnant and she had just gotten one.  She let me try it on and said as I get bigger, have Josh get behind me and hold up my belly for 1 minute.  When he lets go and I wish he wouldn't stop, then I'm ready for the belly support band :)