6w 6d comparison

Andy was looking through baby albums last night, and we noticed something. Sorry, Fletcher. You're looking like your mommy! For comparison...

Me:
Fletch:



Me:
Fletch:

There are some things I want to make sure I don't forget in the many years we have ahead of us. Little things, like the chipmunk noises he makes. The way his hair won't lay down no matter what we try. How he tries to eat his forearm when he gets desperate, how he opens his eyes wide and flails his arms and makes spit bubbles. How good it feels to hold him. His sweet smell after he eats. His rapidly changing facial expressions.

Sometimes when you smile at him, he responds with a smile of his own, and there's nothing more perfect in the world.

As awful as it sounds, I don't want to forget his astonishing... digestive system. In the middle of the night, Andy and I have heard him over in his cradle let it rip for a good fifteen seconds and we both just laugh. Is it terrible to be proud of your child's bowel movements?

I realized last night, when I finally had him in my arms after a very long day without, that part of what makes it so difficult being away from him is the way he changes every single day. Last night he had his hands in fists and he was beating them against me while he fed. It was something he'd never done before.

Every day he gets even stronger, even longer, even more amazing.

P.S. What do you think of the new blog design?

22 weeks singing

I'm struggling with more back pain than I've ever had, including some unusual pain in my ribs. When it seems intolerable, though, I will get nudges from the little one, a small "hello" and reminder of what it all means. It's the only time I've had this kind of pain for a meaningful reason.

Baby has all the right proportions of a newborn, only thinner because the body fat hasn't formed yet. The average baby at this point is around a pound in weight and getting closer to a foot long. It can hear male voices through my abdomen better than female voices. So keep up the singing, Andy.

Here's the comparison now that we have 22 weeks behind us.


Andy's been singing the song "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop to the baby, a song his mom used to sing to him, at least in part.

I've been saving love songs and lullabies
And there's so much more
No one's ever heard before...
Maybe it's you...
Maybe it's you...
I've been waiting for all of my life

19w 2d weight

Here's the whale-tastic 19 week belly comparison:


I consulted the American Pregnancy Association to learn a little more about healthy pregnancy weight gain, because every morning when I step on the scale I get a larger number than the day before, and I'm starting to get worried.

I was a "normal" weight before getting pregnant, but close to underweight for my height. The recommended total weight gain for me is 25 - 37 pounds.

In the first trimester I was supposed to gain 3 - 5 pounds, and I really didn't gain anything. In the second and third trimesters, I am supposed to be gaining 1 - 2 pounds per week. Instead, I'm starting to see a pound per day (yikes).

Going by the instructions above, the maximum I should've gained by now is about 11 pounds, which is exactly what I've gained. So it's definitely time to slow down now, if I want to gain only a pound per week from here on out.

Easier said than done, hmm? Maybe it's time I go back to my old friend, caloriecount.about.com.

In a nostalgic mood, I added Debbie Gibson to my iPod this morning. Here's "We Could Be Together." The pic used in this YouTube clip is priceless '80s.

I'll give up my security
For just the possibility
That we could be together
For a while
If you said, "Jump"
I'd say, "How high?"
If you said, "Run"
I'd run and fly
Just for the chance
Just for the moment
Should the moment pass us by
And if you ask once
I'll tell you twice
I'll ignore the world's advice
If we could be together
For a while

11w 1d comparison

Belly photo time. I promise I'll wait a few more weeks before I subject you to any more of my scary pale skin. The stupid face I'm making at the bottom is because husband was making me laugh.