23 Week Update...

Today marks the 23 week mark. YAY! As I mark each week off on my calendar, I'm truly amazed at how fast things are going. I feel like it was just yesterday we heard her heart beat for the first time. Ada is definitely growing... how can I tell? My stomach is definitely growing! I'm not brave enough to post pictures yet... sorry :( But if you see me in person, you might think I am farther along than I actually am! I'm telling ya'll... this baby has NO ROOM but to grow out! I can see it now... I may have the worst pregnancy waddle.. umm.. EVER when I'm around the 35-40 week mark! Everyday, Ada's kicks get stronger and stronger. It's even keeping me up at night. Okay.. question for you mommies out there... was there any correlation between your babies wake/sleep patterns in your womb and their wake/sleep patterns as a newborn? I've heard different things... and I'm just curious :) So far everything has been pretty good... I still have some slight swelling in my feet and ankles at night. And... one day this week I had a little scare, I had been really busy and had not drank very many fluids that day. Anyway, my blood pressure kind of bottomed out and made me feel... not so good. But, thankfully, my sweet friend/sister Katy is in nursing school and knew exactly what to tell me to do to get it back up! Other than that... I feel great!

Ada's developments this week... she still has a while before her lungs will be ready for air. She's practicing "breathing" on the amniotic fluid by sucking it in and out of her lungs... yuck... Her fat production is in overdrive this week... in the next four weeks, Ada's weight will double! She's starting to look more and more "normal"... her skin is not quite as see-through and her body is looking more and more proportional... although her head is still a little big compared to her body. She' around 11.5 inches long and still weighing in around a pound (I've got a hunch that Ada might be a little bigger... :)

Nursery developments... we bought a glider and ottoman for the nursery and I LOVE IT! We found it at Walmart for a really good price. We were a little skeptical at first, but when we got it in... it was perfect!

22 Weeks!... Is That It?

Let me just start out by saying that if you don't want to hear me complain... skip this post :) No... I promise not to complain the whole time. Think of it more as me sharing "my feelings" that I've had over the past week.... yeah... that sounds better doesn't it? First of all, when I really stop and look back on it, this pregnancy has flown by. However, there are some weeks that I feel I'm just barely creeping along. This week has introduced "new" pregnancy stuff that I'm not sure I like. First of all... my belly is stretching... trust me, I have the marks to prove it. Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, my stomach is sore. It's almost as if it's grown and stretched during the night! I've also come to the conclusion that I'm going to get huge! I know everyone says that, so let me explain. I always knew I was short-waisted, but now I'm realizing just how short-waisted I am! I already can't breathe when I bend over... which reminds me... anyone have tips on how to teach your husband how to shave your legs and paint your toenails? I can't afford pedicures every couple of weeks... Anyway, back to getting huge... I just think since I've got a short waist, the only way I can grow is out! Also, are you ready for this... my feet swell! I've been really trying to watch my sodium and drink a lot of fluid, but at night... they swell. It's not a ridiculous amount... just enough to annoy me and warrant a foot massage from Jordan :) Okay, I think I've hit my limit complaining. I realized this week how thankful I am that I can feel my daughter move in my belly. Yes, there are times my bladder is a target (she's a great shot)... and yes, there are times I can't go to sleep because she's doing her thing... but, the comfort and peace that comes from being able to feel her move and know that she is still growing and forming, and the way her daddy's eyes light up and he grins from ear to ear as he watches my belly jump and feels her kicks... makes it ALL worth it!

So... Ada is 22 weeks along! She's around 11 inches long and finally... are you ready?... she weighs around one pound! Her hands have grown bigger and stronger and the nerve endings in her fingers have now developed a sense of touch! She's probably in there touching her face, grabbing the umbilical cord, etc... doing anything to test out her new ability! Right now, the hair on her head is bright white (isn't that cool?) No matter what color it will end up, her hair lacks its pigment at this point. She has started growing taste buds, so she can probably detect strong flavors in the amniotic fluid...

Every week I am amazed at Ada's developments. The intricacy involved in knitting together this precious life is beyond my comprehension. It is a reminder of how intimate my God is. How he not only loves me, but He knows my heart, every hair on my head, every bone in my body, because HE knitted me together cell by cell! It also reminds me of what a gift Ada is for Jordan and me. That God would choose us to love and raise His child, His masterpiece, that He formed with His own hands!

In other news... there have been a couple more changes in the nursery. I modge-podged scrapbook paper onto wooden letters and hung her name above her bed. It was really, really easy! I highly recommend anyone try it if you're wanting to add a personal touch to a room in your house... I got all the supplies at Hobby Lobby and I did the whole thing for around $8!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Hobby Lobby's clearance section. You really have to keep a close eye out but when you do... you can find some GREAT deals. I found these little iron, antique tea pots for $4 a piece... then they had their silk flowers 50% off so I bought two stems to stick in there... I was really excited about how they turned out!

One more thing before I go... I've had so many people come up to me and tell me they read the blog. Jordan and I would love to know who all is sharing such a special time with us. If you have time, leave a comment, because this is the only way I know who reads it unless I run into you in person :)

21 Week Update...

Here we are... 21 weeks and only 19 more to go (unless Ada comes when her Mommy wants her to, which will mean we only have 17 more weeks to go :) Let me explain so no one is confused... of course I only want to deliver Ada when she is fully developed and ready, but if she comes at around 38 weeks... it would be SO convenient. Convenient, you may ask?... YES! Jordan is a school teacher and will be on his Fall break, as would my mother, and my dad took a week of vacation since my mom was going to be on Fall break! So, I would have my husband there with me for a week (he would be there regardless, but this way he wouldn't have to take a week off), and my mom and dad at my disposal for some extra help! Needless to say, I am praying that she comes around that time, but of course if she isn't ready... I'll be patient :)

This week we had a doctor's appointment. I was really nervous going in, not because I thought anything was wrong with Ada, but I knew I'd gained some weight... I just didn't know how much :( I've also been told that Dr. Daniel is really strict about weight gain, and I hate to "get in trouble" when I go to the doctor. Well... I panicked for nothing. He said my weight gain was great and that I was doing just fine! WHEW! So far.. I'm back at what I was when I first got pregnant. So I've gained back the six pounds I lost in my first trimester. We got our "20 week" sonogram of Ada and she was a lot calmer this time (I didn't get her all hyped up on Mountain Dew and M&M's) Just like every sonogram, it was AMAZING! Jordan and my mom went with me, and although this sonogram was shorter than the last one... we were still able to see all her sweet little features. This might sound funny, but the best picture I think we got of her was of her legs... she was all stretched out and you could see from the top of her thighs to her feet! And... maybe it's just me, but her legs looked a little chunky :) I'm posting our sonogram pictures at the bottom, so you be the judge :) Dr. Daniel told us she was at around 13 ounces... on 3 more to go and she reaches a pound!

Other developments for Ada this week... she now looks like a mini version of what she'll look like when she's born. All her facial features are formed and hair is even growing on her head (if the old wives tale is true and heartburn has anything to do with the baby's hair growth... whoa!). She's now even acting like a newborn, she's sucking her thumb and yawning :) Her heartbeat is continuously getting stronger, and we may even be able to hear it using a stethoscope! Her fetal bone marrow is starting to make blood cells (it was previously done by the liver and spleen)... even though it may not sound exciting, it's good news! Ada is chowing down on some amnionic fluid... eww! She's been swallowing it for a while, but now she's actually absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. As far as her movements go... I'm convinced she's doing back-flips in my belly. I can feel her a lot now, and she's even starting to settle into somewhat of a movement schedule. She usually starts moving right after I eat breakfast in the morning for an hour or so off an on. Then I can really feel her right before lunch time.. usually around 11ish or so. After lunch, it's kind of hit or miss, off an on, but she's faithful... every night around 10 o'clock... she gets started and usually goes on for a good 30 minutes. I can feel her the most when I'm laying down, so it's kind of hard for me to fall asleep until she's done! Okay.. this turned into a longer post than I thought it would, so I'll leave you with pictures of my sweet Ada!

Halfway There!!...

Well friends... here we are 20 weeks! We are halfway to the finish line. I can't believe we are already at 20 weeks... it seems like just yesterday I took a pregnancy test. I have my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and we will get some more pictures of sweet Ada. Even though we already cheated and found out her gender early, the doctor's office will go ahead and do the routine 20 week ultrasound. I'm so excited to see her again... it makes my heart skip a beat.

We are starting to work hard on the nursery... Jordan is out of school for the summer, and it seems like we have so much going on in July... so we decided to take the month of June to really get the "big stuff" out of the way. We aren't doing too much in the nursery... we did re-finish all the furniture that was in there to make it all match..

This will be her dresser / changing table... I am going

to put a changing pad and some baskets on one side

to hold her diapers, wipes, etc.

Her crib... minus the bedding :)

Eventually, I'm going to put a glider 

in this corner and the nightstand

will act as just a little end table by 

the rocker :)

As far as Ada's developments this week... she has established sleep patterns. She may even have a favorite sleep position... so far I haven't been able to pick up on the patterns based on her activity in my belly throughout the day. Most of Ada's energy now is going to gaining weight. Right now she is approximately 10.5 ounces and is about 6.5 inches long from head to booty... but she's probably closer to ten from head to toe.

There aren't any new pregnancy stats... I'll know more when I go to the doctor Tuesday. However, I do want to leave you with an update on my other child... Sawyer :)

Sawyer is getting so BIG! He is 20 weeks old today and probably is upwards of 40 pounds. He is finally potty trained! For the past week we have let him in the house a lot... he has learned to go to the door when he needs to go outside to potty. We are really trying to work with him. He is still a puppy and thinks that he's so much smaller than he really is. We want him to be able to adjust well whenever Ada gets here. He is definitely a Daddy's boy... haha. Jordan can't go anywhere without his "shadow". He really is a sweet dog, although most people don't get to see it because he seems to wig out around new people and lose all sense of training and discipline. But.. hopefully in the next 20 weeks... he'll get a little better. I'll leave you with some funny pictures we took of Sawyer the other day... 

WARNING: THESE IMAGES CONTAIN PUPPY PRIVATE PARTS