Week 25

We've had a really busy week. We celebrated our brother in law Glenn's birthday on Tuesday night which was fun. Wednesday night we had our infant CPR class which we would really recommend - it's definitely worth knowing. Yesterday baby b and I had our 24 week check up. She continues to progress on schedule. She's about 1 1/2 lbs now and her heartbeat is 140. She moves around all the time! Here's what week 25 holds for her development:

• The structures of the spine begin to form -- joints, ligaments and rings. These will protect the all important spinal cord which serves as the information transmitter for your child's body.
• Blood vessels of the lungs develop.
• Your baby's nostrils begin to open. There is a study out of Belfast that suggests babies at this stage have the capability of scent preferences!
• The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. When baby is rooting for food later on, these will be valuable!
• Her swallowing reflexes are developing.
• Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and would clasp objects placed in palm.
• Your child has now obtained an approximate length of 13.6 inches and weighs 1.46 pound.

Happy 4th of July to everyone - enjoy your holiday!

St. Lucia Pictures

It took us a few weeks but we finally have the pictures uploaded from our babymoon in St. Lucia! We had such a nice relaxing week and it was a great way to celebrate Blair's birthday as well as one last big vacation before baby b arrives.

Here is the link to the online photo album. Blair wrote a letter to the hotel before our trip and told them we were celebrating our first baby on the way, and when we arrived they had upgraded us to an ocean front suite! You can see the great view from the photos on the balcony. The hotel staff also had placed flowers and scattered flower petals throughout the suite. What a nice surprise! Enjoy the pictures:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AatGjdw1buGG_&notag=1

24 weeks

Spence & I are visiting Christina in Raleigh and we love her new townhouse! Thanks for letting us come spend the weekend with you, CW, your place is great! And thanks for looking at all the baby stuff around town with me...

Today marks 24 weeks in my pregnancy and I had a good week. She continues to move around a lot. Aunt Christina got to feel her move several times.

Here's what baby b is up to in week 24:
-Rapid eye movements are beginning! The eyes open and shut frequently, and her eyebrows and eyelashes are present. This eleven-inch wonder is moving a great deal these days. Take a bath and watch your belly roll!
-Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
-Her body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
-Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
-Little creases have appeared on her palms. The muscular coordination of her hands has improved as she sucks his thumb.
-Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
-Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
-This week your baby is officially considered viable.
-Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

Pregnant Sisters-In-Law

I went over to Lindsay's for lunch today and our friend Elizabeth and her little girl Addison joined us. It was a nice break in the day! Lindsay and Glenn did such a nice job with their nursery... I can't wait to see our niece all snuggled up in her new room. Only a few weeks or less to go!

We took a moment to get a picture of us since it might be the last time the cousins can be belly to belly.

Lindsay 36 weeks & Heather 23.5 weeks

23 Weeks

I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and everything is moving along pretty well. I've been fortunate in that I generally feel really good. Only once in a while I get round ligament pain in my side which is quite uncomfortable.

Happy Father's-to-be Day to Blair! (And Happy Father's Day to our dads too of course!) Yesterday we had a newborn safety class at the hospital, and we also went to Babies R Us to scope out some baby stuff and start a registry. There's so much stuff that baby b will need... We also are setting up her nursery and had her furniture delivered. She now has 8 little outfits hanging in her closet! Christina was visiting and was the first to see the furniture and outfits. Today Lindsay & Glenn came over for the afternoon (and we celebrated the two fathers to be). I can't believe in just a few weeks our niece will be here!

Here is what baby b is up to development-wise:
-Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since she hasn't begun to form body fat.
-Bones located in the middle ear harden.
-Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?) -The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
-The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
-If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .
-The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

Here's a picture of the spoodle lounging by my chair as I write this. I believe he thinks the nursey is for him which could be a problem...he's curious and likes to explore baby b's room!

Back from my work travels

It's nice to be back home again! I've been on the road since Sunday traveling for work. Thank goodness that was my last work trip before baby b arrives. Now I can take it easy for a while. I was so lucky to visit with friends on my travels. I visited with Jake & Catherine & their 13 month old daughter Katy while at a conference in Williamsburg; and Christian and Catie while at a conference in DC.

Christina is visiting tonight! Other than that we'll just be settling in more around the house.

Catie & Cyprian visit

Today marks 22 weeks! This was an exciting week with learning the gender of baby b and shopping for her nursery furniture. We still need to decide on colors for the nursery.

Our friends Catie & Cyprian came to visit us and see our new house. Saturday night we went our for crabs and our friend Adrienne joined us.

Congrats Julie & Seth!

Our friends Julie & Seth had their baby on Monday night. Abel Anthony Nickerson weighed in at 7 lbs, 3 ozs and measured 20.5 inches. Everyone is doing well! Congrats Julie & Seth - we're so happy for you and can't wait to meet your sweet son Abel.

It's A Girl!!

We found out this morning that we are having a little girl! Most of our family and friends were convinced that we were having a boy so it was funny to hear everyone's surprised reactions today. It is a really neat feeling to know we are having a daughter and to also know that she is healthy. She was dancing around quite a bit just like the last ultrasound! We got some clear pictures of her head, profile, abdomen, and legs. She weighs about 14 oz and is about 11 inches in length (she measured exactly where she should for 21 weeks and 4 days). We feel so blessed that the doctor said all looks perfect! Below are a few pictures of baby b.

HWB & baby b @ 21 weeks

Our cute nephew

I realized today that we don't have any pictures of our sweet nephew Grady on here! This is one of my favorites from the beach last fall... Isn't he a cutie? Uncle Blair & Auntie Heather are lucky to live so close to him. I think he's excited that he's gaining two cousins this year - one in July and one in October!

Happy 30th Blair!

Wishing my husband a happy 30th birthday! We're just returning from a wonderful babymoon in St. Lucia for 8 days to celebrate...

We'll post our pictures later this week.

Countdown to the unveiling of baby b's gender... 3 days to go!