We pray that everyone has a happy & safe Christmas! May God bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Our Christmas Snow Village--look closely and you may be able to see the cute little people :)
Check out our miniature version of the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story...hehe, if you like this one, you should see my parents' FULL SIZED version in their front window, it's quite a trip!
Our outside lights :)
Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to 3 pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your baby accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat that we have) actually serves as an energy source. 
Which explains why your energizer baby feels so energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.
(from L to R)
D showing off his gift from Kelly & Robert--
a picture of himself during his service in the military. Kelly had this picture restored and framed for him.
Dean multi-tasking: chatting & opening presents at the same time :)
Charlie playing with the box his remote control car came in--
I think he liked it more than the actual toy!
Reese taking her turn with the box
Tony's attempt to get a picture of the dogs--
Margo and D & Dean's very chubby dog, Sophie
The crib & glider--you can see the dust ruffle pretty well, but I'll have to post a better picture of the bumper pads later. I will also be making a few throw pillows for the glider and hopefully a blanket too.
The dresser/changer with a few of the sweet gifts we've been given for Owen--they won't stay there--they'll move to the shelves or the hutch, but I like looking at them so I've displayed them here for now .
The curtains
Here are 3 paintings that I did for the wall--they are similar to the fabric I used in the bedding & I think they turned out pretty cute :)
By now, your baby, who weighs in at about 2 ½ lbs and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.
Not a whole lot to report since my 26 week post was so late :) Tony and I have been SO busy this week! He took a trip to Las Vegas this past weekend with the guys and had a lot of fun. They mostly spent all of their time at the Sports Book watching all the football games. It was his first trip out there and he's always wanted to go. I was really glad he got to go before Owen gets here (not to mention grateful he took the trip with the guys--I'm not a big fan of Vegas!)
We got our Christmas tree on Tuesday night and soaked it in water overnight so it would be nice and hydrated before we put it in our house. Wednesday we put it in the stand and last night (Thurs.) I strung on the lights. I ran out of lights so we are going to have to go out and get a few more strands this weekend. Slowly, but surely we're getting our tree decorated--we hope to have it completely finished by Sunday. We did some Christmas shopping last night and took care of almost everyone on our list. We just have a few more to get and then we'll be done with that too!
Also on the list for the weekend is dinner tonight with the Dichiara's for Kelly's birthday (which is tomorrow), finishing the walls in Owen's room, and also hopefully finishing our Christmas shopping! Looks like our busy week is going to contiune well into our weekend too! Oh well, at least it's all fun stuff on the agenda...that's what the Christmas season is all about, right? :)
27 Weeks: Maintaining Eggplant Status
Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over 2 pounds, he has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.
Your baby's auditory development is progressing as the network of 
nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food, your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.
You can also see Owen's crib in the middle of the room--it's filled with all of the tools Tony & Robert used, but you can get an idea of what it will look like :)
After the paneling was up, Tony and I spend an evening last week painting the paneling. We had to brush the paint on, so it took a little while longer than rolling it, but it was worth the extra time--it looks great! We still have one more coat to put on, and then after that Tony can put up the chair rail and put back up the base boards and then the painting part of the nursery will be complete! We hopefully plan on getting that part done this week/this weekend so more pics to follow!!! Yea! I can't wait to see the finished product.
Here's Tony painting the paneling.
And one of me painting too...please excuse the lovely outfit, I was COLD! :)
Proud daddy-to-be...one coat of paint down, one to go!
Here's what I found "precious, innocent" Margo doing while we were painting...what a brat!
26 Weeks: Still an Eggplant
Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are now beginning to open. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now.
The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.
Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can 
now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.
And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight—about 9 inches tall and 2 pounds—and at the rate he’s growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in there. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to all! We have lots of fun time planned to spend with family starting today :) In a little less than an hour, as soon as I get off of work (YEA!), I'm headed to my parents' so that mama and I can do some baking for tomorrow's big dinner. This evening, Tony and I are going to his parents' house to hang out and have dinner with his dad's side of the family. Then tomorrow we're headed to my grandparents for the day to have a big ol' dinner at their house (my dad's parents).
So this week I have a cold...boo! It's no fun (when is it ever?!) I really can't take any meds--I can take Benadryl at night, but during the day it's hot tea and Vicks scented kleenex for me. Doesn't seem to be affecting Owen much though, he's as active as ever--kicking me all the time so that's good :) I think he must feel a little cramped in there when I lean forward at my desk when I'm at work. If I stay in that position for more than a minute or two, I start feeling hard nudges right in the center of my belly. It's almost like he's saying, "hey, move outta my way mom!" It's pretty comical actually and always makes me smile :)
Tony and I picked up the nursery furniture last Saturday and it's now put together in Owen's room. I even made one side of the bumper pad already because I really wanted to get an idea of what his crib bedding is going to look like. Tony is going to put up the paneling in the nursery next week over his Thanksgiving break and I think his dad may come and help with that. I plan on doing some more sewing next week too. The nursery is really starting to come together which is so neat to see. Tony's parents also told us that they want to buy a glider for Owen's room which is so special! I am so excited that they're going to help us out with that, I can't wait to go and pick it out! What an awesome gift, I know Owen will love being rocked in it in his nursery :)
Tony's birthday was on Tuesday and so we're celebrating with our parents tonight by going out to eat at Pappasito's--Tony's very favorite restaurant. We always get the fajitas for two and I know that's what we'll get tonight too, we don't even have to open the menu! I'm looking forward to it because Pappasito's is one of my favorites as well :) After dinner we're headed to Athens for the last home game of the season against Kentucky. Hopefully we'll pull out another win this weekend! I can't believe our season is almost over, it seems like it just started. Even harder to believe is that at the start of next season we'll have a 5 month old in tow! I know Owen will be a little bulldog right from the start. Tony already talks about how excited he is about throwing the football with him. He'll bleed red and black just like his mama and daddy...GO DAWGS!!!
24 weeks: last week of the papaya
Your baby weighs more than 1 ½ lbs. now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about 8 ½ inches.
Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this point are gaining about 6 ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition 
to growing organs, bones, and muscle.
What can your baby hear from inside the womb these days? All kinds of sounds: from air exhaling from your lungs, those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.
My uncle Rick, one of my dad's younger brothers, passed away unexpectedly last Thursday. Our family was quite in shock and is still hurting from the loss, but by God's grace I know that the pain will heal in time. We were told that he had a heart attack and went very quickly. My grandfather made a statement at his funeral that was so well put. I can't remember it exactly, but he basically stated that though Rick's death is hard and painful to deal with right now, eventually the pain and loss will go away, but the wonderful memories will stay and last forever. So that is what I try and focus on now. Needless to say, we had quite a lot going on last week and this past weekend. I did not get to a blog last week, but I still wanted to post the 23 week developments of Owen so here they are:
23 Weeks: Still a Papaya
At 8 inches and slightly over 1 pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll. This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double.
You have probably heard your baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. 
Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops. But don't worry. By the time your baby is born, he will be pleasantly plump and filled out — from chubby cheeks to chubby toes.
A little late posting this week, but things have been busy at work--I had 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy to catch up on for goodness sakes! :) Not much to write about again this week either. I'm slowly getting bigger, but feeling great overall. I have been a real slacker with my belly pic documentations...I am almost 6 months (some things say I already am...all I gotta say about that is, reference: the NUMBers blog...) and still haven't taken my 5 month pic yet, oops!
We had a very Happy Halloween with our annual bonfire with the neighbors...and Sara got to join this year which was way fun (Richard was flying). We had a great time passing out candy, sipping on hot chocolate, and making s'mores.
So last weekend was WAY exciting with a Dawgs victory over the Gators...YAHOO! Tony said we had to go to Jacksonville every year until we won, so I guess we're taken care of for at least a few years with that awesome victory :) Not like I really would have wanted to make that trip with a 7 month old anyways....maybe the year after that, we'll just have to wait and see!
This weekend is the very weekend that I look forward to and count down the days to all year long (okay...it's not the only weekend I do that for, but it's on my top 5)...it's GIRLS WEEKEND!!! We're headed tonight to Katie's lake house on Lake Sinclair and I cannot wait for a nice relaxing weekend with my girls. We will sit around and catch up on each others lives, have a big ol' breakfast in the a.m., and our "Official Girls Weekend meal" tomorrow night, along with a few other shenanigans and traditions that I could tell you about, but then I'd have to kill you... Haha, for real though, I just can't wait to sit and be with them. It truly is one of my very favorite times of the year!
22 Weeks: Pa-pa-pa-papaya
Your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. This week he is developing the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord. The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids), but unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.
Moving up from 
the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white.
Baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.
Well, I guess that pretty much summarizes this week. Going home to pack in a little while (I'm posting this at work) for St. Simons. I'm looking forward to a fun packed weekend with friends and some relaxing on the beach...maybe my Bulldogs will actually show up and put up a fight against the Gators...hey, ya never know! 
At about 7 inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana.
Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid.
