21 Weeks

Not a whole lot of news to report this week. Owen's starting to move around more and more each day--or rather I can feel the movement more and more each day :) On Sunday I went to JoAnn's to get the last fabric that I mentioned was going to be on sale and they were out! I couldn't even believe it...I was so upset because there had been an ENTIRE bolt of fabric there just a few days before. Someone bought the WHOLE thing :( So I had to go with "plan B" which, as it ended up, I think worked out better anyway. The fabric that I was looking for was a striped fabric and it just so happened that I had picked up a swatch of fabric with a different striped pattern at Fabric & Fringe a couple of weeks earlier. Well, when I pulled it out and looked at it, it matched my other fabrics perfectly! Tony also added that he liked the "plan B" fabric better anyways so I went to get it and they had it! I am relieved to have all of my main fabric bought & paid for now. I can't wait until the nursery furniture gets here so that I can start sewing, yea!

.

I also kinda, sorta started cleaning out the closet in Owen's room. So far all I've really done is to move the winter coats from his closet to the guest room closet, and take a few other things out to be put in the attic...but hey, it's a start, right? :)

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!

21 Weeks: This baby is BANANAS :)

At about 7 inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana.

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid.

Your baby still has a great deal of room in the womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault.

With all that moving going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, he sleeps as much as a newborn--perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day!

20 Down, 20 To Go

So as I post this and then look at the ticker above, I'm realizing that in order to achieve a more accurate picture of how Owen's growing this week, I should probably post at the beginning of the week instead of the end of the week , but....I'd rather be less accurate and be able to do more of a reflection of the past week instead :) I'm sure no one really cares either way, but I just thought I'd bring it up in case anybody's been confused.

So, wow, half way done. This time has FLOWN by!!! It really feels like we were in Italy yesterday finding out, but in the same amount of time that has passed since then, the two of us will become the three of us. Okay, I have to stop thinking about that, I'm starting to freak myself out!

On Sunday Tony and I ordered the furniture for the nursery--it take about 4 weeks to get here so we should have it by mid-November, yea! My wonderful, AWESOME parents wanted to buy the crib as a gift to Owen and actually ended up buying the dresser/changing table combo for us as well. We are SO INCREDIBLY grateful for their generosity...that helps us out in a HUGE way! I must say, for anyone who may be searching for nursery furniture, Baby Junction in Acworth has very reasonable prices. Here are the pictures of what we ordered except that we ordered them in white, not the natural color pictured here...

Okay, so I must brag on my husband for a minute--Tony has been a real trooper lately. He went to not one, but TWO fabric stores with me this past weekend. I have one more fabric to get--don't worry, I won't drag the husband along for this one--and it goes on sale on Sunday so I'm holding out until then. After that, I will have all that I need to sew Owen's bedding, YAHOO! Okay, for anyone who's ever sewed, you're probably thinking there's no way she's done...things always come up when sewing, you're going to have to go out and buy SOMETHING else...and you're probably right...so I will revise that to say that I will have all the major things that I need in order to sew his bedding :)

Well, I guess that's about it for this week. Next week I will actually be posting early because we're headed down to St. Simons & Jacksonville for the UGA/UF game, YAHOO!!! I can't WAIT to sit on the beach...but not as much looking forward to the mass of orange & blue that will be paired ever so trashily by jean shorts and the occasional mullet. Case in point, see below...

I mean, COME ON, even their beloved quarterback wears the "jorts"...this is just tooo stinkin easy!!!

20 Weeks: Owen's the size of a Cantaloupe

You've got a heavyweight in your belly now (well, in baby terms, anyway). Your little champ weighs about 10 ounces and has a height—crown to rump—of about 6 ½ inches. Think the size of a small cantaloupe.

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium this week—a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells.

Your baby boy’s testicles have begun their descent this week, though they're still located in the abdomen, waiting for the scrotum to finish growing so they'll have a place to drop into in a few weeks.

almost halfway there--19 weeks!

Well, 1 more week (actually less since I'm posting this on Friday and my weeks change on Mondays) and I'll officially be at the 1/2 way point! That sounds so wild to me! I feel like it was just a few days ago that we were finding out and now time has flown by and this pregnancy is 1/2 way finished. Not a whole lot of news this week really. I'm starting to feel movement more regularly now--it's not a constant yet--but Owen did keep me up for a while longer than usual after a 2am potty break last night. The best way I can describe the movement is that it's kind of like my belly has hiccups or there are bubbles popping inside me--nothing like anything I've ever felt before for sure. As little guy gets bigger I'm sure the movements will feel more and more like "kicking," but for now it's hiccups for this baby bump.

I love UGA football...anyone that knows me, knows this...but I am so glad to get a break for a few weekends so that Tony and I can get a few things done at home! Today mom and I are going to look at (and hopefully buy!) Owen's crib-I'm really excited about that! (Tony's bowed out of the baby bed decision giving me full reign to pick it out--furniture shopping isn't exactly his idea of a great time!) At some point, I also plan to get some paint samples and fabric samples so that I can get the nursery decorating project going. I'm sure there will be a bit of house cleaning and yard work mixed in there as well, but I'm surely not complaining as this cooler weather is such a blessing...God is so good, it is BEAUTIFUL out there today!!!

19 weeks: Owen's the size of a MANGO

6 inches long this week and about 8 ounces in weight, your baby is the size of a large mango. and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give your baby more control over limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching, and other movement you've possibly started feeling by now.

Something else going on this week: Your baby is getting a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for varnish; caseosa is cheese) now covers your baby's skin. It's greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby's glands, and dead skin cells. This waxy "cheese" may not sound too appetizing or attractive, but it's there for good reason: Vernix protects your baby's sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, your baby would look very wrinkled at birth (sort of what you'd look like if you soaked in a bath for nine months). Some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with vernix at the delivery, so you might get a look at your baby's first anti-wrinkle cream.

It's a... (18 weeks)

BOY!!!!!


We had our BIG ultrasound on Wednesday and found out that we're having a little baby boy! We're so VERY excited!!! The u/s lasted about 30 minutes and we got a video out of it (old school video tape not DVD otherwise I'd post a clip) Hopefully we can transfer it though and then I can post some action shots of him moving all around! Now we're getting into shopping mode (or at least I am) and starting to look for all kinds of fun stuff...stroller, car seat, fabric to make my bedding...the list goes on and on, FUN!!! We have a book that we are using to help us called Baby Bargains and it's fabulous! It sorts through all the brands and tells you pros/cons of each and points out the junk that we don't need that all the baby stores will try to sell us. It's a pretty fantastic tool and I highly recommend it for sure. Tony's headed to Knoxville this weekend to see the Dawgs take on the Vols so it's just lil' ol me at the house this weekend. I don't think I'll have trouble finding things to do now that we know it's a boy...I'm sure I'll get myself knee deep in some sort of project :) Well, that's about it for this week. Here's an updated picture of me and the "baby bump". It should have been the 4 month picture, but I'm a few weeks late :) In this picture I think it doesn't look like my "bump" is quite as big as it really looks (to me anyways) now...maybe it's the white shirt? You get the picture though...

Introducing OWEN DICHIARA...

18 weeks--Our lil' sweet Potato:

This week your baby is hitting the height chart at 5 ½ inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about 5 ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner). And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month.

You'll also catch a glimpse of all the movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready!

Also in working order is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, your baby's is growing more acute, making your little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means you could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that your baby has by now).