22 wks: Meet Crazy Nikki

• Not sure why, but I am anxious about running out of milk. We have almost 3 gallons, partly because I keep forgetting that I already bought some and also because I am just a big bitch when I go to get cereal and there's only 1/2 a cup of milk left.
• Apparently I am a psycho driver (when I do get a chance to drive). Andrew likes that side of me...until it threatens his life, that's where I cross the line. I have "no time" for slow pokes and dummies that don't follow my road rules. So move over or else you will hear my horn and see Andrew's lewd gestures.
• Can't remember a damn thing. My poor coworkers are handling well so far. I have little notes everywhere but I forget to look at them. It's such a cluster fuck up there [in my head] right now I can't even describe.

So those are my crazy things, other than that I have been feeling pretty good. And Monday night I finally felt her! She knows how to do jumping jacks and kart wheel, pretty impressive for 22 weeks :)At least that's what it feels like shes doing. Andrew is mad because he can't feel anything yet (mostly because you would have to have patience and not fall asleep to be able to feel a baby), but that's just my opinion. It definitely is all starting to hit me, with feeling her, feeling HUGE and people actually noticing I am pregnant.

Baby Center Weekly Update:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 weeks and lots of pictures!

21 weeks and scrubs are TIGHT!

So the house projects are in full force and phase 1 is complete! And finally I have pictures to prove it. Andrew and I learned alot about painting (thanks mom) and we got better every wall. We added pillows, curtains and a picture. It doesn't sound like much but it feels so much better in here, Andrew feels much "calmer"....he also said that comment before we found out we were having a girl :)

Side note: the baby center updates may change soon to parenting.com to show full support of Shannon Rudd, the new Digital Business Director for The Parenting Group, yay!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

After

After

After

Barney's new favorite position...on me! Best cuddle buddy EVER

Spikealicious looking handsome as ever in his favorite spot...the recliner :)

Baby Center Weekly Update:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

 

It's a Girl!

It's a Girl! The arrow is pointing to the 3 white lines which is the "princess puffs, side ways cheeseburger or lady parts" whichever you prefer :) This is called the potty shot (you can see her knees on each side)

Left Foot

20 weeks today, we are half way there to seeing our little girl! The tech was great and was able to show us all the parts of our healthy baby. We saw all 4 chamber of her heart, fingers, toes, bladder, kidneys...you name it we saw it. She is stubborn like her dad, she was curled up in a little ball (she must have learned that from Barney) for most of it. Overall we are relived that everything looks good and excited for a little girl. Now we just have to think of a name, and a nursery idea, and only 100 other little things yikes! Still no more kicks :( I will get some belly photos up maybe this weekend as well as the house pics and some cute ones of the boys.

Baby Center Update:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)
She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

pics and kicks

LT to Rt (in order of due date): Me, Amanda, Ali, Hilary

Hilary and I have had enough fun for one day...and Ali decided to document it

James did a nice editing job :)

 This weekend we all went down to Albany for Amanda's baby shower (Mat's wife), it was great to see her and great to get some good pics.
Sunday night while I was watching Twilight with Lindsey I felt a little something in my belly. It wasn't gas. And it wasn't a poop. I think it was the baby kicking! What a crazy thought! Hasn't happened again though :( just a bunch of calf cramps.

Week 18, a bell pepper!

Ali's baby shower was a hit! It was great to see a bunch of people and Ali had a good time. I would have to say that my little niece is pretty well stocked in the clothes department :) does that shock anyone?  haha, in that sense I am hoping for a girl, I love me some hand-me-downs!

Well, our last appointment went great and KB gave us another sneak peak of the little monster. There was no guarantee on the gender so we have decided to wait and tell everyone until June 5 (our scheduled ultrasound). Sorry for the wait :(

Lizarraga Ladies

Me & Camillionaire (Camilla)... My favorite Swedish girl!

Me & Lindsey...My favorite Midwest girl!  Can you guess how many humans are in this picture? (Answer: 5!)

Grandma, Me & my "new" boobs

Baby Center Update:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

17 weeks. Boy or Girl?

Just got back from our monthly appt with KB and it went great. We talked her into doing an ultrasound to see if we could see the sex. And then I told her not to tell us. She put it in an envelope with all the pictures and we plan to open it up Sunday night. Just remember THIS IS JUST A GUESS (she said that over and over). Which means we will know for sure June 5th. Andrew swears its a girl because he saw "a black hole" in between the legs. Just so you all know...you don't see a big vagina on the screen if it's a girl, even if you did, it would not look like a big black hole. I didn't see any "princess puffs" nor did I see a penis, so I have no idea still!

Can't wait for Ali's baby shower this weekend, it will be great to see everyone and a relief that we pulled it off :) I will definitely post some pics this Sunday after we look at the ultrasound pics and some of the shower too (that will also count as a belly photo!).

Baby Center Update:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

16 weeks!

Andrew has been a master painter this week! Every wall looks slightly better than the one next to it, I love to see improvement :) My job has been touch-ups and peeling tape off the walls. I'm pretty good at it but it still feels back breaking. Before and After pictures will be posted when the kitchen is done (in a few days...maybe this weekend?).
I have gotten my baby fix every few days from Ella, she's such a good baby, what are the odds I will end up with one just like her? Don't forget about Mother's day this weekend, Andrew has been given gentle reminders every other day, let's hope Spike and Barney don't forget like they did last year. We had a great time last weekend at Hilary's baby shower, here are some pics (I didn't end up with too many on my camera):

Lt to Rt: Janet, Debbie, Mom, Diane. What a bunch of crazy aunts :)

NO, we didn't plan the color combo, it was pretty funny!

Baby Center Weekly Update:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

15 weeks

This was taken at about 5 weeks, and to think I was feeling "bloated" then, HA!

15 weeks! It's getting tight around my belly button!

 So officially the day we find out the gender will be June 5, that is unless I can convince KB at my next appt (on May 17th) to do a quick scan :) It has been all about babies in this house lately. I have been busy planning Ali's baby shower, I just went to Kathryn's last weekend, and this Saturday I will be at Hilary's shower. We are so happy to hear of 2 happy healthy babies in the last week, Congratulations Michelle Porcelli, and Alanna and Ricky Carlson! I went to see Alanna, Ricky and Ella at the hospital today, Ella is SOOO sweet! Alanna made it look so easy, how come everyone looks great at the hospital? It's not fair, I KNOW I will look like a piece of trash when my time comes...it's all or nothing when it comes to that. Maybe I will have someone come and do my makeup after delivery (hint hint lindsey and karli haha).

Kathryn's baby shower, the 2 biggest bellies there :)

the three prego's. I felt puny compared to those two!

Sister bump picture!

 Baby Center Update:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

A Butterball Turkey, the a size of a lemon

So, you lucky ducks get to skip week 13. I was tired and it looked like a boring blurp to read. as does this one. Sorry. But what is exciting is that we had an ultrasound yesterday and I realized I have a plump little monster inside of me. And here's a shocker for ya...they changed the due date (AGAIN!) to Oct. 31. BUT the baby is measuring a week early (right on my original due date: Oct 24th). I laughed at them and told them to pick a date any date, my luck this thing will be stuck in me til mid Nov. If you do the math I realize this only puts me at 13 weeks...let's just say I refuse to count backwards :) We got to see baby's hiccups and watch it flip around. They had a hard time getting the measurement they needed, they tilted the bed, jiggled my stomach and all kinds of crazy tricks to get baby to move to a better position.

And the million dollar question has been "when do you find out the sex?" Well, we don't have a date for the ultrasound set just yet. My next appt is on May 17 and after that I will make the gender US appt. It gets tricky because I have another US scheduled on June 5th already (exactly 6 weeks from now) that I could just wait until then to find out. Honestly I'm not in a hurry to find out. Once we know the sex the pressure is on, everyone stresses me out with talk of themes for the nursery and showers and questions about names pop up...AHHHH! I like to fly by the seat of my pants, Andrew needs to figure everything out this second. I think I'll enjoy saying "we don't know anything" for a little while longer. In the meantime, maybe I'll get a belly photo up by the end of the week?

A non-baby post will be coming soon! Andrew and I have been busy pretending to be interior designers and get our house to look alive. It's a headache and I'm already sick of looking at paint samples. But yay for me, I bought pillows and curtains wahoo! 

Little butter ball turkey measured 8cm from crown to rump

High Five!

Baby Center Week 14 Update:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Heard the Heartbeat

Not the best picture that the doc could have captured, but we're just glad she was nice and got one for us!

Does anyone know how to get a voice memo from your iPhone (it's a  .m4a file) to upload?

We heard the heart beat today, it was pretty cool! I think we both feel a little comforted knowing that you can hear and see the little monster and know everything is healthy and normal...whew! That crazy creature in the picture was doing a serious workout, it was hilarious to see it move around! It literally looked like it was doing jumping jacks in there. Gosh I can't wait to stop calling it "it," a him or her will be nice...maybe we'll see a sneak peak next week, if not we have to wait until we schedule another ultrasound after our May 17th appt. Andrew recorded the sound of the heartbeat and I can't figure out how to upload it but I can text or e-mail it. If you are truly interested in listening, let me know :)

Tomorrow is 13 weeks and the buttons on my pants are screaming. Still no belly photos, i'll try and get on that! More to come tomorrow...