reflections from a soon-to-be mommy's heart...

Some of my girlfriends and I are doing a bible study right now called Make Over: Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill.  It's a 6-week study but since we meet just once a month, it turns into a 6-month study for us.

We met last Sunday evening and we were studying Week Four: Mom.  How fitting.  Of course, I'm not a mom yet but I went through this week's lesson thinking in the future and though there were some things I couldn't really answer right now, there were other things I could address from a future standpoint -- things I desire to do or be for my kids, things I desire for my kids to do or be.

It was really quite thought-provoking and reflective for me.

I know most of my posts on this blog thus far have been more factual in nature -- what's going on with the baby and his development, what's happening at my doctor's appts, what we're doing to prepare for the baby's arrival.  But today I wanted to post some things from my heart...

Day 1 of  this week's study got me thinking about something along the lines of the expectations of motherhood.  Though I didn't answer the question exactly, it did get me to thinking about me personally as a mom, and how I want my kids to see me:

I just want to be a mom my kids can look up to and admire, a good example for them.  I want them to understand that I'm not perfect but that I try to do my best in this thing called life.  I want them to observe the good, right things that I do and take hold of those, while understanding that the not-so-good things that I do are due to my imperfection and forgot about those.  :)  I want them to always feel loved by me and to feel like they can come to me for anything at all.  I want them to know Christ, to love Him and to live their lives for Him.  And I want them to want that by observing the way I live mine.

Each day of the week's lesson, we end with prayer regarding the things we've learned through that day's lesson.  This is my prayer for day 1:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing us with this house we're living in, in a safe community, in a great nation where, right now, we can raise our kids in your ways, to know and love you.  I pray that you would give us wisdom and the knowledge we need to take this parenting thing one day at a time.  I pray for a desire to teach our kids all about you and not to miss any opportunity to show them how you love them.  Lord, I ask that you would give us both a desperate desire to be in continual prayer for our kids no matter what stage of life they're in.

In Day 2, a question about our long-term goals for our kids came up...

...for them to know Christ, to find someone to spend their rest of their lives with in marriage, to be role models/examples for others to look to, to live a blessed life..

My prayer on Day 2:

Heavenly Father, though we don't have any kids to raise yet I'm thankful to have you to lean on as we look to the future -- as little as 3 months from now!  :)  I pray (again) for your wisdom and knowledge to consume us both as parents as we strive to raise this child (and others) in your ways, in your truth.  I pray for stength and discernment to know when to tell our kids no and when it's okay to say yes.  I pray that you would help us not to raise our kids with little responsibility but to teach them what that means, that those lessons would carry them into healthy adulthood.

On Day 3, we talked about concerns for our kids growing up and making their own decisions -- whether good or bad...

...when it's hard to let them go and make their own decisions/mistakes, we can trust that God will watch over them and protect them much more than we can...

My prayer on Day 3:

Lord Jesus, I pray again for your wisdom as we prepare to bring a precious baby boy into this world.  I pray that the faith I have grown up with, that I have grown in all these years, will be evident in every aspect of my parenting.  I pray, God, that our kids would be able to see you in me but that that would not be enough.  Lord, help me to be diligent in pointing our kids to their Redeemer -- help me to talk about you, to ask them questions, to pray with them.  Help me to know the importance, to understand just how priceless it is to lead them to you; that that is THE most important thing I could ever do for my kids.

On Day 4, we talked about our relationships (or goals for relationships) with our kids...

I want my kids to feel comfortable enough to come to us about anything, no matter how silly, embarassing, small or large it seems to them (or us); I want the wisdom to treat each case with as much seriousness as it warrants based on how my kids view it.

And this statement that the author made really stuck with me:

How we talk to our kids when they're sixteen hinges on how we've talked to them all along.

Think about it.  I did.  For a long while.  And that shaped my prayer for Day 4:

Lord Jesus, I'm so thankful that you blessed me with parents who encouraged communication and who were always there for us growing up.  I always felt like I could talk to them about anything -- we had a great relationship.  I want that same thing with my kids.  I pray, Lord, that you would help us to cultivate that same atmosphere in our home.  I pray that we would treat our kids in such a way that they would feel comfortable coming to us about whatever, that we would listen with our whole hearts and really hear what they're saying (or not saying), and then offer them your wisdom -- the things we've learned from our relationship, our communication, with our Heavenly Father.

I know this got kind of long, but I just felt like I wanted to share some of the things on my heart concerning the impending arrival of our little one.

26 weeks today...

I'm 26 weeks today.  These weeks are really flying!

To keep with tradition, here's what babycenter.com has to say about our little one's development this week:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

*blushing* Ahem, interesting.

For whatever reason, whattoexpect.com had A LOT more to say about this week than usual so I wanted to share their information, too:

What's up with your baby? He now weighs a full two pounds and measures nine-plus inches. And this week, his eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. Of course, there's not much to see in there, but if your baby spots a bright light (or hears a loud noise) near your belly, you may notice an increase in fetal activity. (“Hey, I'm in here, Mommy! Where’s the party!”) What accounts for that response? His brain is more developed and sophisticated.

Feel like you're carrying the Karate Kid with all the kicking going on? Your baby is actually practicing all kinds of movements that will eventually be used in life on the outside — including pedaling against your belly, a sort of prewalking skill. As your baby's nervous system becomes more developed, the movements will become much more coordinated. And as the baby gets bigger and stronger, the movements will become much more powerful…and occasionally, even painful to you. If your baby lands a good one, that tiny left hook might hurt — a lot. Another trick he may try — stretching that leg out so far that the foot becomes lodged between your ribs (ouch). Next time you come under attack, try changing positions or doing some stretches of your own. You can also gently push your baby back with your hand when your knee-jerker jerks a little too hard. You just might be able to send your slugger back into the corner of the ring!

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 beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!").




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 at this stage in fetal development, 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 and at the rate he is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. 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.

Wow, that's a lot of progress!  Things seem to be moving right along for him, just like they are for me.

I'm starting to very mildly stress about all that still needs to be done in the next 3 months to get ready for this kid.  We have almost the whole nursery to put together still, we have childbirth education classes to go to, still more doc appts to attend.  And that doesn't even cover all the normal everyday things we're involved with that make it difficult to find time to get all of it done.  And rest, too.  Gotta have some rest in there.  Whew.

So here's how long he is, according to babycenter.com:

And here's how big I am, according to my Nikon D3000:

doctor's appts #8 & #9...

I had 2 more doc appts today -- one at my OB and one at Wilmington Maternal.

The one at my OB was for a checkup plus the glucose screening.  I have been worried about this all week, ya'll.  I started Monday, drinking lots of water in preparation for the blood draw that goes with this test and also watching how much sugar I was eating (no ice cream this week -- horrors!).  I've read information on this test and they all made it sound terrible -- drinking huge amounts of this really sugary, nasty tasting stuff in like 5 min (read: chugging), having them draw blood.  And THEN if you don't fall within the normal range, you have to go back to do even more of that in a 3-hour glucose test!

I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

As I began to ask my girlfriends for prayer about it, they soon put me at ease somewhat, saying it wasn't as bad as all that.  So I started not to worry so much about the stuff to drink and the blood draw as just passing the test so I didn't have to take the 3-hour deal.

Well, my girlfriends were right.  I had probably a 6-8 oz serving of stuff that tasted like really sweet orange Krush or Sunkist and it was stored in the fridge beforehand so I didn't even have to drink it warm.  8 oz?  Well, shoot.  That only took me about 30 secs to drink.  And it didn't taste all that bad either.

Then (an hour later) they did a finger prick for the blood draw and I always do better with those than with the veins in my arms/hands, etc.  She told me that my sugar level was 111 and it needed to be 135 or lower.

Woo-hoo!  I passed!

I did have to have blood drawn the "normal" way today -- just for some other tests they wanted it for.  My nurse did good with that for the most part.  She did stick me 3 times, though.  She got one vial of blood from my right arm but then the blood flow stopped.  *sigh*  She tried the other arm to no avail.  She actually ended up getting the other vial she needed from my left hand.

She told me my iron was really good, and she gave me one other number, 36, and said that was really good.  I wish I could remember what that was for.  She said that most pregnant ladies are on the lower end of the scale (of whatever it was) but that I was right where I should be.  :D

*********************************************************************************

My other appt was at Wilmington Maternal with another ultrasound.  More pics of our boy.  :)  Jeff went with me to both of my appts today so he got to see Deacon for himself again.  We got another sweet profile shot and a couple of his legs -- he already looks like he's got some muscles!  :)

They PA we met with, Cindy, said everything looked great.  He weighs almost 2 pounds now and is growing & developing just as he should be.  She also said that he has really healthy "juicy" kidneys.

Say what now??

Yeah, she said they were measuring the kidneys because they don't normally see kidneys "this big" at this stage but that that didn't mean anything bad.  That it was a good thing.  Well...great!  I guess.  :)

I go back in TWO weeks for my next OB appt -- holy cow, we're down to appts every 2 weeks now, instead of 4??  How did we get there already??  Time is really flying fast...

My next appt at Wilmington Maternal will be in 4 weeks, as usual, and hopefully, I'll be able to combine the 2 appts again like I did today.  It's just easier to be out of the office all at once instead of multiple days during the week.

labor of love...

My wonderful husband has been "living" in the workshop recently, working tirelessly on our son's dresser.  It has been hard work and he's put in a lot of hours but I think he really enjoyed himself and is pleased with the finished result.  I know I am.  I couldn't be any more proud with out my heart just bursting right out of my chest (I think I may have said that a time or two about my husband and his talents. :)

I tried to document, in photos, the process of building this big, beautiful dresser -- I thought that would be kinda fun to look at, see how it evolved...

Is it not gorgeous??  Aside from our coffee table (my Christmas present 4 years ago), this is the biggest thing that Jeff has built for us so far.  He did an incredible job on this thing -- I mean, it looks like we picked it up from the store and put it together, it's so professional looking.

But no.  I take that back.  It looks WAY BETTER than the one in the store.  I know because I saw it the other night when we were at Babies R Us.  See, I found a crib & dresser set that I liked there and then Jeff took off with it, tweaking it and customizing it to make it into what I really wanted.  That's his specialty.  :)  The original had 3 drawers on the left and a cabinet with a shelf on the right.  We thought we might use the drawers more so we went with that.

Now, if you ask me, he started on this WAY too late.  But I think Jeff must work better under pressure.  To get ready, he took some photos, wrote down some dimensions, made some notes and then got to work.  A month and a half later, THIS is what we have:

This is just perfect.  It's exactly the color I wanted it to be and we have plenty of space in each drawer for Deacon's sweet, tiny little things.  :)  Jeff even built in 2 secret drawers above the top 2 drawers with pulls -- for a fun 5 year old to keep his baseball cards or GI Joes in.  Or whatever.  :)  Whatever boys like to keep in secret drawers.  As long as it's not frogs, snakes or bugs.  Nothing living.  Absolutely not.  :)

This photo of it was taken in the nursery.  On the left side is a sweet, soft, cuddly giraffe with a blanket that Jeff's youngest brother and his wife gave us at a shower.  Just love it.  The right side is the framed ultrasound that Jeff's sister-in-law made for us for the shower she threw us -- you can see that a little bit better here.

I don't think those will stay there once we figure out where "all this stuff" is going to go but for now, I like to look at them.  :)

**If you'd like to see more photos and a more detailed description of the dresser, you can check it out here, where Jeff has a profile and has uploaded a lot of the stuff he's built recently.  This is a place where his fellow wood-working peers can make comments and boy, have they been raving about his dresser.  And rightfully so.  :)**

baby registry: day 2

We are officially "registered at Target and Babies R Us".  This is kinda funny to me because this is always what I read on the baby shower invitations that we get in the mail, but this time it's for us!  I just think it's still a little surreal...

We went Saturday to Target to register for some more stuff and I gotta tell you -- it was an eye opening experience for me.  More so than trying to act like I knew what I was doing at Babies R Us Thursday night.  Here's the reason:  Target has always been my preferred store of choice when purchasing items for any baby shower I'm attending (which are VERY numerous).  I think their registry is a lot easier to read and the items are easier to find, and also because the Wilmington BRU is PAH-thetic.  It's not even a real store -- it's just a tiny baby section inside a gigantic Toys R Us (hence the reason we went to Jacksonville to register at BRU -- they have their own store).

However, after going to Target to actually register, I was SO disappointed!  I guess I never noticed before that you really only get about 3 aisles of stuff, a few endcaps and then CLOTHES (good gracious, the clothes!).  **Note: we decided not to register for outfits -- we do have onesies & socks, etc. on the registry -- because we figured people will buy those anyway.  :) **

So, wow.  That didn't take long, except that I kept walking up and down those 3 aisles thinking, "Did we miss something?  This cannot be it!  Where is...?  We didn't see..."  The other thing about Target is that all the baby care stuff, like soap, lotion, diapers, wipes, etc. is all over on the OTHER side of the store.  Oh, yeah.  We got what we could find and I'm sure I'll be back online "tweaking" here and there but you can only do so much with so little, you know?

We ran back over to BRU for a brief minute since 1) we were right across the street, 2) we closed the store down on Thursday with not.very.much. on the list, and 3) I felt a wee bit more comfortable when looking at their stuff again.  We scanned a few more things, but again, with my OCD organized personality, I'm sure I'll be tweaking that one a little bit more, too.

Jeff keeps saying, "We're done!"  Um, yeah.  You're done, sweetie.  But IT is far from done.  :)  He really was a good sport through the whole thing (it was tough on both of us) and I can't say how much I appreciate him being willing to go with me to register.  I know a lot of fellas don't participate in that part, and I'm glad mine did.  At least for 2 days.  :)

25 weeks today...

I'm 25 weeks today.  And I'm most definitely looking pregnant these days.  Feeling it on certain days, too.  :)

Here's what's been happening with our little one this week, according to babycenter.com:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

And here's what whattoexpect.com had to say about this week's development:

 

Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds, reaching nine inches in length and passing the pound and a half mark. Under his skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week's end, air sacs (also lined with capillaries) will develop in his lungs, getting them ready for that first breath. Mind you, those lungs aren't ready for prime time just yet — but they are developing surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth. And speaking of breathing, your baby's tiny nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open, and his vocal chords are getting ready to roar.

 

I think rutabagas are ugly.  Thankfully, he's only the size of one, not that he looks like one.  :)

Wonder what he WILL look like??

baby registry: day 1

So we went to register last night.  Finally.  I'm sure folks are much more on the ball about this than we have been, but honestly...it's been hard to just find a night that we could both go to either Wilmington or Jacksonville to get this done.

We decided to go to Jacksonville because they have a true Babies R Us, not just a small section inside a Toys R Us.  They also have a Target in Jax, which is the other place we want to register, so we figured we'd just knock out in one place, in one night.

Wrong.

Because Jax is roughly 45 min to an hour (depending on where you need to go) from our house, we obviously didn't get started as early as we would've since we both worked.  So we already had that against us.  Not to mention the fact that we've never done this before and we felt COMPLETELY out of our element.  It just doesn't matter what kind of prep you put into figuring out what to get ahead of time -- nothing can prepare you for all.the.options.  I mean, I've bought countless baby shower gifts for other folks from both BRU and Target so you would think I would be somewhat familiar with what's in the baby section.  Well, I guess I've never looked at all of this stuff through THESE eyes.

The eyes of a future mom.

So we checked in at the registry desk at BRU and got our scan gun and checklist.  **Note: earlier on Facebook, Jeff had posted a poll question asking folks to list one thing they absolutely would register for, so I had that (very extensive) list, too.  And it was helpful -- thanks to everyone who chimed in!**  And then it seems like we just wandered aimlessly through the store.

I think we did make some pretty good choices last night but there are still so many things we didn't register for yet for various reasons -- need to think about it some more, can't remember what "so-n-so" said about that, have NO CLUE which one to get...

(excuse the quality -- it was taken with Jeff's iPhone)

We pretty much closed the place down and didn't even MAKE it over to Target.  By the time we left, I think we both had headaches and our feet were killing us!  But Jeff was such a good sport.  I think he did enjoy being there, but he was like me -- there was just SO MUCH to look at and think about.  And I'm such an organized person by nature, it was hard for me to make a decision on something without knowing how Target compared, or seeing if there were any more like that in the store, etc.  I kinda drove myself crazy.  And really, we were all over the store about 3 times.

I did get online today and "tweak" a couple of things so I feel better about that, but like I said, we have a long way to go before I feel like the registry will be complete.

Jeff said he "needs a break" tonight (which means he'll probably be out in the shop; not a true "break", just a break from registering :), so we may try to tackle Target on Saturday sometime.  I also feel like I need to make another trip to BRU after we go to Target.  I may feel more comfortable by then and maybe it won't take as long.

Maybe.  :)

24 weeks today...

I'm 24 weeks today, or officially 6 months pregnant.  Whoa.  How did we get HERE already??

Here's the update on what's been happening with the baby from babycenter.com:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Whattoexpect.com has a little bit more to say for this update, so I wanted to share that, too:

 

Your baby is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of his are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there's no pigment yet.

 

Funny.  We're eating corn on the cob tonight for dinner.  That puts things into perspective... :)

I know I said at 22 and 23 weeks that people were telling me I was starting to show...I'm still getting that from a lot of folks -- maybe it's the ones who haven't seen me in a while.  They've all been saying, "You're finally starting to show!" or "Look!  You finally have a bump!"  I guess that's pretty exciting.  I think so, anyway.  Jeff asked me today if I was glad to be looking pregnant (showing) or if it made me sad.  I said I was glad.  Maybe people can stop speculating that I'm just "getting a little chunky".  :)  No one has dared say that to me, of course, but you always wonder what people are thinking.  And what else can they think when there's no real evidence of a "baby bump" yet?

Here's what everyone's talking about:

nesting...

Last night, I guess I engaged in what they call "nesting" when you're pregnant.  When you're NOT pregnant, it's just called "cleaning out".  Well, since I AM the former, we'll go with the term nesting.  Especially since I was working in what will be Deacon's room.

The room that we have currently designated as the guest room will eventually be the nursery, once we get everything out and in that we need/want.  Right now, there is a full-size bed in there, along with a bookcase, a mirror and a side set of shelves that serves as a "night stand".  There is also a closet that we've used as storage for this or that over the last (almost) 3 years.

Pretty much EV.RY.THING. will have to come out of the room so we can put the crib, dresser and a rocker in there, along with maybe a small set of baskets or something for storage.  And the closet now holds our stuff that we've been storing along with stuff for Deacon that we've been receiving from kind folks since we found out we were pregnant.

That is, it DID hold all that stuff.  Until last night.  :)

I worked between the closet in the guest room/nursery and the linen closet in the guest bathroom (which is right next door) trying to move stuff from "here to there".  There was actually more room in the linen closet than I thought, once I refolded towels (and banished some to the shop for "shop towels") and reorganized them, and moved things from this shelf to that.  I was able to get most of the stuff that wasn't specifically for the baby out of the guest room closet and into the linen closet.

I don't know what we'll do the next time we get toilet paper & paper towels (from Sam's)...but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  :)

There were a couple of things that I couldn't fit in the linen closet so I looked to the coat closet we have in the living room.  I was able to take quite a bit off the top shelf to put into a big yard sale happening at our church this Saturday*, and then I was able to organize some of the stuff on the floor in the closet to PUT on the top shelf, so I could fit the things from the guest closet into the coat closet.

Is this all starting to run together??

Suffice it to say, that the only thing in the guest room/nursery closet now, besides the vacuum *sigh*, is baby stuff.  And things are a little more organized in the linen and coat closets, too.  That makes me happy.

The next job to tackle, I guess, is to figure out where we're going to put the bookcase that's in the guest room now.  The bed will go into the 2nd extra bedroom we have in the house, which is now designated as the craft/computer room.  It's where both of our computers are, along with all my scrapbook/card-making stuff.  There will be some cleaning out -- er, I mean, "nesting" to do in there, too, to make room for the Murphy Bed my handy husband is going to make for the full-size bed in the guest room now.  And yes, he SWEARS he'll get both the crib and the Murphy Bed done by the time Deacon gets here.  

Okay, sweetie.  *she bats her eyes and pastes a big 'ole smile on her face*

He's nearly finished with the dresser/changing table, and I just have to brag a little on my man, ya'll.  He is so good.  :)  Just WAIT until you guys see this dresser that he's built FROM.SCRATCH. with his own TWO.HANDS.  I'm just about to burst with pride.  I'm not sure at what stage I want to share this with you (some of you may have seen it in different stages), whether I'll just share a photo of it done but still in the shop, or done and in the baby's room.  Still thinking about that, but it will be worth the wait.  It.is.beautiful!

*If you're local, come out to Scotts Hill Baptist Church Saturday from 7am-12pm!  We're having a pancake breakfast (from 7-10am, $5 a plate), silent auction and HUGE yard sale to raise money for our sweet friends, the Moshers, who have a 3 year old who has had undiagnosed gastrointestinal issues for the last 4-5 months.  Poor little guy.  They've been in and out of 3 hospitals, including Boston Children's Hospital.  They await results from their last trip there even now.  It's for such a good cause (I'm telling you, these are really good, kind people) and you'll have good food and a chance to win/purchase some really nice items.  What better way to spend a Saturday morning??

23 weeks today...

I'm 23 weeks today.  There've been some exciting things happening this week.  :)

Whattoexpect.com described this week's development this way:

Your little doll-sized babe is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he'll start to pack on the pounds (which means you will too!) and by month's end he'll be double the weight he is now (though you won't be — whew!). Right now, your baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he'll become less transparent.

And here's what babycenter.com had to say:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Yeah, our baby boy has been hearing the vaccuum quite a bit recently with guests visiting this past weekend and the one before.  All that sawdust that Jeff tracks in... :)

And as I said in my last post, he's been moving around a lot.  As a matter of fact, Jeff finally got to feel him move this past Friday!  We were sitting on the loveseat together, he was checking Facebook (on his phone) and I was reading.  I started to feel Deacon move around and start kicking so I watched for a little while and then told Jeff to "look here".  He didn't see the kick at first, but then Deacon kicked again and he saw that one.  He got a big grin on his face and said, "I saw that one!" and immediately put his hand over on my right side.  Jeff got to feel him kick a few times before Deacon figured out he was "performing" for us and stopped.  :)  I think Jeff was really excited to finally feel his boy kick.  I've been trying to stay conscious of when he's moving so that I can tell Jeff and he can have another chance to feel the movements.  Jeff gets kind of impatient sometimes and pokes my belly to get Deacon to "wake up" -- he talks to him, too, saying things like "wake up, buddy!" or "hey, Deac!"  It always makes me giggle.  :)

We had my brother, sister-in-law (who, by the way, is pregnant with baby #2!) and my niece here this past weekend and we had a good time with them.  Brandi and I were able to do a little shopping at the Clothes Mentor -- the place where I had pretty good success finding maternity clothes.  I was successful once again, finding another pair of capris and a couple of tops.  It's a good thing about those capris -- I can't seem to find any shorts and I only had the one pair of capris before.  I feel like I'm wearing the same 5 things every week, just in differently matched ways!

I had a few people comment this past week that I'm "starting to show".  I think everyone's all excited to see a belly on me -- not sure why.  Maybe it's because they've all been waiting a LONG time for us to start a family.  I feel like I've been out there for awhile but all the comments have been, "Oh, look!  You're FINALLY starting to show!  It's about time!" or "Oh, I can see a little bit of a belly now...'bout time you start looking pregnant!" 

...to the beat of his own drum...

My boy is really moving now!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been feeling what I thought was probably him moving around but having never felt that before, I wasn't completely sure.  Well, I am now.  :)

He seems to be the most active during the work day, when I'm slouched sitting at my desk.  Most of the time he kicks on my right side or way down low.  It's kind of a weird feeling.  At first, it felt like the flip of a deck of cards.  Now the feeling is kind of hard to describe -- it feels a little like a roll of some sort.

It's really something, though, to feel that and know that THAT is my baby boy in there making those movements.  Last Friday, he was kicking quite a bit for some reason, on that right side, and so at one point, I looked down to where I thought he might be and saw.my.belly.move.  WHOA!

I've seen that a few more times and man, is that ever crazy!  Jeff still hasn't seen or felt it yet -- he's never around when Deacon is active enough to be seen or felt.  One of these days, though, Jeff'll be able to feel him move and I can't wait!