As Baby grows, space is getting tighter inside the womb. Baby now measures about 12.8 inches tall and probably weighs almost two pounds. Most of this weight is bone and tissue, because she still doesn't have much body fat. In fact, the main development of body fat doesn't really occur until late in the third trimester. Between now and week 29, your baby will have a growth spurt and gain another pound.
Lots of other developments occur this week:
* Baby is beginning to blink and open her eyes.
* Eyelashes are beginning to grow.
* Hair is continuing to grow on Baby’s head.
* To support her growing body, Baby's spine is getting stronger and more flexible.
* Although she hasn't put on much fat, Baby is beginning to look a little plumper. (verybestbaby.com)
105 days to my due date! He'll be here before I know it!
Lily is doing great in her big girl bed! We've all started calling her old room the baby's room and it's already like she's been doing it forever. She really seems to enjoy her new room which probably helps. She and I both have runny noses and coughs right now. I don't know how Andy manages to stay healthy but I'm glad he does!
One more thing, it snowed today! We have several inches on the ground! It's supposedly going to be 50 degrees by Friday so at least it won't be here long... Lily is dying to swing and go to the park.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
7 Nights and Other Developments
Playing in the snow on a beautiful February day!
Lily and Mommy
Silly Lily!
We got several inches of snow last week so Lily enjoyed one of her last opportunities to play in the white stuff. It's melting quickly. Supposed to be 41 degrees today!
Lily achieved seven consecutive nights in her big girl bed! Wah-hoo! She has done so well and the whole transition has been more smooth than I could have imagined!
She really is growing up. Sometimes I feel like I blink and she looks taller or is saying some funny new thing. She's talking so much and she's quite chatty. One of the cute things she still does is mix up her pronouns. She says, "Carry you?" and of course means "Carry me". She copies what she hears so she says, "Want a drink, honey?" when she wants a drink! Or "Wanna go outside, honey?" or "Wanna watch a movie?" She asks if *we* want to rather than saying that *she* wants to. It's so funny. And I'm enjoying it while it lasts because I know she'll grow out of it overnight and I won't get to hear her sweet little voice asking me if I want a drink again!
She counts to 10 all the time and can count 10 objects really well. She counts to 20 with a little help. She knows her colors and lots of shapes including square, circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, trapezoid, octagon, parallelogram, star, and heart. She's learning some letters too. She knows the letters in her name - L, I and Y. And she knows S, M, W, O and E pretty consistently.
She loves to sing and has been in a Christmas Carol phase lately! She regularly sings Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard On High, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells! She also loves Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Oh How I Love Jesus, He's Got the Whole Word in His Hands, The B-I-B-L-E, If You're Happy and You Know It, Amazing Grace, The Wheels on the Bus and many more.
She quotes movies too! In the Veggie Tales movie The Toy that Saved Christmas there's a part where Bob the Tomato says, "Mousetrap! I wanted to play Mousetrap! You roll your dice, you move your mice. Nobody gets hurt." Lily says that whole line and it's hilarious! And in An Easter Carol there's a part where Bob says, "We've gotta find those plans. No plans, no Easterland." And another part that goes, "The factory! The chickens! It's all gonna blow!" She's been saying both of those lately. There are some other lines that aren't coming to me right now but we always get a good laugh when we hear her quoting one of her movies.
She is an absolute delight! I thank God often for blessing us with Lily! It's such a privilege getting to be her mommy.
She really is growing up. Sometimes I feel like I blink and she looks taller or is saying some funny new thing. She's talking so much and she's quite chatty. One of the cute things she still does is mix up her pronouns. She says, "Carry you?" and of course means "Carry me". She copies what she hears so she says, "Want a drink, honey?" when she wants a drink! Or "Wanna go outside, honey?" or "Wanna watch a movie?" She asks if *we* want to rather than saying that *she* wants to. It's so funny. And I'm enjoying it while it lasts because I know she'll grow out of it overnight and I won't get to hear her sweet little voice asking me if I want a drink again!
She counts to 10 all the time and can count 10 objects really well. She counts to 20 with a little help. She knows her colors and lots of shapes including square, circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, trapezoid, octagon, parallelogram, star, and heart. She's learning some letters too. She knows the letters in her name - L, I and Y. And she knows S, M, W, O and E pretty consistently.
She loves to sing and has been in a Christmas Carol phase lately! She regularly sings Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard On High, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells! She also loves Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Oh How I Love Jesus, He's Got the Whole Word in His Hands, The B-I-B-L-E, If You're Happy and You Know It, Amazing Grace, The Wheels on the Bus and many more.
She quotes movies too! In the Veggie Tales movie The Toy that Saved Christmas there's a part where Bob the Tomato says, "Mousetrap! I wanted to play Mousetrap! You roll your dice, you move your mice. Nobody gets hurt." Lily says that whole line and it's hilarious! And in An Easter Carol there's a part where Bob says, "We've gotta find those plans. No plans, no Easterland." And another part that goes, "The factory! The chickens! It's all gonna blow!" She's been saying both of those lately. There are some other lines that aren't coming to me right now but we always get a good laugh when we hear her quoting one of her movies.
She is an absolute delight! I thank God often for blessing us with Lily! It's such a privilege getting to be her mommy.
Resurrection Day!
The Beckers (all four of us!)
Lily Elaine and her beloved grandparents
Samson Granholt - he is the most adorable dog! He's so fun!
Lily's Easter Basket - it was *packed* with fun stuff!
Grandpa and Lily singing a very silly (and loud) version of Old MacDonald
Auntie Mandi and Uncle BryanWe went to church at Calvary - Andy attended the service while I was in the nursery wiping noses and butts! Lily went to Churchtime with her friends. Then we drove to the cities to have lunch with my family. It was a delightful afternoon! We drove back to St. Cloud and ate out at Old Chicago and then spent a relaxing evening at home.
The significance of Easter Sunday is always overwhelming to me. I just love Christ's *victory* over death and the grave! It makes me so hopeful and so thankful. This life is a vapor and everything we go through on earth is temporary. In the end God wins! And we get to spend eternity with Him. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Week 25
During this week, your baby is spending more time preparing for life after birth. Nerves around the mouth and lip area are becoming more sensitive now, preparing Baby for that all-important task of finding a nipple and getting nourishment.
At a pound and a half and a length of about eight to 10 inches, Baby is growing at a steady pace. The umbilical cord is thick and resilient now, covered in a firm, slippery substance that prevents kinking and knotting and may regulate the blood flow between placenta and Baby.
This week, you could expect:
* Baby will begin curling her fingers into a fist.
* Baby's dexterity will continue to develop.
* She'll continue to explore her surroundings, including the umbilical cord.
* Your baby's spinal structure will begin to form.
* Baby's nostrils beginning to open.(verybestbaby.com)
At church on Sunday I received several comments about how noticeable my belly has become recently. One gal was particularly encouraging by saying she thinks I'll have to be wheeled into the hospital in a wheelbarrow by July 15! Nice! :)
I continue to have Braxton Hicks contractions on a daily basis. They're actually getting a little stronger and sometimes even a touch painful. I was supposed to have my 24-week check up tomorrow morning but the clinic called to reschedule. So now I have to wait until April 7th! I'll also have my second ultrasound that day so I'm looking forward to that. But I do want to ask my doctor about these darn contractions. I just pray often for this baby to be healthy and to stay in there until he's fully cooked! If you'd pray too I'd appreciate that!
At a pound and a half and a length of about eight to 10 inches, Baby is growing at a steady pace. The umbilical cord is thick and resilient now, covered in a firm, slippery substance that prevents kinking and knotting and may regulate the blood flow between placenta and Baby.
This week, you could expect:
* Baby will begin curling her fingers into a fist.
* Baby's dexterity will continue to develop.
* She'll continue to explore her surroundings, including the umbilical cord.
* Your baby's spinal structure will begin to form.
* Baby's nostrils beginning to open.(verybestbaby.com)
At church on Sunday I received several comments about how noticeable my belly has become recently. One gal was particularly encouraging by saying she thinks I'll have to be wheeled into the hospital in a wheelbarrow by July 15! Nice! :)
I continue to have Braxton Hicks contractions on a daily basis. They're actually getting a little stronger and sometimes even a touch painful. I was supposed to have my 24-week check up tomorrow morning but the clinic called to reschedule. So now I have to wait until April 7th! I'll also have my second ultrasound that day so I'm looking forward to that. But I do want to ask my doctor about these darn contractions. I just pray often for this baby to be healthy and to stay in there until he's fully cooked! If you'd pray too I'd appreciate that!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lily's New Room and A Big Milestone
Lily's new room
Her big girl bed from Ikea
There are a few things that still need to happen. First of all, we're getting another valance! :) When I ordered everything I didn't even look at the measurements and just ordered one. Also, that large 32" TV isn't staying. We had that in there before we moved downstairs but it doesn't fit in our new room. Some friends of ours are buying it. I'll be relieved to get that out of there. But for now Lily enjoys watching her movies in there. :) And we still need to put a few things on the walls. It's a work in progress but it's come a long way.
Lily slept in her big girl bed for the first time!!! She did SO well. She didn't call for us or get up once. I kept my ear glued to the baby monitor until she fell asleep. When I went to check on her later I started bawling because I could not believe that my baby wasn't sleeping in her crib anymore. She was so precious and looked so small in that big bed! She slept until about 7:20 this morning and called for me when she wanted to get up. It couldn't have gone any better. We were so proud of her and she was so proud of herself.
She laid right down. No questions asked. She was pretty excited. We'll keep you posted on how it goes from here on...Monday, March 17, 2008
Week 24
This week Baby prepares herself for a big, lusty cry upon arrival. Her lungs are beginning to produce surfactant, a wetting agent that will help her breathe correctly and will keep her tiny lungs from collapsing or sticking together. Blood vessels and air sacs are developing in the lungs and will eventually exchange oxygen and circulate it to all parts of Baby's body.
Baby still has a lot of growing to do. At 1.2 pounds and eight to nine inches, she should add at least another five pounds before birth for optimum health.
This week, the following developments may occur:
* The inner ear, which controls balance, will become fully formed. This means that your baby may be able to tell when she is upside down or right side up while floating in the amniotic fluid.
* Baby will continue to explore her internal environment, flexing her fingers and touching her surroundings. (verybestbaby.com)
Baby still has a lot of growing to do. At 1.2 pounds and eight to nine inches, she should add at least another five pounds before birth for optimum health.
This week, the following developments may occur:
* The inner ear, which controls balance, will become fully formed. This means that your baby may be able to tell when she is upside down or right side up while floating in the amniotic fluid.
* Baby will continue to explore her internal environment, flexing her fingers and touching her surroundings. (verybestbaby.com)
Me at 22 weeks
These didn't turn out as well as I would have liked - they're a little bright or something. But you can see my baby bump. He's really had a growth spurt recently because all of a sudden I am definitely showing. I've been wearing maternity pants since about 7 weeks! But I finally have something to show for my expanding waistline!!! :)Baby's 1st Photos!
Here are the ultrasound pics of our beautiful baby boy! Isn't he cute? I can already tell he's going to be a looker. :)
His cute little profile :)
The "alien" photo :)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Week 23
By week 23, your baby is taking on the shape of a full-term baby — but her bones and organs are still visible beneath a thin layer of translucent skin.
Although your baby continues to add fat to her body, she still looks wrinkly. This happens because Baby's skin develops more quickly than fat accumulates. However, she continues to grow, and by the end of the week will measure about eight to nine inches long.
Here are other developments this week:
* She'll begin moving around more than ever, stretching and flexing the muscles in her arms and legs, fingers and toes.
* Skin pigment is being deposited this week to create your baby's skin tone.
Andy took some pictures of me yesterday so as soon as I get those on the computer I'll post them. People are saying that I finally look pregnant. In the last 10 days or so he must have had a growth spurt or something. :) We aren't any closer to a name for him. I had about 10 girl names that I was ready to go with. Choosing a boy name is much harder! Maybe we'll have to wait until we actually see him and see what fits. We'll see...
Although your baby continues to add fat to her body, she still looks wrinkly. This happens because Baby's skin develops more quickly than fat accumulates. However, she continues to grow, and by the end of the week will measure about eight to nine inches long.
Here are other developments this week:
* She'll begin moving around more than ever, stretching and flexing the muscles in her arms and legs, fingers and toes.
* Skin pigment is being deposited this week to create your baby's skin tone.
Andy took some pictures of me yesterday so as soon as I get those on the computer I'll post them. People are saying that I finally look pregnant. In the last 10 days or so he must have had a growth spurt or something. :) We aren't any closer to a name for him. I had about 10 girl names that I was ready to go with. Choosing a boy name is much harder! Maybe we'll have to wait until we actually see him and see what fits. We'll see...
Monday, March 3, 2008
Week 22
This week nerve endings become functional enough so that Baby can feel! She may experiment with this new sense of touch by stroking her face or feeling other body parts to see how they move. You may feel Baby stretching her muscles by pushing against the muscular wall of your uterus with her feet or head.
In addition, Baby's liver is busy breaking down bilirubin, a substance formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in blood cells. Because a baby's liver can only break down a limited amount of bilirubin, the excess is passed on to you through the placenta to filter from your liver. Baby weighs almost a pound now, and is seven to eight inches long. Although she's filling out, her body still appears wrinkled because she lacks a significant layer of fat beneath her skin.
Other developments taking place this week include:
* Baby will form distinct lips.
* If Baby is a boy, testes, which have been tucked up inside the pelvis, will begin to descend into the scrotum this week and immature sperm will form in the seminal vesicles.
* Baby's eyes will complete formation, although the iris (the colored part of the eye) will still lack pigment.
* The pancreas, essential to hormone production, will continue to develop steadily. (verybestbaby.com)
I can feel him moving around throughout the day. Those movements are so comforting to me. It's like he's saying hello! :) We're talking about names but I think it's going to be tough to reach a concensus! We went through a list a 1,000 boy names the other night and only found 2 or 3 that we both thought were a remote possibility and none we were both super excited about. Oh dear.
We have been so busy the past few days as we begin to get this house ready for a fourth Becker. We painted the downstairs bedroom this weekend and Andy and I moved down there last night. We did a lot of rearranging as we figured out where to put everything that was being stored in that bedroom closet. We got rid of the mini blinds and put new window treatments in 5 windows! Faux wood blinds are in the family room and our new bedroom. Cellular blackout shades are in Lily's new room and the baby's room. (I am VERY excited about these because until now we've been using a green sheet to make Lily's room dark! Not anymore!!!) I bought them online which seemed a little risky to me without being able to actually see them in person first and know for sure what color they'd be. But we're really happy with how they look! It's a huge improvement over mini blinds. :) We bought a "big girl bed" for Lily at Ikea last week and a new bookshelf for her "new" room. Andy put those together today. I started painting Lily's new room today but that'll probably be a several-day process since it's hard to get a lot done without someone to play with Lily. We still have to paint baby's room but that'll get done eventually. I'm just so excited about how much headway we've made on these projects and every little accomplishment makes me feel that much more ready for the arrival of our baby boy!
In addition, Baby's liver is busy breaking down bilirubin, a substance formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in blood cells. Because a baby's liver can only break down a limited amount of bilirubin, the excess is passed on to you through the placenta to filter from your liver. Baby weighs almost a pound now, and is seven to eight inches long. Although she's filling out, her body still appears wrinkled because she lacks a significant layer of fat beneath her skin.
Other developments taking place this week include:
* Baby will form distinct lips.
* If Baby is a boy, testes, which have been tucked up inside the pelvis, will begin to descend into the scrotum this week and immature sperm will form in the seminal vesicles.
* Baby's eyes will complete formation, although the iris (the colored part of the eye) will still lack pigment.
* The pancreas, essential to hormone production, will continue to develop steadily. (verybestbaby.com)
I can feel him moving around throughout the day. Those movements are so comforting to me. It's like he's saying hello! :) We're talking about names but I think it's going to be tough to reach a concensus! We went through a list a 1,000 boy names the other night and only found 2 or 3 that we both thought were a remote possibility and none we were both super excited about. Oh dear.
We have been so busy the past few days as we begin to get this house ready for a fourth Becker. We painted the downstairs bedroom this weekend and Andy and I moved down there last night. We did a lot of rearranging as we figured out where to put everything that was being stored in that bedroom closet. We got rid of the mini blinds and put new window treatments in 5 windows! Faux wood blinds are in the family room and our new bedroom. Cellular blackout shades are in Lily's new room and the baby's room. (I am VERY excited about these because until now we've been using a green sheet to make Lily's room dark! Not anymore!!!) I bought them online which seemed a little risky to me without being able to actually see them in person first and know for sure what color they'd be. But we're really happy with how they look! It's a huge improvement over mini blinds. :) We bought a "big girl bed" for Lily at Ikea last week and a new bookshelf for her "new" room. Andy put those together today. I started painting Lily's new room today but that'll probably be a several-day process since it's hard to get a lot done without someone to play with Lily. We still have to paint baby's room but that'll get done eventually. I'm just so excited about how much headway we've made on these projects and every little accomplishment makes me feel that much more ready for the arrival of our baby boy!
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