Look how big!

Here are some of the latest pictures of Benjamin, he's growing so much! Also, you can watch the video to see how well he talks! As soon as he learns how to laugh I'll be sure to take a video of that too!

Benjamin (238 photos), by Tutsy Asmus

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

October Update

Benjamin (33 photos), by Tutsy Asmus

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Your pregnancy: 31 weeks

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Yes, the moving around does get to be a little bit much at night-time, that's when he seems to be the most active. That, along with the hiccups and some Braxton-Hicks contractions make my stomach feel like a rollercoaster ride. But, I'm still doing very well. I do think yesterday was my last bike ride, however. Mj and I have enjoyed going walking and bike riding in the evenings, but yesterday my legs kept hitting my stomach when I pedaled and it wasn't the most comfortable thing, so I think I'll stick to walking from now on.

Baby Shower

The dessert table. The whole theme of the shower was "Rubber Duckies". It was decorated very beautifully.

All the gifts. Terry is responsible for giving me the huge duck on the left. It's almost person-sized!

These bowls with the duckies were the centerpieces at every table. The decorations were just so beautiful, and the party planners (Patsy, Lonna, Rita, and Katie) thought of every detail!

Patsy bought this sash for me to wear, it says "Mom to Be"

The cake was almost too pretty to eat! Thanks to Lonna for choosing such a beautiful cake.

My friends Diana, Lacy, and Robin playing a game. We melted different candy bars in a diaper and everyone has to guess what kind of candy bar it was. Too gross!!

Another activity we did was to have everyone there decorate a onesie for the baby, so that I can think of them everytime the baby wears it.

Sister-in-law Katie helping me with the gifts. There were so many, everyone was very generous.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and a great celebration.

Nursery

Patsy, MJ, and I spent all day yesterday setting up the nursery with all the wonderful gifts that we received at the baby shower. Here are the pictures of our work-in-progress nursery. There are still some things we need to purchase, but not many thanks to the generosity of our friends and family!

Photos

This first picture was taken at 18 weeks, and this second picture was just taken last week at 28 weeks.

Boy, what a difference 10 weeks makes!

Baby's Growth

Your pregnancy: 29 weeks

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Baby's Growth

The baby shower on Saturday was so wonderful, I will post more details and pictures as soon as Patsy emails them to me.

Updates:

The doctor's appoinment on Thursday went well. I passed the gestational diabetes test, so that's one less thing to worry about. I now have to go to the doctor every two weeks, so I'll be back on Thursday the 18th. The unpleasant development is that I seem to have developed insomnia. I fall asleep just fine, but on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday I have woken up around 2am and just can't fall back asleep. Thank goodness I actually slept through the night on Saturday! At least it's summer vacation and I don't have to be at work at 7am, I'm able to take a nap later to make up the sleep that I lost at night.

Your pregnancy: 28 weeks
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Baby's Growth

So, I have officially finished the 6th month and am now in the 3rd trimester. I can already see how things are going to be different.

1. I'm waddling when I walk. How do I know? I have very nice friends who point it out to me.

2. Heartburn. At least it is scientifically proven that heartburn=hair on the baby. We'll see. We had a pepperoni pizza from Myles last week, that proved to be a very bad decision. I will avoid all Myles pizza from now on.

3. The baby's movement has increased dramatically. I can feel it pretty much all the time. Yesterday Patsy even got to enjoy watching my shirt move a little bit.

4. Back pain.

So, there's good and there's not so good. Oh well, it's all part of the deal. Next week I go for my gestational diabetes test, so here's hoping that goes well. I'm also getting very excited for the baby shower next Saturday. Everyone has been working so hard on it, I'm sure it will be a wonderful day. I've even already gotten some gifts in the mail from friends who aren't able to make it; I have good friends.

Your pregnancy: 27 weeks
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Baby's Growth

Your pregnancy: 26 weeks

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.

Last week of the second trimester!

Baby's Growth

Your pregnancy: 25 weeks

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

2 more weeks in the 2nd trimester.

Doctor's Appointment

I had my doctor's appointment today, and everything is still going along very well. I am 24 weeks 6 days, and thankfully the doctor was very pleased with my weight gain and said I'm on the right track.

The baby's heartbeat was 148 bpm, and my uterus is now 24cm long, which is exactly right. Apparantely your uterus measurement should match the week you are in.

We scheduled the last ultrasound for Thursday, June 18th, and I'm so excited for that. It will be a 3D ultrasound and we'll get a DVD recording of the the 3o minute ultrasound and pictures.

I go back in 3 weeks for my gestational diabetes test, and then I'll be in the 3rd trimester and I'll go to the doctor every 2 weeks. Yikes, it's a lot of doctor's visits. Good thing I'll be on summer vacation so I don't have to worry about my schedule. Our teacher workday is June 1st, and then I'll be on vacation!!

Baby's Growth

I love feeling the baby kick and move around, I can feel it very regularly now, especially when I eat! I have my next doctor's appointment on Thursday, May 14th. We've decided that we want another ultrasound at about 30 weeks to get a better look at the baby, so at this next appointment I'm going to ask about that and get that scheduled. I'm hoping that will give us a better idea of how the baby's growing and when to expect him. Plus, at 30 weeks the baby will actually look like a person, rather than a blob! Time is such a funny thing, because on one hand I feel like I've been waiting for this baby for FOREVER, but on the other hand I can't believe that I only have 16 weeks left. In 3 more weeks I'll be in the 3rd trimester, the home stretch!!

Your pregnancy: 24 weeks
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.

Baby's Growth

Your pregnancy: 23 weeks

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she'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 her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her 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 her when she hears them outside the womb.

We chaperoned Prom last night, and boy the baby was liking the music. The kicks were strong and frequent, I love it!

Ultrasound Pictures

Sorry it took us a week, but here are the ultrasound pictures from April 16, 2009

This first one is the big one that the technician printed, so it's much easier to see. You can clearly see the baby's head to the left with a nose and chin. Very cool stuff.