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!