Week 24

Hi Baby!

Here's the 'haps this week:

Discussing various bird species.......

My cousin Henry came down from Alaska to go on the raft trip this week. He is a really cool dude ~ I can't wait for you to get to know him.

Old Classic :)

I finalized (mostly) your baby gear registry ~ it's a little ridiculous ~ but hey there is a lot stuff that apparently a baby needs these days! It's been fun picking things out, but overwhelming too. I have been given plenty of advice from all my 'Mom friends'. Katie and I picked out the invitations for your PaRtY!!
Check them out:

Aren't they adorable!

So all the Boys (Joe, Steve, Jason, Josh, Paul, Henry, Cory, Eric and Micah) left on Wednesday for the trip. We have a SPOT transceiver so your Dad was able to send me nightly check-in signals with their exact GPS location. It's pretty cool. Here is a screen shot of their route:

It probably doesn't make much sense without any landmarks or towns shown, but I'll show you on a real map day!

They are all coming home today. I can't wait ~ I am really glad that they went on such a fun adventure ~ but I miss your Dad a lot!

Morning of Departure.

Here are a few pics of ME and YOU ~ pretty cute I'd say!

Self Portrait.

My friend Stacy and I ~ she is 19 weeks here!! Heeheee!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of 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.

(Don't Worry Baby - we know you are a girl - this is just how the website writes sometimes :0)  )

LOVE YA!  Mom

Hi baby!

This week we did MORE errands and chores around the house and the yard. But it's ok, I think it's what some would call 'nesting'. We are getting our space tidied up and ready for some serious summer power lounging :) Everything is looking really beautiful. 

We are also in full blown raft-trip-prep-mode. Your Dad won a lottery permit to float the Hell's Canyon stretch of the Snake River next week. It's a pretty big deal! This will be his first multi-day trip where he is the 'Captin' so he wants everything to be perfect. There are many lists floating around the house and lots of checking and double checking, etc. Here he is packing some of the gear:

It looks chaotic ~ but trust me ~ there was a precise plan being executed here.

Your Dad and Grandpa being goofy!

Plotting the route......

We also spent several evenings this week over at Micah's house. His garage is the staging area for the gear. He made some awesome chinese food one night ~ which I love and I ate a large plate full ~ which in turn gave me WICKED heartburn for 24 hours straight. I've never had heartburn before you came along ~ so thanks a lot!

Your Dad also tried out a new Dutch oven recipe one night ~ also amazing (can you tell I am enjoying eating these days?) ~ It was a breakfast casserole with eggs and hasbrowns and sausage and cheese - OMG. Have I mentioned your Dad is a great cook?! I might starve if it weren't for him. 

Speaking of your dad, this Sunday was also Father's Day! We had a nice steak dinner over at Mary and Joe's ~ We aren't full fledged parents yet but I gave your Dad a card anyway (he gave me one too for Mother's Day). Here is a pic of us that evening:

Your Momz and your Dadz.

Little bit about you and me:

WEEK 23

How ya doin’, Sugar?

Speaking of sugar, you’re going to be coming up for your glucose screening test to make sure you’re not rockin’ the gestational diabetes. It’s one of the more common pregnancy complications – up to 10% of pregnant women develop it – and there aren’t any symptoms, so everyone gets the once over.
 
Normally, the test takes place around 24 to 28 weeks. It consists of you drinking a sugary drink that would even make Willy Wonka say, “damn, that’s sweet”, waiting an hour, then having your blood taken to see if your body processed the glucose efficiently. If it’s too high, you’re sent back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test, where you fast for 14-hours, have your blood taken, drink your sugar shooter, then have your blood tested every hour, for the next three hours.
Bring a book – it’s a long haul.

How your baby's growing:

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 the size of 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.

Love you Baby, Me