26 Weeks

This week has been really exciting because I am able to feel Caileb's move more and more (and a lot stronger). On Sunday night while watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics my husband was able to see Caileb's movements- although he still has not felt them... Caileb has a tendency to stop all movement when he knows that Ricas is around! Another piece of exciting news is that we are beginning the nursery! We got his comfort set in and will be getting the crib this weekend- I'm so super excited because this makes it even more real! I can't believe we are just about 90 days away from meeting our son- I know it's still months away, but when i think of 90 days it makes things so much closer.

Our good friends found out that they are expecting and she is 2 months pregnant. I'm so excited for them and the journey they are beginning. I'm hoping they have a boy, otherwise Caileb and Alex (Caileb's already friend) will be fighting over who gets to date Maddox.

At any rate, I'm so excited for all that God is preparing us for and the days to come!

New 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.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is my mom's birthday!

How your baby's growing

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.

24 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

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.

Today we had our regular 4 week appointment and Dr. Chesney says that Caileb is growing fine and so am I. To date I am still having a wonderful pregnancy- no sickness, food aversions, or serious problems. Lately the only problematic symptom that I've had is heartburn/indegestion- and it is HORRIBLE. There is no method to this madness, no food that makes it worse- I can eat the most bland food, drink water or simply breathe air and there it goes- a firey attack of my esophagus. Usually I can pop a few Tums and drink some milk and it subsides, but if it continues we will be making a doctor's appointment (this can't me natural)!

At any rate here's the update on how Caileb is 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 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.

22 weeks

I got a Christian book for pregnant women to take from the time of pre conception up until birth in a Godly manner, that relates pretty much every phase of pregnancy to God and what the Bible has to say. One thing I read one day during my devotions, that I had never thought about, was the significance of the number 40 and how it is usually representative of tribulation or trial and how the number 40 reappears quite a few times in the Bible- during the flood it rained for 40 days & 40 nights, Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sanai, Jesus being tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, etc... at any rate the devotion goes on to say that it is no wonder that God chose 40 weeks as the normal gestation for pregnancy because during pregnancy you may feel that you're going through the wilderness, but to keep in mind that at the end the Promised Land awaits baby and I! This really spoke to me and made me step back and become less "anxious" about getting to see Caileb. I now think that I want to make it to end of this journey with full completion to get exactly what it is that God has for us!

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Finally!

It was almost like waiting for Christmas morning to finally get here, these past 2 weeks have gone by fairly slow in anticipation of the big day! After all the waiting, it was worth it! We got to the doctor's office and about 5 minutes into the ultrasound the tech said the 3 words I'd been waiting to hear "It's a boy." I didn't care what she told us it was I just wanted to know and now I do, so it's official- we're having a Caileb! At this point we're still at a loss for middle names, we've toyed aroudn with a few but none have been suitable for the both of us. My suggestion is that we name him Caileb Antonio Eugene Gentry (both middle names are family names- Antonio was my grandfather, and Eugene is a generational Gentry name). Ricas says no because it's too much, but I like it and I will be pushing for that name. If you have any suggestions please let me know!

At any rate, back to the appointment, Dr. Chesney said that Caileb looks great, very healthy and no concerns. We are right on track (although according to the ultrasound my due date is now 2 days earlier than expected, but what's 2 days after 10 months anyway?!)

I think I'm going to change the name of this blog to Caileb's Mommy... that sounds good (especially since he's not a bean any more)!

New this week: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Chalk this one up to my inability to cure my procrastination...

Friday we had another appointment with Dr. Chesney and we actually got to hear the baby's heart beat!!! The rate was 150 beats/minute (which now makes me second guess my thought that this baby is a girl). At any rate, Dr. Chesney says that everything still looks great! WE go back in 2 weeks (July 11th) to find out what Baby G really is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <----- I'm excited (can you tell?)

At any rate, we have chosen the following names for our child-
Boy: Caileb "dog/brave" <--- my husband can break the entire story down as to how the meaning of this name went from "dog" to "brave"
Girl: Ma Kiyah "who is like Yahweh (God)"

Unfortunately at this time we are at a stand still with middle names, so I come to you (my readers- friends and family) to give us your suggestions. Please leave your suggestion(s) in a comment and hopefully we will come up with something!!!

New this week: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.