24 Week Belly Shot

I appear to be growing which means that Cashina is as well!! Here is my 24 week self-portrait (snowmobile weekends are over for this year so Chris will be home for 28 weeks). For affect I wore the same outfit as my 20 week shot. And also next time I will be sure to wear make-up so I don't look as scary.

24 Weeks

16 and 20 Weeks (for comparison)

Pregnancy Progress: Week 24

Today, I am 24 weeks pregnant!! Two-thirds of the way there!! Cashina should have gained about 4 ounces since last week which would put her over a pound. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world.

She is going to continue to fill out this week and most of my weight gain will go straight to helping her gain weight. She actually looks like a miniature version of what we'll see on delivery day. Her face has formed, ears are in place and eyes are complete (although her lids are still closed she will begin to experience REM). She now has control of her vision, smell, touch, hearing and taste.

I have a pre-natel appointment this week and I am looking forward to stepping on the scale as well as hearing Cashina's heart beating strong. I don't feel like I gained any weight since my last appointment but hopefully I did since it is a good sign that Cashina is growing as well. We selected a paint color for the nursery (the same one in the inspiration room) and need to start cleaning out the room in preparation for painting. Hopefully we will order Cashina's furniture next week!! Time is just flying by!!

This Week's Obsession....Bladder Kicking

Cashina's favorite past time this week is......kicking my bladder!! Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy feeling our little one moving around every day but bladder kicking isn't the most pleasant sensation, especially if you have to pee. Either way, Cashina, I still love you :-)

Belly Observations

Over the last couple of weeks I have noticed that my growing belly has started to become more apparent to me as I make my way through normal every day activities.

It is growing (24 week belly shot coming soon!!) but even though I am by no means HUGE, it does feel different to have attached to me then my previous flat version…..especially since the flat version was a little softer and this new version is firm.

Here are some belly observations:

• There is no way in heck I could actually lay on my stomach. I have had the urge when I get sick of my side but just can’t do it. It just seems like it would hurt so I’m thankful that I was never much of a stomach sleeper.
• My belly no longer gets flat when I lay on my back. It still was (believe it or not) until about month ago. Now when I look down toward my feet in bed I see the beginnings of a dome.
• When I am sitting at my desk at work, the top ridge of my belly hits the desk so I have to sit a little bit farther away then I use to. And if I am talking to a co-worker over a cubical wall, I have to stand at almost 45 degrees to prevent Cashina from being squished so I can rest my arms on the top of the wall.
• When I am making dinner or doing the dishes, I have to stand farther away from the counter. In the final weeks will I even be able to reach a cutting board? Not sure I’m even going to want to!!
• Hugging Chris, family or friends has quite a different feeling since my stomach touches them before I can completely get my arms around them. It feels kind of funny but I like to think that Cashina is getting to enjoy the hugs too.
• I cross my arms a lot since it is comfortable to me but since the belly bump gets in the way and the pressure of my arms isn't very comfortable in my natural position, I have to lift them up a little and use my belly as a shelf.
• If I stand up straight and look down I can only see my toes. They are definitely going to be a thing of the past soon.
  

I have no doubt there will come a day that I can’t tie my own shoes, pick up Violet or potentially not be able to shave my legs, but for now these tasks are still manageable…but for how long???

Pregnancy Progress: Week 23

Today, I am 23 weeks pregnant!! I’m still feeling like me “normal” self with the exception of being more forgetful and clumsy. Case in point, when walking downstairs to get my morning glass of milk the other day, I missed the last step and proceeded to twist my ankle. Just a minor sprain we think but still painful. I am just glad that I didn’t land on my stomach!! My belly button is starting to flatten out slightly so it is only a matter of time before it potentially pops out.

Cashina most likely weighs around 1 pound this week and 23 weeks marks an important point for her. She is far enough along in her development that she should have a chance of survival outside of the womb (about 25%-35%). Of course, we want her to keep cooking away in there but knowing that she “could” survive is reassuring. She should start gaining about 6 ounces per week starting this week.

Her increasingly keen ears are picking up sounds to prepare her for entry into the world as well. Noises that become familiar now, like Violet barking or the vacuum cleaner, probably won’t faze her much when she hears them outside the womb. Cashina’s hair is starting to darken to the color it'll be at birth, although chances are this baby fluff will fall out in the early weeks and be replaced by hair of a totally different color.

I continue to feel her kicks and taps but they aren’t super strong or painful to me yet. Some days she is more active (from what I can tell) then others and I look forward to feeling her so I can make sure she is doing okay in there. I think that the alarm clock wakes her up in the morning because within a minute of me hitting snooze I can usually feel some taps or kicks. This may have something to do with me getting to work a tad later these days since I like to enjoy my Cashina movement moment each morning.

On tap for this weekend: “trying” to get Cashina to kick for her Papa, selecting a paint color for the nursery and exploring more name options!!

The Best Auntie

What could be better then coming home from work on a snowy day to a package addressed to Baby Cashina? What was inside the package!! The cutest blankets, bibs, hats, outfits, boppy pillow.... Cashina has the BEST Auntie and she is already getting spoiled. We love Auntie K and know that Cashina will too, without a doubt. Not because of all of the "things" but because she will be adored and loved to pieces by her.

Violet's 1st Snowmobile Adventure

Chris and I made our annual February getaway trip to Pittsburg last week and even though I couldn't snowmobile, it was still fun to relax in the cabin cozied up to the fireplace. Thanks to the cabin being pet-friendly, we were able to bring Violet along with us. After her initial investigative sniffing session of the cabin, she was able to relax and enjoy the quiet with the occasional snowmobile buzzing by.

Of course, we couldn't let the opportunity go by without plopping Violet on Chris's sled for a quick photo.

Year of the Tiger

Yesterday was the celebration of the Chinese New Year and 2010 is the year of the Tiger. Chris and I got some Chinese food the other night and to bring us good luck in this New Year, the restaurant presented us with a message about the year of the Tiger and a crisp one dollar bill as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

Chris was born in the year of the Snake and I, the year of the Dragon. Bambina Cashina will be a Tiger. Tigers are known to be rebellious (oh oh), romantic, passionate, playful, daring and tenacious. They have a quick temper (oh oh x 2), but they are sincere, generous and affectionate (this makes up for being rebellious and quick tempered). The super egos of Tigers always enhance them to bounce back for new and fresh challenges.

Let’s see how Cashina’s personality evolves in years to come!!

Pregnancy Progress: Week 22

Today, I am 22 weeks pregnant!! When I was in the grocery store last weekend I happened to walk by a papaya and thought to myself, “I am going to have to push something bigger than this out?????” Needless to say I had a minor freak out moment but it passed pretty quickly knowing that pain minimizing anesthesia will be available. I will most likely not be pulling a Giselle on delivery day.

Cashina will remain the size of a papaya this month….no more weekly fruit or veggies changes for the remainder of the pregnancy!! She now has the proportions of a newborn, but only about 1% body fat so she has a lot of weight still to gain before birth. Her eyes have formed but the iris isn’t colored yet and she even has hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, but they are pure white and don’t contain any pigment. Gee, I wonder what color her hair will be?

Her brain continues to develop fast and she is developing the very beginnings of conscious thought. She can distinguish between my voice and Chris’s and some scientists even believe that she can dream. During her awake time, she may start to experiment with her newfound sense of touch by stroking her face or sucking her thumb. She may even begin to feel other body parts to see how they move.

I have been feeling her move more and I’m pretty sure I felt her having a case of the hiccups last Monday night as jerking movements came every few seconds for a couple of minutes. It never fails that when I lie down in bed she gets her groove on kicking to the beat of her own drum. She is lucky that I have a longer torso so she has more room to get down :-) Tuesday night she actually startled me with a strong kick to my belly button. Why is it that Chris is downstairs whenever she pulls these tricks?

My 21 week appointment last week was routine. Cashina's heart was beating away and my placenta was wooshing. I didn't quite realize why I would feel my pulse each time I put my hand on top on my stomach to the right of my belly buttom to wait for a Cashina kick, but now I know it is due to blood pumping through the placenta in that very area. Facinating!! In other news, I am up 10lbs!! At my 16 week appointment I was up only 3lbs so that is a gain of 7lbs in about 5 weeks which is right on track. I wonder how much of it is related to my constant craving for chocolate?

Nursery Inspiration

Even before we knew Cashina was a girl I scoured the internet looking for nursery inspiration for both a boy, girl or just gender neutral. I came across this nursery on the ohdeedoh blog and fell in love with the blue walls and yellow bedding. I think the color combination works so well together as it is feminine while not being too over-the-top girlie. I haven’t had much success finding similar bedding unless we decide to spend crazy money but did find a cute, reasonably priced, option with pinks, yellows, greens and blues. I’m not sure if the blue walls in the inspiration room will really complement the bedding but we shall see once we buy some samples and start painting test patches.

I also just love the “Hooray” banner and think it is such a good idea to put coordinating fabrics in hoops for art. Seeing pictures of finished nurseries makes me eager to start putting Cashina’s together. It is exciting to envisioning her in it, sleeping peacefully (let's hope!!), being rocked in the glider, being read too or playing. Can’t wait!!

Pregnancy Progress: Week 21

Today, I am 21 weeks pregnant!! As I sit eating a banana, I can’t help but think that Cashina is about the size of a banana this week. Not sure if it is the equivalent of a smaller organic banana or the larger fertilizer-infused variety.

This week Cashina’s growth rate will start to slow down but her organs and central nervous system will continue to mature and she will continue to get some meat on those bones. She now swallows several ounces of amniotic fluid each day for hydration and nutrition, and to practice digesting. This may cause her to get the hiccups which I soon may start feeling (so cool!!). Studies have shown that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they’ve already experienced through amniotic fluid so this will certainly give me something to think about as I prepare meals each day.

I’ve felt a few different sensations in my tummy region this week which I think may have been Cashina but, as always, not sure. My bladder felt like it was being pummeled on Thursday morning so perhaps she found it soft to kick or wanted to remind me that I really had to go and she needed more room to groove. I am looking forward to when my “I thinks” actually turn into “I knows”.

Coming up this week I have my 20 weeks pre-natal check-up (one week late) and I am excited to hear Cashina’s heartbeat once again. Another big milestone….having to buy new bras!!

Show Me the Puggy

You know how much we love Pugs, especially Violet, so it would be a sin if Cashina didn’t start her first years of life loving Pugs too and what better way then with Pug inspired clothing. Cafepress has the cutest little Pug onesies and bibs so I think I may need to invest at some point in all of the cuteness. Now we just have to hope and pray that Violet, with all of her craziness, will be able to remain part of the Ciano family. We just don’t think it would be the same without her and I have a feeling that Cashina is wondering who in the heck I hold everyday who punches my stomach with her paws, who I’m talking puppy talk to, what the purple diney toy is, what exactly is “business”, and where the strange barking noise is coming from. For all we know, Cashina may know how to sit and stay as soon as she is born!!

So Cute!!

My mom and I did some shopping and browsing for Cashina over the weekend and couldn't resist the cuteness of these Mary Jane sock booties. How cute are they?!?! I figured I would use the opportunity to take some close-up shots as practice with the faboo camera Chris got me for Christmas (I need to make sure I am a pro before the little bambina arrives). If I would have taken the same picture with my old digital, I think it would have been a big blur. It will be so fun to put the booties on Cashina with the perfect outfit.