20 Week Belly Shot

Cashina is growing and I can tell my belly has expanded as well since week 16. This is a self portrait and think we may need to invest in a tripod so I don't have to set up a stack of books the next time Chris is away. At least I figured out how to use the timer on the camera!!

20 Weeks

16 Weeks (for comparison)

Pregnancy Progress: Week 20

Today, I am 20 weeks pregnant!! I have reached the mid-point of pregnancy and couldn’t be happier about the milestone. In 20 weeks (+ or -) I will officially become a mama and Chris will become a papa!! I can’t believe how quickly the first half flew by and I have a feeling that the next half will go by even faster since we have so much to plan for, purchase, decorate, put together (once gear starts arriving), and the list goes on and on. Some days I feel very overwhelmed but I am confident we will be prepared on arrival day thanks to the help of great family and friends…and each other!!

This week Cashina is the size of a Cantaloupe...lengthwise that is. She now has perfectly formed ears and can hear sounds from inside and outside. She will learn to distinguish my voice from other people’s long before her birth which will allow me to sooth her after she arrives (let’s hope!). All of the major structures of her body are formed, from her major organs right down to her fingers, toes and facial features. Her next phase of development will be to fill out and pile on the pounds. She is roughly half the length she’ll be at birth. The next 8 weeks will be her most active time that to having full control of her movements and enough space to move around freely. She’s even developing her own daily routine, with periods of sleep, activity and quiet but alert wakefulness.

I “think” I have been feeling Cashina move more but still not 100% confident. Dang gas!! The other night while I was lying in bed watching last week’s Grey’s, I felt 5 kicks a little to the left in different spots under my belly button. I have never really felt gas like that so I am really hoping it was her giving me some “mama, I’m doing great in here” signals. I even felt them slightly from the outside but it seems too early for that so maybe I was imagining it. Chris was away so I am hoping she does a repeat performance so he can feel her soon too.

A 20 week belly shot is on the way.

First "Big" Purchase

After much hesitation, research, reading parent reviews and feedback on forums, I finally pulled the trigger and made our first “big” purchase…..a car seat for Cashina!! I felt a little strange buying something so soon but got over it when I found the exact model we were looking for at a great price. It certainly pays to scour the internet for deals and not settle for Babies ‘R’ Us.

Of course, our decision didn’t come without many questions. Should we go with Graco (since everyone I know has one) or Chicco (with the highest safety rating)? 22lb, 30lb or 32lb weight limit? Is it really important to be able to put the car set onto the front of a shopping cart or in a high chair at a restaurant? When it came down to it, the most important factor to consider had to be safety and since Chicco received the highest safety rating from Consumer Reports we thought it would be worth it, even with some of the cons, to keep our little one safe.

So what if we can’t put the car seat in the front of a shopping cart or on a high chair? It is most definitely not very safe and I would like to avoid visions of top heavy carts toppling or someone bumping the high chair!! When the car seat gets to heavy to lift it and Cashina, we will just have to pick her up. A part of me believes she won’t mind anyway.

One of the best features of the car seat (other than everything I’ve read about it says it is super easy to install), the fabric. It is fun and graphic and not too girlie so I hope that Cashina likes it too. I also think it will coordinate with both of our car’s black interior perfectly…I know, I know…the things I think about are maddening.

Pregnancy Progress: Week 19

Today, I am 19 weeks pregnant!! This week Cashina will begin to sport a greasy white substance of oil and dead skin cells to protect her skin from the amniotic fluid. We wouldn't want her to enter the world as a big prune would we!? Cashina can most likely recognize my voice now so I have been doing lots of singing in the car to keep her entertained and if it doesn't feel to strange, I will have little conversations with her. I have some books that I would like to start reading to her as well and I'm sure Violet will enjoy them too :-)

Cashina's brain is also developing rapidly this week, growing pockets that will allow her to hear, see, taste, smell, and touch things after delivery. Cashina has also produced millions of eggs in her ovaries which means that Chris and I will hopefully have grandchildren someday too!!

We got to visit with Cashina this week to undergo the "big" fetal survey. We are still waiting for results but are hopeful that all is well with her little organs. All of her measurements are on track for 19 weeks and she seems pretty comfy in my tummy. We don't think she is very much a morning baby since she seemed to be chilling out with the occasional arm, leg or mouth movement. Even so, the ultrasound tech was able to see everything she needed to and we even got to see a cool close-up of her heart pumping. Ultrasounds are amazing!!

Here are a couple of ultrasound photos. In the first one, she is looking toward us with her left arm near her face. The second one is a profile of her lounging back; if you look closely you can even see her ribs!!