~6 Months~

Today makes me 6 months pregnant! Six months sounds like so long, I can't believe it! On Wednesday I had my 24 week check up with Dr. Jaki and everything went really well. So far I have gained 14 pounds! She is very pleased with the current weight gain and says that everything is going great! My fundal height (distance from pubic bone to the top of the uterus) measured 25 cm which is right on target. (Fundal height should equal the number of weeks you are pregnant) Next week (25 weeks) I need to go back to the lab to do the glucose screening test which screens for gestational diabetes. I need to drink a little bottle of orange sugar water and have my blood drawn....fun huh! Other than that everything is going pretty well! I leave on Wednesday to go back to Cincinnati for the week, and I have my baby shower next weekend!!! I am so so SO excited to see everyone and just can't wait:)

In other news, Derek and I have decided that we have officially gone "green" here at the Moore household~! We recently finished building our 2 gardens and planted lots of veggies in them over the weekend! We will have a lot of homegrown produce soon...We also have a new addition to the side yard...a compost bin! We have started our own compost and have been putting all of our fruit/veggie scraps, yard waste, and shredded paper in it. Derek's mom got it for us (Thanks Dayle!) and we have been using it so much already! Derek says he has no idea what has gotten into me...I have been recycling, composting, saving water with shorter showers, gardening, and even talking about cloth diapers! WHAT! I know, something has happened, no idea what, but I kinda like it! I also think I have started the "nesting" phase a little early because I have been cleaning out and organizing EVERYTHING! I have been going through every closet and every room and trying to organize the stuff and get rid of things we don't use or need. I just want everything to be put away and clean before baby gets here...(Those of you who know me know that I love to organize so thats nothing new:) We cleaned out the garage over the weekend so now we are able to fit one car in it...we are still working on the other side for Derek's truck. We also just had a brand new wooden fence put in on the side of our yard. The old one was really bad and was almost falling over...so we went in on a new one with our neighbors. It makes the backyard look so nice, ready for summer!

Baby Development This Week:

Baby is now over a pound (gained 4 ounces since last week:) and as long as an ear of corn! His lungs are starting to produce surfactant which will help the air sacs inflate once outside the womb. He is moving around a lot, mostly when I sit at work and when I lay down at night.

Safari Baby

Back when I was in Cincinnati in March, I saw a crib bedding set that I loved at Gap. This was before we knew that baby Moore was a boy, so I held off getting a set until we knew. Last week my mom was so sweet to go pick up the set for me, as it was the only store left with it! We are so excited to decorate the nursery with the "safari" theme:) The baby's room is already painted a very light yellow and green, so this bedding set will go perfectly! 

I have been doing to some online maternity clothes shopping, and found these...no, they have nothing to do with maternity clothes, but they are so cute! I know that baby Moore would want me to have comfortable sandals this summer as my feet will probably be swollen ;) (they already are at the end of my work days) Summer heat + bad circulation + being 7-8-9 months pregnant = swollen feet...and these sandals have plenty of room for swelling:) Hmm just maybe!

23 Weeks + Hot Weather!

I can't believe that I am almost 6 months pregnant! It seems like yesterday when I was imagining baby Moore as a little seed...now he is over a pound and moving around all the time:) This past week it has been really hot here in Northern California...a few days it was in the 90's!!! So now that the weather is warm, I find myself in desperate need of some summer maternity clothes! All I have to fit me is maternity pants, Capri's, and long sleeve shirts...and those are not fun in 90 degree weather! A few days ago I was off work and trying to clean the house and do some yard work...So I put on what I normally put on when I am doing these things...my UA shorts and a tank top. Now imagine me in my paw print shorts (That are almost 10 years old) and a tank top that no longer fits over my entire belly.....yep, (gasp) white trash! I came in the house and realized that I looked pretty crazy walking around the yard with my belly hanging out! Its a good thing that it was a weekday and none of the neighbors were around:) 

This week has been a pretty good week at work because I have been one on and one off...Working every other day is a lot easier than my usual 2 or 3 in a row....I imagine that it will only get harder from this point on to work 3 in a row...so hopefully I won't have to! I think the most difficult issue that I have been dealing with is the need to pee about every 30 minutes! I always make a point to keep hydrated while at work because I am on my feet all day and I know how important it is. So because I drink so much and the baby is sitting so low, I pee all the time! I feel like the baby is squeezing my bladder with his hands:) Everyone at work has been commenting on all the pregnancies because there are so many of us...10 out of 50 nurses on the unit are pregnant. We all joke around and say that it is in the water we drink from the break room. Now its pretty funny how people are avoiding the water in the break room;) Another thing that I have noticed is that everyone who knows or finds out I am pregnant touches my belly! I have always heard people say that this happens, and some people don't like others to touch their belly...I could care less! I just think its interesting how people start touching:) I don't mind at all, in fact when hes moving around people want to feel it too...why not?!?! 

I go for my 6 month appointment next week, and can't wait to hear his little heartbeat! (Update from last appointment: Dr. Jaki does not recommend that we do another ultrasound until the routine 30 week one, unless we would like to. No thanks, we are very happy with how things are going and content with feeling him move and hearing his heartbeat...perfect for us:) 

Baby Development This Week:

Baby is now over 11 inches and weighs over a pound...the size of a large mango! Every once in a while I can see him moving underneath my clothes...Love this! His sense of movement is well developed and he knows when I am moving around and recognizes my voice. 

22 Weeks

22 Weeks today! Not that much has really changed in the past week:) Still feeling great and loving being pregnant...I am just so excited that I feel so good and baby is happy inside me. It has been a great week, and the best part is I have started feeling him move when I put my hands on my belly! It is such an amazing feeling and I just love when he moves around. He moves a lot when I am at work, maybe because I am running around most of the day...Last night when I got home from work Derek got to feel him move! For the past week I kept having Derek put his hands on my belly and as soon as he did the baby stopped moving....but last night he was finally able to feel him:) I have to say, so far, this has been my favorite part:) There is nothing like feeling a little life inside you...I can't wait to meet him!

As for names...we have not really even narrowed any names down yet...we have just been throwing out names here and there and seeing if we both like them. I am very happy that so far we have agreed on a few names that we both like...but it still seems so hard to pick a name before we meet him! So in the mean time we will just see if we can make a list of names we really like and go from there...nope, no hints!  

Baby Development This Week:

Baby is now around 11 inches long, the size of a spaghetti squash! Baby weighs around one pound and is looking more and more like a mini newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he is even developing tooth buds beneath his gums! 

Baby Bump part 2 + Happy Easter!

Derek and I have had such a nice weekend so far! We decided that we were going to start our garden project in the side yard yesterday. We built our new "square foot gardens" and filled them with soil. Next we need to plant what we want to grow there...mainly veggies and some fruits. Hopefully by the middle/end of summer we will have some nice homegrown produce! Maybe once baby is old enough for baby foods, I can make them myself:) 

Today, Easter Sunday, we went to church at St. Christopher and it was a very nice mass. It is one of my favorite celebrations because the attitude of everyone is one of hope. I am so thankful that today, the day Jesus rose from the dead, is the day that saved us all from our sins. God will forgive us because we are not perfect. It is also my favorite time to be at church with all the little kids...especially girls and their Easter dresses! I remember how much fun it was to pick them out and wear them on Easter:) 

Here is the belly at 21 weeks:)

And lastly, here is a picture of ATC (Arnie The Cat) enjoying his Saturday in the sun:)

 

21 weeks

Today makes me 21 weeks pregnant and I feel great. Really great. After the big ordeal we went through last week I have been on cloud 9 knowing that everything is OK with our little baby. For now I am just trying to enjoy this middle part of the pregnancy and boy is it nice. I am not nauseous, not tired all the time, and feel pretty good. I feel like it is getting harder to get dressed and put on socks and shoes...bending over is just not that comfortable and my center of gravity is a little off. I feel very clumsy lately, always running into things or almost falling over when I am trying to get dressed. I have also been a little forgetful, and its kind of funny! I made it all the way to Bed Bath & Beyond the other day in my slippers...and the funny thing is that I had already stopped at the dry cleaners and Costco....woops!

There is a pretty big difference in the amount that I feel him moving around this week from last. Last week I felt little movements here and there a few times a day. Now I am feeing him multiple times throughout the day! I feel him the most when I am hungry....I guess he is hungry too:) Right before the ultrasound I had last Thursday I decided to eat and drink something so that he may wake up and move around for the "pictures." I stopped at Starbucks and got a piece of cinnamon coffee cake (and water, not coffee)....thought that would do it....and I was wrong! I ate it while we were waiting for the appointment and as soon as we got in, he was sound asleep and not moving. The technician nudged him a few times and he just stayed in the same position. I thought all the sugar from the coffee cake would have woken him up! My appointment on Tuesday was at 10:30 and because I was so nervous I was not paying attention to the fact that I had not eaten since 7:30am (I know, its only 3 hours, but I have been eating every 2 for the past 2 months) So as soon as the ultrasound started he was moving around like crazy! So I guess he really depends on my every 2 hour eating schedule...must be just like me:)

Today we got our very first baby shower gift in the mail. Erica is throwing me a shower in May and has already sent the gift!!! (She is never anything but early or on time:) It is the mini co-sleeper bassinet that we will put in our bedroom for the first few months. It is from Erica, Grandma (Mom), and Great-Grandma DB. Erica told me that before Grandma passed away she let Erica know that she wanted to go in on a gift for the baby...I thought that was so sweet. Even though Grandma was so sick, she was thinking about the baby...Thank you Erica, Mom, and Grandma, we love it!

Throughout the past week it has been really hard not being able to talk to Grandma. There are times when I would just love to call her up and talk. She would always be able to calm me down if I was worried, mostly because we shared the same worry gene...I am pretty sure she worried just as much as me. Sometimes that is what helps the most. I know that she is taking care of me and the baby from up above, but sometimes I just miss her voice. I am so lucky that I have my mom and sister to talk to every day...I know they miss her too. 

Baby Development This Week:

Baby now weighs around 3/4 of a pound and is 10.5 inches long, the length of a carrot:) He is moving around a lot more and responds to my voice and movement. 

Its A Boy Party!

Last Thursday as soon as we found out that Baby Moore was a boy, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Moore's house for a little dinner party! Elizabeth, Natalie, and Daniel (Elizabeth is Derek's cousin and Natalie and Daniel are 2 of her kids) were in town for the week and they all threw us the cutest baby BOY dinner party! It was so creative and everything was blue! The entire dinner had the word baby in it... They even all wore blue:) Thanks so much Dayle, Elizabeth, Natalie and Daniel!!! It was a lot of fun!  

(Notice the soccer ball!)

Just Perfect

"We wait in hope for the lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalms 33: 20-22

We just got back from the level 2 ultrasound at the hospital. (Stanford perinatal diagnostic center) We got to see every part of the baby and everything looked normal! The doctor said that he could not find anything wrong with the baby and that the chances that the baby would have trisomy 18 are very low. So with that news we are THRILLED! Baby measured exactly what he should for 20 weeks and was moving around like crazy! Baby's head was up so we got a really good look at his cute little face:) We also got another good look at his "boy part" and hes definitely a boy;) 

I know that a lot of people were praying for good news and we are so thankful to you...Thank you for lifting up baby Moore in your prayers...

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Derek and I have plans in our heart for our baby...but it is the Lord who will determine the steps.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

His head is to the left and his feet are up almost touching his face:)

Baby Moore is a boy:)

Just Praying...

A few hours after the ultrasound on Thursday, Dr. Jaki called me to let me know that they found something on the ultrasound that required further testing. She said that they found a “Choriod Plexus Cyst” in the baby’s brain and that it is not a cause for alarm. The choroid plexus is an area in the brain that makes fluid that nourishes the spinal cord and brain. Sometimes a pocket of fluid will develop there as a cyst. These cysts are seen in 1-3% of fetuses, and are not harmful to the baby. She said that I do need to have a level 2 ultrasound because sometimes this cyst is seen along with other abnormalities and she just wants to be sure. A level 2 ultrasound will look at the baby a LOT closer to make sure that every other organ and skeletal system is normal. Very rarely there is more than one abnormality, and that is a cause for concern. It could mean a few different genetic diseases, but it is unlikely. So after writing that down I feel a little better, but I am still so scared. I have not slept in a few nights and just feel sick to my stomach…I know that worrying about it will not help, and I am trying not to. I am very lucky to have Derek…he has remained so optimistic about all of this and it is really helping me. I can’t help but feel scared, but I know that this is in God’s hands, and he has a plan. I just keep praying that they don’t find anything else wrong. My appointment is on Tuesday morning so until then I am going to just keep praying.

Big News!!!

We went to the doctor today and found out that Baby Moore is....

We are SO excited!!! He was being a little stubborn during the ultrasound and facing my backside....so it was pretty hard to get a good picture of his face. The tech doing the ultrasound kept asking me to move around and move to my side so that the baby might move to get better pictures...I am pretty sure all the moving just made him fall faster asleep! He was not in the mood to move around:) (Of course the minute we were finished and sitting in the waiting room, I felt him squirming around...go figure) 

Face to the right and body to the left

Face to the right and body to the left...if you look at the chest you can see the 4 chambers of the heart:)

Face to the right and body to the left

Spine

Leg

Leg