Anna's Happiness Journal

14 to 18 weeks left

AJM — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:14:42 +0000

I’m now in the 23rd week of pregnancy (wow!!). And I looked at webmd the other day to see that I am officially full term on Dec. 16th. When I think about it that way, I’ve only got 14 to 18 weeks left of enjoying pregnancy, pre-mom-hood. And I’ve got a lot of decisions to make. Important ones:

what is the theme of the baby’s room?
is there going to be a baby’s room?
if so, which room should it be?
what colors of curtains do I want to use?

So you can see, I’ve got some work to do. Thanks to Val for pointing out my neglect of the important area of theme. I had completely forgotten about that one. I’m all focused on not gaining too much weight and keeping my heart rate under 140 on the stair master…meanwhile I have completely neglected theme!!!

Seriously, the baby is kicking and punching and rolling and rocking all the time. It’s so cool. I love it! Kevin gets to feel it too and when we were in AZ over the weekend, Grandma Vicki and Auntie Kim got to feel the kicks as well.

Here’s the info for this week:

Week 23

Baby: Your baby is about 8 inches from crown to rump and weighs almost 1 pound. The body is becoming proportioned more like a newborn, but skin is still wrinkled because your baby still has more weight to gain. Lanugo hair on the body sometimes turns darker.

Ultrasound

AJM — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:29:06 +0000

Scheduled for Wednesday, August 6th

I’ll be in the 19th week at that point. This is the one where we should get some fun photos of the baby. No, we are not going to find out the gender. We’re going to wait. So buy gender neutral till January 6th.

Notes from WebMD for this week (17 weeks pregnant):

Baby: Your baby, now about in its 15th week of development, measures about 4.4 to 4.8 inches from crown to rump and has doubled in weight in the last two weeks to about 3.5 ounces. Fat begins to form, helping your baby’s heat production and metabolism. The lungs are beginning to exhale amniotic fluid, and the circulatory and urinary systems are working. Hair on head, eyebrows and eyelashes is filling in.

Mom-to-be: You’re showing more now, with an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. A five- to 10-pound weight gain is typical by now. You also may be noticing an increase in appetite. <--- Note: I have gained 6.6 lbs.

The Belly: 15 Weeks + 2 days

AJM — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:52:26 +0000

I was feeling kinda bummed because my friend Catrina at work has a really nice baby bump goin’ on (she is due in 2 months though), and all I’ve got is a little pudge. I made Kev take some pics of my last night so that I can scrutinize my belly and decide whether I look chubby or prego. What do you think?

2nd Tri Thoughts

AJM — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:10:14 +0000

I have officially moved into the second trimester this week. Hopefully you are not finding out about our news through this site, but if so, “We’re expecting!!!” My due date is January 6th which means we’ll be having a New Year’s baby. Bubbles and all.

With the second trimester comes a little more relief — risk of miscarriage is very low — and (supposedly) more energy. So far, I’m back to napping during the day. In fact, today I actually fell asleep for 2 HOURS!!! I just meant to rest for a few minutes. Next thing I know, it’s 6:30 at night. So, no sign of that increased energy just yet. But I do feel alot less nauseated. My stomach is starting to stick out (more) but it’s not recognizable as a baby bump — more like a gut. Can’t wait for the bump to get here though!

Kevin and I are thinking about taking one more trip to Europe before the baby comes. That means some quick planning so that we make it there and back before I enter the third trimester. Any suggestions on destinations?

Trials of Summer

AJM — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:36:23 +0000

A couple of months ago I planted some new flowering plants in the terracotta pots for the front steps. Unfortunately, while I was in FL for 3 weeks, the delicate little flowers did not do so well. Kevin watered them once I remembered that I should ask him, but I think it was too late. The flowers are gone but the more prolific filler - some white baby’s breath type growth, has survived. I’ll try to get some pictures. I will definitely need to repot the impatiens and snapdragons that mom planted in the other 2 terracotta pots, as those have gotten too big for the pots and are not growing any more. I guess that’s the beauty of cheap annuals - it doesn’t cost much to replace them and the result is a more lovely arrangement anyway.

In the meantime, I dug up the bulbs from last season’s lovely yellow lily, which had completely withered into nothingness. The bulbs that I found in the pot have already begun to spring up as new growth. I’m not even sure how many there are - probably about 10. Amazing!!! So much new growth from what I thought was deadness.

Mmhph. Must be a lesson somewhere in there….

Farewell

AJM — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:17:48 +0000

You were a beautiful, loving lady. I was with you everyday during your final weeks. I’ll never forget the hugs, kisses, smiles, blinks, embraces, laughter and tears of those days. Thank you for all that you were and for all that you have left behind, including a group of cousins that are forever bonded to one another because of the love you poured into our lives.

http://www.legacy.com/SPTimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=108195031

2008 Reasons to be Thankful

AJM — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:42:48 +0000

It’s been quite a while since I’ve even looked at this site. My apologies to all of the devotees. It’s been a rough week but the overall experience has made me realize how many people out there I have as friends, and how grateful I am for such support during hard times. I love you all.

The good news is that a couple weeks ago, while Vicki was here, she helped me de-leaf the back yard garden. Turns out that a couple of the bulbs I planted are already breaking through the surface. Thanks to Vicki for reinvigorating my garden spirit.

This semester will be tough, with four class (including physics), but I expect the gardening to be a constant that helps me to complete all of my classes successfully.

xxoo

‘Pillars

AJM — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:05:11 +0000

My beautiful red gardenia has caterpillars eating away the lovely petals.

Rose Bush

AJM — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:02:05 +0000

The rose bush that I picked out with mom and planted with Kevin is doing well. It’s in the front yard, in the northern most spot. Seems to be enjoying it there. It’s a climbing rose. I treated the soil first with Amend, and let it sit for about a week before planting it. The week proved to me that the spot would be suitable. I harvested a few blooms last weekend and looks like I’ll need to take some more today.

This was a few days after planting it in the ground:

And here it is today:

Bees are good, right?

AJM — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:14:05 +0000

I found this little guy this morning on my yellow cala lily. Isn’t he cute??!!