Double Digits...99 days left!

 

 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and got to spend it with your loved ones. We had a busy 3 days and are sure glad that it is over. As you can see by my ticker at the very bottom of this blog, I have hit the double digit mark. I have 99 days (give or take) left until we meet Baby Natasha! And only 2 more weeks until I say goodbye to the 2nd trimester and welcome the 3rd trimester. Time is flying by!

Natasha is still the size of an eggplant, but putting on more weight. She is moving around more and more and I have definitely felt some strong jabs/kicks. Her eyes are forming this week and she will soon be practicing how to blink. The network of nerves in Natasha's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She should now be able to hear Zac's voice, so we will have him start reading to her too!

I am happy to report that the wrist guards have helped me with my Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Zac says I look like a fighter wearing them to bed, but they are getting the job done. The bolster is also helping my hips, but I have been noticing some sciatica pain in my lower back when I sit/stand/walk for too long. I guess this is all part of growing a human being in my uterus!

We wish you all a Happy & Healthy New Year!

My Little Bademjan

My little Bademjan

Natasha is the size of an eggplant this week (25 weeks). For those of you that don't know Farsi, Bademjan means eggplant and it happens to be one of my favorite Persian dishes. This week Natasha is learning to distinguish right side up from upside down. This explains all the movement I have been feeling lately. Last Sunday, Zac got to feel Natasha for the first time. We were lying in bed watching TV and I told him to just rest his hand on my belly for awhile. Sure enough, she kicked his hand twice! Zac couldn't believe how strong she was. It was so cute and such a special moment.

My baby bump has definitely grown. I still have a lot of energy and keeping up with my exercise routine, but my hips are starting to hurt a bit at night from lying on my side and I have been having some trouble with my wrists and hands (carpel tunnel syndrome). My prenatal instructor told me that instead of sleeping with a body pillow (which compresses), I should sleep with a firmer bolster. I can also sleep on my back as long as it doesn't make me nauseous. In regards to my carpel tunnel syndrome, I should start wearing wrist guards to bed. So we will see if these tips work.

I had my 24 week check-up with my doctor last week and Zac and I both got our H1N1 vaccine (well I made Zac get one, since I had to get one). I took it like a champ, but Zac took it more like a chump (ZING!). My blood pressure and weight gain so far is fine and Natasha's heartbeat was great and wonderful to hear on the doppler. In 2 weeks I have to take the 1-hour glucose test to test for Gestational Diabetes. I'm not looking forward to drinking the sugary drink, since I don't drink soda anymore, but hopefully I will pass and not have to take the 3-hour test.

The nursery is almost complete... well the paint part of it. The crib was delivered yesterday, but the dresser won't arrive for another 4 to 6 weeks. At least we can assemble the crib and figure out what else we will need in the room. I started our baby registries (Babies R Us and Target). It's not complete, but it's a good start. The holidays have been keeping me occupied, so afterwards I will have more time to figure out everything we will need for Baby Natasha! Thank you for following our blog and I wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

23 Weeks and a Sneak Peak at the Nursery!

 Natasha is the size of a papaya

I am 23 weeks pregnant and I'm sure some of you are wondering what happened to week 22? Well, blame it on pregnancy brain, or the fact that work was super busy last week and I was too tired at night to update the blog. I'm pregnant, gimme a break. At week 22 baby Natasha is the size of a papaya and this week she will stay the same size but put on some more weight. Since Saturday night I have been feeling some strong movement from her. Especially when I am reading to her at night while lying in bed. On my way home from work today she was moving to the music I was listening to in the car. It's very exciting and I can't wait until the kicks and jabs can be felt from the outside so Zac can share these special moments too! This week baby Natasha's face is fully formed minus the baby fat. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as Chauncey's bark or the constant sports on TV - probably won't faze her when she hears them outside of the womb. I think she is already learning to tune out the sports commentators, just like her mommy! As for me, I'm still doing well except for some lower back pain that only occurs right before bed. It must be this cold weather. I haven't noticed swollen feet or ankles yet and hopefully I won't be sporting cankles during this pregnancy. The pictures (besides the papaya and bump progress) I posted are a sneak peak at Natasha's nursery. Our friend, Braulio started priming the walls on Monday and finished the green paint today. He will come back on Thursday and next week to finish the surprises we have in store for the nursery, so you will have to stay tuned!