23 Weeks

I think I've finally hit that stage in pregnancy where everything starts to hurt.  I've had a constant backache since 21 weeks, and now my ribs have decided to join in!  I guess this baby girl is really growing, though!  I feel so guilty complaining, considering how long we've wanted this, but geez, it's been rough!  I know that this is just the beginning and many more aches and pains are in store!

Here is Bray's progress this week!

At eight inches and slightly over a pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll when you are 23 weeks pregnant. (But then, you already knew that you were carrying a living doll, didn't you?) This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double (and you may feel as though yours is too).


You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb!

Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his or her little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops during fetal growth. But don't worry. By the time your baby is born, he or she will be pleasantly plump and filled out — from chubby cheeks to chubby toes.

22 Weeks

I've got a quick post for today!  Bray is growing and moving like crazy!  Last night Judd felt her kick for the first time, it was so cool!  Now it's not just a little thing between the two of us, others can feel her, too!  Last weekend, I even got a video of how hard she's kicking.  I put a remote on my stomach, and you can see it jump when she kicks.  You have to fast forward to about 1:00 in to see it:

Fast forward to about a minute in to see it jump!

I don't have a picture from this week yet, but we are going to visit Jessica and Josh in Birmingham and I'll be sure to get one then.  Here is a picture from going out last Friday night at 21 weeks 1 day - quite a growth spurt!

Bray's progress in Week 22:

Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!

This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

20 Week Anatomy Scan

We went in today for our 20 week anatomy scan.  It was so cool to see Bray moving and kicking, and feeling her at the same time!  Everything was perfect and she's actually measuring a day ahead.  She weighs 13.5 ounces, which is just a little bigger than the average.  Here are the sweet pictures from the ultrasound!

We also got the picture of her gender, but she's a lady and I'm not posting that!  It's very clear she's a little girl, trust me! :)

Half Baked!



I think I've "popped" (whatever that really means!)

 We're halfway there!  In about 20 weeks Bray will be here!  What a fun milestone!  I have been feeling great, so it's definitely making up for the rough patch I had through the beginning of the 2nd trimester. 

I have found a much better (budget-wise and I just love it, too) bedding set for Bray.  Thanks, Sara, for recommending Polka Tots!  I ordered swatches, and as long as I love the fabric as much in person as I do from the picture, we're putting the order in!

Can't wait to put her monogram on it! 

Here are Bray's 20 week stats:

You've got a heavyweight in your belly at 20 weeks pregnant (well, in baby terms, anyway). Your little champ weighs about ten ounces and has a height, crown to rump, of about six and a half inches. Think small cantaloupe (and probably as sweet too).


Is it a boy cantaloupe or a girl cantaloupe? You'll be able to find out your baby's gender via the ultrasound by this point. If you're carrying a girl fetus, her uterus is fully formed this week and her vaginal canal is starting its development (which means that in about twenty-five or thirty-some-odd years, she could be just where you're at, Grandma!). She also has primitive eggs in her tiny little ovaries now, seven million of them — though by the time she's born, that number will be down to two million (still more than she could ever hope to use). And interestingly, your baby girl will be born with all the eggs she'll ever have.

19 Weeks and The Decorating Begins!!

Almost halfway there!  Bray is moving and kicking like crazy now!  I can't wait for Judd to be able to feel it from the outside.  Here's the belly this week:


19 weeks

In other exciting news, I've been researching and looking for the perfect furniture and bedding for Bray's nursery.  I couldn't find anything that I loved, until today!  I visited Koo Koo Bear Kids in Roswell, and I think I've found IT!  Here is the furniture I hope to get (still pending Judd's approval, haha):

The crib!



The changer/dresser

I love the bed skirt!

This is just to see the fabrics better.

It's starting to come together!!

As for Bray's progress this week, she's now a large mango!

Six inches long this week and about eight ounces in weight, your baby is the size of a large mango.


Your little action figure is able to choreograph Matrix-like moves at 19 weeks pregnant. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give your baby more control over limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching, and bodysurfing (or rather bellysurfing) you've possibly started feeling by now.

Something else going on this week: Your baby is getting a cheesy varnish. Say what? Yup — a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for varnish; caseosa is cheese) now covers your baby's skin. It's greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby's glands, and dead skin cells. This waxy "cheese" may not sound too appetizing or attractive, but it's there for good reason: Vernix protects your baby's sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, your baby would look very wrinkled at birth (sort of what you'd look like if you soaked in a bath for nine months). Some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with vernix at the delivery, so you might get a look at your baby's first anti-wrinkle cream.