Lima Bean: Week Twenty Six

I look HUGE in this photo.  I think it is the dress more than the baby bump, though.

How far along: Twenty Six weeks as of Wednesday, April 9, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 14 inches from head to heel, the size of a scallion, and weighs about 1 2/3 pounds.
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much everything is maternity now, with the exception of some dresses I wear as tunics.
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: A nice glass of white wine!  The weather was nice this week and I would have loved to relax outdoors and sip a glass of wine.  Funny, semi-related story: Mark and I attended a wedding this week.  I sidled up to the bar and asked for a glass of iced tea, after I heard the woman in front of me order one.  The bartender gave me a somewhat odd look, which I didn't really understand (clue #1), but poured the tea into a glass.  I thought it was weird the glass was short, rather than tall and thin, but figured that was all they had (clue #2).  I took a sip and immediately knew this was not your average iced tea!  Nope, I had been served a glass of the "special" tea--i.e. the tea mixed with some kind of strong alcohol!  Because I had not had anything to drink in so long, I could feel the alcohol going to my head and giving me a buzzing feeling.  Whoops.  The drink clearly was discarded and I followed it up with a glass of water.  A sip obviously does no harm to the baby, but I still felt guilty about it.  Sorry, Lima Bean! 
Cravings: Fresh foods--lots of vegetables, etc.  This is a rare healthy craving, so I will take it!
Symptoms: The "side stitch" pain I experienced during Henry's pregnancy is back.  It is on the right side again.  It seems to have lasted a bit longer this time, but even so, it only stuck around for two or three days.
What I'm looking forward to: Enjoying a glass of wine once Lima Bean arrives!

Lima Bean: Week Twenty Five

How far along: Twenty Five weeks as of Wednesday, April 2, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 13.5 inches from head to heel and weighs about 1.5 pounds (the weight of a rutabaga).
Maternity Clothes: Yes.  I just purchased two pairs of maternity leggings from Old Navy and I am in LOVE.  I need more long tops to go with them!
Movement: Lots of movement, particularly at night.
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Nothing in particular.
Cravings: Thai food, sweets.
Symptoms: Difficulty breathing.  Interesting because I never had this problem with Henry.  It wasn't that I was out of breath easily, it was more that I felt like I needed to take frequent "deep" breaths to be able to get enough oxygen.  After a couple of days, I was at the point where I was going to call the doctor, but the problem subsided.  Chalking it up to residual stuffiness from being sick along with some spring allergens.
What I'm looking forward to: Decorating the nursery!  The crib sheets and rug have arrived.  The big to do item is painting the room.  Henry will be moving to a larger room a bit farther from the master bedroom, and his current room and furniture will become Lima Bean's.  The room is pink now (poor Henry!) but will become a shade of aqua.

First Haircut!

After nearly 21 months, we finally took Henry to get his first haircut recently.  It was, frankly, way overdue.  His hair was getting in his eyes and was a tangled mess in the back.  When wet, it was at least three inches or so down his back.  I was beginning to get concerned he would be confused for a little girl.  So, anyway, it was time.

We took him to a children's haircut place.  I had seen it months earlier when we ate at a restaurant in the same shopping area.  After checking out a few online reviews, I decided to give it a go.  And it did not disappoint!  Not only was it adorably decorated, but the staff members were great with Henry and knew what they were doing.  We were impressed.

Henry got to sit in a firetruck for his cut!  He loved the chair.  It had ladders on the side he could pull up and down and a bell on the front he could ring.  Plus, there was a tv over the chair, and for a kid who never gets to watch tv, that was a real treat.

Looking back, his hair looks even longer to me than I remember it being!  You can see the frizz, too.

Beautiful curls.  I knew most of them would disappear with the cut, which was sad.

 

 

Getting ready!

Look how proud he looks!

The tempting bell.  The poor hairdresser had the patience of a saint to cut his hair while he moved all around!

Checking himself out in the mirror.

What a handsome boy!

We will definitely head back to this place for Henry's next cut.  They gave us a souvenir photo and an envelope with a lock of his hair to keep.  I can't wait to show it to Henry when he gets older.

Lima Bean: Week Twenty Four

How far along: Twenty Four weeks as of Wednesday, March 25, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is almost a foot long from head to heel (the size of an ear of corn, and she weighs about 1 1/3 pound.
Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans, leggings, and long tops are my go-tos.
Movement: Lima Bean is still doing her gymnastics routine.  I love it!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Ok, even with a cold.  The congestion makes it a little harder to sleep, but still manageable.
What I miss: The freedom to take cold medications--ha!
Cravings: Soup to help with the cold symptoms.  Mediterranean food.  We discovered a great semi-fast food Mediterranean place here.  It's a fairly healthy option, which is nice.
Symptoms: Well, after my long work week last week, I ended up with a cold this week.  Not surprising, given that pregnancy takes a toll on your immune system.  Still, unpleasant when there are no medications available to ease the symptoms.  The cold wasn't too bad for the first few days, but I started to feel worse on Sunday/Monday.  It seemed as if it were turning into a sinus infection.  Not what I wanted, particularly because I was afraid I'd end up on an antibiotic to get rid of it, like I had to do when pregnant with Henry.  Luckily, it appears that with plenty of rest and working from home, the symptoms are abating and I am feeling better.  Still tired, but much less sick.  Thank goodness. 
What I'm looking forward to: Choosing a middle name for Lima Bean.  Her first name has been set for years (my favorite girl name since I was about 16, and I basically informed Mark years ago that if we ever had a daughter it would be her name.  Poor guy didn't really have an option!).  But the middle name is up for grabs.  I am going through our baby name book and asking Mark his thoughts about various options.  There is one front-runner for now, but it's not set yet. 

Lima Bean: Week Twenty Three

How far along: Twenty Three weeks as of Wednesday, March 19, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is more than 11 inches long from head to heel and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango).
Maternity Clothes: Same old, same old.  But Mark's mom surprised me with a lot of new spring and summer maternity clothes recently, which I am so grateful for.  Hoping I can wear them when the weather warms up a bit.
Movement: Lots of movement.  I notice it more at night, more than I ever did with Henry.  Lima Bean even moves in the middle of the night after I take a trip to the bathroom or roll over.  I don't remember Henry being this active at night.  Makes me a little nervous about her sleep habits, not going to lie!  Although Henry didn't sleep through the night until 10 months, so maybe fetal movement patterns don't make much of a difference.
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Finding it a little harder to go back to sleep at times after my frequent bathroom breaks.  But nothing bad at all.
What I miss: Wine would be nice to unwind at night!
Cravings: Chinese food again.  So weird.  But easy enough to satisfy!
Symptoms: Exhaustion.  I had a crazy work week this week and worked way too much.  It really took a toll on me physically.  It didn't help that Mark was out of town for several days.  Luckily for me, my parents were in town and helped me out a ton, watching Henry and cooking dinner.  I don't know what I would have done without them. 
What I'm looking forward to: Taking Henry on some little adventures before Lima Bean arrives.  We are considering traveling to Denver in May to spend a few days.  Mark will be there anyway for a work trip, and I have never been to Colorado, so I thought it might be fun to do a little babymoon.  I need to check with my doctor to see whether I should make the trip at that stage in my pregnancy.  We also want to go into the city to the zoo and some museums when the weather improves.

Lima Bean: Week Twenty Two

How far along: Twenty Two weeks as of Wednesday, March 12, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is 11 inches long from head to heel and weighs almost a pound, the size of a spaghetti squash.  She now resembles a miniature newborn, according to the baby growth website!
Maternity Clothes: Still the same.  Mostly maternity pants and a mix of maternity and non-maternity tops.  I am living in my leggings this time, too.  Mostly because other than leggings, the only bottoms I have that really fit are my skinny jeans.  I really need another pair of maternity jeans, especially since there appears to be no end in sight to this long and cold winter.
Movement: Going strong!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Having a larger wardrobe--especially pants and dresses-- to choose from!
Cravings: Junk food chips--Doritos, Cheetos, you name it.  Not a good thing to crave.  But I am trying to be judicious in my portion sizes.
Symptoms: Tiredness.
What I'm looking forward to: Spring-like weather.  Please, please, arrive soon!

Lima Bean: Week Twenty One

How far along: Twenty One weeks as of Wednesday, March 5, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about10.5 inches long from head to heel (the size of a carrot), and she weighs about 3/4 lb.
Maternity Clothes: I can still wear two pairs of pants with the belly band, but that's it.  My old maternity jeans are still too big--I am thinking it will be at least a month or more before I can wear them without them falling down.
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker, and I love each and every movement.
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Fine.  Not having any back or hip pain.
What I miss: Deli sandwiches.
Cravings: Remington Grill sandwiches.  Too bad I can't have them! 
Symptoms: Mostly just tired.  My skin has cleared up for the most part (knock on wood).
What I'm looking forward to: Having two children and seeing them interact!