Baby Update

So the whole fruit-to-baby size is going to be a monthly thing from now on, so here is what What To Expect Says for this week:

Fetal Development This Week

Week 25 of Pregnancy: Baby's Lung Development

Your baby is about nine inches long and more than a pound and a half in weight this week. And don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker as small blood vessels form under the skin and fill with blood. Lungs and nostrils are also growing at this stage of fetal development.

At nine inches and more than a pound and a half in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes (an analogy you'll find particularly apropos in a few years, when those juice boxes start taking over your refrigerator, your pantry, your car.…).
 
Don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker. No, not because he or she's getting overheated (in fact, the amniotic fluid is perfectly climate controlled, keeping your baby at an always comfortable temperature), but because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in your baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But at 25 weeks pregnant, those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales.

The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows your little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, your baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?)

Family Trees

So, I thought long and hard about what to get both of my grandparents for Christmas and have decided to do family trees.  These are the rough copies for right now, as I go through and clean up dates and spelling.  But I didn't realize how big my family is, and this is only going back to my grandparents.  I think I might want to continue going back, to see how far I can go with this.  It is pretty interesting, don't you think?  If you are thinking about starting a family tree, I found some free software online that I used and it was really easy.  If you want to know, just message me and I'll let you know!

Totally forgot about the big things...

When we got back from Mexico we had our formal ultrasound and found that we are having a little boy!  We are super excited, we can finally start making some serious plans.  Do we have a name yet? No.  We had a girl name all picked out, but cannot agree on a boy's name.  We have had some suggestions (personally, I like Ping) and we have a short list, but are still undecided at this time.  We are starting to feel him move around a lot more and Casey has finally felt him moving around!  I am finally looking pregnant, but along with looking pregnant I am feeling pregnant.  I don't have a belly button any more, I can't bend over anymore, my heartburn has returned (with a vengeance), and I am easily winded.  There is a Hallmark card at work that says something like Pregnancy, the best reason to feel miserable.  I'm not miserable, but do think that this is a good reason to not feel my best.

Mexico!

Epic Crab Fight

As we were walking along the beach one day, Natalie decided she wanted to catch one of the crabs we saw in the surf.  This is the conclusion of a long and interesting battle: 

So it's been a while

Well, we have been very busy since I last posted.  It's been a while, I know, so I thought I would put up a quick update.  Casey had lasik surgery and is glasses free, and loving it.  Am I jealous, yes.  Will I get it done, yes but obviously not now.  He has also has started his new job and is enjoying it very much.  We went on vacation with my family for a week.  Cabo San Lucas for seven days was great.  An awesome resort right on the beach, a ton of great food, and nothing to do if we didn't want to.  We went snorkeling, ATVing, eating, shopping, had an epic battle with a crab.  When we got home, back to work we went.  I finally got my state pharmacy tech license and now I just have to find shift in the pharmacy and move on.  Casey just bought a new car today, super exciting.  A new car was his goal while in pharmacy school so today that goal was achieved.  A Mazda RX-8, it's everything the Amigo wasn't so happy day!

So it's been a while...

I've been lax at getting our shtory updated.  I have been working in a madhouse for the last month, trying to get the store ready for inventory.  We had our annual inventory last Monday, and we did really well.  It wasn't without a lot of work, for sure, but well worth it to validate what we are doing; for those up the food chain who don't think we know what we are doing this proved that we do.  Also, Casey has been offered a job at a nuclear pharmacy.  This is the one job that he really wanted to do, and although it seemed like an easy choice to make there were some changes we would need to make to this move happen.  We were planning on buying a home soon, but will now need to make the move further south than we had hoped.  We are looking to get a more gas-friendly vehicle for Casey, considering he has a pretty big commute ahead of him in the next few months.  As for us, together, we are still getting used to the idea that we are going to be parents soon.  Six months seems like a long time, objectively, but I know that six months can come quicker than you think and a lot of changes can happen in this short amount of time.  Baby Eggett is doing well, as of our last appointment.  We are excited and scared and anxious and happy and scared.  And excited.

Week 8

Baby's now the size of a raspberry!
Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

Playing host to an ever-growing embryo does take a toll. Heavy fatigue may be setting in, along with abdominal cramping and tender breasts. Treat yourself gently, and it doesn't hurt to remind your partner to do the same. Though it's not showing yet, you're growing a little person in there!

Super excited for wednesday!

Under normal circumstances, wednesdays are not so super exciting.  I don't have a normal, 9-5 monday to friday job, so it doesn't necessarily mean it is getting to end of my work week.  This week is actually a nine day work week, with wednesday being my friday.  But, wednesday is also our first prenatal appointment, and with a new doctor to boot.  I'll be at six and a half weeks so it may be to early for anything awesome to happen, but I'm still excited for it.  I currently have a tadpole, kind of like Kermit's nephew Robin on Muppet Babies.  Hopefully, not so green.  I feel great so far; I have only had one really bad bout of nausea but no morning sickness.  I get dizzy a lot, and am tired quicker than normal but otherwise all is well.  Hopefully wednesday will go well...

Our babies shtories

Our babies are four legged; Moco is a Chihuahua-Jack Russell mix and Talula (Lula) is... we're not sure.  We were told she was a Chihuahua-Italian Greyhound mix but have been recently told she is a Lavender Chihuahua. Either way, she is ours.  We got Moco as a puppy, a small furry ball who was super curious, playful and very smart.  We could (and still can) teach Moco a new trick and within several tries he can do it on command.  Whether he wants to, that is a different question, but he will do his tricks on command. Moco can sit, lay, roll over, speak, play dead, poison, stay, go around, wait, up, back, and he can jump through our arms. We got Lula as a rescue dog from Las Vegas.  Casey's sister had seen her running around her neighborhood for a few days; she had been sleeping in Lesha's backyard and was scavenging for food.  She looks like she had been taken care of before because she had her tail bobbed, and as we later learned, she was a runner.  We took her to a local vet to see if she had been chipped (she hadn't) and to see if anyone was looking for her (no one was) so she came home with us.  She has been a little harder to train; she has mastered sit, lay, roll over, give five, poison but is still being house-trained.  Both dogs love to play find the treat (we make them sit in one room and hide treats for them in another room), play with their babies, getting scratched and rides in cars.  They don't especially like me dressing them up in clothes, but will tolerate it.  This is their shtory.

Where we are now in our shtory...

...Since Casey graduated a little over a month ago, life as we know it has changed a lot in some ways and not so much in others.  Here is a quick rundown of those ways:

• Casey is not in school anymore!  Yay, except that now he is freaking out about passing his NAPLEX (national certification) on July 19 and Utah State Law test the following Monday.  Changed: no school; Not changed:  studying like crazy.
• Casey is working now, as a graduate intern, so that is awesome!  However, with opposite work schedules the last two weeks, I feel like I am seeing him just as often as I did while he was still in school.  Changed: Casey working; Not changed: still not seeing him.
• We kind of have money again since Casey is working more than 14 hours a week.  Which is great, except that we are trying to save to buy a house so sometimes it feels like we are still student-poor, only buying the essentials while we save to pay for the really expensive one-off (ie: tuition, house down payment, etc.)

This is by no means all of the changes, either big or small, but I am tuckered out and want to go to sleep.  later for you all!