Interesting Baby Facts

*A baby is born every seven seconds.

*Babies are born with very poor vision but can recognize their mothers almost right away.

*Babies are always born with blue eyes, within a few moments of delivery their eye color can change.

*Babies are born with swimming abilities and can naturally hold their breath. However, they shortly lose this instinct.

*Newborns usually double their weight by six months.

*Playing classical music will increase a baby’s intelligence.

*Reading to your child at ANY age will increase their knowledge.

*Babies and toddlers are, pound for pound, stronger than oxen. This is especially true of their legs.

*Babies are born without kneecaps.

Happy 22 weeks!!

According to "What to expect when you're expecting" this week, the baby has broken the 1 lb mark and is 8 inches long. How heavy is that? Hold a 1 lb box of sugar the next time you're in the grocery store.
The baby is making more sense of the world as he/she develops the sense of touch. Its grip is quite developed by now and he/she may sometimes hold on tight to the umbilical cord. (Must get pretty boring in the womb! It needs something to entertain it.) The sense of sight is also getting more developed. It can now perceive light & dark much better than before (even with fused eyelids). Eyebrows & eyelashes are well formed now & even more hair is sprouting atop that head. Hair at this stage has no pigment though, so it's bright white.
I'm still feeling pretty good. Sometimes I've been having acid reflux at night, I've never had this before I got pregnant. It's not a good feeling. I also sometimes get a mild case of restless leg syndrome at night. My legs feel all tingly and I feel like I have to shake them to relieve it. But overall, can't complain compared to what some women go through.

Poem

My sister in law, Alli, found this poem and posted it under one of the "comment" sections on our blog. I thought it was really sweet and I'd like to share it with you all.

A Boy or a Girl

At first you moved,
only a little.
I could always find you,
right in the middle.

As time went on,
you really started to grow.
It wasn't a whole lot,
in fact, it was rather slow.

Before I knew it,
you were all over the place.
It kind of feels like,
you are running a race.

People ask your dad and me,
if, you are a girl or a boy.
We sit and wonder at times too,
but not knowing brings us joy.

There are so many things,
I really want to know.
But, you are hidden inside,
so the answers don't show.

How much will you weigh?
How tall will you be?
What color is your hair?
Will you look just like me?

I hope and pray,
you feel like you belong.
I never want you to feel,
like you are alone.

Your Dad and I,
planned you from the start.
You, my dear child,
were made straight from our hearts.

In a few months from now,
I'll meet you, for the first time.
For you are the product,
of your Dad's love and mine.

There will be no one like you,
not any place in the world.
It really doesn't matter,
if you are a boy or a girl.

We are both so happy,
that you even exist.
The gender doesn't matter.
you'll be hard to resist.

I hope I make you proud,
that I am your mother everyday.
Because,you have filled my dreams,
in more ways, than words can say.

It won't be long before,
I can look you in the eyes.
I can feel the excitement growing,
I know I'm going to cry.

Don't worry my angel,
those tears will be of joy.
It won't matter to me,
if you are a girl or a boy.

21 Week Ultrasound Pics

Here are a couple pics. They really aren't the best pics, since the baby moved too much, but at least it's something!!!!

IT'S A....

Surprise still! Gotcha! The ultrasound tech was able to tell what sex it is though. Nice, that at one point, the baby had its hand on its "parts", which leads Jason to say it's a boy. HAHA! She said everything looks good. She took all the measurements that she needed and checked out everything. The baby was once again super active. I tried not to eat or drink anything this morning that would make it wild but guess that didn't work. It weighs 14 ounces and the heartbeat was 159 beats per minute. Oh, the other thing, it's breech right now. But obviously I have 4 months til I deliver so I'm sure that will change as it flips and somersaults all over in there. It's always so neat to see the baby. It really is a miracle how everything works!!!
We will post some pics later on. I don't know if they are that great becuz it was so active & it was hard to get a good pic!

21 weeks!

According to "What to expect when you're expecting", the baby is now 7 inches in length and 11 ounces in weight. It's about the size of a banana (the length).
The baby now swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day--not only for hydration & nutrition, but to practice swallowing & digesting. The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what I've eaten. The taste buds are already developed so tastes won't be lost on the baby. Researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat food with that same taste after birth. Interesting. Guess I better start eating healthy. Healthy has kind of "went out the window" for me since I've gotten pregnant. I want our child to like different fruits and veggies and healthy items though so I'll work on it!
Stay tuned tomorrow! I have the big ultrasound!! (Not so big that we find out the sex though! I know some of you were hoping we'd change our mind!)

Nursery Furniture

Yesterday, Jason & I went to Baby Depot inside Burlington Coat Factory to order our baby furniture. We got a crib and a combo dresser/changing table. It's a darker color wood. The crib converts to a toddler bed and also a full size bed. I think we got our money's worth since we will be able to use it for awhile. I would post a pic of it but I couldn't find a pic online. We don't actually have the furniture yet, but it's not like we need it at this point anyway. We'll have to pick it up in the next few weeks.
On Saturday, Gretchen & I went to the "Festival of the Little Hills" along the riverfront in St Charles. We met her parents, nephew, and brother & sis in law down there. Her brother & Sis were playing in the community band that day. It was a really nice day although it did get a little hot in the afternoon cuz my shoulders got burned. Carson, her nephew, had a fun time in the "Kid's corner" making free visors. I think he made about 4 of them. Actually, Gretch & I had fun making the visors too. : ) The "kid's corner" was a great idea. They had a few different crafts for kids to participate in and it was all free! Good times.