Weekly baby update!

Hello friends and family!!!! ..... in the midst of a VERY cold, wet and dreary day here in the West .. it's time for our weekly baby update.  EnJOY!


Gestation: 23weeks/3days


Gender: STILL unknown :)


Baby growth:
* He/She measures over 28cm and weighs up to 550 grams
* The baby is over 11 inches tall, weighing just over a pound
* The eyebrows are visible
* The child can successfully suck
* Bones located in the middle ear are harden

The baby does a regular workout in the womb.  He or she turns from side to side and head over heels.  Thanks to a fully developed inner ear, which controls balance, the baby may have a sense of whether he or she is upside-down or right side up. Skin pigment is now forming.  The fetus is now proportioned like a newborn expect it is a thinner version of a newborn baby since it's baby fat has not developed yet.  The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily.  Baby has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars (wonder if the Thin Mints count)?? ;)

Baby movement: This baby definitely moves, but so far -- I really don't feel him/her doing a ton of crazy movements.  It's mostly when I am sitting or lying down.  It hasn't interrupted my sleep at all.  Sometimes when I'm putting the girls to bed ... reading a story in the rocking chair .. I feel movement.  Kind of warms my heart to think we are all reading together.  Perhaps they know one of their sisters is near them. :)  Daddy's had the pleasure of feeling some more movement this week too.  Bonus!

Mama's growth:  Pretty much status quo.  Grandma P. brought me some new maternity duds when she came to visit so that has been helpful.  Kind of still in that in-between stage with some clothes.

Cravings: Well ... I've made three batches of steel cut oats over the past week.   You just assemble ingredients in the crock pot at night and voila ... in the morning ... ready to eat oatmeal.  Now .... don't think it's all healthy ... I add brown sugar and milk to make it even more yummy! I'm still perfecting the recipe .. but so far I think the best thing is just to add the oats and water and add the yummy stuff in the morning. I think if you add the brown sugar and milk while cooking it burns too easily and Lord knows I can't keep my eye on it!  You can also add raisins, craisins, fruit .. etc.  YUM!!

I also have to admit I bought a bag of my favorite ... Thin Mint Patties. BIG MISTAKE! I hid them in the freezer, but they are so tempting!!

Struggles: Well .. as I recently shared the past week we've been dealing with illness around here.  The extra lack of sleep on top of the typical lack of sleep -- adds up --  which makes things tough.  I am PRAYING we are turning the corner.

Favorite happening of the week: This past weekend the hubs had to work AND study.  On Saturday afternoon ... after all of that business was taken care of ... we headed to a local mall to do some "browsing".  The girls had a good nap and mama was ready to get out of the house.  I LOVE going to the mall this time of year.  Might sound silly, but I have my reasons.  First .. I love the smells, sights and sounds of the holiday season.  Everyone seems cheery ... and the stores are beautifully decorated.  The second reason has to do with fond memories.  I recall when the girls were a wee 8 weeks old we headed to a local mall (back home) to have their portraits taken.  It was  BIG DEAL at the time...or so I thought! We spent the day at the mall ... having their pics taken ... sipping some yummy coffee ... doing some shopping.  I remember being out of the house with the girls and I felt so free.   Almost a year to the date later ... we were back at the same mall with our 14 month olds ... smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season.  Another fun-filled (EXHAUSTING) photo shoot ... that we actually had to repeat because the pictures didn't exactly turn out the first time ... but again .. so much fun!  And, as we headed into the mall this past weekend ... those memories came flooding back for both of us.  We laughed at the idea that bringing two 8 week old babies to the mall was hard.  THAT WAS EASY!!! Oh ... how little we knew at the time.  But - thank God for that.  It's think it's best to "understand" this parenting gig ... just one little adventure at a time. So in the end --I guess my favorite part of this week was our memories.  What a blessed and special part of parenting.

Til next week,
Cuz I'm the mama!