Let's talk details!

How far along: 39 weeks/1 day (less than a week to go!)

Total weight gain: 34 pounds (up 1 pound from last week)

Maternity clothes: I have 7 dresses that I rotate. I also wear my yoga capri pants and pj pants. And that is about it. Can't wait for my old clothes to fit again!

Main symptoms: My. Big. Belly. It gets in the way of nearly everything I do. And it makesmy back hurt a little and I get tired and gassy. But other than that, nothing else...
Exercise: Stretching, bouncing on exercise ball, kegels, walking.

Best moment: Spending a relaxing Sunday with Papa Bean in downtown Bethesda where I got my hair cut and a mani/pedi! All ready for the big day!

Movement: Still VERY active in there! She is still head down, which is good. But with less room, the movements are more controlled rippeling and less crazy undulating.

Food cravings: Orange juice and cold fruit smoothies.

Gender: DEFINITELY A GIRL! We asked the new sonogram technician at our Week 38 ultrasound and he said for sure a girl. So we now have THREE DIFFERENT sonogram technicians telling us girl. If they are ALL wrong, that will be quite a shocker!

Labor signs: Still NONE! No Braxton Hicks contractions either! I am 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced, which is what I was last week. So, basically, we got nothing goning on here...

Belly button in or out? OUT. Totally. It's not too bad, but it is definitely OUT. Kinda weird...

What I miss: Red red wine... And my waist line.

What I am looking forward to: Baby's arrival! Any time now! Oh, and also my parents arrival on Friday, in anticipation of baby's arrival!

Weekly wisdom: Some of the baby stuff that we purchased, based on recommendations in books and at the store, has turned out to be possibly unsafe: breathable bumpers, Ultimate crib sheets, infant head rest for car seat. So, keep things in the packaging and keep your receipts and always do your homework! We might end up doing a few returns...

Milestones: We got our car seat installed! We took the babycare skills class at Sibley Hospital! I washed most baby bedding, swaddling blankets, burp clothes and newborn clothes! Papa Bean set up all our Pack 'n Play, Swing and Infant Bouncer! We got a beautiful outfit to take baby home in and Papa Bean ordered me a gorgeous Kate Spade diaper bag! We also took some maternity pictures... And our crib has finally been delivered! We now have sheets, towels, pillows, lamps and other things in our guest rooms and extra toilet paper downstairs. We are pretty much ready!

Let's talk details!

How far along: 36 weeks/1 day

Total weight gain: 31 pounds

Maternity clothes: Dresses & skirts for work, yoga pants with comfy tops on weekends! I also recently made a stop at Motherhood Maternity to pick up some nursing nightgowns and tops. Got a great selection of comfy clothes for the hospital and afterward. Plus, I spoiled myself a little by getting some really soft cashmere house shoes from the Restoration Hardware outlet!

Main symptoms: My ever protruding belly continues to be my biggest symptom! I have occasional back pain, but it's not bad. I forget things and am clumsy. I waddle. It's hard to bend over to pick up things on the ground. I am HEAVY! Still sleeping through the night and still no Braxton Hicks contractions or swelling. So... So far so good!

Exercise: Do Kegels count?

Best moment: Relaxing in our amazingly comfortable glider rocker chair in the newly painted nursery, surverying how the room looks and how soon it'll be filled with the sounds of a baby!

Movement: Baby Bean is very active! She thinks she is a gymnist like her Aunt Jen. Because she moves constantly! Sitting at work, she moves around. When I lay down to read at night, she moves some more. And you can SEE her move too! My belly undulates in waves. It's pretty funny to watch!

Food cravings: Popsicles. Fajitas. Bagels. Chocolate-covered toffee mac nuts. Strawberry-banana smoothies. Cereal. Did I mention chocolate?

Gender: Still going on the assumption that we've got a little girl on her way... But now I am starting to second guess it again! What if we get a surprise boy in the delivery room? Well I did an assessment of all the stuff we have and most things are gender neutral... Just the clothes and pink accents that would have to be replaced! But, what an ordeal that would be!

Labor signs: Still none. And at my doctor appointment yesterday, I was told no progress. So that is good. All is well in pregnancy land for now!

Belly button in or out? Still in, but it does show through my clothes a little, which is weird. Is it supposed to actually POP out? Because that would be weird. I'm thinking it's not going to if it hasn't by now?

What I miss: M-A-R-G-A-R-I-T-A-S!!!!!!!!!

What I am looking forward to: Having our crib delivered! Putting up the art on the walls of the nursery... And curtains! The nursery is coming along, just a few more touches and it'll be ready! Excited to finish...

Weekly wisdom: Check out the right side of this blog. I discovered this past week three different sites where you can sign up for daily e-mails alerting you to DEALS on baby stuff! Another way to get good deals is to visit the outlets!

Milestones: Nursery and several other rooms in our house have been cleared of wallpaper and painted! We have our dining room table and chairs! Got a great patio table and umbrella! We have chosen our pediatrician practice! Almost ready...

Papa Bean just felt Lima kick!

Just now... I was sitting at the computer in our bedroom listening to Bruce Springsteen singing "Growing' Up" and "Janey Don't You Loose Heart" when I started to feel a series of kicks or pulses in my lower abdomen.

Excited to feel Lima Bean, I rolled up my shirt and started watching my belly. Then I saw a definite movement! Startled, I yelled for Papa Bean to come quickly! He was in the other room watching TV and came running.

I told him to stand behind me and look down at my belly and see if he could see the same twitching that I was seeing in my lower abdomen. Then he saw it! Excited, he put his hand on my belly and his eyes widened as he FELT it too! 

Yay for Lima! Way to kick, little gal! Maybe we've got a little soccer player in here! At least we know she's becoming a big-time Bruce fan! 

And just like that - We've got a mover in here!

For most of the last week, I have been wondering whether the weird, occasional things I was feeling were Lima Bean or if it was just gas or my imagination.

Well, folks, I am now pretty certain that it is indeed Baby Bean kicking and flip-flopping around in there!

This certainty started on Friday and has continued throughout the weekend. Even this afternoon at work and now as I sit down to type, I feel the little sucker doing something in there.

Usually it's at night when I'm laying in bed reading. Or when I am sitting at the computer. And definitely after a big meal! Tonight I made butternut squash pizza and Bean is now having a field day with it!

But the movement is hard to describe. Sometimes if feels like a fish is swimming in my stomach. I imagine that a round glass bowl is in my belly and there is a gold fish fluttering about.

Other times, it feels like a my stomach turning over. It's similar to what you would feel on a roller coaster. It definitely feels like something (Lima Bean, I presume?) wriggling around or flipping around.

And if I'm really still, I swear I can see my stomach ripple! Papa Bean tried looking at my belly on Friday and I think he saw it twitch too.

I can't wait to see Lima Bean on the big screen at Wednesday's ultrasound!

And I can't wait for Papa Bean to be able to feel Bean moving for himself. Kick, baby, kick!

I *think* I felt Lima Bean!

I can't really describe it, but I felt something in my gut, about where Lima Bean should be, and I think I felt the Bean!

I was sitting at my desk at work, e-mailing with Papa Bean, when I felt it.

It was like my stomach lurched. It wasn't gas or hunger pains, but it was a sharp, definite feeling - like nothing I've ever felt before! It was like I was on a roller coaster. Like someone was pinching me from behind my belly button. Or a fist was doing a summersault in my belly. It felt so weird!

So I did the most natural thing in the world, I e-mailed Papa Bean!

His response: "Wow."

Anyone know what I'm talking about? I Googled "fetal movement" and found this description. For those of you who have had babies, is that what it feels like in the beginning? So cool!

Today is ... 16 Weeks!

To clarify, today we have now completed 16 full weeks. So that means starting tomorrow, we enter the 17th Week, i.e. 16 weeks and 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, etc. 

This whole counting system has thrown me a little off. Because it makes me wonder, should I be reading what happens in Week 16 now, or should I have read that last week and now should be focusing on Week 17? 

I digress. 

In Week 16, baby Lima Bean grew to 3-5 ounces and about 4-5 inches long. I don't know how they came up with an avacado, because the orange/softball description last week sure sounded bigger! But I guess they just needed something edible.

In Week 16, Lima Bean's face became more developed and he or she now has a complete set of eyebrows and eyelashes! And Bean has fully formed fingernails too! 

But what is more exciting is that this was the first week in which it's possible to actually FEEL Lima Bean move! No, I haven't felt anything. Or maybe I did but I wasn't sure. 

Here is how "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week" describes it: 

Many women describe the feelings of movement as a "gas bubble" or "fluttering." Often, it's something you have noticed for a few days or more, but you didn't realize what you were feeling. Then you realize that you were feeling the baby move inside you!

Here is how "What to Expect When You're Expecting" describes it:

The first momentous sensation of life, of "quickening," can occur anywhere between the 14th and 26th weeks, but generally closer to the average of the 18th and 22nd week. A woman who's had a baby before is likely to recognize movement earlier than one who is expecting her first child. A very slender woman may notice very early, weak movements, whereas a woman who's sporting lots of padding on her belly may not be aware of movements until much later. 

Sometimes fetal movements aren't noticed when expected because of a miscalculated due date. Other times, mom doesn't recognize the movement when she feels it - or mistakes it for gas or other digestive gurgles. 

So what do early movements feel like? They're almost as hard to describe as they are to recognize. Maybe it'll feel like a flutter (sort of like the "butterflies" you get when you're nervous). Or a twitch. Or a nudge. Or even like the growling of hunger pangs. Maybe it'll feel like a bubble bursting - or that upside-down, inside-out sensation you get on a roller coaster. No matter what it feels like, it's bound to put a smile on your face - at least once you figure out for sure what it is.

Hmmm. Well that sure helps - NOT!

Let's just say that once of the symptoms of pregnancy (being gassy) doesn't exactly make it easy to tell whether it's a digestive gurgle or the baby moving... But you can be sure I am concentrating very hard trying to feel SOMETHING!