Week 23 Photos

As Week 23 comes to a close, Mel and baby are now about 2/3 of the way through the 2nd trimester.  Here are a couple pics from this past week.

Ella is super excited

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Week 20 Ultrasound

About three weeks ago, we had the week 20 ultrasound.  Finally, we would know if Baby Blackwell was going to be a boy or girl, if Melanie could buy the paisley crib sheets she wanted, and we could finally start adding some stuff to the baby registry.

Melanie thought it was a boy.  I think up until week 19, she thought it was going to be a girl.  She had been having dreams about girls, and you just got a sense from her that it was going to be a girl.  I thought it was going to be a girl.  At the first ultrasound and again using the doppler during the Week 16 appointment, the heartbeat was pretty fast.  95% of all babies born in Hattiesburg are boys* (*stat not confirmed), so of course our child would be a girl....  The evidence of a girl was piling up.

However, the night before the Week 20 ultrasound, Melanie had a dream about a boy, and during the week or two prior, she started to change her tune.  I was becoming more sure it was a girl, but Melanie now thought it was a boy.  Only way to settle it?  Modern science.  It's all here in the video (if you want to know).

Melanie near the end of Week 20

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Feeling it!

I'm feeling it!!

20 weeks! I am glowing (likely with filth as I haven't showered yet).

Around 18 weeks, I first felt the baby! The first time, I was on my laptop with the computer pushed into my belly as I leaned over it and I felt a little bump inside where my computer was pressing into my belly!! Talking with other pregnant friends, I put together that I had likely felt hiccups a few times that week as well (which kind of feel like a faint pulse). While it was really cool to know that something is actually in there, it is sort of a weird feeling (but I love it!).  Nowadays, our little baby moves more often and more regularly. Tim has finally been able to feel it a few times, but of course it stops moving the second he tries to feel for it. It seems to move most after I have eaten (go figure) but moves the most from around 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm. The other day, in the middle of the night after being awakened by the need to go to the bathroom, the baby decided to be wide awake and was going to town kicking up a storm. If this is a forecasting of the baby's future sleeping patterns, we're in trouble!

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P Brain

Pregnancy Brain (and other ailments)

So in general I have been really lucky in the pregnancy symptom department. I had none of the first trimester nausea or morning sickness, and I know Tim is really hoping I get pregnancy hot flashes soon, so I'll stop complaining about being cold when it's 65 degrees outside. Despite not have these symptoms, I have had my share of excessive gas (big surprise right?) and tiredness, as well as feeling like I weigh 500lbs every time I climb the stairs and can't catch my breath, but the most surprising symptom is being a pea brain (aka "pregnancy brain"). It sneaks up in insidious ways, like being in a fog while driving enough that I've almost missed the turn to where I'm going, spending three minutes searching for the word "document" during a lecture at school, or just getting frustrated when Tim doesn't understand "we need to get the thing". Seriously...it can be bad some days. Even worse is that friends (and pregnancy books) suggest that pregnancy brain can last for up to a year after the baby is born!! So...if you expect me to remember something over the next year, good luck.

Learning to make sushi (without fish of course) at 19 weeks.

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1st Ultrasound

On November 11, we had the first ultrasound.  At this point in the pregnancy, everything was still a little surreal.  Melanie wasn't really showing yet, she hadn't had any morning sickness.....  Life was pretty much the same as before.  On this morning though, we got to hear our little baby's heartbeat for the first time and it was an experience that even words can't do justice.  175 BPM and looked right on schedule for June 20.

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Baby Stuff

We started getting baby stuff as soon as we told our families at Thanksgiving.  The first baby item was this great little Mizzou hoodie!  Naturally, we had no idea it was going to be a boy at this time.

Mizzou hoodie from Grandma Bobbi

Of course, then came Christmas.  You would have thought the kid was already born at this point - he had quite the haul.  Toys, clothes, books, towels... you name it...

Onesies, sleep 'n play, towels, J&J bath stuff

Newborn onesies from Aunt Tiffany

Mizzou onesies from Aunt Cassie

Toys and books from all the grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and aunts

Shortly after Christmas, we found some great deals on a travel system (stroller and car seat) and pack 'n play.

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Week 14

Here's the mom-to-be at 14 weeks (we're currently in Week 23).

Week 14

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New Baby Blog

Since all of our family and many friends live a day's drive away, we thought creating a blog would be a great idea for sharing photos, videos, and thoughts about the pregnancy and new baby.

We'll start with one of the earlier photos of Melanie.  Here she is at Week 11.

11 Weeks

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