Week #20

Bon Jovi said it best when he sang:

"We've got to hold on, to what we've got
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not
We've got eachother and that's a lot
For love - we'll give it a shot

Woahh, we're half way there
Woahh, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Woahh, livin' on a prayer!"

The past couple weeks have been really eventful: we've been preparing for the arrival of Baby K, who, incidentally, is a boy, and I had my 20 week doctor's appointment.  We cleared space in the closet of our future nursery, our stroller/car seat combo is assembled and we've been talking about clearing out our spare room so we can move our office in there.  After that is finished, we can paint the nursery and set everything up for our little guy.

He's also been cruising around a lot more lately - last night I felt a jolt in my lower abdomen that could only have come from him.  I had assumed, incorrectly, that I wasn't feeling much movement because he was more laid back; apparently, he just wasn't using both feet simultaneously when he was kicking.

This week, Baby K's crown to rump measurements are 16 cm (~6.5 inches) and he weighs about 300 grams (10.6 oz).  My uterus should be in line with my belly button this week and will grow about 1 cm per week!  If this size increase doesn't happen, there is a possibility of intrauterine-growth restrictions, which could be caused by: smoking & drinking, low weight gain, pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure), infections, anemia and/or a history of previous growth-restricted babies.  Diagnosing this problem is difficult since the baby's growth is only measured during the doctor's visit; however, treatment may include bed rest, eating properly, stopping smoking/drinking and induced birth (if the baby is far enough along to survive outside the womb).

Baby K's skin is now growing in two layers: the epidermis and the dermis, and vernix is still being produced (vernix is a slimy layer to protect the skin and provide insulation).  Actually, the vernix may even been seen at birth!  As his bones continue to ossify, his movements will become stronger and more noticeable.

Fun fact: this week the placenta weighs more than the baby!

How am I feeling?  Less tired, but my back still gets really sore.  I've been feeling really good when I dance (but I can't do body rolls anymore!) and since it's warmed up, I've even been walking more.  I gained another 3 lbs, bringing my total weight gain (from week 12) up to 10 lbs. 

Any weird cravings?  I noticed the other day that salty foods (like chips) don't appeal to me.  There have been times too when the smell of something didn't appeal all that much, but eating the food was fine.  I was out walking the other day with a friend and started craving Cadbury Creme Eggs.  So, when I was out shopping yesterday at Shoppers, I figured that I'd finally be able to indulge that craving; however, I nearly had a panic attack/melt down when I couldn't find them right away!  I had searched the first till area then the rest of the snacky aisles before deciding that maybe I couldn't have them after all, only to find them at the next till station.  Whew!  Disaster averted!

Mood swings?  I think I've been ok this week - but I've also gotten out more often. 

Any baby purchases?  No, but I returned an outfit since it was meant for a girl and got a boy one instead.

What about the nursery?  Our crib is due to arrive anytime now, so when we got the call from Sears that a gift parcel had arrived, we thought it was the crib.  Imagine our surprise when the clerk returned with a small plastic bag!  Joan had thoughtfully arranged to have crib sheets sent along with the crib, so now we have 2 of them!  On the plus side, Kevin is all over the Twilight Turtle idea (as shown at the bottom of this post) and we're going to get a motorized solar system for the ceiling of the nursery (seen below)!

How cool is that?!  And yeah, it is meant for older kids, but he just won't get the remote till he's older, lol.  The remote causes the planets to rotate around the sun, so it will act as a mobile.  I really like the idea of this toy since it is something that he can grow into, and it includes a guided tour CD, so it is an educational toy as well.  Plus, Kevin and I both enjoy astronomy, so it is something that will encourage questions as Baby K grows up.  We've also finally decided on a feel for the kid's nursery: I want it to be either like sitting under the stars or like walking in space.  To achieve this, we are going to download and print pictures off of the NASA website of either constellations, planets, nebulae or other space wonders.  We want to keep it consistent and we aren't too interested in the cutesy aspect of an outer space theme like aliens, astronauts or rocket ships.  Essentially, not this:

I'm hoping that a rich wall colour combined with the jewel-toned bedding and vibrant space photos will create a beautiful contrast with the white furniture and black curtains.  I scanned the colour card since taking a picture of it didn't bring out the colour properly:

The colour is called "Taking the Plunge" and it is the second colour from the top on the C-I-L Clean & Playful card.  If you've ever seen my living room, you know that I love colour with depth, so it took a lot of talking on Kevin's part to convince me to not go as dark.  Originally I had a much deeper colour in mind, but the room that we've chosen for our baby doesn't get as much light, so the room would always seem really dark.  While a dark room is perfect for sleeping, it won't go over as well for playtime, so I chose a colour that would seem bright in the sunshine, but still dark enough to allow for a darker sleep area in the middle of summer.