I think these videos are cool :)

Feelin' that baby kickin'!

Special guest post by Ian here; last night I was able to feel Meridian kicking for the first time :3 Gonna be a strong baby!

25 weeks

Week 25: Your baby's crown-to-rump length is about 8.8 inches. Weight has increased to around 1.5 pounds and fat is still being deposited at a high rate. You can hear your baby's heartbeat with both a Doppler and a stethoscope at this time, and your partner may even be able to hear the heartbeat unaided if he puts his ear in the right position. Sex differentiation is being completed now. If you are expecting a baby boy, the testes start to descend into the scrotum. In baby girls, the vagina is hollowing out. Your baby is able to do more with their fingers now and can move his fingers to make a complete fist. As your baby becomes more dexterous, he will be able to touch and hold his feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time. Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, you might begin to notice these patterns as well.


So Meridian's developing and growing rapidly, and so am I! 

Enough of me, now on to some fun stuff :D  (I'm not really a "Stuff" person, but I have to admit being excited setting up the baby stuff). I went through the clothes our friends Brandon and Kristen gave us, and picked out all the newborn sizes to have on hand for Meridian's arrival (yeah, I get things ready early. I'm the kind to always pack for trips 3 weeks in advance). Here's a fun little game: One of these outfits isn't from Kristen; I picked it out. Can you guess which one? ;)

Here's a shot of our primitive shelving system. It needs a little work before it is actually useful for organizing things, but I like it so far :p Right now it's holding baby blankets, clothes, the baby carriers, a tummy time mat, a diaper bag with lots of socks and shoes, an alphabet toy, a bath robe, books, diapers, a painting Ian made, and a plant. :) Scout is not so thrilled. She definitely senses we're making space for an attention competitor. Sorry Scout!

I'm not sure if we're going to use this chair as a nursing chair or not, but it's at least housing the nursing pillow for now :p

And here are the "extras" that we haven't even set up yet! Most of it is clothes in larger sizes from Kristen.

                                                    
And even more things from B&K that we have yet to pick up (baby not included):

Here's a shot of our back yard. And as of last night, this is how Meridian's "home town" is looking. It'll stay snowy until she's about a month old :p Oh boy!

The fundus n't stop! (24 weeks, 3 days)

No meaning to the title, except I had my fundus height checked at my appointment today, and had to make a pun about it :p  The appointment went well--everything is measuring on target! So while I may LOOK huge, it's actually how big I'm supposed to be ;) Also, yes, I'm apparently always snickering in pictures. That's what I get for having a goofball photographer :3

Proud Papa

This blog needs more Ian.

Hi Ian! :) Ian's modeling one of our new baby carriers. 

Can't wait to fill it with a baby :)

22.5 weeks ;)

22 weeks: Your baby's senses are developing daily. The fetus now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and your baby may stroke its face or feel her arms and legs. Your baby now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth). The ovaries of female fetuses contain primitive egg cells, all of the eggs a woman will have for her entire life. The uterus of female fetuses is also fully formed. 

It's been a busy weekend--my parents are in town visiting, and we've gotten a lot of baby preparation done :)-- so I'll do a half-week update. 

Here's Miss Meridian, making her presence more and more visible:

I'm still feeling good--it just hit me how pregnant I really am when I saw this picture (I've been hiding in layers of clothing lately, so I haven't really seen much of my belly). I'm pretty sure I'm feeling her bumpin' around in there like a pinball. 

I'll update more on the baby preparation progress soon. 

Dinner

"Week 21...Taste buds are being formed on your baby's tongue this week..."

Sorry Meridian, your Mama's cravin' some rowdy flavors like ultra-garlicky chili! 

Hopefully all the clementines helped dilute the garlic by the time it reached you :D