29 Weeks (whoops again!)

Oh dear, late again! Thank you to Eddie for reminding me today that I was a tad behind!! Always nice to know people are waiting for their Mango updates. :-) The DeGeorge family has had a busy week, we started our Bradley class on Tuesday night. It seems like it will be a pretty entertaining and informative class that should give us a lot of information from nutrition now all the way to after Mango is born. It's also nice to spend some time with other couples who are right where we are, including a few other mama's from my prenatal yoga class. In addition to starting our childbirth class, we've also been busy on the phones and internet doing some more research on birthing options. We had our latest appointment at our current Dr's office (all's well with Mango and mama!) and were informed one of the Drs is leaving the practice. Ultimately this just means we have a much greater chance of some random on call Dr. delivering Mango. We were never loving the idea of possibly getting a random Dr., but when the chances went up it seemed like a sign that maybe we should explore other options. So we are! We had a few ideas of our own and a few from Doula Rosie we're looking into, and overall we feel like it's a positive thing that will result in a more personalized birth experience!

So, lots going on around here, and of course Mango continues to grow, here are his "stats" this week: Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain – which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.
And some more proof of the ever growing Mango, my ever growing belly!!

Woops!!

I just realized that I forgot to post this week! So here's a slightly delayed 28 week post. We are continuing to get a kick out of my growing belly, still guessing at just how big it might get over the remaining 12 weeks! Our next check-up is next week and after that we go to the every 2 week appointments, starting to seem pretty close huh? We have finally decided on a name for our little guy which is pretty exciting, but now that it's so close, we're just going to let him tell you what it is after he's born. :-)

On a non-Mango related update, we have a pretty exciting weekend coming up. Can't believe it, but the Peanuts are turning 3!! Saturday we'll be at their hot air balloon themed birthday party which should be quite cute if I know my sister. Chris and Tara are coming down for the weekend too, so we're excited for that as well!

I don't think there's too much else to report this week, so here is the Mango update: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open and close his eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before he's batting those beauties at you. He is about the size of a:

3rd Trimester!! (27 Weeks)

Wow, hard to believe it's already the third trimester!! Well I suppose there are some signs... the aches of growing so much so fast are starting to set in a bit and taking a toll on my sleeping, but it's well worth it for the fun of watching my belly grow and feeling Mango moving around in there! We've also started getting some cooler more fall like weather, which is really nice! It is weird though, I'm starting to think I look very different...which is sort of surreal, you'll maybe see what I mean in my photo below, or maybe it's just me, haha who knows! Not too much else to report for this week, just starting to get really excited and crossing things off our pre-baby to-do list!

Here are Mango's "stats" for this week: This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle. This week, he is the size of a:

Here is my belly shot for the week, am I crazy or do I just look different? Haha

26 Weeks

Week 26, and holy moly I can't seem to focus on anything other than the HEAT right now!! The thermostat in our house goes up to 80... and the little notch that tells you the current temperature is literally flattened up to the side as if to say "I can't even tell you how hot your house is right now!!" We could turn on the air, but by the time we get home from work it's only a few hours before we get the nice cool Escondido night air, so normally I just tough it out and park myself near a ceiling fan. So, that being said, this will be quick so I can go do just that! Mango and I are doing well, continuing to enjoy the ever changing supply of movements I can feel, some of which are pretty entertaining to see from the outside too!

Here are Mango's stat's for the week: "The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days. This week, he is about the length of a:Due to that horrible heat I mentioned, I came home and immediately turned super shiny and put on workout shorts... so excuse the black and white photo which is meant to make my super frumpy attire look slightly less so!

Crafting Mama (part II)

Well this project started when I was googling nursery ideas after we found out Mango was a boy. I knew I wanted a room that he could grow into as a child and not just one that was fit for a baby... so when I saw the idea of a huge animal mural I thought "what little boy wouldn't love an almost life sized giraffe in his room?" From that point on I was pretty determined to make one... but how?

My original plan was to cut out a little giraffe from card stock and project it onto the wall, like a big shadow puppet. I thought this would be perfect because I was really worried that trying to draw a huge giraffe free-hand would be almost impossible to get his scale right. So I cut out my little mini giraffe and proceeded to try to cast him on the wall. Well for many reasons this was an epic failure, mostly I think due to the fact that we don't have the right kind of light for it. I was a little discouraged at this point....looking at that huge wall and wondering how to get my giraffe on it. Then Mark had the brilliant idea that I could try free-handing it with chalk. The chalk made it so that I could see the giraffe very clearly AND so I could easily wipe it totally clean because the walls are painted with a semi-gloss paint. So I figured it would still take a lot of tries, but this way I could get him right before I painted. Well it actually only took two tries and I got him just how I wanted... so then THREE coats of yellow paint later... and voila! I hope Mango likes giraffes as much as his cousin Keenan!