3rd Trimester

November has flown by and now at 27 weeks, we are into the 3rd trimester! I can't believe that in 12 short weeks we'll get to meet our sweet little baby! This week, Ilyana is about 14.5 inches and 2 pounds (about the size of a head of cauliflower). Her vascular system can how handle the oxygen/carbon exchange and her brain can now regulate rhythmic breathing and her basal body temperature. So far the 3rd trimester is going pretty well. I've definitely noticed the increased fatigue and I also had one of the dreaded middle of the night leg cramps the other night. According to what I've read, the combination of extra weight as well as the extra pressure on veins and nerves in your legs from the expanding uterus is the cause of these painful, middle of the night episodes (and by painful, I mean excruciating!). This week we started organizing the nursery for Ilyana's impending arrival. Nala's litter box has found a new location, storage items were moved out of the room, clothes were hung up, and the crib was built. Jake worked really hard on Saturday to get the crib all put together. It was such a sweet father-to-be moment to watch.

On a quick side note, we had a meeting with our house builder this past week. It sounds like they may start our house this year after all. Once they get the deed in the mail they plan to start digging (provided the weather cooperates, they hope for this to be in the next 2 weeks). They estimated that our house could be done by mid-April, depending on what type of winter we have. We are keeping our expectation at July, but there is a definite possibility it could be done sooner now!

Since I've failed at posting pictures lately, here are plenty to make up for it!

My family at Thanksgiving

Before building the crib

Better read the directions first!

Halfway there!

Almost done!

The finished product! Good job Jake!

27 weeks!

Information about Ilyana:
EDD: Feb. 27th (89 days)

How mom's feeling: Excited to start using the nursery!

How dad's feeling: Excited for her to be here!

Under 100!

I apologize that I didn't get a post written for last week. After some internet and computer issues it all of the sudden was the middle of the week so I decided to just skip writing one. However, I'm back and I'm at 26 weeks! We are wrapping up the second trimester and the countdown is under 100! Lil' miss Ilyana is now about 14 inches and 1.7 pounds. This week she was finally able to open her eyes (she can now see the bladder that she loves to squeeze)! She also is able to move her head, her hair is starting to grow in (I wonder if she'll get crazy cowlicks like her daddy?), and her itty bitty toenails are starting to grow in. Also in these coming weeks, she (hopefully) is working on turning herself head down so that she's ready to make her entrance into the world. Jake and I are getting really excited to meet her. We got her crib last week and will hopefully be setting that up, along with her nursery, soon. I also washed a bunch of baby clothes this past weekend too. They're all so gosh darn cute! Lately at church, Jake has been playing the bongos with some of the worship songs, it's been fun to feel her dance along on those songs! My friend Megan was standing by me during church a few weeks ago and was able to feel her kicking, she's the first person besides Jake and I that has been able to feel her! I can't wait for her to be here so we can introduce her to everyone! The countdown is on and hopefully with the holidays right around the corner, the time will fly by fast!

Information about Ilyana:
EDD: Feb 27th (95 days!)

How mom's feeling: A little back pain and constantly peeing, but I really can't complain!

How dad's feeling: Ready for Ilyana to get here!

I'm still a wife first

We've made it to 24 weeks! We're now starting to check things off the development checklist as our little one prepares herself for life outside the womb. Ears: done; fingernails; done; lung walls: secreting surfactant. Surfactant is "a surface-activated fat that helps your baby's little lungs inflate" (babygaga.com). It continues to amaze me how quickly God grows a living, breathing baby! Miss Ilyana is now a little over a pound and about a foot long, about the size of an ear of corn (and to imagine that we started at the size of a poppy seed!). She's moving around a lot, especially when I eat or drink anything chocolate, and loves to have swimming practice when I take a bath. I love watching my stomach move while I'm in the bath, she really goes nuts! She's been making it really difficult to breathe lately (especially when I'm sitting for a long period of time), which has been rather uncomfortable. But I'm learning to take more shallow breaths more often to try to make it easier.

Becoming parents is a journey Jake and I are so excited about, but as excited as I am about becoming a mom, I'm still a wife first. This past weekend I went to a women's retreat, which was an encouraging and refreshing time. The theme of the retreat this year was "Godly womanhood". Like most retreats, I learned a lot of great things that I wanted to apply to my life and to our marriage. But unlike most retreats, I decided to pick 3 things that I felt would be most beneficial at the current time to actually work on and apply. Here are the 3 things I chose to work on:

1. Greeting Jake with a hug and kiss. Often when Jake gets home from work and school I'm in the middle of some sort of activity (housework, watching tv, derping on facebook) and I will take the time to say "Hi!" but then it's usually back to whatever activity I was in the middle of. The first challenge I have for myself is putting aside what I'm doing to get up and give my wonderful husband a hug and kiss to greet him when he gets home. It is such an easy way for me to show him that he is more important to me than whatever it is that I'm doing (because he is!).

2. Asking him how I can help. A great idea one of the woman teaching mentioned was that she asks her husband everyday "How can I serve you today?". I would really like to ask Jake this question daily, I think it will make him feel really loved and supported. I also think this one will be one of the hardest and I will have to really prepare my heart ahead of time everyday. Some days it may be as simple as just giving him lots of sweet hugs throughout the day, but other days it may be less... exciting, like doing the dishes. Can I put aside my own hopes and desires for the day to serve my husband?

3. A change in how I view housework. Up until now, I have viewed housework as a dreadful task that just has to be done... eventually. Some things aren't so bad, in fact I find vacuuming rather enjoyable, it's just things like dishes and putting away laundry that really get me. But one of the speakers this weekend mentioned something so simple, yet so profound to me. Housework is a way I can serve my husband. I would really like to start viewing housework in this way rather than that thing that I have to do... tomorrow. I don't think that this change in heart will come easily, and I don't think it's something that will change how our house looks over-night, but I would like it to change my attitude and I think, eventually, it will at least make doing those dishes a little bit easier.

Information about Ilyana:

EDD: Feb. 27th (109 days)

How mom's feeling: Counting down the weeks until we get to meet the little miss!

How dad's feeling: "I'm super excited for Ilyana to be out. I've been really enjoying getting to really feel her moving around consistently."

We've made it to a pound!

We've made it to 23 weeks! In the medical world, 23 weeks is generally seen as the point in a pregnancy where if a baby were born they could survive (with a lot of medical interventions). Miss Ilyana now weighs just over a pound and is about 11 and a half inches long. Her cochlea is now fully formed, meaning that she can hear the sounds of the outside world, so watch what you say around her! She's continuing to kick harder everyday. Sometimes Jake and I will just sit and watch my belly move, it's really weird, but also very neat! I've definitely noticed that she has started to take up more room, sitting for too long often results in being unable to breathe. I've also started to experience some braxton hicks. Braxton hicks are essentially practice contractions, not necessarily painful (so far), but definitely unpleasant. However, I'm viewing them as a good opportunity to practice relaxing and breathing through the pain. There really isn't too much going on this week, we're just (im)patiently  waiting for our baby girl to make her debut. Hopefully these last few months will fly by!

Information about Ilyana:
EDD: February 27th (116 days)

How mom's feeling: Looking forward to February :)

How dad's feeling: Ready for Ilyana to be here!