20 weeks--Half Way!

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats his entire body to protect his skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in h first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

i couldn't agree more

If you've been following the news, then you know about all the controversy over Mighigan and Florida's primaries. Briefly, they broke the rules by moving up their primaries, so the DNC said their delegates wouldn't count. But the states still had their primaries early. Now some are trying to get those delegates counted anyway or figure out a way to do a re-vote.

Two CNN contributers have recently written columns about this topic. I couldn't agree with them more.

Glenn Beck: Too Bad, Michigan and Florida

After all, what would it say about personal responsibility in this country if we allow the two states that broke all the rules to end up having the biggest say of all?

Roland S. Martin: Florida, Michigan Don't Deserve Revote

No. Enough. Let's end this madness and tell Florida and Michigan that they had their shot. They blew it. It's time to move on and let the people who know how to play by the rules get on with this process. They made their bed. Now sleep in it.

I think it's a shame that so many people voted and those votes won't count, but state officials broke the rules. The people of those two states should be mad at their state officials. By no stretch of the imagination were these elections fair.

more baby clothes

Yesterday I got an email from the owner of Go Natural Baby. Justyn had stumbled across my blog and seeing as how I am pregnant and have an apparent affinity for organic baby clothes (based on my last post) she thought I'd be interested to know about her company.

From the website:

Go Natural Baby™ designs and manufactures Zah Collection™ a certified organic cotton baby and children's clothing line. We use only 100% certified organic cotton, low impact dyes, heavy metal free zippers and snaps, and fair trade practices.

And the clothes are cute too! Simple and soft with a hint of Zen. Plus they are having a sale right now.

How cozy does this look?

random pretties

I think these shoes from Delia*s are adorable. So Springy and whimsical.

Only I'm paranoid to buy new shoes in case my feet grow during pregnancy. Has anyone actually had that happen to them? It would be tragic to a shoe lover like me who already owns so many.


Someone needs to buy this dress. It is on sale right now at J.Crew. Still not cheap, I'll warn, but cheaper. And you get another 20% off. If I wasn't pregnant, I'd be sorely tempted.
I love the polka dots, don't you? And the ruffle. It's so lady like.


How cute are these?
I'm loving all the cute baby clothes from Kate Quinn Organics.
They are simple and colorful and look so cozy.
I want everything on the website.

first anniversary

One year and one day ago Jared and I were married. It was a beautiful, crisp March day in Utah. We got to celebrate with wonderful family and friends. It was perfect.

This weekend we went to Atlanta where Jared was presenting a paper at a conference. We stayed with Jared's cousin, Jonathan and his wife Kristy and their 6 beautiful kids! They were so nice and welcoming. It was really great to get to know them better. The only downside was that it was COLD! It snowed! In Georgia!

Sunday we headed back north and stayed the night in Asheville, NC. Asheville is in the western mountains of North Carolina. It is a popular spot to visit, especially in the fall when the leaves have all changed colors. Even this time of year, it was still beautiful. We stayed in a delightful Bed and Breakfast to celebrate our marriage turning one year old.


The best part was the tub!


The bed was pretty sweet too. As is the darling boy posing for this picture.


It was such a lovely weekend. We had hours to talk in the car. We got to see family. And we got to treat ourselves to a little night of luxury. I truly do love my husband more everyday. I am so blessed to be married to him. My heart is tender and full when I think of all he does for me. He showers me with love each day. I love coming home to him. He is my home.

19 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.

photo updates

Here is the latest photo update of my growing bump. It definitely looks bigger than it did a couple weeks ago. But from straight on I still don't really look that pregnant. I'm starting to feel like it more and more though. This morning I woke up to Baby Asher punching me or head butting me or something. It was the strongest I had felt it yet. I love it!


And remember a couple weeks ago I said I got something fun at Costco? Well I finally got around to getting a photo for you all to see. Check out our new dishes!

We both LOVE them! We actually never got dishes for our wedding. Most people gave us money/gift certificates and then I couldn't decide what I wanted. So we've been using totally mismatched dishes for the past year! Well, we were walking out of Costco and both of us stopped in our tracks when we saw these. We loved both colors so we got a set of each! I am especially picky about bowls, and these are the perfect shape and size. So fun!

it's a...

BOY!!!!

Yep, we having a boy, and we are SO excited! I've always wanted a boy first for some reason and Jared really wanted a boy. Last week Isaac called and asked Jared, "Daddy, when are we going to know if I am getting a little brother?" How cute is that? I couldn't be happier that Isaac is getting a little brother.

After the ultrasound technician zoomed in on the goods and declared the baby a boy, I asked her if she's ever wrong. She said she would tell us if she was unsure, but that she is 99.9% sure this is a boy. And I have to say it was quite obvious that we are having a boy!

It was also really cool to see the heart and brain and spine. He was moving all over like crazy. He is a very active little baby. I've been feeling him a lot more. Jared was even able to feel him kick yesterday. Everything looked really good and the technician said he weighs 9 ounces which is right on track. She put my due date as August 1--2 days earlier than before. But she said my doctor probably won't officially change it since it's only two days difference. I'm just glad she didn't move it back any and that this boy is growing like he should.

And now I'm sure you all are wondering what we are going to name him. Well, I won't keep it a secret. We have had this named picked out since before we were married. We both love it! Ready?

Asher Gabriel

I decided I wanted to name my son Asher after I read My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. And we just both like Gabriel a lot. So there ya go!

exhibition

On Saturday our church had a talent exhibition. They called it "A Night at the MET--Mormons Exhibiting their Talents". The first part of the program was in the chapel and performers did Church and classical music numbers. I was quite impressed with some of the talent. Then there was an intermission and in half of the gym was a visual arts display--paintings, photography, that kind of thing. Then the last part of the program was in the other half of the gym and was all secular music. This one little boy totally blew us all away singing. He was probably 8 years old and had this fantastic voice. It was a really fun night. And I even decided to participate by displaying a few photographs. These have all made appearances before around here, but for all you new readers, I thought I'd post them again anyway.

New Mexico Wild Flowers, August 2007

Pioneer Day Grace, Utah, July 2007

Utah Mountains, July 2007

Jared in dry creek bed, North Carolina, October 2007

North Carolina Woods, October 2007

At the risk of tooting my own horn a little, I have to share something that totally made my night. After the program, Jared and I gathered up my photos to take home and were walking out of the gym when this man stopped us. He said, "Oh I haven't seen these yet. Will you show them to me?" Of course I did and he wanted me to explain each photo--where I took it, etc. He was really complimentary. Turns out he is a professional photographer. He has done some workshops and such for different things. It really made me feel good to have someone who knows what they are talking about compliment my photos. Because I am FAR from a professional. I've taken all of one photography class 4 years ago and don't even have a nice camera. I have so much to learn. It felt so good to be validated like that by someone who knows his stuff.

18 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

This week has been really good. I'm feeling the baby move more and more. The feelings are getting more distinct now too. And I swear I actually saw a couple kicks the other day when I was lying in bed! Tuesday is U-day! I hope this babe cooperates.