Pregnancy Journal

It's official, we've named the baby!!

Declan Michael Asay  .. Declan is pronounced like "Deck-lan" .. apparently some people are having issues w/ that, but we've decided not to change the spelling.  It means "full of goodness".

Declan is Irish, Brandon picked it... he's very proud of his Gaelic heritage!  And Michael is Brandon's middle name (and his Grandpa Vichirilli's first name).  I actually hated the name Declan when Brandon first said it too me - crinkled nose and all - but it kept coming back to my mind and the more I said it, the more I liked it.  So, it's here to stay!

It's weird, but very cool to now be able to call "the baby" by his name  :)

I didn't do an entry last week, but I am now 21 weeks..  here's what BabyCenter says:  Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

I have in fact started to notice movement patterns and I love it!  He moves everytime I eat (or shortly thereafter), he also wakes up w/ me around 7am and will kick around a little to say good morning.  Then around 4pm or so he'll swim around a little, and again around 7-8pm or so.  It'll be interesting to see if he keeps any of these patterns once he gets here :)

I've been sleeping better these days, so that's good...  anyone who knows me knows I need my sleep!  But I'm still getting up to pee several times a night.. that probably won't change for another 4 months or so.

Heartburn is still prevalent, and is sometimes more like acid reflux than anything.  Ouch!  Maybe this baby will have hair like Kenna did :)

I think I'm getting bigger by the day, but I've had several people tell me I don't even look pregnant...  yeah, right!  Brandon's sweet... while he laughs at me everytime my pant buttons have a bigger gap, he does it endearingly, and he's always rubbing my belly and telling me how cute it is.  I wonder if he'll think the same thing when I'm waddling!

I made it... I'm 1/2 way through my pregnancy!!

Here's what Baby Center says: 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. (The way your baby is measured changes now.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

I'm still having heartburn.  It's not as bad yet as I remember having w/ Kenna, but it's still miserable when it comes on.  I'm hungry all the time.. that probably won't change for another 20 weeks, so I better get used to it.

I had an odd dream the other night.  Brandon detached my big, pregnant belly and took it to the hospital for the baby to be "born", then I went in later to see the baby.  Weird.  Maybe I'm trying to hand some of this over :)

I'm officially busting out of my regular jeans.  Less than a week ago, I could do the zipper up 1/2 way then use the bella band to cover the rest.  As of this morning I couldn't do them up AT ALL!  Ugh.  I guess it's time for maternity wear.

The nursery should be finished (paint wise) this Saturday!!  It's turning out so well!  I love Brandon for being so willing to do it.  Even Kenna has been helping a little bit.  Then I can order the crib and get it set up.  I already ordered the bedding set (http://www.kidslineinc.com/products/infant/t_for_tiger.php) ... Some of it got here yesterday, the rest should be here soon.  It's so cute and soft!!  I was so excited when we found out what we were having, I just had to buy something!  I want to try to go this weekend and register, too, then use that as a checklist to get what we need, as well as for any shower I may have.

I've been doing something I never thought I would while I was pregnant.....  swimming!  In a swimming suit.  I feel self conscious in it, but I don't care.. it just feels good to get into a pool.  We'll see if I feel that way through the whole summer once I'm even bigger.