Beginning Week 27!

Baby Growth in Week 27

Your baby is now 14 inches long and weighs 2¼ pounds.

Around week 11 your baby’s eye lids became fused, but around the 27th to 28th week babies can open and close their eyes. Your baby has also developed a regular wake and sleep cycle. Unfortunately, it may not be the same as yours. You may also begin to feel rhythmic movements in your uterus and wonder what is going on. It is likely that your baby is experiencing a case of the hiccups. This is completely normal and may occur quite frequently during this last part of your pregnancy as your baby’s lungs continue to mature.

Christmas 2006!

Well, it's December 26th and most of the Christmas festivities are over, which makes me a little sad. It always goes so quick, but it was a WONDERFUL weekend! We spent the 23rd with Brian's extended family. There are currently 3 baby girls under the age of seven months in that family, so everyone is excited about us adding another boy! We shared Christmas Eve with Brian's family. We opened presents in the afternoon and then headed to Mass. After Mass we headed out to Easton for our now traditional Christmas Eve dinner at P.F. Chang's. Christmas day was spent with the Glandon's/McLaughlin's with more presents to open, the traditional standing rib roast dinner, the Chinese gift exchange, and a fun game of Pictionary - guys vs. girls. It was another Christmas full of memories to cherish as we head into a new year! It makes Brian a little emotional to think about how these traditions, as well as new ones, will be shared with our own child next Christmas. We hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday and we wish you all many blessings in the new year!

Brian and I with Baby Sauer on Christmas Day at Grandma and Grandpa Glandon's house.
Mommy and Daddy Sauer outside P.F. Chang's at Easton on Christmas Eve.

Nuge was having fun helping cousin Heidi and Aunt Aimee open presents!
Here's Baby Sauer with his cousin Heidi on Christmas Eve. This time next year there will be two little one's running/crawling around!
We had Christmas with my sister's family Thanksgiving weekend. Here's Baby Sauer with his cousin Megan as she opens her presents!

New Belly Pics!

Here I am at 25 weeks and 4 days! Compared to these pictures, the first belly pics I posted don't even look like I am pregnant!

Beginning Week 26!

Only 3 and a 1/2 months left. I can't believe it!

Baby Growth in Week 26

Your baby is around 13 inches long and weighs 2 pounds.

The development that is occurring at this stage may seem small and insignificant, but it is very important as your baby begins to prepare for his/her entry into the world. The nerves in the ears are developing and allowing your baby to respond more consistently to the sounds that he/she hears. Your baby is also continuing to swallow amniotic fluid which is causing his/her lungs to develop. If you are having a little boy, his testicles have begun their descent into his scrotum.

Beginning Week 25!

This week has been interesting! The most exciting thing that happened was that Brian was able to feel the baby move a couple of times. Baby Sauer definitely gives me a good whack every now and then, and he moves pretty rapidly a couple of times a day now! The pregnancy fatigue has started again, and I am pooped after a long day at work. I don't think I got my whole 2nd trimester's worth of feeling great. I have some slight discomfort, but still mild and not all the time. I can barely tie my shoes the way I used to, and I think what they call "pregnancy dementia" as well as the "dropsies" is upon me. I don't know how many times I dropped a pen, or a piece of paper, or a pointer today at work! Not to mention that my amount of patience decreases each day (my poor students - I think fatigue is to blame for this).

When I saw the Dr. this past Friday, she did admit that 1 lb. at the time of my ultrasound was on the big side, but nothing abnormal. I just know I am going to deliver a 9 pounder (ahhhh!). I've been praying for less than 10 hours of labor, and a baby that weighs no more than 8 lbs. Oh, and of course that he is healthy! We'll see if my prayers are answered :)!

I will have to have Brian take new belly pictures this weekend. Everyone at work keeps saying, "You're getting big!"

Baby Growth in Week 25

Your baby is now 12 inches long and weighs anywhere from 1½ to 1¾ pounds.

While it does not appear that your baby is that big, he or she is slowly gaining some baby fat, making his/her appearance less wrinkled. If your baby has hair, the color and texture could be seen at this point. However, it can change after the baby is born.

Beginning Week 24!

Our little boy's feet are causing me some discomfort. We've been having little chats about needing to CHANGE positions! Otherwise, all is well :)!

Baby Growth in Week 24

Your baby is now 11 inches long and weighs 1¼ to 1½ pounds.

Your baby's brain is growing rapidly at this time. Taste buds are also developing, and the lungs are becoming more developed and complex. The branches of the main lung are beginning to form as well as special cells that will produce surfactant. Surfactant is necessary for the air sacs to inflate easily. Babies who are born prematurely often have trouble breathing because these cells have not had enough time to develop or are not producing the necessary amounts of surfactant.

The Baby Room Begins!

The baby room has begun! Here's Daddy Brian putting the crib together. It didn't seem too bad until he had to put on the side that slides up and down!
The dresser - why does it have to have so many pieces?
Well after recovering a missing piece to the crib from Babies R' Us, a sliced thumb (Brian's) from opening the dresser package with a pair of scissors, and some supervision from Nuge, we now have a completed crib and dresser thanks to all of Daddy's hard work!
This shows how we are going to paint the room, but instead of a light blue we are going to use more of a navy blue. We are going to put up a chair rail just like the picture shows as well. Bedding not included, although we are going to accent the room with some sports touches!

Beginning Week 23!

Baby Growth in Week 23

Your baby has finally reached a weight of 1 pound and is approximately 10 inches long.

Your baby is continuing to gain weight, but the next several weeks will be when he/she really begins to fill out. Lanugo, or the fine hair that covers your baby’s body, may darken at this point allowing it to be seen on an ultrasound. Your baby is also beginning to look more like it will at birth.

Thanksgiving Weekend!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend eating, laughing, shopping, playing cards, and watching football with the FAM! Baby Sauer and his 4-month old cousin Megan even had fun taking turns kicking each other! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Glandon and Aunt Angie and Uncle Dave, we now have a crib and dresser/changing table for Baby Sauer. They are sitting in boxes waiting for Daddy Brian to put them together. Here we are with some of Baby Sauer's beautiful girl cousins (once removed of course)!

Here we are at Megan's baby blessing. Baby Sauer will have his turn in the Spring!

Beginning Week 22!

Baby Growth in Week 22

Your baby is approximately 9 inches long and weighs a whole 14 ounces.

Your baby has pretty much taken on the form of a newborn baby, but is incredibly small. Much development will continue to occur over the next 18 weeks. His or her skin appears wrinkly, but this is because he/she has not yet gained enough weight to fill the skin out. The lips are becoming more distinct. The eyes have completely formed, but the iris (the colored portion of the eye) still lacks pigment. The eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and the pancreas is continuing to mature.

It's a BOY!

Today was the big day, and it's definitely a boy! Little Baby Sauer was more than willing to show all his parts! He was moving all over the place! Everything looked normal and good, and he now weighs 1 lb. Brian and I both just stared in awe as we watched him dance around on the monitor. You really can see the baby much clearer on the screen than in any picture.

The pictures are as follows...
1) Profile view - you can see his cute little nose (must be his dad's)
2) His leg - shows up on the right side, thigh on the bottom, bends in the middle (looks like there is a fist resting on the knee), and the foot is on top (very faint) where he kicks me all the time
3) His male parts - he is mooning us! His parts stick out from between the cheeks (I love the arrow that points to it and says, "male.").
4) His beautiful little face - the two black holes on the left side are the eyes, and the white part in between is the nose
5) The back of his head and an arm - it looks like he is waving
6) His spine and ribs
*If you click on the pictures, you can see a larger image!

I am still trying to fully comprehend that there is a living life inside of me! But this does make it VERY exciting!

Buckeye Baby!

Even Baby Sauer got dressed up for the BIG OSU vs. Michigan football game. He/she was kickin' and cheerin' all through the game!






Just for the record, the score was OSU 42, Michigan 39. GO BUCKS! National Championship game here we come!

Beginning Week 21!

Baby Growth in Week 21

Your baby has grown to 8 ½ inches long and weighs 12 ounces.

Your baby’s eyelids have finished forming this week, and he/she is very busy moving around and swallowing amniotic fluid. You most likely have felt your baby move by this time and have realized that he/she is not necessarily on the same schedule that you are. As your baby swallows amniotic fluid, his/her digestive tract is continuing to mature. Your baby is also receiving some of the caloric intake from the amniotic fluid. If your baby is a little girl, then her vagina has fully formed but will continue to develop until her birth.

Definite Movement!

Well, Sunday night while lying down and watching TV, I finally felt what I thought was the baby moving! Then yesterday at work, while reading my class a story I finally had that moment where I thought, "That definitely had to be the baby!" It felt like a soft double punch below my belly button. Since then I have felt several "twitching" (best word I have found yet to describe what I feel) movements, especially when I lay down!

Recently I have been in awe at the thought of what is actaully happening inside of me. When I really start to think about it all, I wonder if I am even beginning to grasp what is taking place. It truly is amazing how life begins, and I am so thankful that I get to experience it first-hand!

Into week 20!

Well, I am 19 weeks and 2 days now! Heard the baby's heartbeat again yesterday at the Dr's. Can't wait until our ultrasound - just 9 days to go! I had some bloodwork done a couple of weeks ago to check the possibility of the baby having Down's or a spinal cord defect, and the results came back showing that we don't need to worry about either! I don't think I have felt the baby move yet, but maybe the shifting and the dull pain of some other organs trying to find new homes! Everyone keeps talking about me feeling a "flutter," but I have yet to determine what exactly that might feel like from the inside! Looking forward to the baby getting big enough for me to actually feel him/her kick around some! It should be any day now!

The belly pictures are from this past week.

Baby Growth in Week 20

Up until this point your baby’s length was measured from the crown of their head to the bottom of their rear end. Now your baby’s length is measured from crown to heel. Your baby is about 8 inches long and weighs 9 ounces.

Your baby is covered in a white substance called vernix caseosa. This substance helps protect your baby’s skin from becoming irritated while submersed in amniotic fluid, and it also aids the baby's passage through the birth canal during labor. Your baby is beginning to produce meconium, a dark green or black sticky substance that constitutes a baby’s first messy diaper. A few babies pass meconium while in the uterus or during labor. Meconium consists of cell loss, amniotic fluid that has been swallowed, and digestive secretions.

Beginning Week 19!

I can't believe I am only two weeks away from being half-way through my pregnancy! Had a pregnancy massage yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it! Why haven't I ever had a real massage before now? I am going to try and get one at least every month (it's supposed to be really good for the baby)!

Baby Growth in Week 19

Your baby has grown so much during these 19 weeks but is only 7 ½ inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. Don’t worry, he/she still has a lot of growing left to do.

While your baby is continuing to grow, the development that is occurring is very specific. For example, the kidneys are making urine, and hair is beginning to sprout on his/her scalp. The parts of the brain that are responsible for the senses are specializing. If you are having a baby girl, she already has 6 million eggs formed in her ovaries.

It's this easy?

Okay- I never realized how easy starting one of these Blogs could be, but when I showed Brian the pictures of Baby Hoyt he asked, "How come you don't start one?" So, I checked it out and literally less than 5 minutes later here I am posting my first comment! I am 17 weeks and 3 days today! I won't bore any of you with how the baby has grown so far, but will probably add the week by week growth status just for my own enjoyment! So far everything is normal with the pregnancy and we have heard a strong, healthy heartbeat during the last 2 appointments. We have another regular check-up on November 10th, and our BIG ultrasound is on November 20th! Hopefully, our little baby will cooperate so we can find out what we are having! I can finally feel my uterus now! My doctor was trying to get me to feel it at the last appointment but it all felt the same to me (this is done by just pressing on the belly). It is sitting right below my belly button now, which I think is where it is supposed to be at the END of this week (I fear I am going to have a big baby like his/her uncle Eric)! Everyone is beginning to notice that I am pregnant and I am wearing nothing but maternity clothes or very loose and baggy items. I have posted the belly pics from week 15, but I am definately beginning to grow now! Check back every now and then for more updates!