22.5 Weeks

Here are some pictures of my belly and one of Jack thrown in for good measure...




Well...my belly has finally started looking pregnant. Unfortunately, my hips and everything else are starting to look pregnant too! Ha. This week is my 22nd week and all is going well. I have no real complaints. I read somewhere that the baby is starting to be able to sense bright lights. They suggested putting a flashlight up to your belly and seeing if the baby will kick. We he didn't at first. About five minutes after our experiment we had turned off the lights to go to bed. And then I felt him kick me super hard. So, I woke Andy back up and had him put his hand on my belly. We got three really good, hard kicks. That was really cool since I've never felt him kick that hard and Andy got to experience it.

Another really exciting bit of news that I keep forgetting to blog about is that Andy has been offered a training job a the Maryland Farms YMCA. Possibly the busiest and absolute best location for training in Middle Tennessee. He starts a week from Monday and we are THRILLED for this new development. Though he is sad to leave all of his clients in Lebanon, he is entering into a whole new realm of possibilities and we're feeling pretty blessed right now.

My friend Gretchen gave us EIGHT BINS of clothing for boys from newborn until age 5. And I'm not talking just shirts and pants; I'm talking jackets, hats, shoes, socks, swimsuits, you name it. Full on wardrobes for the boy until his is at least five years old. She is an unbelievable blessing. They also gave us gates, a highchair, a swing, a crib mattress, and countless other things I can't think of on the top of my head.

After a year of definitely having some struggles and trials, we feel things are looking bright for us and can't wait to see what the rest of this year holds.

El bebe this week:

Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!

This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.