29 Weeks Pregnant

At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to three pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His or her wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your developing fetus accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat you have, Mom) actually serves as an energy source.

Which explains why your energizer baby feels so…well…energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.

Luckily, your baby doesn't have teeth yet that would need a brushing after that sugary treat, but it won't be long before you'll need to buy that first baby toothbrush! You'll recall that your baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his or her gums as well.

Miss Molly continues to grow like crazy! Momma is getting a little less agile that is for sure!! Bryon is so funny... always asking if I am feeling better (as he hears my grunts as I try to move around). I told him to ask me the beginning of June! I began prenatal water aerobics at the Wellness Center this week and that will hopefully help! It really helps being in the water and it's fun to chat with ladies that are also getting ready to have babies. A couple of them actually are pretty much our neighbors! It will be nice to know other young families in our neck of the woods.

We are terrible at keeping secrets!!!

We completed some finishing touches on the nursery tonight... and surprise surprise... we can't keep it a secret! There is obviously a big "reveal" with sharing these. :)

Way back when we decided we would keep the name of our little one a secret until she arrived, however, her daddy keeps almost spilling the beans since he calls her by her name and talks to her constantly. :) Back in January, we had it narrowed down to two names and I told Bryon he could pick. I'm so very glad he did, because now I can't imagine it being any different! It's so perfect!

28 weeks!!!

Your developing baby, who this week weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking, coughing, and more intense sucking to his or her growing bag of tricks.
Are you dreaming about your baby? At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.
By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

I can't believe how fast time has flown! 7 months!!! 3rd Trimester! It's becoming quite the reality that there is going to be a new Crowley very soon. And we can't wait! We've ordered some finishing touches for the nursery this week, so I will be impatiently be waiting for the deliveries next week; I registered for my prenatal water aerobics class, which starts next week and booked our mini-maternity shoot with Ann when we are back in the QC --- YAY!!! It feels good to be getting necessary things accomplished! I'm a nerd that way; I'd rather be overly-prepared than not!!!

XOXO

Sneak Peek!!

Drum roll please....

Although it isn't 100% quite yet, here are the first photos of Little Miss' gorgeous nursery! We've been working hard and I personally think it looks pretty darned cute! Thanks to my hubby, for doing such a great job painting and my brother-in-law and father-in-law for helping with the furniture and to my momma for helping me with some of the finishing touches. I love, love, love it! We are still waiting on a piece of furniture and also want to place her name above the crib --- we'll unveil those soon!

I'm so happy that we've made so much progress as I enter my third trimester this week! I CANNOT believe how fast time has flown! I had my glucose test today (please pray I pass!) for gestational diabetes and tomorrow I have to go to the hospital for my RhoGam shot since I have a RH negative blood type. Gosh - I haven't had a shot in years! Should I be this nervous?! :)

The doctor says she is measuring normal and her heart rate is perfect! I didn't put on much weight at all since my last appointment (ummm... I put on quite a bit last time!) but I am good there too. Three weeks until our next and last ultrasound! Then, back to the doc every two weeks after that until our little gal makes her debut!

27 Weeks!

Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.


Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.



Baby is definitely living large these days (as she should!) I've started the lovely art of waddling! WOO HOO! I really do not have much to complain about as everything has been wonderful during my pregnancy, but with my burgeoning belly my hips, back and feet are really starting to feel the effect! It's getting harder for me to exercise, so I am looking forward to starting prenatal water aerobics and being able to walk outside once the weather is nicer! I'm hoping that it will help the aches as of course I know it is only going to get worse!!! :)



My hubby has been awesome taking care of me and this week he has gone above and beyond working really hard on the nursery! Tonight he surprised me by finishing up the paint and assembling the crib and dresser! It looks GREAT! I can't wait to get all of the accents done. Hopefully I will have pictures to post by next week!! YAY!!!!

Until then...

XOXO T