20W6D

Well, I certainly feel like I've been a bad mommy. I guess neglecting this blog now is just practice for when Mungee is really here.

I am past the 20 week mark and I am feeling Mungee move every day now. She's most active at night as I am trying to fall asleep and in the morning when I lay quietly after waking up. Within the last week, I have had two people survey my baby bump and tentatively ask, "Are you expecting?" Looks like Mungee has made her presence known!

Today I bought Mungee a couple cute sleep gowns and a jumper. She received a cute outfit from her Great-Grandmother L. Mungee's travel system from my parents, Bebe and Papa J, arrived today. Bebe also purchased a highchair she found through Craigslist, but we won't need to use that for a while.

Tomorrow I will be 21 weeks along. I won't backtrack here on the developmental progress Mungee has already made by growing so big. I will update her 21 week average stats soon.

Daddy and I love Mungee so very much and we cannot wait to meet her!

20W1D Belly Picture

Nursery Inspiration

I gathered up some pictures of some items I've bought for the nursery along with other items I'm thinking about buying and my friend S photoshopped them together into a beautiful nursery inspiration. I bought the bedding (now I'm thinking about the crib itself too, since it's so cute). The bookshelf is from Ikea and once purchased, will need to be picked up since the shipping charges are so high. The chandelier is one choice between two that I purchased. We will decide which one we like better once they arrive. The tree decal is also something I'd like to add to the room. We do want to add a white chair rail and underneath that, do faux wainscoting. Our actual wood floors are a bit more cherry than what appears in the photoshopped picture.

Inspiration:



Faux wainscoting example:

The Price of Children

I saw this posted on TheBump.com and wanted to share it here. I've modified it a little since there were Christmas references :)


Here's something absolutely positive for a change. I have seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.


The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.


But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week,
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.


Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.


What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.


For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint
* carve pumpkins
* play hide-and-seek
* catch lightning bugs
* never stop believing


You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh
* watch Saturday morning cartoons
* go to Disney movies
* wish on stars


You get to:
* frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets
* collect spray painted dreidels for Hanukkah, handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day


For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof
* taking the training wheels off a bike
* removing a splinter
* filling a wading pool
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless


You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step
* First word
* First bra and/or jock strap
* First date
* First time behind the wheel


You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.


You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!


Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren! It's the best investment you'll ever make!

Some ultrasound pics!

Our baby is measuring 18w3d and I am 18w1d, so pretty much right on track. My blood test results came back normal. I have gained about 12 pounds so far (though I kept my shoes on when I was weighed today, so I really think I have only gained 11 pounds). I go back to see the midwife in 4 weeks and then I will have the gestational diabetes test at 25 weeks.

Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound. I will post the "money shots" in a few days.

Count Down to the Ultrasound!

Our Big Ultrasound is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. We are so excited to find out if  our baby is a boy or a girl. I had strong vibes that it's a girl, but that was only when we didn't have a boy name picked out. Now that we have a boy's name, I don't really get vibes one way or the other.

We will not be announcing the outcome of the ultrasound to our families until Friday evening, therefore, I won't be updating the blog until Saturday, most likely. Don't worry, there will be an announcement soon enough :)

16W5D Update

Uterus is still moving up. It has definitely helped to create my "baby bump". The bump is smaller in the morning, but gets bigger throughout the day. I really haven't had any problems with constipation (:::keeps fingers crossed!:::)

I'm still not sure if I have felt the baby move. Our big ultrasound is in 10 days! I cannot believe it's almost here. I have been worried because we didn't have a boy name picked out, but the other day, I thought of a first name and told DH and he likes it. So we have names whether it's a boy or girl and for that, I am relieved.

In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. His heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day .

Belly Progress

4 Weeks (the day we found out) vs. 16 Weeks