Belly Pic: 27.5 Weeks

27 weeks, 3 days

How is it possible that I still have 3 months to go?! Where is she going to fit??



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Milestone: Baby Hiccups!

27 weeks, 2 days

I'd read a few days ago that around this point in the pregnancy one could feel the baby hiccuping. I was excited to hear that and I wondered what it'd feel like... and then yesterday at work, I was feeling Baby G moving around all day. Then I felt something on my stomach that felt like my pulse -- a twitch that was rythmic and persistant. I thought perhaps I was sitting wrong and maybe my pants were causing it. But I shifted and the twitch continued... then it dawned on me that these were hiccups!! So cute! Then last night I woke up she had them again and Jorge was able to feel it! So sweet! We can't wait to meet you, Baby G!!

Gifts from Amanda

27 weeks, 1 day pregnant

Today I had lunch with a friend of ours, Amanda Brooks. She's the lovliest person! she's 8 months pregnant with her second and we had a wonderful time talking babies over burritos. She brought us the most thoughtful gifts!

Sleep sacks with muffin cuffs:





Baby 411 Book, which I hear is the go-to Baby Guide!



So thoughtful of her!

The Office - Married at Niagara Falls!

27 weeks pregnant

So on my favorite show, the Office, my two favorite characters, Pam & Jim finally tied the knot. Horray! And guess where they got married? At Niagara Falls! So romantic! I couldn't help but get a bit teary when I saw them on the Maid of the Mist! Jorge and I were just there last week!!

Baby This Week: 27 weeks

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle!

Belly Pic: 26.5 Weeks

Here is how big Baby G has gotten this week! She keeps growing and growing! I've gained about 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, with no signs of stopping. Baby G has gone from kicking to rolling around and she likes to poke and kick. She also enjoys hanging out in a particular corner on the right side of my ribs.... not very comfortable for mom!



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Baby This Week: 26 weeks

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days.

On Vacation - Hyde Park, NY

25 weeks, 6 days pregnant

The last leg of our trip was to Hyde Park, New York. There we toured Springwood, the house of our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. The house was really pretty and you can see the ramps that were built to accomodate his wheelchair. We also took a tour of the FDR Presidential Library and it was fascinating to learn more about him and his life, as well as the impact he and Eleanor had on our country.





"Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) a four term president and the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. Often referred to by his initials, FDR won his first of four presidential elections in 1932, while the United States was in the depths of the Great Depression. His combination of optimism and economic activism is often credited with keeping the country's economic crisis from developing into a political crisis. He led the United States through most of World War II, and died in office of a cerebral hemorrhage, shortly before the war ended."

His inauguration on March 4, 1933 occurred in the middle of a bank panic, hence the backdrop for his famous words: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." It was so interesting to draw the parallels of the state of the economy as it was then to what it is now. Very applicable to today!



"Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and assumed a role as an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an internationally prominent author, speaker, politician, and activist for the New Deal coalition. She grew into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. Her constant work to improve their lot made her one of the most loved--and one of the most revered--women of her generation."

She has some really great quotes, here are some of my faves:

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself."

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself."

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."


We also took a tour of the Vanderbilt House that was just down the street from FDR's house. It was one of his brothers that built the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina -- where Jorge and I got engaged!



"Modeled after the English country house, Frederick William Vanderbilt's 54-room country palace in Hyde Park, built in 1898, is one of the first steel-framed houses in the U.S., and at 55,000 square feet, was actually the smallest and least expensive of the famed Vanderbilt mansions. Decorated in grand French style, the mansion is located on a beautiful spot on the Hudson and is both a historic home to visit and a great picnic spot for those who live in the area."

On Vacation - Toronto, Canada

25 weeks, 5 days pregnant

Since we were in Canada, Jorge and I decided we had to go to Toronto. The night we arrived we went to see the CN Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world. It was perfect timing, as we got to see spectacular views of the city at sunset. They also have a glass floor that you can stand on and you can see the city below your feet!







"The CN Tower, located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a communications and observation tower standing 1,815.4 ft tall. It surpassed the height of the Ostankino Tower while still under construction in 1975, becoming the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world. On September 12, 2007, after holding the record for 31 years, the CN Tower was surpassed in height by the still-under-construction Burj Dubai.[3] It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Americas, the signature icon of Toronto's skyline, and a symbol of Canada."

We also went to see a historic house called Casa Loma. It is a gorgeous house -- it looks like a castle really! -- and was the former estate of Sir Henry Pellatt, a prominent Toronto financier, industrialist and military man. Casa Loma was constructed over a three-year period from 1911-1914.











We also went to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) where they happened to have the Dead Sea Scrolls on display! It was absolutely fascinating to see these ancient documents from around the 2nd century BC! We couldn't take pictures inside, but here are some I found online.



"The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely considered among the greatest archaeological finds of the past century. They include the earliest written sources for the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament), as well as other less well known writings. Many of the ideas and beliefs contained in this collection of ancient parchments have resonated through the centuries and remain influential today. Indeed, they reflect the foundations of important religions such as Judaism and Christianity and have influenced Islam.

Dating from around 250 Before Common Era (BCE) to 68 Common Era (CE), the Scrolls include some 207 biblical manuscripts representing nearly all of the books in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). Between 1947 and 1956, approximately 900 Scrolls were discovered in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. Some almost entirely preserved and others in fragments. Together, they comprise one of the most important collections of writings ever discovered. The Scrolls are a collection of biblical writings, apocryphal manuscripts, prayers, biblical commentary and religious laws. Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the oldest known copies of biblical texts were written 1,000 years later."

We also saw dinosaur skeletons... check out this one that looks like he's having our heads for dinner, LOL!

On Vacation - Niagara Falls

25 weeks, 2 days pregnant

This week Jorge and I are out of town. We are on our little Baby-moon in Canada! Jorge and I drove from Long Island, NY to Niagara Falls. Then we'll be visiting Toronto, Canada and then to Hyde Park, NY.

Niagara Falls has been great! A little chilly (especially compared to Florida weather) and a bit overcast, but it's been very nice! We stayed at a Hampton Inn not too far from the falls and when we got into town, we drove past the falls at night. They were all lit up! It was gorgeous!



The following morning we went to see the Falls... they were enormous! It's amazing how big they are! We took a tour on a boat called "The Maid of the Mist" and it takes you close to the falls. They gave us ponchos to wear, which is perfect because we were able to use them later in the day when it got rainy.





We also went on a tour that took us behind the falls, to some tunnels where you can see the falls from behind going past right in front of you!





Our last tour was a 4D video of how the Niagara was formed and the history behind it. Here are some fascinating facts!

•Over 12,000 years ago, Niagara Falls extended seven miles down river at what is now Lewiston, New York and Queenston, Ontario. Over the years, the brink has eroded to its present site. The erosion is controlled and where it would once erode 10 feet per year, it now only erodes 1 foot every 10 years.

•In 1869, a 63-year-old school teacher was the first person to survive going over the falls. She did it in an oak barrel.

•In the "Miracle at Niagara," Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island. Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat.

•In March of 1848, the waters stopped flowing over Niagara's famous cliff when the Niagara River was plugged temporarily at the mouth of the river in Fort Erie, Ontario.

Belly Pic: 25.5 Weeks

Here's this week's belly picture, straight to you from Niagara Falls!! Baby G has gone international!!



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Baby Shower Invite: Coworker Shower

25 weeks, 2 days pregnant

My wonderful coworkers are having a shower for me & Baby G and I'm so excited! Beth and Sara are working on it and they've been so wonderful! Sara designed the invitations and I got to see them on Wednesday! Sooooo cute! I love them!



Later I found out that Sara was able to print them from work and my boss and a few other coworkers conspired to keep me distracted so I wouldn't notice. LOL! So thoughtful!

Thoughtful Gifts From Karina!

25 weeks, 1 day pregnant

I just have to send a big thank you to Karina for the thoughtful gifts she sent! She mailed me these adorable outfits that her little 3 month old already grew out of. Plus she sent me a bunch of maternity clothes! It was perfect timing -- I barely fit into anything these days!! It was so thoughtful of her! :)

How cute are these little onesies??

Baby This Week: 25 weeks

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Baby Shower Invites

23 weeks, 6 days pregnant

Here's a preview of the Baby Shower Invitations I made! (For security reasons, I omitted the addresses.)

One is for the baby shower my sister Cindy is throwing me. It's nesting themed and has a little bird at the bottom, with the little nest at the top -- there will even be a little sign that says "About to Hatch." Everything will be bird and egg related! So excited!



And the other is for the shower my family is throwing me the following week. This one will be teddy bear themed. I was hoping to get pink gummy bears (my favorite!) for the favors, but it doesn't seem like they sell them only in pink. Oh well - I'm using pink and brown m&m's so it'll still be cute!



Can you tell I love the pink and brown combination? LOL! It's the same color scheme I had for my wedding!

My good friend Beth is also throwing me a shower with my coworkers, and one of the other designers on my team, Sara, is working on the invites... I haven't seen them yet, but I know they're going to look great! :)

I'm so excited for my showers!! YAY!!! :)

Belly Pic: 24.5 Weeks

24 weeks, 3 days pregnant

Here's this weeks belly picture... I've officially lost sight of my feet.



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Baby This Week: 24 weeks

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

First Registry Gift! From Grammy!

23 weeks, 4 days pregnant

Last week, Jorge and I received our first gift from our registry! It was from Jorge's mom, aka "Grammy"! It's a musical carseat arch that hangs from the carseat handle or from the stroller. It has bright colors and when you press the toy in the middle it plays a cute little tune. Adorable!! I put it up to my tummy so Baby G could hear! I think she liked it! ;) Thanks, Mrs. G!!!

Visit From the Quintanas

23 weeks, 3 days pregnant

Our good friends, Jorge and Amanda Quintana and their adorable daughter Caitlyn were in town today from Tennessee! The last time we saw Caitlyn she was about 9 months old... now she's 3! She's the cutest thing ever! She kept saying the most random things... "My hands are under the blanket. My hands are scared." Bahahahahahaha! Oh she cracked me up! :) I can't wait till we have our little one! :)

Belly Picture: 23.5 Weeks

23 weeks, 3 days pregnant

Seems like we're going through a growth spurt -- she's more and more active every week! :)

I swear, just when I think to myself, "Hmmm... I don't think I've grown much since last week..." I take a look and compare my tummy to the week before! My goodness how we've grown!



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