Grow, Baby, Grow!

Gabriel is a papaya this month...and he finally weighs a pound! He is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. And, he is starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. He is awake and moves around most in the morning time, right when I get to work. But I think he sleeps the rest of the day away! He must take after his mommy on the whole sleeping ordeal ;)

I'm still feeling great! I've noticed some weird and strange things going on with my belly button though! It seems to be a LOT shallower these days! No new cravings...still fruit, fruit, fruit! We should have bought stock at Publix, because of all the cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelons we've been buying these past few months.

In other news, Baby Ty is here! Marianne had him Friday afternoon at 4pm via an emergency C-section. His heartrate had dropped, so they decided to go ahead and take him after two full days of Marianne having contractions. I know she is relieved that he is finally here! He weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 inches long, and is soooo cute. Mommy and baby are doing great and will be home Tuesday!

Measuring in at almost a foot long, Gabriel is the size of a banana this week! He is continuing to grow and develop inside of me. In the coming weeks he will continue to grow and mature a fast rate. His eyes have developed but his irises still lack color. He is also moving around a lot more these days! I've been feeling some strange movements going on in my stomach! His muscles are getting stronger by the day, so I know his daddy is so very proud of him! We even bought him a onesie the other day that said, "Eat Spinach, Grow Muscles." Too cute.

Well, I've finally reached the point where I can't see my toes. I had no idea until Cole asked me last night! I looked down, and lo and behold...all I saw was carpet. I kept inching one of my toes up until I could see them, and I was about one foot length ahead of the other one when I finally saw them! It was a very funny realization. I've also had a much tougher time standing up here lately. Things are definitely starting to change!

On a side note, Cole's 26th birthday was this past weekend! We had a great dinner at Sweet Bones Alabama and strolled around the Summit afterwards. Oh, and I found the cutest store ever, called Janie and Jack. Everything in there was absolutely adorable. Saturday night we had dinner with his parents, and Sunday night we had dinner with mine. Happy Birthday honey!

He is a Cantaloupe!

Gabriel is a cantaloupe this week...and we are halfway there! He is gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, his taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. So I hope he is enjoying cantaloupe, because that's what I've been eating lots of this week!

I think I've been feeling him wiggle around, but it is still so hard to tell. I have been feeling lots of little twitches...sort of like when your eye has a twitch. Most people say you'll feel flutters or pops, but not me! Maybe in the next few weeks they will grow to be full blown kicks!

Other than that, not too much to report!

He's a Mango!

Baby Bears is 19 weeks, almost halfway there! He's drinking and swallowing amniotic fluid, and is growing fine hair all over his body. His teeth are now beneath his gums too. He is doing great!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and everything seems to be looking good. He is measuring right on track, and was pretty active in the ultrasound. At one point, he even had his hands held together like he was praying! Sooo cute.

Baby Bears also now officially has a name! After careful consideration and going through TONS of name websites, we can officially call him Gabriel Alexander Two Bears. Sort of a big name for such a little guy, but we love it. Gabriel means "Hero of God" which we thought was so neat. He was also one of the angels in the Bible.

This past Tuesday, we celebrated our two year anniversary with a special dinner at Ocean. It's hard to believe it's already been two years!!! I have been blessed with such a wonderful and caring husband who does everything in the world for me! At this point, I can think of nothing I want more than to see sweet Gabriel's face and to meet him for the first time. We are both so lucky and so blessed to have a little one on the way, and we both cannot wait! His nursery is painted (thanks mom and dad!), his furniture is up, his bedding is set up in the crib, and his new glider is in place and ready to be put to good use. Now hurry up and get here...these next 20 weeks seem like they're going to be so long!

One potato, two potatoes...

So this one is a little late, but Little Bear is (was) a sweet potato this week! He is continuing to grow and develop his tiny organs, and he can now make more movements, like blinking, sucking and even hiccuping. He can also yawn, swallow and stretch! It's hard to imagine something so small is moving like crazy! My next doctor's appointment is this week, and we will get an in depth ultrasound, so we are very excited to see how much he has grown!

It has been such a busy week! Last weekend was sooo much fun with the little bit of snow we had. Sadie had never seen snow before, and didn't know what to do with it! She kept digging and sniffing it. I snapped this picture when she ran outside and saw it for the first time. She stuck her whole face in it!

We've started getting the nursery put together, too. Last Sunday, mom and dad came over to paint. I got his bedding in this week too, and put it all together. I can't wait for everything to be finished.

Yesterday, me, my mom, my aunt, grandmother and sister all went baby shopping! It was so much fun. We started at Cottontails, then hit up a few baby boutiques afterwards. I'm trying not to buy too many things right now, but it is so hard! Everything I see is too cute not to get. Today we have just been lounging around the house and spending time outside in the nice weather. It's so strange that last weekend it snowed, and this weekend it was like 75 degrees! Crazy Alabama weather!!! Anyways, I'll try to do a better job updating next week!