Week 25

Dear Ellison,
You are 25 weeks old now!  Head to heel, you're measuring about 13.5 inches and weigh about 1.5 pounds!  You're really starting to pack on some baby fat now and because of this, you're skin is starting to smooth out.  If you are going to be born with hair (which I'm pretty sure you will if your Daddy and I are any indication!) we would now be able to discern its color and texture.  Your sense of equilibrium is really kicking in and you're starting to be able to tell which way is up and which is down.  Here are the little details of the week...

How Far Along? Twenty Five Weeks...105 days to go!

Weight Gain?  I'm really not sure...I haven't been keeping up this week.  But, I definitely feel like I'm getting bigger by the minute now!  To be perfectly honest, it's freaked me out for a while to be gaining weight like this...I mean, we go our whole lives trying not to pack on the pounds and all of a sudden we have to switch our mindset!  If we are all telling the truth, watching the numbers go up is not fun.  With that said, I have decided to really just embrace the belly.  Whether I end up gaining 20 pounds or 60 pounds by the time this is all said and done, if Ellison is happy and healthy, so is momma :-)  I think I'm somewhere around 16 pounds gained, but we'll find out for sure at our appointment next week.
Sleep?  Sleep is still really good, so I'm counting my blessings!

Miss Anything?  Shopping the sale racks.  Maternity clothes are not cheap.  Someone seriously needs to develop a disposable fashion line for pregnany folks.  Think Forever 21...but much, much bigger.  :-)

Movement?  Ellison is such a wiggle worm!  She kicks and wiggles constantly!  I love, love, love that Barrett can feel her now.  I think it's very cool for him to be able to physically connect with her.  I think she is probably still sitting breach because almost all of her big, strong kicks are very low in my belly.  Whenever she really gets going, I'll catch myself stopping what I'm doing just to pay full attention to her!

Food Cravings? Still fruit.  I've also eaten a good bit of shrimp lately and strawberry frozen yogurt has made quite a few appearances after dinner!

Any Aversions? Yep...still eggs and big chunks of chicken.

Gender? It's a GIRL ~ Ellison Gray.

Symptoms?  I've started to get very mild leg cramps in the morning when I wake up.  It hasn't been a major issues yet, but if I stretch really big and point my toes, my calf tightens up a bit.  I am trying to focus more on stetching with flexed feet.  My yoga teacher said that she's heard coconut water can help because it's loaded with potassium.  I have also heard that it tastes like dirty socks, so I am debating whether or not to pick some up on the next grocery run.  I have also gotten big enough now that I'm not fitting into places as easily as I used to!  At work this week, I was trying to squeeze between a bed and the wall to plug in an IV pole, and I couldn't quite fit in the space!  Oopsie...used to fit there!  I've also been a little more clumsy...bonking my head or arms or belly on random walls and surfaces!

Best Moment this Week?  The nursery is painted!  We also got a delivery date set for the furniture...so I am super excited to get things together!  I also found a dress for my first baby shower in a couple of weeks and went shopping for a few more maternity items to add to my closet.  Thank you, thank you to Cindy for my dress and pants!  We also got our stroller and car seat in and put together...thank you, thank you Susan!  Another big thing...that I forgot to mention last week...is that we are officially to the "viable" point in our pregnancy.  This means that if Ellison decided to make her arrival now (which we have no intention of her doing!), she would have a chance of surviving on her own (with the help of some major medical interventions).  So, while 24/25 weeks is not when we would ever choose to have our baby girl come into the world, it is a bit of a relief to cross that first major hurdle.  :-)

Looking Forward To...  A super short work week!  I'll be at work Monday and Tuesday, am off Wednesday, and then fly out to DC for the Child Life Conference Thursday-Sunday.  I am not looking forward to the regional jet that will be getting me from Charlotte to DC without the soothing comfort of a nice little cocktail though!  :-)  Barrett is heading to New Orleans at the same time for a bacheor party...and while I am sure he'll be having much more fun than I will be, I am happy to have a distraction so I'm not constantly thinking about the trouble he and his friends can get into in the Big Easy!