The nursery has begun....

Phase 1: Painting!

Spa date for mom & dad!

Yesterday, Gabe and I spent the afternoon at the Langham Spa where we had an amazing couple's massage! A much needed relaxing luxury for both of us! We know these days won't come often once our little dude arrives so we're really eating up our "free time" with each other. We went out to dinner 3 nights in a row the past few days and are seeing as many movies as we can. Luckily, we know we have several excited grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends looking forward to his arrival though! We're feeling very fortunate for all these willing and able babysitters. :)

23 week belly shots

A large mango at 23 weeks!

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

22 weeks and a few days....

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

He's still a boy!

We had our anatomy scan yesterday at 21 weeks and were able to confirm that our Little Dude is still a Dude! :) Everything looks great...10 fingers, 10 toes, healthy brain, heart, kidneys, etc...and weighing in at 1 pound exactly! Our ultrasound technician, Rachel is so cool... we have had her since day 1 throughout this process and we always end up all laughing about something funny Gabe says during the ultrasound. Yesterday, Gabe thought the penis did not look as big as the first time we saw it at 12 weeks. Needless to say, Rachel and I cracked up and reminded him that he has almost 10 more weeks of baby fat and growth on him now. Rachel was nice enough to check out what our little guy looks like in 3D right now and printed the above picture for us. We will go back for the real 3D/4D session at 28 weeks.

We also met Dr. Park yesterday who is one of the 3 doctors in the practice...Dr. Jick, our primary doctor was out yesterday. Dr. Park was so nice and so sweet! If something were to happen and Dr. Jick couldn't be there for our birth, I would be totally comfortable with Dr. Park! This was a huge relief. She checked my chart and said that everything seems to be moving along perfectly. I've gained about 10 lbs at this point and she said she aims for 25-35 total...I'm hoping I don't get up that high though! :)

Stay tuned for more updates on Baby Lefebvre!

21 weeks pregnant with a Carrot...

Here's an update on how he's growing:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

We spent our 21st week celebration up north in Shell Beach for the Martin Luther King long weekend, a mini-babymoon, and Gabe's pre-30th birthday. Such a gorgeous weekend...sunny, 78 degrees, and felt like summer! I decided to bravely bare my very pale belly for the first time by the pool. The weather was too perfect not to! Our little man is kicking like crazy these days and I was able to see it for the first time from the outside over the weekend. Such a crazy and surreal feeling! Pretty amazing!

Dad's in Training

Gabe & Andy tackled the strollers last night! Some before & after shots...looks like they're ready for babies! :)

We're half way there!!!

We made it to 20 weeks on Saturday!!! Cannot believe we are into our second half of this journey already. I'm feeling amazing and definitely looking pregnant now! On Saturday, our little guy kicked me like crazy in my rib for about 3 hours during the day...this was the first time I have felt him during the day, not in the morning or at night while lying still in bed. I was shopping with Mom and we were actually talking about him when he started kicking. I'm pretty sure he knew we were talking about him. :) He kept it up for the rest of the afternoon! It is the most amazing and surreal feeling.



Here's an update of his growth:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Soccer player in the making....

Our internet has been out for a week so I haven't been able to update! But 2 nights ago, Gabe felt our little guy kick for the first time!! I was shocked because most people say that Dad usually can't feel it for a while since the kicks aren't as strong from the outside yet. Well, our little soccer player wanted Gabe to know that he was there...while we were lying in bed, I felt him kick 2 little kicks and told Gabe...Gabe reached over to see if he could feel and immediately upon placing his hand on my stomach, the little guy kicked a huge kick!! Gabe and I were both freaking out and so excited! This has made it more real for both of us and we cannot wait to meet this guy. :) 20 weeks tomorrow...half way there!!!

Belly shots to come!