5 and a half months!

I am in my 22nd week and am starting to look it! I went maternity clothes shopping this weekend with Robin and Laura and Robin bought me several staples that were much needed for work. I hadn't been able to button my pants for about a month so the minute I tried on those maternity pants, I was hooked. No more belly band for me- I'll stick with the maternity pants, thank you! Thank you Robin for treating me to the new clothes- I am so appreciative!

Baby is about 11 inches long (the length of a spaghetti squash) and still weighs about a pound. Chris just let me know he'd rather me use the length of a Subway footlong to describe her length, instead of spaghetti squash, which is what baby center used to describe. So, there you have it. I have a footlong in my belly. Turns out she's already cost us a lot more than $5.

We are starting to get closer to picking a name- we have a short list that we've narrowed down to and are considering: Abigail, Emily, Madison and Madeleine. No middle names yet. Such a hard decision! Anyone have any thoughts?

Canteloupe?!

My weekly email just let me know that baby girl is the size of a canteloupe! Does anyone else think that's huge? She still only weighs about one lb. though. Along with noises outside the womb, baby girl can also hear my heartbeat and stomach rumblings. I try to sing to her when I'm in the car. I think she likes it.

AND! I cannot be 100% certain, but I think she did a hitchkick today. Pretty sure she is going to be a dancer like mom. Yay!

I saw this video earlier in the week and it cracked me up. So many parts of this video remind me of Chris already so I cannot imagine when he's toting after his little daughter.

It's a Dad's Life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGE1tqyyiRQ&feature=player_embedded

(You may have to copy and paste the link in another window.)

Enjoy!

Baby girl is kicking!

I am officially in the second half of my pregnancy- 21 weeks! I cannot believe it, actually.

Since the last post, I have had a few people inquire about the pink fur coat Chris wanted to buy. Here it is from Gymboree's web site:

Pretty cute, huh? You cannot tell in the picture, but the newborn coat is literally the size of Chris's palm. It's sooo cute. Maybe we'll splurge. We'll see. :)

We went to the outlet mall on Saturday with K&D and, of course, I picked up some goodies for baby girl Hughes. I just can't help myself! Baby clothes are a lot cuter and more fun to buy than maternity clothes. Which means I get bigger, my clothes get tighter, and the baby's closet gets fuller! Ha.

Laura and Cory were in town this weekend and were gracious enough to share a lot of newborn clothes, toys and accessories with us from Dane. We are thankful that they are so willing to share!

On Sunday we celebrated my father-in-law's birthday. Happy birthday, Phil! He has always been very kind to me and I know that I am VERY lucky & blessed to have such wonderful in-laws!

Also this weekend was a fun event for Chris and I. For the first time, I could feel baby moving off and on throughout the day. Previously I could only feel her while I sat very still. Chris and I sat on the couch Saturday night with our hands on the belly just feeling her move around. It is truly an amazing feeling.

Next on the agenda for Chris and I: nursery furniture and paint colors! Off to tackle the next tasks!

It's a baby GIRL!

We went to the doctor on Monday and were told our sweet baby is a girl! We are so excited! Even better, all of the measurements looked great. We saw the heart pumping on the screen, the different parts of the brain and the spine. At one point baby girl had the hiccups and was moving up and down. It was awesome!

After we got the great news, we went to Mojito for some tapas to celebrate with our parents. Everyone was really excited. Both of our families gave Baby her first pink items!

After dinner, Chris and I did a little shopping at the Summit- we just picked up a few items for Baby's closet. I thought I would be the bad one- Chris wanted to buy her a pink faux fur coat. We stuck to the sale rack though and just picked up a few items. Chris and I had each gotten the other a little gift for the big day as well:

When I got home from work today, I had a gift from Cory's grandma- look at this sweet blanket she made us!

My good friend Kathryn got us a cute ornament for our tree. It has a pregnant mom and dad on it holding a present that says "Expecting a precious gift." Its perfect because baby Hughes will definitely be our special Christmas gift!

Speaking of Kathryn, all the girls I work with were shocked baby was a girl. We've had 3 born in the last 9 months so our little girl will make 4 baby girls born in a 14 month period. Pretty wild. Everyone has been trying to get a name out of me, but Chris and I just haven't decided. I have a few I like, but I'm not sure I have a commitment from Chris yet. :) I guess we will see...

Thank you to our families and friends for all of the kind words and gifts the last few days- we are truly blessed!

5 months pregnant!

Today marks the halfway milestone- 20 weeks! I'm not sure if I think its gone quickly or slowly.

I read this online at the Your Pregnancy: Week by Week site and laughed. "At 20 weeks pregnant, you may be feeling slightly less dainty and slightly more bulky." Ha. I would say that's exactly it. My clothes are all definitely getting too tight- I had to change several mornings before work this week. I will definitely be hitting up the maternity stores/sections soon! I'm not sure I feel "fat", but definitely "bulkier."

At 20 weeks, the baby is now practicing breathing and swallowing on a regular basis. The baby's skin is developing more layers now including the lines on his/her palms and feet that will create a unique handprint/footprint.

I cannot wait until I can stop calling baby "the baby," he/she" and "her/him"- in 2 days we'll know if we can say boy or girl!!

Chris came home from work this week and said to me, "I've decided I want to have a girl." I laughed and asked him why. His desk mate told him that "girls are calmer." Chris told me he doesn't know if he can have 2 rowdy children- Stella and a boy. HAHA. I tried to assure him that not all boys are rowdy, but of course I don't really know. :) I then reminded him if baby was a boy, that he could teach him to skate and all of his hobbies. I think he changed his mind again. Either way, Monday will be a wonderful surprise and we will be delighted regardless!

19 weeks- hello bump!

19 weeks- only 1 week until the BIG day! Chris and I are getting very excited for the appointment.

In fact, here's how our walk started Saturday night:

Chris: Britt, only one more week. Are you getting excited?

Me: Of course! I cannot wait!

Chris: Me too. My gut is telling me a girl, but I'm still pulling for a boy.

Me: Chris! The baby can hear you!

Chris: What?! It sure would be hard to raise a girl hockey player.

Somebody help me! No girl hockey players!

In other news, I had only been at work an hour today and 2 people told me that I got a belly over the weekend. Here's the bump as of this evening:

Pretty wild, huh?

As for baby: at 19 weeks, the baby's sensory development is "exploding," according to the Baby Center. The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. Very cool!

Week 18: All I want is ice cream and pickles!

I always thought the ice cream and pickles thing seemed a bit far-fetched....but I cannot get enough of either one! I have at least 1-2 pickles a day and....I'm not going to admit how much ice cream we've been eating! I say "we've" because Chris is FULLY supportive of the ice cream habit!

According to my weekly e-mails, baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. The baby is starting to self-soothe and can also respond to noises. I guess I'll have to get rid of my rap music now!

This will be a short post because I have a lot to do around the house. As promised, I was able to get some pics of Chris and I from our last few days in Cape Cod! We had a wonderful family vacation with Chris's family and loved getting to spend time with everyone. Thank you Phil and Robin for a FANTASTIC trip!

Baby Hughes at 17 weeks!