Rental House - New Cedar

We put new shredded cedar in at our rental house last weekend and it turned out great. A lot of work trimming the trees and shrubs, but it looks really good. Let's hope our tenants keep it looking nice!

27 Weeks...

This week, Michaiah 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, her 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 to be born now. I can chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements that I 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 I'll just relax and enjoy the tickle.At this age she is able to distinguish between light and dark. Research demonstrates how babies in the womb turn away from the source to the other side when a bright light is shone on their mother's stomach.Interesting...

The furniture finally arrived yesterday and with the room all painted, thanks to my wonderful hubby, we are almost finished. We've go a few things left to do before we take some pictures and post them for everyone to see.

My tummy is growing!

26 Weeks...

Michaiah may now be able to hear both mine and Michael's voice as we talk to each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of hers lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air.  She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (and English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. And she's continuing to put on a special layer of fat which acts as an insulator, keeping baby warm in the weeks after birth.

Heart Concert

This past weekend Michael and I took my dad & mom to see Heart in Reno. It was an early Father's Day present for my dad. What a show! These women can sure rock it out. Did you know that they are coming out with their 13th album in August? 13! It's no wonder I only knew about 4 of the songs they played.

25 weeks...

Head to heels, Michaiah 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.She is also learning to distinguish right side up form upside down.

 Primo decided he wanted to give Michaiah a few kisses last night too! He's such a goof!

One of my good friends, Susie, gave me a bunch of things for the baby, including some maternity clothes. I am so thankful to everyone who has given me things as we journey to the next chapter of our lives. It is such a blessing. I hope to one day be able to do the same for someone else as well. These are just a few of the things she gave me.

My mom also go us our crib bedding which I can't wait to put on once we get the crib...still waiting...and get the room painted. I'll post pictures of the room once we are done. So exciting! Thanks again to everyone!

24 Weeks...

I've made it to the 6 month mark...woohoo! Michaiah is 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, see picture below, 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.

 
 I am finally starting to get her room organized and hopefully Michael will have it painted soon.I just ordered some space bags (you know the ones where you such the air out with ta vacuum) and put a bunch of blankets and clothes away for now. I love those bags. We also purchased some shelving for our closets to make some shoe racks. It's so nice to have things organized! 

23 Weeks...

Here we are...another week closer and still feeling great! I don't want to speak too soon, but so far this pregnancy has been a really wonderful experience and I honestly have zero complaints.Let's just hope it stays that way through the term.

Michaiah is more than 12 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango). She's started practicing breathing by taking in and expelling small amounts of amniotic fluid. The pancreas also produces insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars. By now she resembles a small doll with all the facial features of an infant at birth.

Her sense of movement is well developed by now, she can feel me dancing, running, etc. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that her increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Primo barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. Good to know...I'd better start vacuuming more to ensure that she is a sound sleeper!

We will be starting our pregnancy classes including breastfeeding, a full two class entitled "Baby Makes 3" which talks about how the baby will impact a couple's relationship, a newborn care class as well as "Preparing for Childbirth" class. A lot of our weekends will be full, but we are certainly looking forward to it.

Thanks to some of Michael's friends we've got the baby's room cleared out and all of the "guest room" furniture moved out. The room is almost ready to be painted and by then hopefully the furniture will have arrived. Hopefully a trip to Ikea this weekend will help us with our storage needs.

Picture Update

22 Weeks

Michaiah's closet is already filling up thanks to my sister and coworker! 

Thank you sooooo much Michelle & Megan!!

 

22 Weeks...

At 11 - 12 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, she is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. Her liver, with some help from Mom, is starting to break down bilirubin, a substance produced by red blood cells.

She is also kicking a lot more nowadays and I think she is starting to get into a routine although still sleeping between 12-14 hours a day. I usually feel her kicking around 5am, 11am, 8pm and then right before I fall asleep. It's really a weird feeling and hard to describe to someone who has never experienced it...but at the same time I love it. I can't wait to meet her!!

Milestone weekend...

Well this weekend was a big one as we hit a few milestones. The first being that we purchased our crib set. We headed out early Saturday morning for breakfast with Mom and then off to pick out the crib. We picked out a beautiful crib in the dark espresso color (not the color shown below) and a dresser to match.

My grandfather actually bought this for us as a gift and we are so thankful to him. We absolutely love it! The best part is that the crib turns into a toddler bed and then into a full size bed.

Mom also bought Michaiah a stuffed monkey that goes along with our nursery theme. It is so adorable. Michael was posing with the monkey in the backpack carrier. We're definitely going to get one of these.

Next milestone...

On Sunday night we were sitting there watching Glee and all of a sudden I felt her move. I don't know if it was the music from Glee that she was dancing to or if it was her daddy's voice but she was jumping all around. I told Michael to put his hand on my tummy and she started kicking like crazy and amazingly enough, he could actually feel the tiny little kicks. I think he must have felt at least 10 kicks in just a few moments.

Up until that point I never could really feel anything and I thought it was because I never slowed down enough to actually feel the kicks so Sunday night I just decided to sit down and watch Glee and there she was. It was truly an amazing experience and one we will never forget. By the way, if you've never seen Glee, I highly suggest you rent the first season. It is such a great series and the music & singing makes it that much better.

Anyway, it was such a great experience to share together and one that we will never forget. We thank the Lord daily for His blessings and this little miracle...our baby girl. 

21 Weeks...

Michaiah is halfway to her birth size, measuring an amazing 9 or 10 inches long and growing fast. She is now the length of a carrot. From this point onwards she'll focus on gaining weight rather than growing in length. She'll double in length but weight-wise there will be about a 12-fold increase. There is a slowdown in growth but different organ systems within her are maturing.  Essential nutrients are passed to the baby from the amniotic fluid. Up until this point, her liver and spleen have produced nearly all of her blood cells. The liver will keep doing that until after her birth, and now her bone marrow's getting up to speed, churning out red blood cells as well.

Her brain is growing as fast as the rest of her, and it will keep growing rapidly for several more years. As her senses develop, she's becoming increasingly aware of my eating and sleeping habits and of light and noise levels outside my body.

 21 Weeks

Michael's Gardening

Well, I must say that Michael did a fabulous job on our flower garden and our vegetable garden this year. Our vegetable garden was definitely taken to the next level this year. Last year we planted a few veggies (habaneros, jalapenos, sage, bell peppers and cilantro), but this year we've got a few different types of tomatoes, a variety of peppers, more cilantro, basil, green beans, zucchini, sage, cilantro & rosemary. I can't wait until they are ready to eat! Yummm.......

Veggie Garden

Flowers

Rose Garden 

(did I mention that we've got over 150 rose bushes!)

This is where we get to sit and enjoy our garden.

20 Weeks...Halfway There

Woohoo! I'm already halfway there and I can't believe it. We'd better start working on getting her room ready because it will be here before I know it! Here's a sneak peak of what the baby's room will look like.

So this week Michaiah is around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel - the length of a banana. She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. Supposedly she's moving around quite a lot at this stage but unfortunately I have yet to feel her. Hopefully soon I'll be able to but then I'm sure come month 8 or 9 I'll be begging her to stop kicking me in the ribs!

It's A Girl...Michaiah Eliana Stephens

Michaiah (pronounced mik-ay-ah) Eliana was brought into full view this morning. We are so blessed to even be given the opportunity to bring a life into this world. Now we just pray that the Lord will continue to bless us with a healthy baby girl. She had the hiccups this morning during her photo shoot which was really cute. She wasn't moving around too much though as she was probably tired from mommy's workout this morning! It was absolutely amazing to see the chambers of her heart working and her kidneys as well. We got to see her swallowing too. They estimate that she is 11 ounces...almost 1 lb!

Her Foot

So, what's she up to this week? Her sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. She is also able to hear me so I'd better get my voice ready to start some singing! She's about the size of an heirloom tomato and her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid. The vernix and amniotic fluid are responsible for that positively intoxicating baby smell.