I Know What Boys Like

I was told that I would start to recognize a pattern to Ben's kicking; that he would begin to kick at certain times, almost like a schedule. I have discovered what gets Benjamin excited: food, sleeping (well, me sleeping) and sports. Benjamin starts kicking whenever I start eating. He also starts to kick whenever I lay down. Some would say that he misses the rocking motion he experiences when I'm up, but I am pretty sedentary most of the day so I don't think that's quite it. I just hope this habit doesn't carry over to after he's born or I won't get a wink of sleep. Benjamin also begins kicking whenever Dennis and I listen to BYU basketball games on the radio. He never seems to tire, kicking pretty consistently for over 15 minutes. He's probably anxious to get out there and join in the fun! Benjamin's kicking patterns indicate that he's a lot like his dad - he enjoys food, sleeping, and most of all: sports.

Kick for Daddy

Ben is a pretty calm baby (so far!) and it's been hard to get him to kick while Dennis has his hand on my stomach. Every time Dennis' hand got close, Benjamin would just freeze. We'd been trying to have Dennis feel him kicking for a few weeks and this Sunday in church we finally succeeded. I think it was the loud male voice of the guy giving a talk that made Benjamin react so strongly. I grabbed Dennis' hand and put it on my belly and Ben kept on kicking. Dennis was so happy to feel Ben moving (finally).

Greetings from Benjamin

Benjamin got another photo shoot yesterday and he is growing like a weed. He is now 1 lb. 10 oz. (how can they tell??) and he is 3 days ahead of his development schedule. Everything is looking good for him so far. This ultrasound instead of having his feet up by his head he preferred to have at least 1 arm right up by his face. It made it difficult for the doctor to get a profile shot of him, but she managed to get this one of him waving...

Hello, everybody!

5 or 6-Month Pictures

I'm a bit confused as to how pregnant I actually am. I know I am exactly 23 weeks and 4 days, but how that calculates into months I do not know. I just thought I was 5 months pregnant because at February 10th I had 4 more months to go. I looked it up online though and according to a week to month conversion I am in the 2nd week of my 6th month. Anyway, I'll just say I'm 5 months because it will make the time seem to go by faster than if I say I'm 6 months. Benjamin is moving around a lot on some days and not so much on other days (it probably depends on how much sugar I feed him). I may not look very pregnant, but I feel pregnant. My back aches, my feet/legs are swollen, and I am having more trouble sleeping at nights. I don't think I've actually slept through an entire night since oh...about my 2nd month of pregnancy. I am getting some energy back and starting to "nest". Some days I want to go out and just buy a bunch of baby things, but since we'll be moving apartments the end of April it would just be more stuff to move. Not to mention I'll be having a few baby showers before Ben is born. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow so I'll probably be adding new ultrasound pictures in the next few days. I love being pregnant; it's one of the best things I've done with my life and I can't wait to meet the little guy who keeps kicking me!

A Landmark Day

Today I reached a milestone: I weighed myself and I am finally back up to my pre-pregnancy weight. My first thought was: "I weighed as much as a 5-months pregnant woman BEFORE I was pregnant??!!!" My second thought: "It's about time!". I am gaining weight at the rate a pregnant woman should; about one pound per week, so I am very happy to be back up to a zero overall so I can start gaining some weight. I know the weight gain (up to a certain point) will benefit the baby so I am so happy to be healthy enough to be gaining.

Nesting, Anyone?

I always thought that nesting was a phenomenon that happened in the last few weeks before the baby was born, but I am all ready overcome with nesting impulses. I feel this desire for housework I've never felt before. (Not that it's a bad thing!) I also want to eat dinner at the table and make sure it's a good square meal; which is not usually how it goes at our house. The other night I started panicking a little because the bedroom closet wasn't cleaned out so we'd have a place to store Ben's clothes and other baby items. Dennis has been very supportive of my cleaning and he's even pitching in more himself, probably so he doesn't watch me work myself to exhaustion. I hope I can get things more organized in the months to come; perhaps it's a good thing to be nesting now while I still fit inside our closet and while I still have enough energy to clean up a bit and make a good home-cooked meal. Benjamin still has a few months to wait, but in the mean-time I'll keep on nesting.