Inchworm: 22 weeks

Babycenter.com Updates:

Inchworm now looks like a miniature newborn and should be checking in at 10.9 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound.

• His skin will continue to appear wrinkled until he gains enough weight to fill it out.
• The fine hair (lanugo) that covers his head and body is now visible.
• His eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment.
• Eyelids and eyebrows are in place.
  
• His lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath his gum line. We won't actually see his first tooth until he's around 4 to 7 months old, unless he's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth! weird!

My Updates:

• My bellybutton is flattened out and I can say "hello!" to the inside of it anytime I want.
• His kicking is now more like "thumps" rather than little "pulses".
• He likes to squirm and turn his little butt around more than kick.
• no cravings, no sickness, nothing like anyone says being pregnant will be (except for the belly).
• bending in half is harder (to put socks, leg warmers and shoes on

Baby Stuff Shopping

[Finally!] Here is my latest torso-shot. It really doesn't look much different than earlier shots. I am bigger though. I'll try to get a better one in January... promises, promises. We'll see...

OK, so here are my unplanned baby purchases. Yes, yes, yes, they were good buys. I agree with my mom, but the next time I go out to do ANY kind of baby shopping I will have a well laid out list!

[click on images to make them larger]

I got all 5-onsies for 4$ and the "little John" outfit for 3$. My mom made a fuss over the onsies being Carters brand. I guess it is supposed to be a good brand? The onsies generally go for .99 each, but I got 4 of the 5 in a pack.















The bassinet was 60$ (you can find the same brand at Target for 80-130$). After I'm done using it, I can take it back to the place I purchased it from and they will redeem 40% of the price I purchased it for (if it is still in good condition still). We figure after the refund we will be renting it for around 20$ from now until the baby is 3-months old or so old. I think that's a good purchase! My mom IS right about all the wood flooring. I like the thought of being able to roll it from the bedroom to kitchen to living room and office. I absolutely do not have good hearing so a baby monitor would only make me paranoid that I wasn't hearing everything ok. Anyway, There are a lot of pluses with having this type of 1st bed.

By the way, regarding the name, I want to get it decided and over with. When we think we have a name I'm sure everyone will know before he's born. :) If we happen to change it suddenly when he's born, I'm sure you guys will survive the suddenness. The name John thought of the other night was Donovan. We already have Joel as his middle name (named for a friend). I REALLY like it... Donovan Joel Bermea. Short names can be DJ or Dono but absolutely NOT "DON". Not an easy one for kids to make fun of too (yes, we are considering him having to survive with his name). So let us know what you think?

Inchworm: 20 & 21 weeks

My posting is behind schedule, plus our due date moved to a more solid April 30th so it changed week count. I missed the 20-week mark so this is a quickie on 20 and 21.20 weeks: Inchworm was about 6 1/2 inches "head to rump" and about 10 inches head to foot this week - the length of a banana.

21 weeks (up to date): Inchworm now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long - the length of a carrot. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed, and I can certainly feel him move even if he's not wild and rambunctious.

No, we have not named him yet although we do have a middle name we previously picked out. John brought one up for a first name, just last night and I've really taken a liking to it. We'll see!?

Lastly, Never go browsing for baby stuff when you're with your mom if you're not ready to buy things. haha! My mom was out Christmas shopping with me last Saturday and we stopped by another used baby store that just opened. I bought a small, rolling bassinet, 5 onsies and a little "mini John" outfit. All for 70$ (the bassinet was 60$ and brand new). I'll post the goods tomorrow.

*I will also continue to post the remainder of our Europe trip this weekend. (almost done) I will be posting them backdated so they keep with the rest of the trip.

Inchworm: 19 weeks

Inchworm should be weighing in at about 8 1/2 ounces, and he should measure around 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Sheesh! He really looks squashed in there in the image above!

Babycenter.com updates:

• His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now.
• His kidneys continue to make urine.
• The hair on his scalp is sprouting (hey my mom might just be right about his hair being in!).
  
• This is a crucial time for sensory development: Inchworm's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.

My Updates:

The tummy grows, that's all I know! I never got our tummy photos so I'm glad Robyn has at least posted her own. I keep meaning to do it so I will keep on trying to remember to do so.

Movement: I can't feel his soft little kicking with my hand on a regular basis yet, but he likes to do this thing where he scrunches up in a ball and lodges himself high in my tummy. Not sure how to explain, but that's what it feels like. Or maybe it's like he's stretching out, but when he does it it feels like I have a large apple pushing up hard to the left of my bellybutton up toward my rib cage. haha. When you touch it it's all hard. From what I've gathered from the last two ultrasounds is he is a content little guy that just wiggles around slowly - unlike Robyn's little heathen. (HAHA!) Man, her little guy is crazy! I do feel my guy tapping a bit when I try to feel him move with my hand, but it's very vague and not consistent enough for John to come feel because I might be three little taps and not be able to feel it again for hours or even days.

*By the way, I know I am quite behind on my posts as I still need to update the rest of our trip. We had stopped posting because we didn't want to pay the ridiculous fee in Rome for Wifi. I wrote our daily adventures in MS Word until I could post them. I will try to do so by tomorrow.

Oh Boy!

I know the girls vote was winning, but the as nature has put it, we're have a boy! yay! Going into the appointment we were kinda thinking it'd be a girl, as you can see (above) we were quite wrong. Of course we are SO excited and the waiting is OVER! Here are the remaining pics. He totally has John's nose and my mom swears he's got a full head of dark hair (like John)... not so sure they actually have hair this early but I do know they get their hairline. It's fun to say it though.

[ AS ALWAYS - CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM ]

Europe: Italy, Rome – Day 3

We made it to Rome. Our taxi driver was waiting outside customs fully decked in a gray pinstripe suite and a delicate scarf, although he drove a fairly plain van like a madman. The ride from the airport to our hotel was a live version of Mr. Toads Wild Ride (Disneyland) only, life threatening. I don’t think I’d make it driving in this city!







The top photo is us in front of the Spanish Steps, about a 10-min. walk from our hotel. Today we made it down to the Piazza Spagna which encompasses the Spanish Steps, Bracaccia Fountain (Boat Fountain - located at the base of the steps), and the Column of the Immacolata (Immaculate Conception / 2 photos above).
After this piazza (there are millions in Rome), we ventured forward to find the Trevi Fountain (above), a very cool site to see. We threw our coins in [this symbolizes that you will come back to Rome again]. As you can see, they are quite popular.

Europe: Sweden - Day 2 / Dinner

Tonight (Tuesday) we walked down to the best kebab shop in Goteborg! We acted like tourists tonight with the camera.
We had planned to take a picture of our plates of Souvlake, but greedly gorged ourselves silly and then remembered what we had planned. So here lay one masacared plate. The meat is pork on a stick (like a kebab in the US) over french fries with a delicious (mild, medium or spicey) sauce. This is our favorite server (we forgot to ask his name this time), he has served us the last 3-times I have been to Sweden.....ok so I'm having photo-loading-issues... will post him at another time. Goodnight (it's about 1:30 pm for you guys)!

Europe: Sweden - Day 2

Here we are in Goteborg (or Gothenburg), Sweden!

The three of us picking up our new volvo. Our Overseas Delivery Specialist, Gilleana was brave in asking if we were expecting...I could just be fat at this stage (*lol*).

We left the Medford (Oregon) airport at 12:30 pm, Sunday and arrived last night around 6:30 pm (Monday). Of course we did not sleep last night until we had eaten a dinner of our precious Souvlake (su-fla-key) which we will be back for tonight! Today started around 7:30 am(Tuesday) to shower, eat at the fantastic breakfast buffet, nap and head out to Volvo City (the factory) to "pick up" our new car.

Here is our wonderful room at the Radisson in Sweden. They are quite cozy and stylish and are done up in a salsa fashion, complete with a large plastic chile on the wall!

We checked out the mall which was full of christmas shoppers and cute kiosks full of handmade goods. The remainder of the day is for relaxing, enjoying our last chance for more Souvlake and sleep! Our flight to Italy, Rome is early. Until tomorrow!