25 Weeks

February 1st: 25 week midwife appointment...(15 weeks to go)! OH MY!!!

Another great check up! Well....it didn't start off as smoothly as you would hope, but we got there in the end. So, my hormones are on over drive at the moment, and they came to a pinnacle this morning to the benefit of the young midwife. I had a long list of questions, but first and foremost, I've been debating whether or not to try and squeeze in another flight home before I get whale size, and my decision was hinging on the opinion of my midwife. So, I waltz into her office this morning, fully expecting a firm 'yes, you can fly,' or 'no, I wouldn't advise it'. Well, my midwife is much more concerned with legal liabilities than giving her medical opinion. She said she simply couldn't advise me on that, and I should just check with the airlines.... Um, what?! My thoughts...'You are trained in this profession, and I come to you for your advice and to tap into your medical think tank, not for you to shrug your shoulders, and say you can't say one way or the other, and direct me to a British Airways customer service representative!?!?' Needless to say, the tears began to flow at this point. I blatantly was not satisfied with her answer, but she moved on and motioned for me to continue down my list of questions. So, me being the calm, mature type that I am, said, never mind with the remaining questions, I'll just look them up online..., nice. Neil was not impressed to say the least. So, as Neil is doing damage control with the midwife, trying to explain how my grandmother is sick, and how I've been stressed, and I'm not really upset with her, I try to gather myself. There are several minutes of awkward, 'get your act together preggers' and then I manage to dry up and apologize. I like to think I'm laid back, but honestly, I'm as tightly wound as they come these days. Poor Neil... seriously, how many times can I say that, Poor poor Neil.

Aside from all those icky emotions, the baby is healthy :) It's heartbeat is regular and beating away. My blood pressure is fine, and my belly is growing, growing! So, all in all, super report!

Neil and I journeyed to the library this past weekend, and loaded up on Parenting books :) The librarian looked at us with a sweet, 'you have no idea what you're in for', smile :)

Fit Pregnancy 25th week update:

Your baby weighs 1 1/4 pounds and is a little more than 11 inches long, about the size of a small bag of sugar. In the last third of pregnancy, she'll double and triple her weight. Your dexterous baby can touch and hold her feet and make a fist. Your partner may be able to hear her heartbeat by pressing his ear against your belly. Your baby has a regular sleep schedule now and active and inactive periods. You may or may not be able to discern what those periods are. Her nostrils, which have been plugged, open up.

Personally:

I'm sure the car is mostly to credit for this, but I am feeling great :) I finally feel like I've established myself here... meaning, Leigh-Anne in London, not just Neil's other half, Leigh-Anne. You pickin' up what I'm laying down??

Aside from the raging hormones that lead to irrational breakdowns, I think this is the golden stage of pregnancy when you feel great, have lots of energy, and can almost push the reality of 'the birth' out of your mind :) Ignorance is bliss... the more I read about What Could Happen, the more I want to live in the 2nd trimester forever. However, when I do have my freak outs, Neil is a champion. Seriously, sometimes these hormones get the best of me, and I am outright nasty. But, through it all, for some strange reason, Neil is loving, understanding and supportive. Thank goodness someone has enough patience to put up with me.

We are still struggling with baby names... whew, such a responsibility!! I've spent a large portion of my day coming up with a list of boys names that I like...so hopefully, Neil and I can agree on one out of the 100! Hehe, jk!

If it's a girl, we're are absolutely crusin'! No strange parts to deal with (eekkk) and plenty of names coming to mind! Just have to wait and see.... tick tock tick tock.....

Lots of love from London towne!!!!

ooxx

Toot toot, yeaaaa, Beep Beep!

Wahoooooo!!! It's official.., there is a new addition to the O'Brien family.... Introducing the 3rd member: Miss Ford Focus, and just to be thorough, it's a 5-speed (stick shift) and the wheel is on the right side of the car!!! AHHHHHH!!!!! :)

That's right people of London, I am sharing the road with you. Hehehe :)

I am slowly, but surely, getting the hang of the clutch. And, I only stall twice a day now! Yikesy... supposedly it's not so great for the car, so I'm really working hard on this one ;) But, I really do feel like I have some independence now! It's quite refreshing!

Saturday, January 29th:

I drove myself, whoop whoop, to High Wycombe for dinner with some work mates :) We had afternoon tea followed by Racclet! Very similar meal to fondue.... it was delicious!! It's wild, all the girls are from different countries: America, Lithuania, France, Kenya & India! We could have held some kind of UN meeting or something. Hehe... we had a blast!

Week 24

The following updates in italics are taken from 'Fit Pregnancy' website. I receive weekly emails from them updating me on each week of the pregnancy. In the articles they refer to baby as 'she or her'... hehe, Neil asked why they kept referring to it as a girl... But I think they just picked a pronoun most logical,... 'she' because it's in a woman's body, and is a part of the woman at the moment.... Or maybe just so they wouldn't have to write he/she every time :) Who knows..... All the updates are generic...not specific to Dave, just a general review of averages of babies at this point in the pregnancy. Thought y'all might be interested! :)

Fit Pregnancy Week 24:

Your growing baby: weighs a little over a pound and is about 8 1/2 inches long—the size of a banana. Your baby's skin becomes less translucent as pigment is deposited, and it looks wrinkly because her body is making her skin more quickly than it makes the fat to pad underneath it. Your baby's unique hand- and footprints are forming. You may feel jumps as she has bouts of hiccups. In fact, it may seem like the baby is in perpetual motion. Some babies now kick in response to sounds and touch from outside the womb. Encourage your partner to talk to the baby, and see if she kicks in response!

Your changing body: Your uterus is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches above your belly button, and your bump is definitely apparent and hard to disguise! You may be suffering from heartburn, muscle aches, sore feet, fatigue, and dizziness. Call your care provider if you feel dizzy often or if you faint; it may be a sign of anemia. Dizziness if often caused by low blood sugar or by standing up too fast. Rise slowly, and eat regularly.

Personally: I'm feeling very happy and healthy at the moment. No pain to speak of. My energy levels are sky high until about 10pm, and then I crash :) Hehe! All and all the little one seems pretty content in my belly. Kicking around more than ever now! It has two very active periods during the day. It kicks like crazy from about 10am-11am, and then randomly throughout the day, and then again really crazy from 10pm-11pm :)

Love ooxx

Nesting :)

The nursery is slowing starting to come together! Wahooo!!! Neil and I are overjoyed with excitement!!!

Another year, another pants size...

18 Weeks
19 Weeks
20 Weeks
23 Weeks

Minturn Mile
Vail, overlooking Holy Cross
Vail
The Girls at my Baby Shower

Santa and his little helper

My ever expanding waste line is really putting a squeeze on my wardrobe! Whew! Feeling really sexy in my preggers attire,... never thought your waistband could meet your bra! HA! However, surprisingly enough, despite my sarcastic tone, I am really enjoying being pregnant. The little one is kicking like crazy! Especially when I'm laying on my back at night, you can see my belly moving around.

Neil and I are working on getting the nursery in order! We came home from the US with LOADS of baby goodies!!! Thanks to some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for, we are setup!! When I was writing thank-yous, I felt compelled to apologize along with the thoughts of gratitude. This past year has been a wild one for me and Neil!! We've covered a lot of ground in 16 shorts months. Engagement, marriage, move to London & baby on the way... whew, I'm exhausted just rattling the list off... We just can't express how much we appreciate everyone's generosity, love & support!

It's strange, but each time I fly home(UK) from home(USA) :) the world seems a bit smaller. Yes, the time change sucks for communication, but some reason I don't feel quite so far away.

Over the Christmas holidays Neil and I spent some great quality time with Mommy dearest while we were in Gainesville, and we were spoiled with a week vacation in Vail with Daddy-O and Donna. Both trips were wonderful! We got to spend some much needed time with each parental unit :)

Upcoming:

25 week midwife appt. February 1st!

Much love

ooxx