Week 22

Baby is the size of a Coconut!

Baby’s Got Eyelashes and Eyebrows
Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby (who’s about the size of a small doll) has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too! Your little doll’s eyelashes and eyebrows are also well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

Baby’s Developing Grip, Vision and Hearing. This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours. She can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body.

The word of the week is yard work. Wait, that's two words- blame it on the pregnancy brain! Anyone who has seen my Facebook posts knows that I have spent the last week attempting to turn my yard from a weed infested, overgrown jungle into a serene space that we want to spend time in with family and friends. The work is not over yet (is it ever?), but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and no longer feel a sense of overwhelming stress and doom when I think about the yard. I know, that sounds dramatic, but items such as new bark and serious de-weeding have been on the to-do list for YEARS! I am so thankful for my friend Melissa who really helped me dig in and get started on the de-weeding of the island- without that boost at the the beginning of the week, I'm not sure the rest of the progress would have happened. One of the most entertaining aspects of this project was showing up at the dump and the landscaping site as a 22 week pregnant female, covered in dirt. I got more that a few sideways glances, but I've always liked to make an impression!

I had to include some before and afters of the yard work so that baby girl can see what we were up to one day:

                            

We did enjoy a nice heat wave here in North Idaho, with temperatures rising to the mid-90's. Luckily for us, we are surrounded by beautiful lakes to go take a dip and relax! I was able to meet some girlfriends for an afternoon at the beach and paddle boarding this past Sunday. It was my first time wearing a swimsuit this year, but I decided to just embrace the stares and go for it! I did make the mistake of looking at my back with a hand mirror though.... Apparently my back is trying to keep up with the bump! I have rolls! My sweet friends tell me it is to help balance out the weight and make extra skin. Whatever is happening, we have a new family rule.... no hand mirrors for a year!

Finally, I did have a doc check up towards the end of the week. I am happy to report that it was completely boring and took all of 10 minutes. Apparently they are happy with my weight and back rolls, blood pressure is great, fetal heart beat was strong, see you in 4 weeks!

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I can tell you that one of my favorite pregnancy moments happened at the beginning of week 23, so make sure to check back in!