Baseball Game

We went to an Astros game at Minute Maid Park with some friends on Friday night. We were surprised by how attentive Lily was to the game - she actually watched the players throwing the ball and running bases, and she cheered with the crowd.

Lily's bedtime came and went, and she never got cranky at all. She was definitely sleepy, but she continued to watch the game. She snuggled with each of us for a little while, but she really just wanted to sit in her own seat and watch the game. Here she's not crying, just rubbing her eyes - sleepy girl!After the game was over (Astros won!), there was a firework show that Lily enjoyed. When it was all said and done, we didn't leave Minute Maid Park until about a quarter to 11.... And Lily didn't fall asleep until she was in her car seat. Late night for a little munchkin (and her old foagie parents too)! We all had a great time.

Prenatal Visit - 24 Weeks

Another routine doctor visit - everything is great! I had an ultrasound today to check Baby's growth. I thought it would be a quick little scan, but it turns out that my doctor's office always repeats the anatomy scan during the first growth scan; so today's ultrasound was actually longer than the "big" ultrasound a few weeks ago, and they did all of the measurements again. I think the next growth scan will be a shorter one though. Dylan weighs about 1 lb 8 oz today, and his overall growth is right on track at the 50th percentile. And he's sooo cute! hahaha... Obviously we can't really see his features very well yet, but there were some very cute little ultrasound pictures today!
I go back to see the docs next week.

Lily's New Room

Lily is completely moved into her big-girl room now. Bedtime is still kinda rough, but naptime has been surprisingly easy (most days - one day was a two-hour playtime during naptime!). Usually she's sleepy enough when naptime rolls around that she just settles right down. At bedtime I think she feels like she's missing out on something - last night she was yelling, "Mommy, I'm AWAAAAAAKE!" But she does settle down and go to sleep in her bed eventually, so we're happy transition has gone relatively smoothly.

Lily is learning to make her bed in the morning. Too funny!

We've moved all of Lily's summertime clothes into her new room, so it's about time to start talking about the nursery as "the baby's room." I hope Lily will be ok with that! This is Lily's "say cheese" face!

24 Weeks Today

I have this strange feeling today, thinking about the fact that Lily was born at this point in my first pregnancy. Ironically, I received my weekly email update about what's going on with the baby's development, and here's an excerpt from a series of questions about preterm labor / delivery:

Will my baby be okay if he's born early?

The closer your baby is to full term at birth, the more likely he is to survive and the less likely he is to have health problems. Premature babies born between 34 and 37 weeks generally do fine, although they are still at higher risk for short- and long-term problems compared to babies born full term. On the other end of the continuum are babies who are extremely premature: These days, some babies born as early as 24 weeks (or even a bit earlier) may survive thanks to advances in neonatal care, but these extremely preterm infants require significant medical interventions and long stays in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and the survivors often have serious long-term problems.

I am constantly reminded of what a miracle Lily is... I try not to take her health for granted.

While there is a sense of victory in reaching 24 weeks with no problems, it will still be awhile before we're "in the clear." That being said, I am enjoying every moment of this pregnancy. I feel great, and I love feeling Dylan kick. I do get tired more easily than usual, but I'm sure that's a result of playing with a two-year-old all day. I am looking forward to experiencing the third trimester! I hope to see my belly move when Dylan moves around, and I cannot wait for his kicks to be strong enough for Lily to feel.

Father's Day Swim

We went to the swimming pool on Father's Day, and we stayed for about three hours! Lily is already much more confident in the water than she was at the beginning of the summer, and yesterday she went down the slide a lot. Since we wanted to stay awhile, we ordered pizza and had dinner at the pool. It was a fun evening!

Prenatal Visit - 23 Weeks -- And Hermann Park

Another normal check-up. My blood pressure has been very consistent, and my visit with the doctor was only about a minute long - not because they're trying to rush through patients or anything, just because there's nothing to talk about! Next week will be a little more interesting because I'll have another ultrasound.

Lily went with me again today, and when we were finished we went to Hermann Park. It was a little bit of a sentimental visit for me... You can see the park from the NICU at Children's Memorial Hermann, and I used to look out the windows on the way to the elevator and think to myself that someday I would take Lily to play at Hermann Park. And today we finally made it over there to play! Back in April we rode the Hermann Park train, and I was surprised to learn how big the park is. Because of our train ride, I kind of knew where I was going when we got there today - straight to the spray park! There are picnic tables and covered pavilions, easily accessible restrooms, birds and ducks near the lake... Lots and lots of fun! We only stayed a little over an hour because Lily was getting sleepy, but I'm sure we'll be back again soon when I have another doctor visit.

Belly Photos

I wasn't going to post these, but they've been requested. So here are the pictures of my belly... How big I look still depends on what I'm wearing, but I definitely feel big! Dusty and I both think my belly is as big now as it was when Lily was born.
These pictures were taken at 18 weeks 5 days, 20w6d, and 22w3d.