All Smiles

Dave was all smiles this weekend because he felt the baby kick for the first time! It was a pretty cute moment. I had Dave place his hand on my stomach because I thought there could be a chance that he could feel the baby move. The kicks are strong enough now that I can feel them when I rest my hand on my stomach. He had it on there for quite some time but we were just relaxing so I figured evenually the baby might kick. Dave was asking what it would feel like and I was describing it to him when all of a sudden...his eyes lit up and his whole face broke into a gigantic smile as he asked if that was it...and it was! It was so cute. I just started cracking up because I don't think I have ever seen him smile that big! Not even on our wedding day :) So I can only imagine how it will be the first time he sees the baby! So fun!

In other news...

Today was my last day subbing before I start my new job. Yippie. I start training for my new job tomorrow and I am pretty excited about it. I will be working with children who have autism as a 'behavioral interventionist' (basically working one on one with children who have special needs as a tutor). The agency is called ACES. It should be an adventure as I learn many new things!

Dave is still working hard at PacSci. Things have been a little stressful for him as they try to finish the R68 project within the time frame. He loved having an extra day off though and so did I! Wouldn't it be nice if every weekend lasted 3 days!

2nd trimester > 1st trimester

Well it seems that kimmy is moving ahead now that she has hit the halfway mark. Today it seems that her sense of smell is back to normal. Besides eating chicken again (finally!!!) today was the garlic discovery once again. As she was cooking italian red sauce, which I have been missing out on for the past four months, she announced that it smelled so good. It was the garlic of course, which I have been without for waaay too long. Somehow, someway, we are getting back to pre prego foods. Which is good, because its not fun eating in shifts.

So besides italian sauce, the cooking bug has continued. Oatmeal rounds (yums) and peach cobbler are coming along!

As for me, I am just smiling and happy. my plants are growing outside and our baby is growing too!

Bubbles and Bananas

Something very exciting has been happening in my belly! Lil G is moving and grooving. Around 18 weeks i felt little bubbles-but i couldn't tell if it was really lil g moving or not. Now the bubbles are going all the time! So i am pretty sure now. It is so amazing to feel our little baby moving. It happens all through the day and into the night. It will be so exciting when Dave can feel it too. Pretty soon :)



Here is the latest for lil g during week 20... THE HALFWAY MARK!

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

19 Weeks

Here is what is happening with lil G for week 19 :)

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

18 Weeks!

My belly is growing bigger and bigger everyday! It serves as a great resting place for my hands now. I love it.

Here is what is happening with lil g this week.

How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

17 Weeks!

My cute fourth graders keep reaching out to touch my growing belly. Today Lizbeth said, "Mrs. Giles your belly keeps growing bigger!"

This week's latest developments for lil' g...
"Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby is now the size of your hand spread open wide. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Spring Fundraiser at Newman in SLO

The annual spring fundraiser for Newman was this weekend and Dave and I were able to go down. As always it was so fun and special to be able to spend time with great friends. I am always amazed with the generosity of amazing people and all the hard work put into the fundraiser. We had fun just walking around downtown, eating at Natural Cafe (my all time fav place to eat), camping, hanging out with wondrful friends, attending the fundraiser, and eating the scrumptious steak and potatoes at the fundraiser. They had a special alumni mass on Sunday morning and it was so wonderful to be sharing together in the Eucharist in the little Newman Chapel which brought so many of us together many years ago! Oh happy times. Here are some pics of the glorious weekend :)



the many newman alumni!



in the newly re-done frog and peach. it looks way better now!



our lil growing family



great food and great friends!



an exciting run in with stacie and cathie! Catching up on life and good times :)




dave and katie. two of the four giles siblings



and...my growing baby belly