22 Weeks...and other things to think about

According to BabyCenter.com
(Switch out "she" for "he".)
Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches the length of a spaghetti squash and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Things are good on my end. I can absolutely no longer sleep on my stomach (even when I try to cheat by pulling one knee up really far) or on my back either. Although I enjoy sleeping on my sides sometimes, the lack of another option causes me to wake up several times during the night. This morning I think I tried to cheat and sleep on my stomach and it actually made me feel a little nauseous....at least that is all I can figure. I was able to go back to sleep for a few hours after Brian left and I completely took over the bed on my left side.

He is moving around a lot now and Brian felt him (it was a little one) for the first time the other day. It is still pretty hard to believe that in about 18 weeks we'll be holding him in our arms! We are trying to prepare ourselves for as much as we can, but I know there will be many surprises that new parents can't "prepare" for.

This past Saturday we went nursery furniture shopping in Richmond at a place called USA Baby. I'd seen a few styles online at JCPenny and Babies 'R' Us, but I think we'll probably end up ordering a beautiful set from USA Baby. I'm glad we went early because we found out that sometimes it can take 8 weeks or more for the pieces to come in. So, we'll probably decide and order in the next few weeks. The fact that we aren't sure where we are going to be makes things a little more difficult, but at this point we are just planning on still being in the apartment. I want to keep the bed in our guest room, but I'm not sure what we'll do with the rest of the furniture in there?! Like all things...I'm sure we'll figure it out.

I've also been doing a lot of stroller research. After living in Europe, Brian and I saw a lot of really cool strollers that work beautifully on cobblestones. Although cobblestones are not a big issue here, the idea of a stroller that can go everywhere (thick grass, beach, grocery store, jogging, etc.) is very appealing. We are still trying to figure out exactly what we want but another part of the equation is car seats. So, if you have little kids please share what kind of infant car seat you got and if you would recommend it. :) The Graco SafeSeat Step 1 looks appealing because it is an infant car seat that accommodates a child up to 30 lbs and 32 inches....most infant car seats only work for kids up to about 22 lbs. The downside is the empty car seat is heavier than its smaller neighbor, the Graco SnugRide by about a pound and a half. Either of these seats, as well as the Maxi Cosi Mico can fit with an adapter onto the stroller we are thinking about to create a travel system.

Anyway, of course there are a ton of things to think about and consider before our little guy arrives. Any product recommendations would be greatly appreciated before we register for anything. I am a firm believer that other moms and dads are the best ones to ask about stuff we'll need!

18 weeks to go!