Lennon Update #4 (from 9/29/11)

Our baby is going to be a genius! He or she is developing hundreds of new brain neurons every second!  This is the 12th week, as you can see in the attached photo Chelsey’s little bump is growing.  In addition to the brain neurons that are being developed, our baby is also developing his or her reflexes.  In fact, we read that this week if you poked Chelsey’s belly the baby would squirm in response.  I have to admit, when I first read this my first instinct was to poke her belly but I didn’t think she would appreciate it.  Chelsey still won’t be able to feel this movement for some time but each morning and evening she focuses on her belly to see if she can feel anything.  It will be pretty exciting when she finally feels something.

Again this week there were no significant weight changes.  Over the course of the pregnancy Chelsey has lost two pounds and she is holding steady at 128.5.  I hope Chelsey doesn’t mind me saying this but earlier this week she broke down a little bit because she lost a little weight (only time in her life she will be upset about losing weight).  This prompted Chels to call her doctor.  The nurse said that the thyroid tests came back normal so the weight loss isn’t a concern for them.  This week felt like any other week before the pregnancy as Chelsey did not have any major cravings or aversions.

As Chelsey’s bump continues to grow she wears her maternity jeans and leggings more frequently.  I think she is showing but Chelsey disagrees, in her words it “just looks like I have had too many doughnuts!”  She has not had to switch to maternity clothes yet, just trying to avoid pressure on her belly.  No stretch marks to date, Chelsey has been diligently using body butter to prevent any stretch marks.  Most of the time she is happy, her belly button is still in and her wedding ring is still on.  The best moment this past week for Chelsey was generally feeling normal… it’s the little things.

The thing Chelsey missed most this past week was beer!  We went to a bar where you can sample local brews and one of my coworkers was sampling a Brown Ale and a Pale Ale that he brewed.  I can’t blame her for missing beer, the local brews were pretty delicious, but she said she will gladly wait another 7 months.  Chelsey is still sleeping well which has been great.  She was most excited because she hasn’t had to get up in the middle of the night for the past two nights.  There were no gender dreams this week, we are planning on having a girl or boy.  :)  We both just want a healthy baby.  Right now we are both looking forward to Chelsey’s next doctor’s appointment so we can hear the heartbeat.  The appointment is next Friday so I will probably wait to send the email out until then to give all the new updates.

We hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the changing seasons.

Love,

Patrick, Chelsey, & Baby Wood