Peanut at 31 weeks

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out.

We're at a loss for words at the moment. We are in total disbelief at how quickly this time has come and gone. Only around 9 weeks left and we can't wait to meet our little peanut!

Peanut's first 2 week appointment

We had our first 2 week appointment this past Wednesday, so this post is a few days late. It's funny how the holidays can make you lag on things or "re-prioritize" but that's life!

Anyway, the doctor went through her routine checks of Enza's belly, and judging from her reactions, we're right on schedule. Whew! It's always good to know that things are going the way they should. We received our hospital registration packet and that in itself made this experience seem much more real. The doctor went on to verify that our little peanut was in the correct position. She was able to feel where her head was, and she pretty much figured out where the rest of her body was. Of course Enz agreed with the positioning because she gets kicked exactly where the doctor said the baby's legs were!

So our next appointment is in a couple of weeks, and we're both in disbelief as to how much time we have left. At the time of this post we've got something like 65 days left. Wow, it's true that time really does fly!

Thank You for your generosity

It's the day after Christmas and we're sitting at home, staring at a pile of gifts from our wonderful family and friends. While I would love to say that all these gifts are for us, I am not disappointed in the least when I say that none of the gifts were for us! That's because all of these presents were for our little baby Peanut!! We never thought we'd receive gifts for her so early, then again, she'll be with us in no time; and we literally mean NO TIME!!

We just wanted to take this time to express our gratitude to all of you, our dearest family and friends, for being so warm, thoughtful, and generous this Christmas season! You have all been an integral part in making this a very enjoyable experience for our family. We can't wait to share our bundle of joy with each and every one of you!

Thank you again!

Peanut at 30 weeks... WHOA!

How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)

Wow, talk about fast! We're getting into the home stretch now, and it doesn't seem like we have much time left before our little peanut is here with us. Not to belabor the point, but these are really exciting times for us at home! Merry Christmas to all!

Patty cake or Pat-a-cake... Whatever it's called...

So Peanut's got a new game she plays with me when she's up early in the morning, because that's when she wants to play. When Enz tells me she's kicking or punching, I'll put my hands on her belly and tap back. What she's doing now is answering whenever I tap, which is kinda trippin' me out a little. So now Enz asks her if she wants to play "patty-cake" with her Daddy. Pretty cool!

We also had a new experience this morning. Enz was awake and rolled from her side onto her back. All of a sudden she said "whoa, that was weird." Initially she thought I had placed my hand on her belly, so she was actually reaching for my hand but found that it wasn't there. What she felt was the baby's hand or foot moving across her belly, only this time she said it really felt like a hand or foot. She woke me up and had me watch her stomach, so I immediately started with the whole patty-cake thing, and sure enough, it got the little one going! What a trip!!!

Random pics from the Camero's 3rd Annual...

We were having too much fun to remember to take pictures! We only got to take a few, but the ones we took are priceless. Sorry if we didn't get a picture with everyone, but amidst all the chaos, it's always easy to forget to take pictures! Maybe next year?

Click on the link below to view the pics. Enjoy!!

Camero Holiday Party 2006

3rd Annual Camero Holiday Party

Just a short post to say Thank You to everyone for making it out to our 3rd Annual Christmas Party. We had a great time seeing and spending time with you, and hope to keep this yearly tradition going!

Since this was the last party before the arrival of our little peanut, we decided to host a "Toys for Tots" charity, in honor of our future daughter. A special thank you to everyone for helping to make this a great success. Although we didn't have a specific goal to meet, we did end up with a lot of toys that we will be donating to our church. Your generous contributions will put smiles on the faces of many children this Christmas!

Again, many many thanks to everyone for helping us to start this Christmas season on a good note! We look forward to seeing you again at the 4th annual event!

Peanut at 29 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and him well nourished, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.)

Special thanks

As we move forward at a steady pace, we're noticing that a lot of people have already started in helping us to "spoil" our little peanut. Whether it be money in her little bank, a cool little "peanut" onesie, one of her stuffed toys, or even one of her little dresses, she's already getting that sense of belonging to such a warm and generous family. We can't even begin to thank everyone for these kind gestures, but hopefully you all know how truly grateful we are! And if our little peanut could talk, we're sure she'd be just as speechless as we are!

Enz is now in her third trimester, in fact, we have our final monthly appointment today. Peanut's movements are as consistent as ever, but now Enz is noticing a lot more of the full body movements as the little one continues to grow and stretch her limbs. The appointments will now move to every two weeks, and with that, we just inch closer and closer to the birth of our little one.

Still pushing forward...

Finally a divisional win! This one's worth mentioning, even though hopes for the post season are pretty much down the toilet. Oh well, nice effort!

Peanut at 28 weeks

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form, too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb.

YIKES! We are now into the THIRD trimester!!!

Another hump day...

Happy Hump Day! UGH, just another day in paradise I guess. Anyway, it feels like the days are flying by faster than ever. I don't know if it's because of the holiday season or if we're just getting older. Nevertheless, there's only 25 days left in 2006.

What's harder to believe is that our little peanut is "scheduled" to arrive in less than 3 months! As much as Enz & I talk about it, we're still in a bit of a state of shock. We've pretty much got the baby's room completed, and the furniture is all set up. We're working with getting the pup to behave more calmly around us, preparing him for the presence of another person in the house. But no matter how much preparation we go through, the mental aspect is one that's out of our control. Everyone gives us advice on what to watch for or what to do when this or that happens. That's all well and good, and while we do understand that there are general things to look for, we also realize that every baby is different. So what worked great for Billy Bob and Anna Mae, might not work at all for our little peanut. It's more of a "learn by doing" kind of thing.

Peanut is becoming more and more attentive in Enza's belly. She's reacting and responding more to both of our voices. We like to think that she's answering us whenever we call on her. Whenever I put my hand on Enza's belly and talk to her, she responds with a little kick-although sometimes not so little according to Enz! It's almost as if she's giving me a little pound! Wut-wut!!

Fire's out...

Oh well, at least the Phins had a nice four-in-a-row streak going. It had to end sometime...

Peanut at 27 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

Dancing Queen

Happy Friday! Even more so, Happy December! With only 24 days left until Christmas, times should be getting hectic from this point forward. Anyway, last night, our little "Dancing Queen" was at it again, only this time in a BIG way! Not only was she doing her hourly routine of kicks and punches, she had a lot of what Enz calls "stretching" going on. Nothing new, it's just that now she's doing it more consistently, and Enz is always trying to get me to feel every movement.

What's funny is that there's times where she'll immediately respond to me-whether it be my touch or my voice, she'll let me know she's there. Other times it's like we're playing hide and seek, and she'll take more coaxing for me to get a reaction. Already playing games at such a young age, what a trip!

The difference with last night was that she had some serious stretching or moving spurts. One time, Enz actually saw her belly expand and then go back down. I missed that one, but immediately after, we saw her moving again, this time a little slower. To me it was like watching the lava moving in a lava lamp. Makes me wonder what's really going on inside the confines of mama's belly? Hmmmm...

Kickin' like Bruce?

Who says that a kick in the face has to hurt? This morning as I was getting ready for work, Enz woke up to watch the news and she told me that the baby was awake and that she was moving around like crazy. I wanted to feel the movement, so I put my face on her belly. As I waited, I said to the little peanut, "c'mon kick papa in the face" and sure enough, she planted one on me! Now that's not to say that it packed the same effect as a kick from Bruce Lee, but it was just a cool feeling to get such a quick response! Judging by the impact and velocity, I'd guess that it was a spinning heel kick....

A little anxiety never hurt anyone

This weekend we finally got to work on the baby's room, and what a chore it was! After deciding on the exact placement of the border, we started painting the walls. We agreed on a "smoky" lavender for the top color, with a gray for the bottom color. Once the gray went up, Enz wasn't too thrilled with it. In fact, she kept insisting that it looked blue, almost like a blue-gray. We thought that maybe her mind would change after a second coat, so then the lavender went up while we waited for the gray to dry. That was an instant hit, and she fell in love with the color. After talking about how she was disappointed with the gray, she ended up going to the store and picking up some green paint to accent the lavender. We had originally discussed having green in the room, but thought the gray would make the lavender "pop." We should've stuck with our original concept.

Needless to say, the painting was complete late Sunday afternoon. WHEW! All that's left to do is the border, but we're planning on hand painting that in the next few weeks.

Since it was still early, I decided to assemble the baby's crib. The instructions were a little confusing, but I was able to pull through. As the crib came together, Enz watched patiently. That's when it hit her. Seeing the crib being assembled made the lightbulb come on in her head-we're really having a baby! It's true, and I think at that instance it became very real to her. She had a mini "anxiety attack" but kept it under control. Maybe it finally hit her that there's no turning back? I'll admit, the realization hit me a little more last night, especially since the baby's room is near completion.

So we ask ourselves the eternal question: Are we really ready for this? Hehehe, as ready as we'll ever be I guess!

Peanut at 26 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Gobble Gobble!

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for the wonderful blessing we have growing inside Enza's belly, our families, our friends and our health. We hope to continue to have good fortune throughout the coming years!

This morning, as we began our holiday season by playing a Johnny Mathis Christmas cd, Enz felt our little peanut "waking up" with some serious punches and kicks. So serious, in fact, we figured we'd be able to actually see the movement beneath her skin. As I pulled Enza's shirt up to expose her belly, WHAM, the little peanut fired off a visible shot right above Enza's belly button. WHAT A TRIP! After the initial shock wore off, we sat there and watched as the little peanut continued jumping around to let us know that she was awake with us. What a memorable way to begin our holidays!

And on a side note, both the Phins & the Canes won their games this Thanksgiving! Woo-hoo!!

Second guesses?

Here's a thought Enz & I have been entertaining this last week. What if we're really having a boy? How would things change for us now that we're in the mindset of having a girl? Enz said that this is a "girl year" since she and almost all her friends that are currently pregnant are all having girls. We'd love to have a little boy too, don't get me wrong. I'd have my second little shadow, the first being Marino of course! And Enz is great with little boys, you can see it when she interacts with our nephews. The thought that our sonographer was wrong with her "analysis" last month is fresh in our heads. Maybe it's because everyone else is having girls? Or maybe it's because Enz is carrying her belly differently? Regardless of the outcome, we're just thankful that we've been blessed.

. . . s t r e t c h . . .

As we progress well into the sixth month of the pregnancy, Enz has noticed a change in the baby's movements. Before she'd feel as if our little peanut was kicking or punching, every now and again she'd get startled by the force our little one would put into these kicks. After our last appointment, Enz mentioned that the baby is still pretty active, but now she has incorporated some new movements in her repertoire! She said it feels like the baby is stretching, and at times it feels like she's pushing on Enza's belly while she's stretching. Interesting. We have yet to "see" the actual movement, but I'm sure it'll probably trip me out just a little bit!

REPRESENTIN' TO THE FULLEST!!!

And the winner is...

Peanut at 25 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

Final monthly appointment

We had our six month appointment yesterday, and if this experience didn't feel quite real yet, it did right after we spoke to the doctor. Enz & the baby are making great progress as the time just ticks on by, so that was a relief, especially with the flu going around. The doctor told us that we'll have just one more monthly appointment before we start meeting with her every two weeks. Enz & I looked at each other, with possibly the same thoughts going through our minds-every two weeks?! Oh boy, how fast has this been?

Hips don't lie?

So according to Enz, no matter where she is, whenever the song "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef comes on, the little peanut gets moving. She can be in the car, or in the chair working on a patient. It seems that no matter where she is, and this song starts playing, the little one goes to town! Not the best song to get groovin' to, although Enz does like it, but it just goes to show how our little peanut is affected by music. Sure, classical music gets her started, and even trance will get some movement out of her; but I guess this song must be da bomb while in the womb. Who knows?

Peanut at 24 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

Tennis shoes in a dryer

Peanut's movements are becoming more frequent and noticeable. We can't quite see them just yet, but as she moves around, I'm able to feel the movements with my hand on Enza's belly. It kinda reminds me of when you put tennis shoes in a dryer-that thumping noise as the shoes get tossed around. That's the only way I can describe it, especially since Enz says the feeling inside is indescribable... Happy Friday!

Thanks

Thanks guys for making this "fun" for us, or should I just say me, huh guys? You know who you are.

Enz & I thought we could put this together for our future daughter to look back on later so she could see how things were prior to her arrival. If it makes me "soft" in your eyes, then it's all good, whatever.

Take your pot shots at me on a different forum, cuz now y'all made me feel like an ass for sharing this experience.

AFC East or West?

Just thought I'd prove a point regarding the little one. I thought that she'd be kickin' like crazy this evening during the Raider/Seahawk game, especially since Enz is a Raider "faithful." Well, not only did the Raiders get shut out, but the little peanut remained "quiet" throughout the game. Perhaps it was because Enz was feeling a little under the weather. Or could it be that she just didn't find the game very entertaining? Ha ha ha! Looks like she's already made her choice-football wise!

Hogan Knows Best

As we wound down our Sunday evening with a little bit of family television viewing, we ended up watching a few episodes of Hogan Knows Best-ones that we've missed since I was out of town. Not to sound redundant or anything, but during one of the shows, our peanut had a little kicking fit, one that even I was able to feel! Talk about something new and different, she was going to town.

On this particular episode, the family went on a cruise to celebrate Hulk's 53rd birthday. Brooke was on stage and sang her rendition of Happy Birthday to her dad, and that's when Enz felt the kicking begin. I guess it's true that peanut is really into music. How cool is that?

Finally...

So we were watching the Miami/Chicago game this morning, and of course the Miami defense was playing an awesome game! I was going ape-$hit because the Phins are having one crappy season. Well it seemed like every time the Phins would execute a great play, and I'd go crazy in the process, our little peanut would kick or move in mommy's belly. When I jumped for joy on an interception, she would kick. When I screamed at the tv because of a penalty, she would kick. Now that's not to say that she's a Miami fan, although that probably wouldn't be a bad thing =) But according to babycenter.com:

"Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb"

Maybe our peanut was just being a little cheerleader? Or maybe she was just reacting to her silly daddy going crazy for this particular game? All we know is that she was enjoying her time awake with her family this lazy Sunday. And needless to say, the Miami Dolphins finally picked up another win this season. Go figure!

Peanut at 23 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.

Thought of the day

I was speaking to one of my best friends last night, just choppin' it up about things, talking about kids and what not. We were thinking about our "clique" from back in the day, and how pretty much everyone has kids now. What's more fascinating is that a great majority of the guys had daughters first. That being said, CONGRATULATIONS to Craig & Brandi on the recent birth of their daughter Sofia! I hope I got the spelling right! May she bring you endless joy and wonderful memories!!!

Well it's obvious that I'll be the next one to add to the list of "daughters first," which seems to be the trend. A lot of people say its "payback" for a guy to have a girl first, but I see it more as a blessing. As Derick and I continued chatting, he said it best:

"A little boy can make a man feel like a father, but it takes a little girl to make a man feel like a daddy."

Of course, I'm not a father just yet, nor do I have a son, or a daughter for that matter, to base this statement on; I just thought it was an awesome quote, one that I probably won't forget. At this point I'm overwhelmed with emotion over the thought of being a father. I can only imagine what it'll be like once that time comes, and looking at the calendar, it's right around the corner!

Daddy's home...

I never really gave much thought about having to travel for work and be away from my family. In actuality, I never had to travel until recently. I was working on a project in San Diego for the past 10 days, which is why this blog hasn't been updated much in the last couple of weeks!

The thought of being away for just over a week wasn't too bad, I mean sure, I missed Enza the most as well as our "little" pup. And yeah, I missed the home cooked meals, my own bed, my own car, and even my own bathroom. And it's true, our baby isn't born yet, but being away from her, in Enza's belly, really did a number on me. For the last ten days, I wasn't able to rub or talk to Enza's belly, just to make that special connection with our baby. I didn't realize how tough that would be. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it will be once the baby is born. In all honesty, I don't know how people do it. How can they be away from their families for so long without it affecting them?

While I was away, I would chat with Enz every night, and before we'd get off the phone, she'd place the phone near her belly just so I could get a little "one on one" time with my little girl. I don't know how much of an impact that made, but it meant the world to me to be able to communicate with her just to let her know that I was missing her.

I'm glad to be home! It was the best feeling to see my beautiful wife greet me at the airport. The look on her face can't be described with words. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful soul mate, and I can't wait until our little one joins the family! Even though I was only gone for a short amount of time, Enza's look has changed dramatically. I couldn't wait to see her and how different she's become. What a trip! And now that I'm home, I realize that there's a ton of things to do, with so little time to do it in. Day by day it becomes more and more of a reality to the both of us, and it'll all be worth it in the end!

Peanut at 22 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches 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.

Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, or one of the Rockettes?

While it's no surprise that our little peanut is seriously making her presence known and felt, Enz noticed that the baby has been starting to deliver more noticeable "kicks." The little one is fairly active during the day while Enz is at work, and then continues her rampage throughout the evening. You'd think that she would get tired and call it a night when Enza goes to bed, but in true "bebe" form, our little peanut continues every now and then through the night.

I guess we'll need to better prepare ourselves for what's really coming our way! Even though my days start early, it only takes a few sleepless nights for my grumpy side to shine through! It'll be worth the effort though, and like we've said many times before, we can't wait.

Pure Relaxation

Today, Enz was treated to a spa day with her co-workers. Of course due to her situation, she wasn't able to indulge in all the amenities and services at the spa, but she was able to take part in a pregnancy massage. Enz wasn't the only one pampered today-our little peanut was also treated to her very first day at the spa!

While Enz was relaxing in the pregnancy bath, our little princess was jumping for joy in mommy's belly! Perhaps she was trying to tell Enza something? Who knows? All that Enza said was that the little peanut was extremely active during the bath, and finallyh relaxed with mommy during the actual massage. Maybe she was just expressing her joy of being there, and that it's a sign of things to come. Maybe it's a sign of her developing personality? We could speculate until the cows come home, but we'll never really know now will we? It's always fun to just sit here and guess at what the little squirt is trying to tell us.

More activity

Well, according to Enz, our little one has become quite the little busy body! She's pretty oblivious to our schedules, as Enza finds herself being startled by Peanut's movements. This past weekend, I noticed that Enz would suddenly jerk every now and then, as if she got shocked or startled. It turns out that it was our little Peanut and her kicking or whatever she's doing in there! Her movements are becoming more and more frequent, and more and more intense.

This is an extemely exciting time for us, as we move on through the fifth month. She reacts more quickly now, especially when there's music playing. She had a little workout this past Saturday during the evening mass when the choir began singing. We're curious to see how she'll react when she's here and when we play music for her.

Peanut at 21 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel him move. He's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if he starts working out just when you're settling down for the night. If you're having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.

Happy Friday!

This kind of says it all, don't you think? Anyway, Happy Friday!!

With every beat of my heart

Click here to listen to Baby Peanut's heartbeat at 20.5 weeks

You'll hear some static, but that's just the doctor moving the doppler around trying to get a clear sound. The heartbeat is so evident and strong, and each time we hear it, it makes this experience become more and more real to the both of us....

Whew!

We had our 5 month appointment yesterday, and we are so relieved! Last week, during our sonogram appointment, the sonographer mentioned something to us that raised our concerns for the little one. It was our understanding that the sonographer is NOT supposed to comment on the ultrasound, with the exception of the baby's gender. Well, as you know, we found out that we're having a baby girl, but the the technician also made a comment that she shouldn't have said. Needless to say, both Enz & I were worried, mainly because her comment was kind of left up in the air.

After meeting with our doctor, we voiced our concerns about what the technician said. The doctor was very surprised and said that this tech needed to be spoken to regarding this or any extra comments she made. Basically, it's not her position to comment on anything except the sex of the baby. All that being said, the doctor reassured us that there was nothing that she could see from our ultrasound pictures & tests that would lead her to believe there was anything wrong. Both Enz & I breathed a giant sigh of relief! WHEW!!

The rest of the appointment went on without a hitch. We got to hear the very strong heartbeat of the little one again, this time it was really easy for the doctor to find it. Hearing that heartbeat is one of the greatest sounds ever!!!

Poop humor

Babies rappin' about poop

Thanks Dez for this cute little video clip. I guess it's something to look forward to, huh?

Kundalini?

Yesterday, one of Enza's patients asked her if she had any children and Enza said, "No, but I have one on the way." This patient mentioned that she "sensed" a very motherly energy from Enza, which is pretty trippy. Come to find out that this woman specializes in reading people's energy. She went on to say that Enza's energy was very calm and warm. That gave Enz the warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and at the same time gave her the chills (think goosebumps).

We had dinner at Merr & Rick's last night, and our little one was pretty active. She was doing her little dance again, this time while we were eating, and there wasn't any music playing, so to speak. She probably heard the Monday Night Football jingle and got really excited =) Then again, that tune IS music.....

Play another song for me...

Lots of movement from the little one this weekend. On Saturday, we went out and did our baby registry at a few places. That was an adventure in itself, much like doing our wedding registry! We were prepared for a full day of "shopping", but got a bit overwhelmed with all the little stuff. I'm pretty sure we missed a few things, but it's all good.

After dinner on Saturday, we were on the computer trying to fine tune our registries online. We had some music playing from ETN.fm, a really decent live trance set from Europe by Mazza & Martinelli. As the set played on, Enz noticed a little movement in her belly. She described it as "the baby turning, or possibly moving her arms & legs." It wasn't the normal fluttering she had described before, but more like body movements. Really exciting stuff! She kept on doing her little dance while the music was playing, finally tiring out when we shut the computer off! We're assuming that she's into music....

At church on Sunday, our little one "woke up" when the choir started singing, and did her little dance routine whenever music was played. I guess she's not all too particular just yet as to what type of music she likes, just as long as there's a melody and rhythm.

Finally, last night as we were winding down our busy weekend, Enz played some classical music for the little peanut, and sure enough, it got her going again! We'll continue to play different styles of music for her to see what moves her most. Here's to hoping the little one's got rhythm =)

Peanut at 20 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.) A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.) Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery)

Pure Excitement

Its a Girl!

Here's a short video clip of when Enz & I shared the news of our baby girl with our family. Enjoy!

And that's all I got to say about that...

We went in for our sonogram yesterday, and found out that we're having a GIRL!!! Both Enza & I are so happy, then again, we would've been happy with a baby boy too, but nevertheless, we're only a few months away from meeting "Daddy's Little Girl!"

Here's another pic of the little one in Mommy's belly. She wasn't very active during the ultrasound, but she did start to wiggle around right about when we were finished. Go figure! She's already acting up!


Baby Peanut @ 19.5 weeks
Thank heaven for little girls...

COUNTDOWN

Only ONE HOUR to go until we find out....

One more day...

Wow, we really can't believe that the day is nearly upon us. Tomorrow, Enz & I are going to find out the sex of the baby. Nervous? Excited? Anxious? Impatient? YES, YES, YES, YES!!! We've been counting down to this day since we made the appointment way back in August. We're really excited to find out so we can start calling the baby by his/her name, and get used to saying and hearing it.

Enz still doesn't have a "feeling" yet, and I've stated that we're having a girl. Yesterday, when I had time to think about it, I just sat back and looked at the big picture. I kind of had a change of heart, so to speak, and started to think that we're having a boy. Today I'm like Enz, and I really don't know. I'll stick to my original guess, but it really doesn't matter anyway. We're just so DAMN happy that we're having a baby!

Now about baby names.......

More pics of Wesley...

Just a few more pics of Wesley Joseph Arbolante, provided by his proud daddy Rick. Thanks Uncle Ricky!!

Peanut at 19 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.