24 Weeks Today!

Well- we're here! Today is the official day of viability- 24 weeks. That means if she came out today, she'd have a good chance of living. Before 24 weeks, it's much less likely- and of course, every week longer makes things that much better. She weighs about 1.5 pounds now- and is about 12 inches in length.

I've been cooped up in the apartment studying- which is okay. Mr. Mustard went to a birthday party last night, and I stayed home to study- which was a bummer, but I know that this phase of law school/ studying isn't going to last much longer.

My first exam is on Tuesday, and I'm feeling better about it. I took a practice exam today- and think I did okay- not great, but okay. I have another final on Wednesday, which I'm feeling pretty shaky about since I'm just now starting to study for it. That professor is known for giving some tough exams (he gave me my lowest law school grade last semester). So, lots more work to do in that department- but it's good to know that on Wednesday, I'll be 2/3 of the way fininshed with finals.

After my exam on Wednesday, I think Mr. Mustard and I are going to go celebrate a bit- maybe go to the beach for the afternoon and take a breather from studying. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. It will be fun to go down to the beach and lay in the sun a little bit- enjoy some of this great late spring weather!

Wednesday is also my dad's birthday. He's coming out on the 10th for a visit, and I'm excited to see him! We are going to have such a great time. I'm excited for him to see our apartment and meet Hauser (he's already met Meg).

23 weeks, 5 days!

The 6th month is almost here! Saturday marks 24 weeks of pregnancy- time is really flying, and I'm sad because I like being pregnant and don't want it to already be 2/3 of the way over. My stomach is getting SO big (as you can see). I wonder how much bigger it can get before it starts to look ridiculous.

I have been studying for finals pretty much 24-7, with a few study breaks here and there. Last night I watched The Amazing Race (Mr. Mustard's show), which was a nice break. I have been reading some of the study material aloud to help it sink in, so the baby may be getting a legal education as we speak! Maybe her first words will be res judicata or res ipsa loquitur- or maybe not!

Mr. Mustard finished on The Race last Friday, and is now working on a side project- a cool documentary feature. He has had a bit more flexibility in his schedule since he started this new deal, so he has been taking pretty good care of me. Today and yesterday, we went to Wendy's for lunch because I have been having such a craving for it!

Back to studying!

Mr. Mustard's First Dodger's Game

Saturday night we went to the Dodger's Game with Dana, Gene, and baby Maya. It was Mr. Mustard's first professional baseball game- and we had a great time. The Dodger's didn't win- but it was an exciting game, and Mr. Mustard enjoyed his first Dodger Dog!

Speaking of "dogs"- Hauser liberated our screen a little bit to get a sniff of the great outdoors. Mr. Mustard went up to Santa Barbara to take his mom to the doctor-and took Hauser with him. Mr. Mustard called to say that they had a great time romping around the park in Santa Barbara, playing ball, etc. In the meantime, I've been here at home studying for finals- which start next week!





In other news, I continue to get bigger- surprise, surprise! I am enjoying eating healthy, nutritious food- (and some treats, too!) I'm still not too uncomfortable, except that it's really hard to bend over to put on my shoes, and it hurts to lift my legs. So, I end up doing a sort of dance to get dressed in the morning.

Back to studying for me now! The crunch is really on!

23 Weeks!

I've been feeling a few more kicks now. I talked to the doctor about the lack of movement- and he had a good explanation for it. He said that I won't feel much movement compared to other women because of the location of the placenta. In my case, it's in the very front- across my stomach, so that when she kicks she actually has to kick hard enough for me to feel it through the entire placenta. That put my mind at ease- but I do like feeling her kick. It's reassuring. So, I've been on the look-out for it more, and am so happy when I do feel her little flutters.

I've been in "study-mode" trying to get ready for finals, which start in about a week. Mr. Mustard's last day of work was yesterday, so we did celebrate a bit last night by having dinner together and watching "The Hot Chick" on dvd. After that, it was back to studying for me. Today my plan is to spend the whole day studying, and then tonight we have plans we made awhile ago to go to a Dodger's game with our friends Dana and Gene. Mr. Mustard's never been to a professional baseball game, so that will be fun. I do feel guilty about not studying tonight, though. I keep telling myself to power through these last few weeks and then I can relax.

Today marks my 23rd week of pregnancy. The doctor said at my last appointment that she weighs about 1.5 pounds. It's neat to think that if she were born now, she would have a good chance at life. Of course, I want her to go full-term, but it's nice knowing that she's becoming a real person in there. I have an online group I check for pregnancy info and stuff like that. Here's what they have to say about the 23rd week of pregnancy:

Your baby is now about 8.4 inches from crown to rump (21cm) and weighs about 1.2 pounds (530g).

Your baby's face and body now look more like a full-term baby. She now looks close to how she will look at birth.

The eyes, though they are still closed, are now close together on the front of the face and the ears are in their final position. Eyelashes are fairly well-developed and hair is growing on your baby's head.

Your baby's movements are becoming more restricted now as she fills up the uterus more. Cartwheels and somersaults inside the amniotic sac are no longer possible, but she can still hold the umbilical cord and touch and feel around her. Though your baby is already living in tight quarters in the amniotic sac, she will soon have even less room to move around.
Her vital organs are now quite mature. However, since the lungs are not yet fully formed, your baby would have breathing problems if born prematurely at this stage.
Your baby is becoming increasingly conscious of the world outside and may feel startled when you are startled.

Your baby may alternate between having very active and very calm periods.

Your baby may have facial expressions such as frowning, squinting and pursing of the lips.

Back from Ultrasound

Just got home from the ultrasound- the doctor says everything looks perfect! Mr. Mustard rushed over from work and got there just in time for the appointment. He got to see everything- I was so happy we were together to see our little girl. The doctor was fantastic- super nice and knowledgeable (with a sense of humor, too). I just scanned the photos. The doc also gave us a dvd of the ultrasound- very high-tech. Here they are:

Profile One (with hands over face):
















Profile Two (with arm under chin):
















Profile Three:

















Arms Crossed In Front of Face:
















Hand Touching Face:

Baby Updates! 22 Weeks, 4 Days

Later on today I go in for my big ultrasound. This is the ultrasound where most people learn the gender of their baby- well, we've known the gender for two and a half months now- but it will be great to see her on the screen and do a little check-up. I have been worried about not feeling very many kicks or movement, but this morning she really surprised us with some strong kicks. Mr. Mustard could feel her kicking from outside my stomach. It was incredible.

We finally scanned the ultrasound photos- so I'm going to post those. Hopefully I'll have some more later today after my appointment. My favorites are from the 13 week appointment, because you can really see all of her. That's when we found out that the gender- that she is a SHE!

7 weeks:

















13 Weeks































16 Weeks:

Happy Easter!

We went to SB for the weekend- it was nice and relaxing. Friday night we saw "Thank You For Smoking"- which was pretty good, actually. Saturday we went to The Habit in Santa Barbara, which is pretty much my favorite hamburger joint. Yum! We spent Saturday night having dinner with Mr. Mustard's mom, and then Ann and Tom came over to say hi. Sunday we were a little lazy in the morning, and then went on a long hike out by the ocean. We took Hauser and he had the BEST time. I think that this hike may have even beat the Ocean Dog Park in his estimation. He is so tired and sore today from his rompings yesterday that all he wants to do is sleep. I had to wake him up to take him outside this morning!

One Month Til Graduation!

Well- graduation is exactly one month from today. I can't wait!!! I have a lot of work to do to get ready- finals to take, etc., so, the pressure is starting to build. But, I'm still very excited to be done with school! The weather here is gorgeous today and so it was especially hard to focus during today's classes of Labor Law and Remedies.

I got a Save The Date card to my friend Siobhan's wedding- her wedding is in late August in Monterey- about one week after my due date. I'm so bummed because I really want to go, but know that it's not really possible for me to go. I realized the other day that I'm basically stuck in Los Angeles until September, at least, unless Mr. Mustard and I can get away on a short trip in late May after graduation.

Mr. Mustard and I went to the zoo a few weekends ago- here is the picture of me next to the zebras. You can see my stomach is definitely getting bigger. I am now over halfway through the pregnancy, and am starting to really feel slower and bogged down. I am hungry all the time and just want to eat and sleep, basically. I am enjoying pregnancy, but can't imagine how people have 12 or 13 kids. That's a decade of your life spent in a state of hunger and fatigue.

I'm getting anxious to meet our daughter and can't wait for her arrival- although I hope she stays put inside me for a few more months, to grow and get strong, of course! I can wait to meet her, but at the same time, I can't wait!

Gadgets Galore!

Well, I finally got a new laptop- the old one was seriously on its last leg. I'm loving this new machine. It's very powerful- and best of all, the screen doesn't constantly flicker. It will be so nice using this laptop for my exams, and for the Bar. Add that to the Ipod I also just got, and I'm now officially in the 21st century. I downloaded a bunch of my study aids to ITunes, so now I can listen to lectures at home to review for the bar. So excellent.

It looks like I will be job searching after the baby is born. I called the firm yesterday, and they were not too hot on the idea of me working part-time. It's totally what I expected. So, now I'm faced with the choice of working there 80 hours a week with a newborn, or not working there at all. Not much of a choice, really. I figure that if not this job, then something better is in store. It does put a lot of pressure on me to study on my own for the Bar. I'm putting together a study schedule, and sort of taking the reigns on it. Of course, I still have to finish this semester, and study for my classes so that I can graduate. It's an exercise in careful juggling.

Still haven't been feeling the baby move too much. I have another ultrasound in a week or two- and then after graduation, I have an appointment with my regular ob. I'm still not 100% about him- he completely lacks a bedside manner. But, I feel a little overwhelmed and don't know if I want to invest the time in switching doctors. He is competent, and I'll be delivering at a really great hospital- so part of me thinks I should just stay the course.

I have had some trouble walking around- I think the baby's foot is sticking into my lower abdomen. It's really uncomfortable, but only if I stand up. She's getting a lot bigger, so I guess space is getting crowded in there. I am a little over half-way through the pregnancy, and she still has a long way to grow! I wonder what I'll feel like when I'm taking the Bar Exam at 37 weeks. Yikes! :-)