Nov. 2, 1999 (20 weeks, 5 days) - Well the last two days I've noticed definite movements. I can't tell what they are exactly, but they definitely aren't me. It's like a tumbling sensation going on and is sometimes very strange. Still can't really feel it on the outside, but it is definitely a neat feeling and it's nice that it's happening a little more often, especially mornings and evenings. Countdown to my next appointment is 3 weeks and 3 days, but it's easier knowing that there is an active little one in there somewhere. Maybe by the next appointment Frank will be able to feel it as well.

Nov. 11, 1999 (22 weeks) - The baby movements are a little more often, but not often enough that Frank would be able to feel them from the outside. Still, it's nice to know there is someone in there enjoying him/herself. Last night we actually put together the baby's room. Frank's parents bought us a crib and changing table this past weekend and since I've arranged for The Salvation Army to pick up the old queen mattress set next week, Frank came home last night on a mission to get the room cleaned up. We put together the crib and changing table and arranged the rest of the furniture in the room. We put up all of the night lights and surrounded them with the wall decorations of Mickey and Pooh characters. It looks SOOOO cute! I've still got a few pictures to hang and some cleaning up to do, but it definitely resembles a nursery now. I can't help but continue to go into there and just imagine what it will be like in 4 months! Although it's a little strange to have it complete so early, with the holidays coming up I know we won't have time to do much of anything and after they are over I may not have the energy to get anything done. I'll have to take some pictures once it's complete so you can see just how cute it looks! Ok, baby - we're all ready for you, you can now relax and enjoy the next 4 months!!

Nov. 15, 1999 (22 weeks, 4 days) - The baby movements are getting stronger every day, even though they still aren't very often. This weekend was definitely the busiest for the little one, and I was feeling a lot of movement. One morning I was even able to get Frank to feel the little poking sensations going on, which was very cool. I read somewhere that the heartbeat could be detected with a stethoscope and I tried this weekend but didn't have any luck. All I could hear was the sounds of water moving around in there. I finished the decorations this weekend in the baby's room and even purchased some sheets for the crib which were on sale. On Sunday I also managed to find a dicounted mobile to use for the crib, which I'm basically taking apart to make into my own creation. One more purchase was the Fisher Price Peaceful Planet Aquarium which I managed to get online at Amazon.com for a great price since they were offering a $10 gift certificate towards toy purchases. All in all it was a productive weekend for buying baby products and I didn't spend much money at all. However, the highlight was still the fact that the baby is definitely getting lots of exercise in there and it's nice to feel finally.

Nov. 22, 1999 (23 weeks, 4 days) - The baby is still having some pretty active times in there, and I keep reading that they are MOST active between 27 and 32 weeks. Judging from what I've been feeling, that's going to be a crazy time! We received our Fisher Price Aquarium on Saturday and set it up and let me say it is definitely a cool toy to have as even Frank and I enjoy listening to it. I highly recommend it to anyone considering purchasing cribs toys. We also managed to find some valances for the windows in the nursery at a great price. They have little Mickey Mouse characters and stars in primary colors and they are also white with blue dots. They actually go quite well in the nursery and I'm quite pleased with them. So, for the most part we're done with the nursery for now, I'll probably wait until after my baby shower before making any new purchases.

The most exciting thing was what happened last night. It had been a pretty active day for the little one, I noticed a lot of movement during the day and while I sitting at a baby shower that afternoon. When we settled into bed for the night, I started feeling a little movement again and placed my hands on my stomach to see if I could feel anything. Frank decided he'd try to listen to the little one, so he gently laid his ear right on my belly. The minute he did that, he felt a good strong push from inside on his face that made him jump up. I couldn't help but laugh, it was so funny. I don't know if it was a kick or punch but it was definitely quite strong. He tried again and felt a smaller one after that, but it clearly surprised him that the little one was that strong and I was happy to know that he was able to get an idea of what I've been feeling. Definitely one of the best things about being pregnant is feeling those little movements and knowing there's someone in there just having all kinds of fun already! I'm looking forward to our next doctor's appointment on Friday just to see how things are going. I'm pretty sure I'll be up a few pounds at this point, though I'm interested to see just how many.

Nov. 29, 1999 (24 weeks, 4 days) - On Friday the 26th we had our 24 week appointment and let me say that my weight gain has certainly picked up. According to their scale I was up about 9 pounds, making my total gain to date about 12 pounds. I thought that was pretty good, but the nurse practitioner who I saw this time didn't seem to think so, as she did something nobody else had done in the past and went back to my last recorded weight in March and totalled my weight gain from there, making an increase in 16 pounds instead. In any case, I'm not really going to worry myself about it, as in my defense it was the day AFTER Thanksgiving so that probably wasn't the best planning on my part. Blood pressure was okay and measurements were as well. The baby's heartrate clocked in at 160 but he/she was very active in there for the morning. Another disappointment was that it looks like we won't get that 28 week ultrasound after all. I spoke to her about it and she said they wouldn't bother to do one that early to check for the location of the placenta because if it hadn't moved at that point there's nothing they can do about it. They would probably wait until later on to do one. I mentioned my disappointment as we had hoped to get a better view of the sex this time, and she said not to depend on the ultrasound for the sex. So, it looks like it will be a surprise to us after all, unless I can get the sonography school here to do one. One final note on the appointment is that I have been given the paperwork for the dreaded glucose tolerance test. She told me to schedule it in about 2 weeks. What a fun day THAT will be. Just hope that I pass and don't have to take the extended one. At this point, I'll probably be taking it on December 13th. My next appointment will be on December 22nd, we'll just see how I weigh in on that one.

On the baby front, the little one continues to have his/her active moments. Still haven't seen anything going on from the outside, but I'm sure in the next few weeks that will happen. Until then, it's just nice to know the little one is getting lots of exercise in there!