22 weeks and counting....

Today marks 22 weeks, which means we are officially 5 months pregnant.... which also means "only" 18 weeks or 4 more months to go! I really feel like this second half of the pregnancy is going to fly by. I was so anxious to make my way to the half way point and now that it has come and gone, it doesn't feel like I have been focusing on the time as much. I'm loving being pregnant, but also just cannot wait to meet our little one. I'm also dying to know whether I have a son or daughter in my belly. I'm still thinking "boy"- but we'll see. When I woke up this morning, I read on one of my baby info emails that our baby is now about the size of a papaya!! This stunned me because it just so happened that I just purchased a papaya this week (I'm on a smoothie making kick!) and that papaya was huge!! Other books/emails have some varying info about the size of baby right now, but generally, the baby is about 11 inches long and almost weighs a pound. The baby is now starting to look just like a miniature newborn! He/she seems to be acting more and more like a newborn, too, in the respect that I can feel him/her squirming around in there quite a bit - and feeling those little pokes have proven to be one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced in life so far. I just melt when I feel our little one's random little kicks and punches. They're even getting strong enough now where Andy is beginning to feel them, which makes me really happy! I think it's still light for him, but there have a been a couple of times where he has agreed to have felt something in there. I actually think that I can tell that the baby has switched positions inside. As of 2 weeks ago during our ultrasound, the baby seemed to be mostly over on the left side of my stomach, and I was feeling movement down really low or over to the right. Then a few days passed where the movements were suddenly not as strong, and I think this is when the baby must have been "en route" to his/her new destination. Now, if I lie down on my back, I can feel that my stomach is a bit harder on the right (making me think the baby's head is there) and I'm feeling the strongest "pokes" on my left side (feet?) and lighter "pokes" in my center (hands?) - it's so fun for me to try and imagine how our child is positioned in there and just what in the world he/she is doing to entertain him/herself to pass all of that time in there!

My mom and Uncle Tom have still been here visiting this past week and (in between pawn shop visits, and trips to "Chick-Fli-A" and "Dairy Queen" - dangerous heavenly treats we don't have in NY!), with their help, we've accomplished a TON of odds and end projects around the house. I could not be more relieved to cross these things off of our "list" and couldn't have done it without their help! To name just a few -

We hung the curtains in the baby's nursery:

Uncle Tom hanging the curtains.

(Mom managing the dogs' "help" in the project)

My uncle Tom built us a shelf above our refrigerator so I could store my cookbooks up there -

(I think it's funny how much this thrills me!)

We installed a wall-sized shoe rack in our master closet, touched up some walls with paint, the list really goes on, but I'll spare all of you readers of mine! :)

We also made it to the beach today! Delaney wanted to show her friends, Abby and Zoey, where *her* "swimming pool" is here at her new home. They all had a ball and are now sound asleep and exhausted.

Delaney catching some rays.

22 week shadow in the sand.

Some other pictures from the week.....

Night out on South Padre Island for dinner.

Uncle Tom sharing his seat with a scared Delaney during a little rain storm (she's not usually allowed on the furniture... only when she's too scared to be on the floor alone).

**A special message from "the girls"**

"We can't wait to meet you, baby!"