24 Weeks 5 Days and GROWING!

Well, I am currently 24 weeks and 5 days pregnant..and the belly is still growing! Ha ha.  Anyway, I thought I'd post a belly update as well as some pregnancy highlights so far.

How far along: 24 Weeks 5 Days

Size of Baby: Papaya

Movement:  Most definitely.  He kicks me all the time.  However, I can't seem to figure out what exactly is hitting me - hands, head, or feet? Most of the time it feels like he's karate chopping me and then other times it feels like he's stretching his little body out as much as he can.

Sleep: I do sleep, but I am not quite sure if it is good sleep.  I wake up a lot throughout the night to pee or move around.  My back bothers me a lot as well - my lower back aches all night, which tends to get uncomfortable.  I sleep on my left side like the doctors say to do, and that's the side that hurts the most...oh well.

Cravings: Well, my appetite has really started to pick up these last two weeks.  However, I don't really have any strange cravings.  I do love my sweets and cheeses.  I have been making a lot of casseroles lately - I guess I'm missing Southern foods...I take that back, I do have cravings - I want to eat deli sandwiches all the time, but pregnant woman aren't supposed to eat deli meat...I'm not sure if I am really craving them or if it's because I'm not allowed to eat them..haha.

Sick?: Not anymore, thank God. (And knock on wood...)  I had some trouble while we were traveling in Peru.  I got food poisoning from a hamburger here in Costa Rica and it lasted for almost two weeks. Stupid bacteria...ugh.  I felt TERRIBLE, which ended up dehydrating me and baby Kosta so I had to go to the hospital to get an IV for fluids.

Showing yet?: Yep!  Just kind of popped these last two weeks.

Maternity Clothes: Kind of...I can still wear most of my summer clothes, which is good because it's hot as heck here in Costa Rica.  On the other hand, all of my winter clothes are maternity clothes.

Belly Button In or Out?:  As of right now, in!  But it looks like it's starting to become an outy!  I officially took out my belly button ring last night - haven't seen the inside of my belly button since I had it pierced in the 8th grade...ha ha.  It looks so strange to me!

Wedding ring On or Off?: Most definitely on :)

Missing anything?: Surfing...I miss it so so much!  It's hard to go to the beach and not want to take my surfboard with me.  I miss exercising everyday - ever since I was on bed rest in the beginning I have no motivation to do anything - super frustrating. Oh well - in a few more months I'll be dying to shed the pounds.

High of the Week:  Possibly selling our car - just waiting for the $ to hit my account and sign some papers!!  That means we're one step closer to moving to the US, which makes me really really happy :)

Anyway, those are the highlights for this week!

And the winner is....

Rudy and I have officially decided the name of our Little Surfer Baby...I think - LOL.  We've thought long and hard about his name because we want the name to have meaning to us.  We both decided we want his name to be somewhat unique, but something we hope he won't hate when he grows up (Sorry baby!).

And the winner is... Kosta Andrés Diaz Leventis.

I know I know...you're probably thinking "What the heck...4 names?" or "What do the names mean?" or "Why is he taking Stephanie's last name?" or "What the heck are they thinking with those names?"

Well, here is our explanation.

Kosta is a common male Greek name (the name can also be spelled Kostas, Costa, Costas).  The name is short for Konstantine or Constantine, which comes from the name of Constantine the Great (the Roman Emperor and Greek Saint).  We decided Kosta was perfect for our baby boy's name because we both felt something when we talked about the name.  

Not only does the name Kosta have a literal meaning, it also has a different kind of meaning to us.  Kosta or Costa will always have a special meaning to both of us because Costa Rica is where our life together began.  Everything about our relationship was made possible in Costa Rica - this is where we met, where we fell in love, and where we started our family.   

Andrés is one of the first names we thought of before we even knew we were expecting. Andrés is the Spanish form of Andrew, which is my Daddy and brother's first name.  We decided we wanted a Greek and Spanish name for our baby boy, so that's why we're using the Spanish version of Andrew.

Now onto the more complicated explanation of Kosta's full name.  You may be wondering why his name will be Kosta Andrés Diaz Leventis.  Although my last name will be part of his full name, his last name really is Diaz.

Most Latinos have two last names - a first last name and a second last name.  The first last name is the Father's last name.  The second last name is the Mother's maiden name.    The child always takes both last names, however, the Father's last name is still the main last name.  In the US, Kosta will go by Kosta Diaz.

Anyway, so that's it...his name will be Kosta Andrés Diaz Leventis!  Hopefully he won't hate us later in life for having a unique name - ha ha.

Also, I thought I'd do a quick belly picture update.  I am a little over 23 weeks pregnant, which means I am at the start of my 6th month! Woo hoo! (Excuse the background of the first picture...I didn't realize how messy our un-made bed looked)

22 Weeks and Counting!

I am officially 22 weeks pregnant today!  Here's proof of the baby bump: 

Yesterday was our anatomy scan appointment.  We didn't see as much as we hoped, but I am not sure if the technology here is different than the US.  We were able to see our sweet baby boy, however, he was a little camera shy!  

We got a sweet video from the appointment and some great ultrasound pictures.  I will try to upload the video later - it's another long one so it will take a while to upload.

Here are two pictures from the ultrasound:

Sweet boy kept covering his face with his hands - guess he didn't want us to see his face just yet.  It was amazing to watch him move all around in there - he's getting so big!  He weighs almost a pound (435 grams)

Last night Rudy and I were watching my stomach bounce all around because our little ninja baby was kicking and punching so much.  It was way more than just twitching - it was like he was trying to kick his way out of there.  He's pretty active throughout the day and some at night, but luckily he does let me get some sleep.

Well, Rudy and I have been discussing names for our baby boy for a while now, but we can't seem to come up with his full name just yet.  We've decided on his first name, but cannot seem to think of a good middle name.  Once we figure out the middle name, I will post his full name! 

Anyway, here is some information from TheBump.com regarding the 22nd week of pregnancy!

your baby's the size of a papaya!

During month five, the average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.

your baby at 22 weeks

• Now that he's got more developed eyes and lips, he's looking even more like a newborn.
• He's sleeping in cycles -- about 12 to 14 hours per day (hint: they're probably those times you're not feeling any kicks!).