Hold the vodka, please.
Since you’re all so into progress shots – I thought I’d share a different kind – still progress though!
That’s my lame attempt at a self-portrait. I had to enlist the Daddy-Cam for some decent-ish shots.
These pictures were taken today – 23 weeks, 3 days. Depending on what book you’re reading, that puts me somewhere in the sixth month.
Although the profile shot and the back fat aren’t the nicest, head on it’s so cute! I’m really enjoying my belly these days – I think it looks so pretty! It’s got a nice shape and I guess I’m carrying in the front? No stretch marks YET (they’re coming – I got stretch marks on my boobs and hips in adolescence so I’m not naive enough to think I’ll be immune. And before you start telling me about all kinds of miracle creams, the scientific research I’ve read is that stretch marks are genetic. You either get them or you don’t.) Georgie likes my belly too. Which makes it doubly nice. Thanks for letting me share!
L, C
What a pretty belly you have! I can’t wait to see the “FO”!
Now that is the best kind of progress I can think of! Your belly is gorgeous!
Oh! So wonderful! Thanks for sharing the cute belly shots. Excellent progress. 🙂
Stretch marks are genetic? darn. darn darn.
Aw, I love your cute belly!
Yep, I think they are probably genetic. My mom has them and I got them when I had Maddie. (I got them on my chest and hips when I was a teen too!) But really they don’t bother me at all. They remind me of being pregnant with Maddie and that was a wonderful thing!
The creams at least help with the itching.
Beautiful belly pictures. A most wonderful work in progress. Not one you can spend extra time on, and get done early, however, and finishing can be a bit of a pain. The end product can be a bit fussy, but well worth the effort. 🙂
Oh, my! Cute!
Yeah, those belly marks will suddenly appear in that last month when the baby drops down into position. That’s what happened with my first one. Thought I was going to miss them, but no.
And find some good anti-itch cream for when they do appear. Don’t usually itch with the first one, but they will when everything starts to shrink back up bcause they’re healing. And of course, if you and G decide to have anymore, get ready for the ones you got with the first one to start itching DURING the pregnancy. (I’m at that stage now. Aloe Vera Gel with Lidocaine helps control the itch for me.)
I love the outie you’re developing. Does that mean when it fully pops out the baby’s done? LOL 😀
Beautiful! Keep up the good work!
That’s the cutest belly ever!
stretch marks=stripes of courage
Nice belly shots!
I also got stretch marks as a teen and was afraid I would be like those pictures you see online with the horrible red stretch marks everywhere. I do have some below my belly button, but they aren’t that bad and didn’t show up until about 33 weeks.
And I love your belly button, it is so cute. Mine just looks flat and discolored (currently at 36w5d).
Cara, if it gives you a glimmer of hope, I got stretch marks as a teenager, too, and nary a one while pregnant. It can happen!
Congrats! My twins are now 3 and whether genetics, or twins, or what have you, I had those awful red stretch marks which I desperately tried to get rid of to now avail. I had always thought the whole stretch marks as a badge of womanly honour thing a bunch of hooey UNTIL a few months ago when my daughters started calling them “Mommy’s stripes when we played in her belly!” Now I have a certain begrudging fondness for my “stripes”.
Aww, cute!
That is the CUTEST baby belly. Way to bare it with pride!
You should hold out some hope for not getting stretch marks, I got them on my thighs when I was younger, but not a single one on my big belly when I was pregnant!! I did use a lotion, but only because my hubber rubbed it on everynight!!
love the belly! i never got that line down the front that almost every woman seems to get. maybe that’s genetic too? 🙂
Enjoy your belly.
It’s wonderful and cute! I can only hope someday for a baby belly as nice.
Thanks for the view! You’re looking fantastic!
Cute belly bump!
Your belly IS the cutest! I am entirely serious when I say I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pregnant belly so cute.
You are all a-bloom! You look great!
Adorable! Just how a baby belly should look 🙂
(And I wish I was that confident – I’m still at the “take pics of belly in favourite shirt” stage 😉 I have 5 weeks to catch up to you, though, so maybe I’ll work on it for then.)
My stretch marks made their appearance in the 7th month and my husband, goddess bless him, said they reminded him of flames crawlin up my belly. He thought they were pretty cool, fo course he’s a scientist so he thought the whole process was fascinating.
Your belly is adorable and I have Loved reading about your progress, all of it. 🙂
Be well.
You are totally carrying in the front! And low too!! You look great! 🙂
I agree – you can’t keep the stretch marks from coming if they’re gonna, but if you’re prone to dry skin, you may want to start shopping around now for a nice lotion. Mine itched like FURY!
As Fernando always said: You rook maaavelus dahling! You’re right about about the stretchmarks too, creams only help if you itch, but the magic potions? heh
Yup, no amount of creams and ointments are going to help with the stretchmarks. To tell you the truth, I LOVE my stretch marks. It’s a daily reminder of my 4 wonderful pregnancies! They are my “battle scars” and I am proud of them (I worked very hard to “earn” them!). Genetically speaking, they must have skipped a generation! My sister’s and I all have them but my mother does not (and she had 5 children!!). I think your belly shots are beautiful, pregnancy really agrees with you. Keep up the good “baby making” work, you are doing a wonderful job.
aww, cute mama!!
What a precious belly! I was just looking at mine thinking, “Aww come on!” Stretch marks & little tiny cracks span the entire surface. Apparently, there’s only so much my skin can take.
Soon you’ll start shutting your belly into doors or try to suck it in when you try to get around shoppers. It’ll make you giggle.
Awww! Yay for the bump! I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet Cara! Isn’t it just the greatest thing to hug your belly? I know it makes you smile. 🙂
Lovely belly (and look at those boobs – you weren’t kidding!) shots! I think this is the nicest kind of progress shots. The stretch marks will fade if you get them. Mine are very light now and thank goodness you gave cream the thumbs down.
GAWH! I totally hate you. You have the most lovely pregnant belly – all milky skin and precious little popped belly button.
When I was that far along, my stretch marks made it look like I’d been attacked by Freddie Krueger… and they’re just starting to fade (baby? 16 months old, yeah…)
You lucky bas**rd.
Just Lovely. You do have a pretty belly!
What a beautiful belly! I am so excited for you and Georgie.
You never know about the stretch marks… my hips got completely COVERED with them in adolescence (not my boobs though – probably because I barely have them). I assumed I’d get stretch marks on my tummy and boobs from pregnancy, but I didn’t get any. And I was as big as a house, and didn’t use any creams.
Beautiful belly.
That is some gorgeous progress. The sixish month belly is so fun. Big enough to be cute and small enough not to make you insane. 🙂
FWIW… I didn’t get belly stretch marks the first time. So you might not. Just boob and hip ones. But the second child… seeing that her big sister already gave me a good stretch decided to plop herself waaaaay out front and give me belly marks. So nice of them to work together and stretch me from knees to pits!
*Squeal!* So cute!
Beautiful belly shots, Cara – I can almost see baby cuddled up to you in that last photo! I ended up with a good smattering of stretch marks too, but they only appeared in the last month … I almost thought I’d gotten away with it! Darn. Still, they don’t bother me as much as I thought they would – I look at them as a kind of “mummy initiation” badge. They’re unique to me, and they’re all mine – a reminder of the special time when I was pregnant.
omg!! haha, now that’s a baby belly! looking good 😉
Gorgeous!
Oh that is one beautiful belly! I agree with you, genetics are key. I have stretch marks up the wazoo, I’m not surprised though. they’re not too bad 🙂 You get a cute baby from them, so that’s good.
AWWW! I personally think the side shot is the best. Of course that could be because as a nurse I can totally decipher the baby’s silloutte (sp?) in your belly! tee hee
Beautiful belly Cara-looks like your baby’s growing very nicely!!!
Awww – what a beautiful belly! (And yup – based on professional experience, I have to agree – stretch marks are pre-determined – no amount of cream will make a difference.)
Waaayyy Cool! You rock, Cara, those are beautiful belly shots! Although it isn’t easy being pregnant, there are some great moments. For me, it was the ONLY time I have felt totally comfortable with my body in a swimsuit in public. Thanks for sharing!
glorious!
Lovely Baby Bump! Your belly really is so cute!
You’re still rocking a cute little waist, even!
Cute Baby-Bump!! Pretty soon you’ll have a beautiful FO!
No backfat to be seen, and the profile shot is my favorite. 🙂 And you’re right about stretch marks being genetic, but if yours itch, cocoa butter cream helps that more than I can even tell you. I got the Body Shop cocoa butter Body Butter and it has saved me…I was scratching so hard I was leaving welts!
The only thing cuter than a baby belly is the baby’s belly.
You’re looking good!
Apparently your belly photos are a big comment grabber! Cute, though!
So very cute! I am so happy for you Cara, so very exciting. 🙂
Oh . . mygosh . . there IS a baby in there!!! Ohhhhhh . . *sigh* 😀 Now it really is real. I’ve been reading your posts and for some strange reason it didn’t really “click.” Now, seeing your tummy, it does!
I can’t wait to see your new person . . and I’m sure you can’t either. Much love to you, mommy. *hugs*
How cute! You know you should do a photo a day,,this way you can see your belly grow,, plus it would kinda cool that you can show your child when he/she is older just exactly how they/you grew prior to being born!
what an adorable belly!
What a sweet belly! My sister-in-law did a belly cast of her belly when she was about a month away from delivering. Might be an idea to think about. 🙂 Just do a search for “belly cast kits”.
That is one of the cutest bellies ever!
What a belly!! Your excitement brings a HUGE grin to my face. I loved being pregnant and I am glad you are finally getting to enjoy it too!! You love “mahhhhvelous!!!!
Bet you can’t see your feet anymore! In a couple more months you’ll be able to use your tummy for a table. Pregancy is fun. (No, really)
Such a cute little bump! I love the way your belly button is reacting. 🙂
Very pretty belly. Don’t worry about the stretch marks, I got them and you can’t see them until after the baby is born and then you don’t care!
What an adorable baby belly! I think it looks great from the side, too. Rounded and perfect 🙂
D’awwww! So cute! Hi, new baby!
wtg ! what a gorgeous baby belly 🙂
and stretch marks?? they are not such a big deal – just reminders of the joyous birth of our little ones. I don’t mind mine at all.
yay babies!
you have the cutest belly button ever!
Just found out that I’m about seven weeks along with baby #2 (it feels like a boy. it just does!)
So I am very excited myself and its nice to recall what I have to look forward to. Isn( bizzare to look at the picture and realize you look that way because you are growing a PERSON?
Amazing.
No puking but I have had 3 cold sores, ear infection, and horrible congestion. The things we do for love…
You do have a cute belly!
Where’s the Belly Button ring? 🙂
Baby, Oh BABY, indeed! I love it, and wish I had belly shots from pregnancy. I’m usually the one behind the camera, and I didn’t try to take any self-portraits then.
Reminds me that people start telling you you’re ‘popping’ and asking ‘HOW soon are you due?!” about the time your belly gets bigger than your boobs. For some of us, that came faster than others! 🙂
I echo some of the above comments — you never know about stretch marks — my thighs bear record of my adolesence (again, some of us didn’t have enough rapid growth for boob stretch marks) so I was totally expecting them with pregnancy. I only got one tiny one by my hip in the last couple weeks. But as you say, stretch marks will be whatever they are going to be, and that’s one of the least and least important of all the changes a child brings to your life!
That is very cute Cara.
Great photos. I am envious.
Oh. love the belly! And, stretch marks may come regardless, but I did enjoy lotioning up the belly when I was pregnant. I did it with the motivation of preventing stretch marks (didn’t get any but I’ve never had any so that makes sense), but really it was just another way of enjoying the belly!