19 Weeks (and 6 days)!

I really need to get better about being more prompt with these posts!

Here's what's happening with the Little Miss for week 19:
The Little Miss weighs about as much as an heirloom tomato at a whopping 8.5 ounces and is now 6 inches from her head to her bottom. Soon we'll be measuring from her head to her feet!


In other developments this week, the Little Miss' sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear my voice now. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. Since we're having a girl, her ovaries now contain approximately 6 million eggs. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the Little Miss' skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

source: BabyCenter

Team Blue or Team Pink???

Monday was our big ultrasound....you know the one...yep, that one. The one where we find out what we're having! Drumroll please......


We're having a GIRL!!!


My appointment wasn't until 3:30 in the afternoon. Y took the afternoon off to go with me. Traffic ended up being pretty light so we arrived about 20 minutes early. The receptionist asked if we knew we were early. I told her we did but I was okay with waiting. I settled into my chair, with a very full bladder, when about 5 minutes later the ultrasound tech was calling us back. She asked if we wanted to know if it was a boy or girl. Y and I exclaimed "Absolutely!"

I was a little disappointed that the large, flat-panel viewing screen was at just enough of an angle to cause a glare for me while I was lying on the table. I could see most of what the tech was looking at but the glare made a few things indistinguishable. She took all her measurements and pictures she needed then angled her screen to point out all the important things to us.

She stared at her genitals for a long time making sure Baby J was indeed a girl. When she typed GIRL on the screen, I looked at Y and said "It's a girl!". Apparently the expression on my face or my voice worried the tech because she responded "That's a good thing!". I just laughed and explained that the girl's name was one we couldn't decide on yet so it figured that we would be having a girl. We've had the boy's name picked out for well over a year.

Baby Girl J is perfectly healthy. Heart, stomach, kidneys, bladder and brain all look normal. No cleft palette or Spina Bifida. She has 5 finger and toes on each hand and foot. She's definitely a feisty little thing. She did NOT want to reveal her feet on Monday. She's head down with her butt on my left side and feet on my right. Everytime the tech would push on her feet, Little Miss would kick back then grab her feet with her hands. Little Miss is measuring about 3 days behind but the tech and my OB both said it's absolutely nothing to worry about. My EDD is still Dec 3rd.

Things are going well with me, as well. Placenta previa is NOT an issue as we had suspected. The placenta is up and out of the way. I've gained only 6lbs so far so my OB was quite pleased with that. Other than a few headaches now and then I've been feeling pretty great! I'm definitely counting my blessings.

Presenting the Little Miss:

A profile shot. Just above her belly is a hand and a foot.


Another profile shot. Her hand is at her side.



Little Miss sucking on her thumb.

Now....on to picking out nursery furniture and decor!

Week 17, Week 18, and The Trip

Wow, I'm majorly behind! How is it that life just doesn't seem to be slowing down at all?

Week 17:
Baby J is about 5 ounces now and about 5 inches long from head to bottom. He or she is about the size of a turnip:


In other developments for week 17, Baby J's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his or her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Baby J can now move his or her joints and the sweat glands are starting to develop.

Belly Pics:
I'll place these in between the 17 and 18 week updates. I never managed to capture my 16 week belly and have skipped week 18 as well. Seriously, I think I need a few more hours in each day! These pics were taken in Missouri at 17 weeks, 4 days. Y didn't tell me I was slouching and looked like a dork! Ha!


Week 18:
Baby J is about 7 ounces now and about 5 1/2 inches long from head to bottom. He or she is about the size of a bell pepper:


In other developments, Baby J is busy flexing his/her arms and legs — movements that I'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His/her blood vessels are visible through the thin skin, and Baby J's ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his or her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around Baby J's nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he or she is born. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them during an ultrasound.

The Trip:
What an exhausting week! Our flights were pretty smooth with only a few minor delays. I now apparently have motion sickness thanks to the kidlet in my belly. Baby J kicked a few times in protest when the plane would make it's descent. That really didn't help Mama who was already having issues with the smells surrounding her. Oh and the heartburn. Oh the heartburn!

It was great to see my family and friends in Missouri. Everyone was thrilled to see the ever-growing belly. I took the doppler with us so everyone could hear the heartbeat. My youngest niece, age 10, was completely enthralled with listening to the heartbeat and movements since Baby J was quite active. She's anxious for the baby to arrive so she can babysit. Too bad she doesn't live closer!

Baby J is also being quite spoiled very early! A friend was getting rid of all her baby items so we scored on some very clean baby things. Since we didn't know what we're having yet everything had to be gender neutral. My Mom, sister, her family and Y and I hit up the nearby Outlet Malls where Grandma and Aunt A spoiled the kid rotten with bargain sleepers, onesies, layettes and many other cute items. Hey, you really can't pass up those bargains - even if it meant we came back home with one more suitcase than we left with!!

We had a small, family celebration for my birthday on the 3rd. It was a nice, relaxing evening. On the 4th we invaded my brother's house for some bbqing, Wii playing and fireworks. Overall it was a great trip and I'm sad they won't be here for the birth and meet Baby J. We likely won't see everyone again until next spring.

Ahhhh!

I'm due to post the 17 week post but it's going to have to wait.

Life has been insanely busy. I spent much of last week and weekend working to get one of my projects done. Since Monday I've been splitting my time between work and completing my (huge) to-do lists for each day. Y and I are headed to visit my family in Missouri. As soon as we return we have our BIG ULTRASOUND!!

Things with us are going well. The belly is getting bigger, the movements are becoming more recognizable, and aside from the heartburn and hip pain I've been feeling pretty great.

I promise to update with belly pictures and Baby J's development as soon as I have a moment to sit down for more than 5 minutes!

16 Weeks (and 2 days)! We have toenails!

Some weeks it feels like time is flying by and others I think "I'm only at week 16!?" Life has been good but busy. Work has me swamped but one of these days I'll get ahead!

Baby J is between 4 1/2 and 5 inches long now and about the size of an avocado at 3 1/2 ounces.


This is about what Baby J may look like inside my belly:

Here's what's happening with Baby J this week:
His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. Baby J's ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. Baby J has even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as Baby J continues to develop.

In other developments, WE HAVE MOVEMENT!!! I've been feeling some odd sensations in my belly for a few days now. I've wondered if it was the baby but could never be 100% sure. Last night, I pulled out the doppler before I went to sleep to listen to the heartbeat. While I had the wand pressed on my belly, Baby J started moving! We, of course, could hear it on the doppler but then I started feeling it, too. My thoughts were confirmed...Baby J is squirming around enough for me to feel it! It was the neatest and strangest sensation all rolled into one. When he (or she) wiggles it almost feels like a goldfish is swimming in my belly. Not that I have ANY idea what that feels like but it's the closest way to describe it.

Belly pics will be coming soon. I haven't had a chance to take any for this week but I'll get on that!

Source: BabyCenter

Happy Father's Day!

So I'm a day late on this, but we had a really busy weekend.

To Y:
Our child will be so lucky to have you as their Dad. Not only are you completely goofy but you have no qualms doing whatever needs to be done for any of your friends or family. This is definitely going to be a new adventure in our lives, one you may not feel completely qualified for, but I know you'll do everything you can to be sure this child is loved and well-cared for. Next year you'll be celebrating your first official Father's Day and I can't wait to see how much things have changed in a year!

To my Dad:
I miss you daily. Each Father's Day, birthday, and holiday celebrated without you is just not the same. I may have grumbled as a child and teenager thinking you were being overprotective, and there were times you definitely were, but there was never any doubt how much you loved me. I miss the days you'd spoil me with McDonald's cheeseburgers when I was under the weather or those summer's you'd take me to the local diner to enjoy a meal together. I couldn't have asked for a more loving father and I'm so sad our child won't ever have the chance to meet their grandpa and you won't get to meet your newest grandchild.


To my Father-in-law:
Thanks for raising such a great son. You obviously set a good example for him growing up and I look forward to seeing him "in action". Thanks for accepting me into your family as one of your own. Not only do you feed us well (baby, included) but you keep us laughing, even when the times are tough. I look forward to watching you interact with you future grandchild and hope that you get many years together.

So, to all the Dads and Dads-to-be in my life and in yours, I wish you a very Happy Father's Day (even if it's a day late!). I hope you all know just how much you're loved.

BIG Ultrasound Scheduled!!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in the 15 week post!!

Our big ultrasound is scheduled for July 7th at 3:30pm with my appointment following at 4:15pm. We were trying to get it scheduled before we take a trip to Missouri but my OB's office was pretty well booked on the days I had available. Hopefully I can wait that long!

Yes, we are finding out what we're having. As Y says, "We have important purchases to make. We need to know if it's softball or baseball equipment we're buying!"

15 Weeks! (and a day)

The second trimester continues! Baby J is now about 4 to 5 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He or she is about the size of an apple:



Baby J busy moving amniotic fluid through his or her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his lungs begin to develop. Baby J's legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all of his joints and limbs. Baby J’s eyes are also continuing to move towards the nose from the sides of his head. Although the eyelids are still fused shut , he can sense light. If we were to shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, Baby J is likely to move away from the beam. (Y is quite anxious to try this!) There's not much for the baby to taste at this point, but he is forming taste buds.

Baby J’s skin is still very thin, and his blood vessels can actually be seen through the skin. The ears are continuing to develop externally and continue to look more like normal ears. The bones are beginning to ossify, which means that if an x-ray was taken the skeleton would be visible.

I continue to feel good. Fatigue has been back a bit more this week than it had been. Of course my current work schedule is likely to blame for part of that! I had a Dr's appointment on Tuesday. Everything is going well. There was some concern I may have placenta previa so I'm back on pelvic rest until our next ultrasound. The placenta should hopefully move up and out of the way by then! Baby J was being quite the little booger at the appointment. Dr. S was trying to get a read on the heartbeat with the doppler. He kept wiggling and kicking and/or punching at my belly...just enough movement to be loud and cause her to lose her reading on the heartbeat. We both laughed that he was definitely an active little thing! The heartbeat is really strong and continues to be right around 170 bpm.

Y's birthday was also on Tuesday. Baby J got him a birthday and early Father's (to-be) Day gift from a site called This Place is a Zoo. Y received a plush (and very realistic looking) jellyfish! I laughed so hard when I opened the box and found a bright, fuchsia pink jellyfish...maybe the kid is trying to tell us something??? If you haven't seen this website yet, check it out...they have some very realistic looking critters!

Last, and certainly not least, this week's belly pic. I took these after we got back from Y's birthday dinner Wednesday night at exactly 15 weeks. They didn't turn out so great so I may be retaking them in a day or two.

14 Weeks!

Yay! I'm officially out of the first trimester! Baby J is stretching out and is now about 3 1/2 to 4 inches and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. He is about the size of a lemon:



The major developments for this week:
Baby J can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Baby J's body is growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Baby J's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, Baby J's little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

I also took some belly pics today. The bump is slowly coming along. Most people probably still think I'm just really enjoying food and it's all chub. I promise there's a baby in there! Please ignore my make-up free face and pajama bottoms...hey...I was seeking comfort!


Y and I have been enjoying listening to the baby's heartbeat with the rented fetal doppler. I have to say, that's been one of the best investments! I get so relaxed and am so happy listening to that heartbeat!

Baby Bump Envy

I admit it. I have baby bump envy.

While Y & I both know I'm pregnant, I still don't quite have the all-telling bump. There are days I look at my profile in the mirror and wonder if other people can tell I'm pregnant. I'm positive the consensus is a resounding, "No". I currently just appear to be enjoying a few too many meals despite not having gained a single pound so far this pregnancy. I'm sure if you ask me at 36 weeks when I'm large and waddling I'll be wondering why I was in such a hurry for the bump to appear. I think it all comes down to the fact we worked so hard to get here and I want the world to know we finally succeeded!

Here's my bump at 13 weeks, 2 days. It doesn't look like much more than chub, huh?


Maybe there should be a pregnant Mom's code or a new commandment: "Thou shall not envy thy neighbor's baby bump."