Halfway There

Since I haven't posted in a while this is going to be a long one!  The last several weeks have been quite eventful so here is the rundown...

Around the end of the 18th week I started feeling the baby move which was of course extremely exciting.  Since then I have felt the baby wiggling and squirming everyday, particularly early in the morning and in the evening before bedtime.  I can't wait for the baby to get bigger so that Troy can feel it too!

Last week (19 weeks) we had two appointments: our second trimester sonogram to check the baby's growth and make sure everything looks healthy (Monday) and then our regular baby/mama monthly check-up (Wednesday.)  They estimated at the sonogram visit that the baby weighed 11 oz and the technician again commented on how active the baby is.  Here are a few pictures from that visit...

Baby's Profile

Strong legs!

Tiny feet

Following the sonogram on Monday we received a call notifying us that the baby has what is called a Choroid Plexus Cyst (CPC).  Our doctor wanted me to go for a level 2 sonogram to take another look. This was of course very scary for us and made for several very rough days, but we received comforting reassurance at our regular visit last Wednesday that most likely everything was fine, she just wanted to double check that there were no other "abnormalities" in addition to the CPC that would indicate a problem.  Unfortunately the specialist wasn't able to see us until this week so we had a while to wait after the initial news.

This Wednesday we had our follow-up sonogram and met with a high-risk pregnancy doctor.  She told us that they were looking for heart defects, slow/stunted growth, malformed feet/hands, and clinched fists which might indicate a more severe problem.  They did not find any of these things so she feels confident that the baby is fine!  We are feeling much better again as well!  She gave us a bit more information on the CPC as well... apparently it is not even technically a cyst but instead just a dilated blood vessel within the Choroid Plexus (a small area of the brain that produces cerebral spinal fluid).  An isolated CPC is found in about 1% of babies and does not affect brain development, function or memory.  She also said that they always go away on there own, normally by the third trimester. 

During the level 2 sonogram the doctor also noticed a bit of fluid on the kidneys (apparently most babies have some fluid on the kidneys) but she measured slightly more than average.  The average amount is .4 ml or less and she measured .45 ml.  Again, she assured us this is nothing to be alarmed about as the urinary tract muscles are still developing, but she wants to take another look at both the kidneys and CPC in 6 weeks to make sure both are correctly themselves appropriately.  So, it looks like we have another date to see our precious little one again at 26 weeks (Wednesday, July 13th)!

Here is another profile pic from the 20 week sonogram:

This is me this week at the halfway point... 20 weeks!

What is our baby up to this week?  Well, baby is swallowing several ounces of amniotic fluid each day, both for nutrition and hydration, but also to practice swallowing and digesting.  Our baby is also very active in the womb twisting and turning while he/she still has extra room.  At this point our baby is also sleeping approximately 12 to 14 hours a day... now if only I could get a solid 8 :)

Baby Bump

At 18 weeks I am finally looking pregnant and not just like I have been over indulging in all things calorie dense!  Here are a few snap shots of my progression since the beginning of this journey.

4 weeks

11 1/2 weeks

14 weeks

18 weeks

Next week on Monday we have our second trimester sonogram and on Wednesday our regular baby check-up, so stay tuned for more updates...

15 Weeks... Going on 16!

Yesterday afternoon we had our monthly baby check-up and everything is progressing well!  We heard our baby's heartbeat again and it is just such a touching experience every time!  The doctor said our little one's heart rate was 150 beats per minute and strong.  I got a good bill of health as well and the weigh-in was not so bad either!  :)

Our baby's development during week 16 according my to iPhone app: our baby is the size of an avocado (4 to 5 inches long and about 3 ounces.)  Tiny bones in our baby's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear our voices... and the polka music we will hear this weekend at Troy's parents 40th Anniversary bash!
 
And baby's busily boning up in other ways. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now — strong enough, in fact, to enable our baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more. Baby's crown-to-rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces. 

This little one's a looker — with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes — but a skinny looker since there's no baby fat yet. And here's the skinny on baby skin: It's practically translucent now.

Next month will be an exciting one as we will have a detailed sonogram on May 23rd to check our baby's development and our regular doctor's visit on the 25th.  I can't wait to see our precious little one again in a few weeks!!! More pictures to come then...

baby, bAbY, BABY!!!

Troy and I are excited to share with everyone that we are expecting our sweet little baby this October!  So far the pregnancy has treated me very well, with no morning sickness or other adverse effects aside from the pure exhaustion of building a baby!  I feel extremely fortunate for this!

We found out that we were expecting via home pregnancy test on February 13th and received confirmation from the doctor's office (blood test) on Valentine's Day!

Our first appointment with the baby doctor was on Monday, February 28th and at that appointment we saw our little one for the very first time!  It was a truly surreal experience for both Troy and myself.  At that appointment they measured the baby and calculated that I was exactly 7 weeks.

We went back for our second appointment on Monday, March 28th and at this appointment we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time!  Troy recorded it as an audio file so that we could listen to it often and share it with others (please excuse the interference between the doppler device and the cell phone.)  The baby's heart was beating at an astounding rate of 167 bpm.  This is apparently normal and one way the doctor can tell the difference between Momma's pulse and baby's heartbeat.

This last Tuesday (April 5th) we had an appointment with a specialist for the First Trimester Screening which we opted to do.  At this appointment they did some blood work and another ultrasound.  Since our little one was not cooperating for the last measurement they needed, we got to watch our baby for almost 40 minutes!  We were shocked to see the transformation of our baby since we first saw it at 7 weeks... now it actually looks like a tiny human instead of a bean!  The baby was also very active during the sonogram which really tickled all of us including the ultrasound technician (or maybe she was just laughing at me because I was so tickled!)  

Our next appointment is Monday, April 25th and at that appointment I will be 15 weeks.  For any of you wondering when we will find out the baby's gender... well that will be sometime in October when our baby arrives because we want to be surprised! :)

Tasty Tuesday!

This week on Tuesday we went with our friends/neighbors to the Taste of Round Rock which was right up the street at Dell Diamond (the baseball stadium.)  We were all very ambitious at the start, planning to sample from every vendor there.  After only about 8 booths we adjusted our game plan and became more selective in the samples we tasted... there were over 40 vendors there and none of us had that much stomach space!  I think we all felt ill afterwards and were desperately in need of some elastic pants, but we had a really great time.  There were even some people there polka dancing to music provided by accordion player Chris Rybak... we stood by and watched in amazement at how they could spin and hop after eating so much food!

Me with the Chuy's fish, Maggie Moo's cow & Schlotzsky's sandwich

Danielle & I

The Ellis's and Troy enjoying some samples

Relaxing in the stadium seats with full tummies

And finally... Mr. Accordion :)

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SNOW!!!

We finally got some snow... not too much though, probably about an inch or so but it looks so pretty!  Little Molly girl is all bundled up, but she is not a fan of this wet white precipitation (She has no more Grinch paws to keep her feet warm)!  I bundled up and went out for about 2 minutes this morning- just long enough to snap some photos and watch the neighborhood kids playing briefly.  Now, we will enjoy the view from indoors where it is cozy and warm!  Happy Friday!

Molly in her winter wear (minus Grinch paws)

Blanket of snow

Trying to protect our plants... I'm thinking this is a wasted effort :)

 The neighborhood- so pretty!  A few little ones are out playing

Molly tracks... poor girl does not like going out in the snow!

Happy New Year!

This weekend we rang in the New Year and celebrated our first wedding anniversary at The Vineyard at Florence.  It was so peaceful and relaxing out there and we enjoyed the slow pace after our NYC trip!  The staff at this place are super friendly, the accomodations were top notch, and the wine/cheese/chocolates we enjoyed a lot of were delicous! 

Main entrance to cafe and tasting room

A view of the vineyard from the patio of the cafe

Drinking wine and playing scrabble in front of the fire- Perfection!

Troy getting us a fire started on one of the porches overlooking the vineyard

The happy couple at Sunday Brunch!

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