22 Weeks & Counting

Last week was week number 22 and it was a busy one.  We secured a place for our baby at a nearby school for the middle of February and selected a pediatrician.  We also selected fabric so that my mom can get started on the baby's bedding!  On Friday we had our monthly baby visit and got a good report from the doctor and we have been attending our weekly birthing classes and practicing what we learn daily.  All of this activity has this Momma feeling drained, but these are definitely exciting times and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Our baby is growing leaps and bounds these days and should weigh slightly more than a pound now.  The baby's skin is still translucent and reddish in color but over the next few weeks as the baby developes fat that will change.  This little one is also still very active and his/her kicks and flips can now be felt from outside... meaning Daddy gets to experience the movement now as well!

22 weeks

This week marks the 23rd week and on Sunday we celebrated what a wonderful Daddy Troy is going to be with a movie, wings and our 3rd birthing class.  Not much else going on this week, except for our Hospital tour on Saturday.

Stay tuned for more... xoxoxo!

In other news...

Last week we kept our friend's dog, Maggie while they went on vacation.  The girls had fun playing together and Molly was sad when her friend had to leave.  Paula & Chad brought us back some tasty chocolates and a precious onesie for baby!  Love our friends :)

Our 4-legged baby Molly got a haircut yesterday and she looks adorable... so I have to share a picture of her too!  Troy says it took 10 years off!  :)

Preparing for BABY!

We have also been busy making preparations for our baby's arrival... still tons to do over the next 20 weeks but we have made good progress!  :)

1. We ordered our nursery furniture and will have it delivered 4th of July weekend... for FREE by my mom and Cliff.  Big Thanks to them!

 2. Over Memorial Day weekend we went and ordered a La-Z-boy glider for downstairs... we should have it in about 8 weeks and can't wait.  I may be sleeping in that chair before baby even gets here!

3. Birthing Classes: This Sunday we will go to our first Bradley Method Birthing Class.  The course we are taking is 10 weeks and will go through the first week in August.

In case you are curious--> http://www.bradleybirth.com/

4. We have several appointments to meet pediatricians at different practices around Round Rock over the next few weeks.  Once we have a pediatrician selected we can preregister with the hospital for Labor & Delivery.

5. Starting next week we have some appointments lined up to visit a few daycares.  This will be a tough one, but hopefully we will have a selection by the end of the month.

That's where we are at for now!  :)

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! :)