Today is the Day!!!

Well of course I am psyched about our ultrasound this afternoon! I am so excited to finally find out what we are having...if our little one cooperates! The last two days the baby has been moving more than ever. I felt five punches/kicks from the outside, but Butch wasn't here to feel it! He keeps saying that in a month he'll be able to feel them all the time....but I hate that I'm getting to feel the movement and he doesn't. It's very sad! But on a more happier note - hopefully in about 3 1/2 hours we will know whether our first child will be wearing skirts and pigtails or overalls and a cap....haha. We are leaning more toward the skirts and pigtails....but our intuition could be completely wrong. It's up to God and what He wants for our lives. So we'll be happy with whatever God gives us. The baby is a miracle in itself! I'll let everyone know this evening some time whenever we get back home....so keep checking in!

18 weeks

At 18 weeks pregnant, our baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces. And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered (someone's sleepy!). In fact, we might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn at our ultrasound this month. We'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement the baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. I have definitely been feeling the movements the baby is making. It's so precious and I can't wait til it happens more often!

The baby's nervous system is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, the baby's is growing more acute, making our little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside my body (which means we could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that the baby has by now).

As much as I want the baby here in my arms right now, I believe I'm going to miss being pregnant. The one thing that I enjoy more than anything is feeling the baby move. Butch has not been able to feel the movement from the outside yet, but I am feeling the baby kick and roll around inside. It's an awesome experience! We also listen to the heartbeat pretty regularly. It's so neat to be listening to this rapidly beating heart and when I start talking the beating gets strong and loud. So I know the baby is hearing me!!

I have felt so great since I dove into the second trimester. I have more energy and I'm not sick at all! The only problem I really have is the round ligament pains, but that has to happen in order for the baby to get bigger. They are real quick and sharp, but over in a matter of a few seconds. So needless to say, the pregnancy is still going great. We are very anxious for our ultrasound this coming Thursday. We've been counting down the days (just like our friends and family!!) I'm just hoping the baby will give us the money shot so we will be able to see what we need to see in order to determine a gender!!!!! =) I'll keep you posted...as always.

Week 17

17 weeks

How big is our baby at 17 weeks pregnant? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of pregnancy. By the time our baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight. Our baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle the baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through a dog's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. And since practice makes perfect, our baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle for feeding. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that our baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now. It's amazing at how much the baby has already developed. I'll keep you posted!!

Thanksgiving in Gatlinburg

Butch and I went to Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving week. On Monday we left and drove about halfway and stayed in a hotel overnight. Then on Tuesday we got up and headed to Gatlinburg. We had a great time. It was very cold up there, but so beautiful. From our room at the resort, we had a beautiful view of the mountains! This trip was our last until the baby is born. The traveling was really uncomfortable for me. The baby must have not liked it either because he/she was constantly moving!! I took it that the baby was not comfortable sitting in a chair and being cramped up for long hours! Even though we split our trip on the way to Gatlinburg; on our way back we went straight to my grandmothers for Thanksgiving....and the drive was 6 1/2 hours!! But we technically were on the road for about 8 hours because of stopping periodically for the restroom breaks and lunch break. It was the longest trip ever! We had a really great time being alone with one another. We talked a lot of names and plans. Of course we were constantly thinking of DEC. 11th! We are so anxious to find out whether we're having a girl or boy!!! I'm so ready for the suspense to be over with and I can know!! I told Butch last night that once we find out the gender that "it's on like a chicken bone" as far as getting the nursery decorated and finished! I am ready to know pink or blues??

4 month Check Up

Today I had my 4 month check up with Dr. Kennedy. Everything was good with my blood pressure, weight, and the baby's heartbeat was very strong! We scheduled our ultrasound today after my doctor's appointment! We will be finding out about our little baby's gender on December 11! We really don't care if we have a girl or a boy, as long as he/she is healthy. We are just beside ourselves right now thinking about how close we are to finding out. I had another exciting thing happen yesterday....I felt the baby move! Our little peanut has been poking me every now and then. It's not very often and it usually happens when I'm really still and not paying attention to my belly...which is not often. I can't take my eyes from my belly for very long. I know that sounds crazy...but I have a teeny tiny baby growing in there and I'm just amazed. Butch and I are so excited and we can't wait to know what we're having. I think it will help us to bond to the baby even more! Well I just wanted to put a little update on here. Thanks for reading...

Week 15

Our nearly four-inch long gymnast is happily mobile inside my belly and if I'm really lucky, I will notice when I'm sneezing, coughing or laughing results in a little kick here or a poke there. Still, many women don't feel anything until the 17th week or later. Although the poking and kicking isn't very charming during sleeping hours, it’s a good sign as it means our baby is actually reacting to outside events. Yay! We’ve got ourself one active healthy baby! Their little elbows and knees are bending more freely this week and their little legs are finally growing longer than their arms and getting pumped up for prenatal Richard Simmons. haha. Many of their major organ systems are increasing in capacity—particularly that amazing tiny heart and complex circulation system, which is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, and will increase to a very impressive 200 quarts per day by the end of the pregnancy. As far as hair goes, we’ve got some new scalp patterns beginning to develop on the head, although actual head hair is not yet present.

My thoughts:

I am highly anticipating the day we find out whether we're having a girl or boy! I have a doctor's appointment this coming Thursday, but it is just a regular check up. After my appointment I will get to schedule the ultrasound to confirm the gender of our little one! It's all I think about these days since we are getting so close to finding out. Since we've stepped over into the second trimester, I have not had morning sickness or as much fatigue. These past couple of weeks have been awesome. I've really enjoyed the pregnancy a lot more since I haven't been as sick and tired. The only thing I hate is the mood swings...and I know Butch is having a hard time with it. He doesn't understand how my moods are so different within seconds, minutes, or hours...and I don't either. It just happens!! The poor guy...he's been a good sport though. He has helped me get through the rough times of the pregnancy so far....and he has rejoiced with me in the happy moments - which are more frequent than ever!

Going on week 14....

14 weeks, 4 days

Growing by leaps and bounds, our baby is leaping and bounding. He or she is on the move almost constantly — and those movements are a far cry from those jerky twitches of last trimester (though I won't feel any of them for weeks to come). They are now ballet-like, smooth and fluid. If you could catch a glimpse of our fetus now, you'd see a baby the size of your clenched fist (a skill, by the way, our little one now has). Our baby also has the coordination, strength, and smarts to wiggle his or her fingers and toes and even suck a thumb (how cute is that?).
It'll be years before we'll start nagging our offspring to stand up straight — but unbelievably, he or she is doing it right now, without any prodding! No slouch anymore, our baby's neck is getting longer and his or her head is getting more erect (giving a more straightened-out appearance). And speaking of that head, our baby could be sprouting some hair (though the final color may not be determined until birth) and the eyebrows are filling in, too.



Hair growth isn't limited to the baby's head, though. He or she is also covered with a downy coating of hair called lanugo, largely there for warmth. As fat accumulates later on in my pregnancy (the baby's fat, not mine — though that will accumulate, too), most of the lanugo will shed — though some babies, especially those born early, still have a fuzzy coating at delivery (it sheds soon afterward).