Gettin' Fat (No, not me . . . the baby!)

This week the baby is beginnning to develop a little fat. And when I say a little, I mean a little. By the end of the week, fat will make up about .018 ounce of the baby's total weight of 3.5 ounces. By the time it's born, fat will make up about 5 lbs of it's weight if it's a 7 lb baby! This week, he/she is about 41/2 to 5 inches long and the top of my uterus is just 2 inches or so below my bellybutton. I'm wearing some of my maternity clothes now, but I still have a few pre-pregnancy things that fit-- especially shirts. We will take a "belly picture" sometime this week and try to include it in our next blog. I started cleaning out closets this past weekend and we finally have a "taker" on some of our furniture in the office. Our goal is to get the room at least partially cleared out before we paint at the end of next week. It will soon be transforming into a nursery!

Ultrasound scheduled!

We went for our monthly check-up at the doctor last Thursday. We heard the heartbeat again- it was 150 beats per minute, which they said was really good. I also got my belly measured for the first time. The really exciting part was that we got to schedule our ultrasound for Oct. 27th. Hopefully the baby will cooperate and not be modest! We will be sure to email you all or post it on blogger as soon as we know!
This week (Week 16), our book said the attachment of the umbilical cord on the baby's body is moving up higher on it's tummy. Fingernails are now well developed and arms and legs are moving. Hopefully I'll be able to feel it in the next several weeks. The baby is 41/2 to 5 inches long and weighs 2 1/2 to 3 ounces. The top of my uterus is now just a few inches under my bellybutton.
The house is starting to look a little more like a baby is on the way now that we have a rocker, a pack and play, and some frames for the baby's room. We will be busy in the next few weeks trying to sell some furniture and clean out closets to make room for baby stuff!

Week 15

No groundbreaking news this week-- just plugging along as usual. Scott is in Denver at the AAP meeting until Wednesday, so it's just me, Josie and the baby :) It might be "just us girls", or Josie and I could have a male present among us-- we just don't know yet! My next doctor's appointment is this Thursday, and hopefully we'll get to schedule the ultrasound for the end of October. I'm starting to get a little anxious to find out what it is so we can decide on a name and pick out bedding and fun things like that! I do wish Scott were here to do our weekly Sunday "read about the baby". I might just have to read it to him over the phone tonight.

My book says that the baby is 4 to 4 1/2 inches long now, weighs 1.75 ounces, and is about the size of a softball. I can feel my uterus a little higher up in my abdomen now, and finding things to wear is becomming a challenge. I guess I'll have to break down and start wearing maternity clothes in the next few weeks. The book also says that the baby now has fine hair covering its body, it's eyes are continuing to move toward the front and it may be sucking it's thumb now (I like that part). The outer ear is developing more and the baby's bones are getting harder and ossifying now. It says the baby's bones would now be visible on an x-ray.

We purchased our first baby item this weekend-- a glider rocker. My parents found it at a consigment store in Dallas and went and picked it up for us on Saturday. I'm looking forward to my trip to Canton this weekend with my mom and sister so maybe I can find a few decorative items for my house and of course for the nursery. Let the shopping begin!

Shopping trip

My parents came in town to visit this weekend, partly for a late birthday visit. She cooked a birthday dinner for me complete with homemade apple pie. it was delicious! It was also just in time for my mom and I to go shopping together so i could get some maternity clothes. I have a few pairs of pants and several dresses/skirts that still fit (for now!) but I'm definately starting to outgrow many of my clothes! I got some cute pants that fit me now and will adjust as I get bigger, and then I also got some things that I won't need for a few more weeks. It was a lot of fun.
By now, the baby is 2 1/2 to 3 inches from head to bottom. At this point, all of the major structures and organs have at least begun to develop, so now they just continue growing and developing. In the coming week (week 13), the face will being looking more humanlike with eyes getting closer and ears moving to the correct spot. The intestines, which originally develop in a bulge outside the body, will move inside. By now the genatalia is developed enough that if the baby was examined outside the womb we could tell what sex it is. It will be at least another 6 weeks, however, before we get an ultrasound and find out.

Short report

Just a short entry to update how the baby is growing and develpoing this week. By the end of this week (week 11), the baby will be from 1.75 to 2.4 inches from head to bottom-- about the size of a large lime. The head is uncurling and extending and the neck is growing and developing. Fingernails appear this week. The baby is beginning to look more like a boy or girl,with sexual development complete in another 3 weeks-- although it will be about another 8-10 weeks before we have an ultrasound to find out the sex. No real sign of a belly yet, but some of my clothes are beginning to fit more snugly now-- especially by the end of the day. A few more weeks and a shopping trip may be in order!

Beating Strong

Scott and I just got back from the doctor's office. They did all of my bloodwork today and updated my medical history. At first the nurse said it was probably too early to hear the heartbeat, but when Dr. Rahhal came in he said he would try to find it for us. It took him just a second to find it, but then we heard it loud and clear! It was very fast of course, and he said it sounded really strong. It was so amazing! He also showed us how you can feel the top of my uterus now in my lower abdomen. I haven't gained any weight yet, but I'm sure it's not too far off! There's plenty of time for that later!

Back to Work!

Last Wednesday I started back to work and the first day of school was today. I won't be starting therapy for another week though. Right now I'm getting caught up on paperwork and finalizing my schedule. I am now 8 weeks pregnant and have been feeling pretty good- minus one day last week. I sure am tired though and wish I had time to take a daily afternoon nap. By the end of the week the baby will be about an inch long and will look a little more human. His/her arms and legs and toes and fingers are growing longer and the head is more erect. The eyelids will almost cover the eyes, the ears will be well-formed, and the baby can move his/her body and limbs. We are looking forward to our 2nd visit to the doctor next week.
Scott is finishing his last week of rotations in the ER. Yay!- back to regular schedule.

"Bean Baby"

I am 7 weeks pregnant today and our baby is continuing to change and develop rapidly. By the end of the week, it will be about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from head to bottom, about the size of a pinto bean (our "bean baby"!). This week the baby's nose, ears, and eyelids will be forming. The aortic and pulmonary valves in the heart are present and distinct and the trunk of the body is getting longer and straightening out. The baby has elbows and the beginnings of fingers and toes. The arms and legs now extend forward instead of out to the side.

Growth Spurt

Today I am 6 weeks pregnant. Scott and I were reading last night in some of our books about what our baby will develop this week, so I thought I'd share in case you're interested. The baby will have a big growth spurt this week and more than double in size! The funny part is that it is still measured in millimeters. It goes from about 4 or 5 mm to 12 or 13 mm. Now those are measurements that Scott can relate to! This week the baby will begin to develop legs, hands, and feet (it already has arms). The cerebral hemispheres of the brain, the eyes and nostrils, and the intestines are developing. The baby already has a heart with left and right chambers, an appendix, a pancreas, and lungs with air passages. Isn't it amazing that something so small can already have all of those organs? I can definately tell now that my body is working hard to make this baby as I have started taking little naps in the afternoon and getting really tired by 9:00 every night. I don't know what I'll do when I go back to work! I have also had the pleasure of experiencing some queasiness the past few mornings, but I always feel better once I get something on my stomach.
In just a few short days we get to share our news with you all--we can't wait!

BIG NEWS!

Well, I guess if you are reading this, then you now know that Scott and I are expecting our first baby in March! Although you've probably heard the whole story by now, I'll include a shortened version just for the record. We have been trying since May and around the middle of July, I began to suspect that I might be pregnant. But we decided to wait until our anniversary on July 24 to take a pregnancy test, and it was positive!!! We were so excited and the big news made our anniversary even more special. We have been praying about this for a long time now and we are so grateful for this wonderful blessing from God!
I went to the doctor this morning and he confirmed the pregnancy and gave us a due date of March 26, 2006, which makes me about 5 1/2 weeks along right now. He said that everything looks fine so far, but of course we are praying daily that God will protect the baby and allow it to grow full-term. AS far as how I've been feeling, I've really been doing OK. No morning sickness so far, just a growing list of other small but sometimes annoying symptoms. I don't mind though, as they are a sign to me that my pregnancy is normal and right on track. We are just looking forward to telling everyone now and hoping that you will be surprised and excited!
We thought this would be a good way to share this experience with you all since we live a few hours away. When the time comes, we will try to scan in some "belly" pictures and pictures of the nursery, etc. along the way!