Week 20 - HALFWAY!!

We are definitely over the halfway point. Had my 20 week check with Dr. Lorenzo. Everything is looking great. I've gained a whopping four pounds, our little man (whom I've been calling Bubba) had a heart rate of 140. He may grow up and get a shrimp boat, which would be okay I guess - so long as he doesn't have a giant lower lip.

Anyhow, Doc said I was definitely over the halfway mark and am probably a week ahead but I'm sticking with the furthest out due date. Mom was late with all three of us girls and I'd rather get him a week early than late.

This past weekend we visited Jim and Shell in Portland and I got some tax-free shopping in. Now that I've gone elastic, I'm never going back! I'll be wearing them every Thanksgiving, others will be jealous of my comfort and Mama O will be happy to see me in something other than jammies at the table.

I feel him moving around off and on throughout the day. For the most part, they're just wiggles but every now and again he'll throw and punch or kick that startles me. I try to let Hubs feel him move, but I usually wait so long making sure he's moving a lot that by the time I tell Lant he's settling down...oh well. I only offer when we're both settled down together so I don't interrupt him or make him come over and sit to feel.

• When you're 20 weeks pregnant, your babymeasures about 6 inches, about the length of an eggplant, and weighs about half a pound.
• Your baby's skin thickens and develops layers under the vernix during the 20th week of pregnancy.
• His hair and nails continue to grow.
• His limbs are well developed when you’re 20 weeks pregnant.
• Your baby is moving and you can feel it. Make a note of when you felt these movements start and let your doctor know.

Week 19

This past weekend we went up to Spokane and Mama O, Ginny, Kati and I went to Babies R Us and made a registry. Stimulus overload. Found some cute bedding! We also went to Old Navy and got some good clearance maternity clothing deals!

Our little boy has been practicing his break dancing moves. I enjoy feeling him move around in there, lets me know that he's alright. I still don't really look pregnant but figure in this next week or so I'd better take a belly pic to document.

Went and got a massage yesterday - LOVED it. Have another one scheduled already! Someone felt that it was the right time to swim laps and practice those fancy turns. Talk about distracting! Now I know why Mom would lock herself in the bathroom to read Reader's Digest...

Oh! We also woke up to a smoky kitchen on Monday morning. Couldn't figure out what it was so we called the fire dept explaining the need for assistance, emphasizing the lack of emergency. Two minutes later we have 3 trucks with lights and sirens outside the house. Real nice guys, checked everything, but turned out it was our fridge! Food's in coolers, ordered my "dream fridge" for a smokin' (ha) deal BUT won't get here for another week...

PS - Ladies found ANOTHER skunk in the back yard and the headlight went out on the car. There's three, so we're done. :)

• Your baby now measures about 6 inches, or the length of a summer squash.
• When you're 19 weeks pregnant, your baby's brain develops millions of motor neurons. Neurons are nerves that help muscles in the brain communicate. This new and ongoing development means your baby can make purposeful and involuntary movements. She can suck her thumb, move her head, or make other moves thatyou might start to feel.
• Your baby's hearing is even more developed when you're 19 weeks pregnant. She probably can hear external sounds and conversation by this time, or will very soon. Your voice is the most pronounced. She can hear you talk, hum, and sing!
• Your baby's skin is covered in a white, waxy, protective coating called vernix.
• Under the vernix, the fine hair called lanugo continues to cover her skin.
• By your 19th week of pregnancy, your baby's kidneys function. Her urine is excreted into your amniotic sac, the bag of fluid in your uterus that contains your baby and amniotic fluid. Your placenta then removes the waste.

Week 18 - It's a BOY!!

It's been an exciting week - we got to see our son today and Lant got to feel him move for the first time the other night. He's getting to be quite the little wiggle worm! His heart rate was 134bpm and he weighs 9.4oz. Perfect and right on track for a mid-Sept debut. Here are the photos from our ultrasound today - what a little stud muffin!!

The money shot (like he's sitting on a photo copier w/ booty on R and legs out to L):

Profile (check out that buddha belly!):

Here's the bottom of his foot (heel to toes, L to R):

• This week, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, or about the length of a large tomato.
• Your baby's skeleton continues to harden during the 18th week of your pregnancy. His leg bones and inner ear bones are the first to ossify (harden).
• Your baby now can hear! He might hear your heart beat or your tummy gurgle.
• He might hear loud sounds outside the womb.

Week 17

I can't believe I'm nearly halfway done being pregnant already! I've gained one whole pound, finally. Baby weight has officially started. My weekly email thingy said that I'm scooting into the time frame where I should be finding a pound a week. Funny to look at a scale and not mind the number getting bigger...

The beach was a good family time. Storms, gale-force winds, and SNOW kept us inside most of the time. Daddy O taught us how to make kites from notebook paper - we flew them on the beach for a bit, dressed in muck boots, layers, and Gore-Tex. Power outages from the storm, fences blew down, good stuff!

Baby O, head to toe (poet, I know it :D) is about 9.5" long, 5.5" head to booty and weighs as much as a chicken breast. The baby also started accumulating poop, meconium, this week. Knew y'all wanted to know about that! Haven't felt any movements, or would dismiss it as gas if I did - but I'm sure it will all come in due time. My uterus is the size of a cantaloupe this week, crazy how much extra space I have in my abdominal cavity...

A week from today we get our big 18 week scan, including finding out the gender!

• Right now, your baby is about 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long, or about the length of a large orange.
• Little hiccups continue and you might feel them!
• When you’re around 17 weeks pregnant, a necessary fat called brown fat developsunder your baby's skin. This will help keep her warm after birth. Later in your pregnancy, additional layers of fat develop.
• Air passages in your baby's lungs finish branching.
• By your 17th week of pregnancy, your baby's lungs prepare to take in oxygen.

Week 16

Had my 16 wk check today. All's well on the home front. Baby's heart rate was 145. Dr. L said I'm due to start putting on the lbs any day now. Along with fitting into maternity pants...

My BP was a little low, and I'm a little anemic but I haven't had any lethargy or dizziness so I get to keep chugging along.

We have our big ultrasound in two weeks - will be a head to toe check, including finding out the gender! I could've found out today, but Hubs wasn't with me and I don't want the surprise early. :) It's like at Christmas, I love how the tree looks with all the pretty presents underneath and as soon as you unwrap them you can play with your treasures but they aren't under the tree anymore.

We'll find out soon enough. Plus it feels weird to be far enough along to know the gender when I hardly, if at all, look pregnant. Still seems surreal at times.

Mama and Daddy O come to have a sleepover tonight and we're off to the beach bright and early tomorrow morning!

• Your baby is about 4 to 5 inches long — about the length of a large pear.
• Your baby's skeletal and nervous systems connect enough to allow him to coordinate movement.

• When you're 16 weeks pregnant, developed facial muscles make it possible for your baby to squint, frown, or try other facial expressions.
• As back muscles strengthen, your baby is able to straighten his posture a little.
• Your baby now has eyelashes.
• By your 16th week of pregnancy, your baby's eyes move side-to-side and even perceive some light, although his eyelids are still sealed.
• Your baby's bones build and strengthen with the help of your body's calcium!
• Your baby already might be having tiny hiccups, although when you’re 16 weeks pregnant, your baby is not large enough for you to feel them yet!

Week 15

Well, the bras that I ordered last week still aren't here. Every day I check the mail hoping for that package to arrive, alas I get junk mail (census came last week).

There are still days where I wonder if I really am pregnant. I know that I am, we've seen the baby in there and heard the heart beating but it's still hard to believe. No weight gain, don't look or feel pregnant...although popping the top button is all sorts of comfy. Will be hard to come back from that!!

Did some good closet cleaning out this weekend. Have all the baby stuff (crib, changing table, the dresser, Grandma's rocking chair, the flipper slippers (!!)) piled up in the room that will become the nursery. Crib and changing table are compliments of Craigslist - good deals! The extra bed is out of that room and into the now guest/sewing room so that Mama and Daddy O can sleep over next week on our way to the beach! Really looking forward to the ocean!!

• When you're 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is about 4 1/2 inches from head to rump, and weighs about 2 to 3 ounces. She’s about the length of a large apple.
• Your baby's hair might appear on her scalp and eyebrows. Hair follicles even begin to generate the pigments that give hair its color.
• By your 15th week of pregnancy, your baby's ears probably have reached their permanent position on the side of her head, and her eyes are moving to where they belong on the front of her face.
• Your baby's skin is developing, but remains extremely thin.
• Your baby's skeletal system and muscles further develop and strengthen.
• By the end of your 15th week of pregnancy, your baby might be able to wiggle fingers and toes, make a fist, or even suck her thumb!

Week 14

Mom and I went bra shopping this past weekend. It was comical. After trying multiple stores, and being not willing to get bras that are giant granny-style bras, had to order sizes online. Found Maidenform ones that'll tide me over - but I'm at the top of their sizing. After this it'll be maternity/nursing bras. Hope I make it to that point before needing to go up sizes...

Weighed in this am. Still exactly the same. 143.1 lbs. Y'all will be happy to know that my pants aren't buttoned up today. They are fresh out of the dryer and not physically possible this am. My gut is firm and brimming, threatening to make itself known. I recently invested in some Be Bands ($16.99 not on sale, couldn't find them any cheaper online) and am wearing one. Talk about comfy! Feels like sweatpants. I may never go back!

Baby update this week:

Baby O started sucking their thumb this week (we'll break that habit, but for now it's teaching him/her swallowing). The nugget also started peeing and making the motions of breathing.

• When you're 14 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the length of your clenched fist.
• In boys, the prostate gland is forming. In girls, ovaries are moving into her pelvis from her abdominal area.
• Your baby's thyroid gland now is working and making hormones.
• By your 14th week of pregnancy, your baby's palate, or the roof of his mouth, has completely formed.
• Your baby already might be or soon will begin growing body hair, called lanugo, which will temporarily keep your baby warm until his baby fat accumulates.
• His head will grow to four times its current size and increase 60 times in volume by the time of his birth.

Week 13 - Start 2nd Trimester

The first trimester is officially over. I can't believe that we are already 1/3 of the way done with the pregnancy. I'm sure time will continue to fly.

This past weekend I left Hubs at home and went to Seattle to visit Heidi. We rode horses in the sunshine on Saturday. Beautiful weather. I also was able to visit Bobby while Heidi had a family dinner. Then Sunday we headed up to the Marysville outlets and got in a little shopping.

I got a little baby treasure this weekend - Flipper Slippers! I thought they were just too stinkin' cute to pass up. Boy or girl, the nugget will be wearing them!!

Sorry Mama O and Ginny, but I still don't have a belly. (Heidi and Bobby were also let down.) We still have a good three weeks until the beach so I'm sure I'll get a little gut by then. :) The second trimester is all about growth - both me and the baby...

• This week, your baby is about the length of a plum.
• Eyes and ears are clearly defined. Your baby's eyelids are fused together to protect her still-developing eyes.
• Tissue, which will harden into bone, is developing in your baby's head, arms, and legs. Tiny ribs might be visible.
• She's already on the move! Your baby might be moving her body in jerky motions as she flexes her arms and kicks her legs, but you won't feel her move for at least several more weeks.

• Vocal chords develop.
• Your baby's circulatory system helps clear toxins from her body.
• When you're 13 weeks pregnant, your baby's headprobably is about half the size of her body.

Week 12 - First Photos!!

Today Hubs and I had our first real ultrasound. It was beautiful and exciting and wonderful!! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which I was able to record with my phone. I'll have to see if I can upload it on here... 160bpm - strong and perfect! The US Tech and Dr. are both happy with the scans and say the baby's looking perfect.

I still (yay) haven't gained any weight. The nurse reassured me today that I'll blow up later. :) Pants are still fitting, and I'm sure I'll regret saying this later but I'm really looking forward to getting a baby bump. Being able to look down and know that's our baby in there. Feel the nugget move around - we got to watch our little baby legs kick today!

Anyhow, here are the photos from today!

Profile shot with nose and mouth, and some feet way up there on the right:

• When you're 12 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost 3 inches long. That's about the length of a plum.
• When you’re 12 weeks pregnant, your baby's facial features continue to become more defined, particularly his nose and chin..
• Tiny fingernails and toenails arrive for your baby when you're 12 weeks pregnant.
• Your baby's heart might even speed up by a few beats per minute..
• By the 12th week of your pregnancy, your doctor might be able to hear your baby's heartbeat for the first time, using a special Doppler device. You can ask about this at your next prenatal visit..

Week 11

This past weekend was a big one - Friday night Lanson and I went to the hockey game. I went over and said hello to Merrick and her parents - her mom gets the award for being the first to talk baby at my belly!

Dad also checked me out on Sunday to see if I was starting to pop at all yet (still no).

Next week we go to the Doc; I can't wait to hear the heartbeat!

The nugget is now the size of a small plum and by next week it will be lime-sized. Guess I should have chosen fruit snack or some other fruit-related nickname...

• When you're 11 weeks pregnant, your baby is about 1 1/2 inches long, about the length of your thumb from the knuckle to the tip.
• From now until your halfway mark at 20 weeks of pregnancy, your baby will increase her weight by 30% and probably will triple in length.
• The blood vessels in your placenta grow larger to prepare for this time of accelerated growth in your baby.
• During the 11th week of your pregnancy, your baby's ears move to their permanent position.
• Your baby's reproductive organs are developing. But it's still a little early to find out whether it's a girl or boy - gender isn't clear on ultrasound until between the 16th and 20th weeks of pregnancy.

Week 10

The nugget is officially a fetus! Goodbye embryonic tail, hello baby. The baby (a girl at work refers to this as the Gummy Bear stage) is over an inch long (strawberry), head to butt and will be 3 inches (kiwi-sized) by the end of the first trimester - in just a couple weeks. After the first trimester, the baby's length will include limbs - for now it's just head to butt.

Crazy amount of change from this week to last. Take a look at the week 9 photo and then at this week's. Amazing. The baby already has fingerprints on individual fingers and toes! And the baby moves, not that I'll be able to feel it anytime soon. Crazy to think how small the nugget is, yet all the parts are there. This week is when the reproductive organs are becoming gender specific. (I'm rooting for a boy, although I'll take happy, healthy, and normal!) I'm so excited!! I know September is just around the corner, and it will come fast - even though it feels so far away.

• By the 10th week of pregnancy, your baby measures more than one inch, or roughly the length of a quarter. By the end of the 1st trimester, your baby will grow to be about 3 inches — around the length of a kiwi fruit. This measurement doesn't even take into account arms and legs. That's because in the 1st trimester, your baby is measured from the top of the head to the bottom of the rump.
• By the beginning of the 10th week of pregnancy, all of your baby's vital organs have formed.
• His embryonic tail, located at the bottom of his spinal cord, has disappeared.
• His bones continue to develop. On an ultrasound, your baby's bones appear white.
• At 10 weeks pregnant, his ears get close to their final form.
• His teeth buds emerge and his eyelids develop further.
• His testes start producing the male hormone testosterone around the 10th week of pregnancy.
• Tiny fingers and toes are fully separated (no more webbing).
• Plus, your baby's brain growth really takes off. Every minute, 250,000 new neurons (or first brain cells) are produced.

Week 9

Well, I've officially entered the last month of the first trimester. Couple more weeks and I'll have the easy (so I'm told) third done. I've been trying to sleep on my side (I prefer back) since that's on the no list after the first trimester - squishes my vena cava if I lay on my back too long...

It's crazy to think that this little nugget is only the size of a big grape yet by the end of this week will have a tiny little 4 chambered beating heart. Amazing. Can't wait till the 12 week ultrasound!!

During the 9th week of your pregnancy, your baby grows to about one inch, or about the length of an olive.

By your 9th week of pregnancy, your baby's skeleton begins to harden. Hardening of the bones (ossification) begins with the formation of cartilage.

Her fingers, toes, knees, and elbows develop.

Nipples and hair follicles form.

Her intestinal system — pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder, and anus — forms. Her intestines elongate.

Your baby's reproductive organs begin to develop internally when you're 9 weeks pregnant.

Muscles develop and your baby may start to move — you may feel her movements in several more weeks.

Weigh In

We had the 8-week check up this week. Nothing exciting - pee in a cup, get weighed, check BP, talk with the doc. All's normal, on track. This visit was in their big, fancy new office, though.

Anyhow, I have been monitoring my weight to make sure I don't blow up any sooner/more than I'm supposed to. We have a digital scale at home; I've been weighing weekly to keep track. So far, so good. At home (naked, first thing in the morning) I've been 143.6-143.9. Normal weight for me.

At the initial appointment last month I stepped on the scale at the doc's office (also digital) and weighed a whopping 151!!! I was floored! Got off, let it zero out, and got on again - STILL 151. I had on clothes, but not shoes, giant belt or rocks in my pocket! Something was wrong with the scale and I knew it, but didn't say anything.

This week, at the second appointment, I weighed 147. Much better! 3 lbs of clothing.

I believe the scale at the old office was broken - and told the tech that when she weighed me this time. She didn't comment.

Week 8

Well, we had a nice weekend. Lant went kayaking on Saturday. I slept in. Actually, looking back I got 10+ hours of sleep each night. So, out of the 48 hours of this weekend I spent ~21 of it asleep!

I've become rather top-heavy...they nearly have a mind of their own. Supposedly, they should plateau then blow up (even more - great...) at the end.

I have my next appt on Weds - my pants still fit, and I weigh the same as I did last month so it should go well. :)

It's crazy to think that the nugget is only the size of a lima bean, but still has fingers and toes!

• At 8 weeks pregnant, your baby is more than a half an inch long — around the length of a lima bean.
• Your baby's tiny fingers and toes develop.
• His arms and legs grow longer.
• By the 8th week of your pregnancy, his wrists, elbows, and ankles are visible.
• His eyelids form and ears, upper lip, and nose tip become more defined.

Week 7

My flu is gone!! It was miserable. I lost 5 lbs, but the nugget is doing fine. I can eat again, and keep it in me! This bout of flu reminded me how thankful I am not to be experiencing any morning sickness *knock on wood*.

Pants are still fitting, although my pregnant girlfriends assure me I'll be popping the top button in the very near future. I'm looking forward to being able to see it on me. Hit that phase where people wonder if I'm pregnant or fat...

The nugget is starting to look like something! It's the size of a blueberry this week, double from last week. Eyes, arms, and legs - oh my!

• By the 7th week of pregnancy, she is 1/3 of an inch to half an inch long — barely the length of your pinky fingernail.
• Your baby's face becomes more defined when you're 7 weeks pregnant. Her mouth, nostrils, and ears begin to appear.
• When you're 7 weeks pregnant, the lenses in your baby's eyes begin to form and the iris color is visible.
• Her arms, shoulders, hands, legs, and feet begin to take shape by the 7th week of pregnancy, with the early formation of fingers and toes just another week away.
• Around the 7th and 8th week of your pregnancy, your baby's body elongates and her neck straightens.
• Your baby's brain becomes more complex during the 7th week of pregnancy. The skull that's growing to protect it is transparent and rounding.

Week 6

Well, aside the fact that I've got some sort of NASTY bug I've been doing really well. No morning sickness. The "Sistas" have been rather sensitive lately - definitely fall into the category of Look, Don't Touch. :)

Here's what the nugget is looking like this week:

During your 6th week of pregnancy, your baby grows at a phenomenal rate and his systems develop significantly. Here's what's happening at 6 weeks pregnant:

• Your baby, now called an embryo, is clearly visible on ultrasound. He is about 1/8 of an inch long, about the size of a grain of rice.
• When you're 6 weeks pregnant, his nervous system and all major body organs — heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs — are the first to form.
• Facial features — jaw, cheeks, chin, ear canals, nose, and eyes — begin to develop around the 6th week of pregnancy.
• You baby's heart beats about 80 times per minute and gets faster each day.

Week 5

WEEK 5

After weeks of rapid cell development, your baby takes on a more distinct form. During the fifth week of pregnancy, here's what's happening inside:

• Her heart and circulatory system take shape — a bulge indicates where your baby's heart is developing. By the end of the 5^th week of pregnancy, your baby's earliest blood vessels form.
• Around the 5^th week of pregnancy, your baby's heart begins to beat and may be visible on an ultrasound.
• The umbilical cord replaces the yolk sac. The umbilical cord works with the placenta to bring nutrition and oxygen to your baby and remove waste.
• At 5 weeks pregnant, your baby is the length of the tip of a pen, about 1/17 inches, and growing rapidly every day.

Our First Doctor Appointment

We had our first appointment with Dr. Lorenzo last Thursday. We both like him. Tall, skinny, shaved head, no facial hair, and fuzzy eyebrows (see left).

He was kind enough to start the exam off with a PAP smear - I was under the impression that you got to skip those while you're pregnant. Not so much... Poor Lant was in the room, too. NOT looking. I also had to pee twice and give up 6 vials of blood.

Friday we got an ultrasound done! We were both looking forward to it, but turns out that I'm not as far along as we counted. I distinctly remember the start of my period - the Monday before Thanksgiving while we were in Valdosta. Ginny took me to a grocery store where I was the only Caucasian, first time for everything. So, the egg must have dropped later in my cycle. Anyhow, turns out I'm 5 weeks and not the 6.5 that we counted. Thus my due date has been pushed to Sept. 13 and ultrasound images didn't show much; it was just a yolk sac with a white dot in it. There will be another one soon. And I'll get copies for sure!

Happy New Year!

When we have to get up and moving in the morning, I take the first shower, get my toothbrush going, then go wake him to get in the shower. When he isn't ready to wake up yet he whines at me to bring him his toothbrush in bed - which, me being SO nice, I generally do for him...

On New Year's Eve, I brought him this instead of his toothbrush. Don't worry, I didn't let him attempt to brush with it!

Looks like we're getting the year off to a big start!! :)

I tried to hold out until midnight, and when he kissed me, tell him to kiss our baby too. But I couldn't hold it. I knew on Dec 20th (like Mom said - you can just tell; I could feel it) but Aunt Flo wasn't due until Christmas Eve so I had to keep the secret through the holidays.

First appointment is this Thurs - can't wait to get a look at our nugget!

Added later:

Came across these recently and thought they were pretty interesting. Shows the shift of my internal organs to make room for the baby.

pre-pregnancy

7 weeks

12 weeks

20 weeks

28 weeks

36 weeks

40 weeks