Week 20 - Half way there

Half way!  These past few months have gone by fast!  I know June will be here before we know it.

This weekend we changed the carpet in the living room for hardwoods, more baby-spills resistant :)  It was a one day job because we got a lot of help from Enrique, Felecia, and Jeremy.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  We are so happy with them!



I think I may have felt the baby the other day, it was a very slight but distinctive nudge... but from now on I can start expecting more movement :)

This week the baby is getting used to all his body parts.  The baby weights about half a pound now and is around 6 inches long.  The baby's skin is developing further under the vernix.  The baby is also swallowing more and practicing with the digestive system.  The baby's teeth are developing layers of dentin and enamel and the baby is also beginning to produce its own insulin.

Mom is feeling ok, though I've had a few nose bleeds.  These are normal, as I'm producing a whole lot more blood and the nasal tissues are thin and may not resist the blood overflow.

Two more weeks and we'll have the next ultrasound and we will know if we are having Sofia or John.  We'll keep you posted.

Week 19 - No more coconuts for me

The beginning of week 19 was not so friendly to me this time.  I ate a coconut on Saturday evening and it did not agree with me at all!  I woke up all night with a cramped stomach and into Sunday morning with a sharp pain, a breath that could stun an ox (as tactfully put by Thomas) even after brushing my teeth several times.  At about noon I felt a little hungry so that seemed to fix the problem.  I'm scratching coconuts off the list! 

This coming weeks the baby will be focusing on brain development.  Sofia John will be developing millions of neurons.  The baby can now suck the thumb and move the head.  The baby's hearing is also more developed and by now, it can hear sounds outside the womb.  The baby's skin is covered with a white protective coat called Vernix, and underneath with a fine hair called lanugo.  During this week, the kidneys will also function and the placenta will work removing the waste.

http://similac.com/pregnancy/19-weeks-pregnant?wt=ln

Week 18

Week 18 is here and the baby is doing great!  I really have zero complaints about being pregnant, I thought it was going to be a lot worse.  For me, it's barely noticeable as far as discomforts go, only a cramp here and there.  And I'm really grateful for that.  And it also is great to have a husband that spoils you with every request ;)

I went to the doctor last Friday and my blood test came back.  Everything looks great, no problems there.  They took another blood sample and my next ultrasound is on February 5.  In this one, we will find out the sex of the baby.  I've been going back and forth now with my preference.  Of course all I care about is having a healthy baby, but if I could choose I was pretty set on a girl.  Now I think I may want a boy.  But I do go back and forth a lot :)  I'm getting very curious now.  I set a poll earlier and so far most everyone is with me on the baby being a girl (79%).  We shall see in a few weeks.

So what is the baby up to?  This week the baby's priority is growing.  And I can tell!  I've been getting a lot of cramps.  The doctor says it's just my uterus expanding rapidly.  The baby's skeleton is hardening, the leg bones and inner ear are the first ones to harden.  The baby can now hear too. It should be anytime now that I feel the baby. So far I haven't, I can just imagine how amazing that feels.

Thomas and I stayed in Victoria this weekend after a lot of traveling for the holidays and freezing weather.  We need to get started with the baby room sometime soon.  It is also time to pre-register in the hospital, so we'll go take a look at the facilities maybe this week.  And I also need to start looking at day cares.  Lots of fun!

Week 15

This week we had an appointment with the OB nurse where we got questioned about every single disease in our families.  The nurse had a lot of information that we have to go through the next couple of weeks.  What surprised me is that she basically told us to throw our book "What to expect when you are expecting" in the trash.  I find it very helpful particularly so I'm surprised she said that.  

We also had Andrew's 2 year old birthday party.  It was great fun and also exhausting!!  2 is a very fun age, he's repeating everything we say.

In other news I also passed my Professional Engineering Certification so I'm ecstatic about that!

So, what is the baby up to this week?  The baby is growing at an amazing rate. The baby can be up to 4 inches (10 cm) and weighs 2 to 3 ounces (70 grams).  The baby's hair will start appearing on the scalp and eyebrows.  The baby's skin is developing and is now a thin layer.  And now the baby can wiggle fingers and toes and make a fist!

http://similac.com/pregnancy/15-weeks-pregnant?wt=ln

Let the nesting begin

So I'm starting to feel the need to get the house ready for the baby.  I'm just throwing ideas around at this time, and of course the first goal is to get the room ready.  The baby crib bedding is very cute these days.  Here are my two finalists, Thomas liked the boy theme, but he was speechless with the girl theme ;) I think that was too much purple for him...

And the boy's...

Video - Ultrasound #2

They gave us a video of the ultrasound this time.  It's 10 minutes long.  At the beginning the nurse was just trying to find her and trying to wake her up - that's why you see a little bit of shaking.  But further along you can she where the baby wakes up and stretches and moves around like a jelly bean :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7MAQRyqvas

Week 13 - The baby moves! but I can't feel her yet

We went to our second doctor visit today and we had a long ultrasound session.  The baby seemed to be sleepy at first, and she was facing us.  We could hear the heart again, a healthy 163.  As you can see in the pictures below, the eyes are well defined and the brain is still developing - still split in two.  You can see the little wiggly line above is the umbilical cord.

But the nurse needed her to roll over and see her profile for some measurements.  Thomas started talking to her telling her to roll over and that woke her up.  She started moving so much!  We saw a big stretch and the hands and feet going everywhere.  It was very neat.  I cannot feel the baby inside me yet, I guess it's too little still.  We got a video and we'll try to upload to youtube.  I will send out the link when we figure it all out.

This weekend I was pretty tired again, maybe it was just the weather, rainy and even with some snow! I think Friday evening I was in bed by 8! and Saturday I did not make it past the first quarter of the UT - Nebraska game (7pm).  During the week it's ok.  Things are going well with my new job though I'm still tied to my old job and basically doing both until they hire someone.  I like being busy though.

And the holiday parties are starting all around us with the first one tonight.  My mom is in Texas now, visiting with Andrew and Ruth and Todd.  We will visit Austin next weekend and celebrate Andrew's birthday #2.