Week 24 - Baby Audrey is here

We were in Austin this weekend to meet our niece Audrey.  Ruth had a great delivery which was very short and Audrey was born right away.  She is absolutely beautiful and I could not but love her instantly.  She is a very sweet girl and an awesome baby!  She is sleeping very well through the night, only gets up two times or so to eat.  I barely heard her cry the whole time we were there.  Andrew has been a very good big brother and likes to carry her and tell her "no llores" - don't cry - when she fuzzes.  He is a very helpful little boy who loves to help in the kitchen, specially cracking eggs :)  Andrew and us went to the zoo on Saturday to give mom and dad some down time and we had a lot of fun.  Here is a picture of her.




Sofia will have great cousins to play with when she's here.

She has been a busy baby the mean time.  I can feel her move now and she's awake most of the day or moving at least.  I can't believe she will be here in 4 months, I'm getting super excited!!!

This week she will be concentrating on completing the face features, all the way to the eyelashes.  But for right now, all the hair is white as the pigmentation has not set in.  Her inner ear has developed enough to give her a sense of balance and whether she's right side up or up side down in her amniotic sac.  She will be gaining about 6oz or 170 grams per week.

Changes to mom include a shift in hormone production.  For the first 20 weeks, the body makes more progesterone.  At 21 to 22 weeks the body makes equal amounts of progesterone and estrogen, but from week 24 on it will be mostly estrogen.  One of the odd symptoms I just read about is red and itchy hands.  I just thought I was doing the dishes too much but it is actually a symptom of pregnancy... ha!

This weekend we will stay home and tackle a mantel piece that we bought for the living room.  We will also start cleaning out the office to make way for the nursery.  I need to order the crib here soon, I read they may take a while to be delivered.

Week 22 - Pregnancy gingivitis

I finally went to the dentist yesterday and I was very happy to.  My teeth have been giving me a lot of trouble lately.  He said I had pregnancy gingivitis and he sees it all the time.  The changing hormones are affecting my mouth as well!  It's interesting all that goes on, the dentist said I was building plaque, which means my mouth is more basic now, where as before it was very acidic.  Yes, I stuck a litmus paper in my mouth some time ago so I know! ha ha ha.

It is difficult to tell whether what I'm feeling right now is the baby or just any other movement of my body.  I think it's her, but I have my doubts.  We'll see in time :)

This week Sofia will start to discover more of her senses and be aware of the world around her.  She may weigh up to a pound (454 grams) by the end of this week.  NOTE - The blog says the baby is the size of a papaya, but in Mexico, papayas are a bout 2 or 3 times bigger than here, so my Mexican family and friends, don't think she's that big :)  The baby's sense of touch and taste progress this week and the taste buds begin to form.  The baby's brain and nerve endings mature enough to process the sensation of touch.  The reproductive system keeps developing as well.  The surface of the brain which has been smooth until now, will develop folds.  These hills and valleys in the brain will continue to develop until week 34 to eventually house all the brain cells.  And by now, the baby recognizes my voice and probably Thomas' as well.  I like to sing to her, I hope she doesn't take my voice the standard of good music ha ha ha :)

Around this time, my feet should start growing as well.  Most moms go up half a size in shoe size.  That is due to the hormone called relaxin, which relaxes ligaments, including the ones in the feet.  For now, my shoes fit, but we'll see :)

Sofia has been very laid back during pregnancy.  She's been cooperative in all the ultrasounds and has given mom no discomfort.   I wonder if that is indicative of how her personality is going to be... we shall see.  Speaking of which, we will have another ultrasound in our next visit on March 5th, so we will have another peak inside at her.

We are still waiting for baby Audrey, she should be born any time now or next week.  Ruth is doing well though her sciatic nerve still hurts.  I can't wait to meet her!



http://similac.com/pregnancy/22-weeks-pregnant-baby-growth-development

And the baby is a...

GIRL!!!!

I really didn't know what to think there lately, I did not have a feel either way but we are so very happy!  We would have been happy either way though.

Sofia Ruth Yantis is on her way then. :)  She weighs 12 ounces (340 grams).  Her head was 18 cm (7 inches) in perimeter and her waist 15 cm (5.9 inches).  We looked at her cerebellum, liver, kidneys, heart, and stomach and they all look great.  Her spinal cord is looking great too thanks to all the folic acid.  Her heart beat was 153 today so it's slowing down a little which is normal.

Now Audrey has a playmate close to her age and Andrew... he has some double trouble coming his way :)  But I'm sure he's going to be an excellent older brother and cousin.  Zoie will have a cousin almost (or will see) exactly one year younger so they will be great buds as well.

 Here are some pictures from the ultrasound, check out her cute little leg!!

Week 21 - Day care horrors in Victoria TX

These past few weeks I have been visiting the different day cares in this town.  I have been very disappointed in the quality of care offered.  The first few daycares I visited almost make me cry.  I first visited one and the lobby was merely a hall.  Anyone could walk in to where the babies are.  Not good.  A few of the rooms were empty and this place was so dark.  The teachers were not friendly and hardly talked.  Needless to say I ran out of that one.  Another one of them even smelled of cigarettes.  Most of them were run down, paint peeling off the walls, and one of them was even out of a mobile home!!  However, I did luck out in the end :)  One of the daycares is a very clean and well taken care of property with a high level of training and education for the teachers.  Whew!! Last week i also found another one I liked.  It's in a baptist church but I liked that the ratio of infants to teachers was less and every 4 infants have a room to themselves.  So my choice won't be very hard.  It's between those two.  Now Thomas will go visit them and I'll have his input so we can decide.

So now for the fun stuff, the baby.  Tomorrow we have our ultrasound and will let everyone know what we are having as soon as we know :)

This week, the baby is about 7 inches long (~18cm) and weighs 11 ounces (312 grams).  About the size of a banana.  The digestive system is being put to work as the baby swallows amniotic fluid and absorbs some sugar from it.  Since the amniotic fluid changes with my diet, the baby can get a little taste of what I eat through it.  I have been craving a lot of hot stuff, so I'm sure she has a taste for it by now.  Also, the bone marrow is now taking over the job of making blood cells.  The baby's arms and legs are in proportion now and the movements are becoming more coordinated.   But I still can't feel them.

Mom's body is getting ready as well, and early milk, called colostrum can be produced even this early in the pregnancy.  My teeth have been giving me some trouble lately, seems like they are very sensitive and the gums are irritated most of the time.  Thank God I have an appointment next week with my dentist :)

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!