It's a...!!!

BOY!!!

19 Weeks

(Click to enlarge) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- Baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato.
- Baby's sensory development is exploding! The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.
- Some research suggests that baby may be able to hear voices from outside now.
- Arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now.
- Kidneys continue to make urine and hair on the scalp is sprouting too.
- A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Mom:

- Still hungry pretty much all the time now. I am in no way complaining about this because I love to eat!
- I think I’m experiencing some round ligament pain, which is normal. I feel weird pains every once in a while in my sides and abdomen. Apparently the ligaments that support the uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight.
- Still getting lots and lots of headaches, at least 3-4 times a week. Some days I wake up with a pounding headache that just gets worse throughout the day. I am prone to migraines anyway and they say headaches are normal during the 2nd trimester. Sometimes I take Tylenol but it usually doesn’t do any good so most of the time I don’t even bother taking it.
- Feeling lots of baby movement, usually for a little while in the morning and again at night. Alex and Tim are now able to feel the movements from the outside too! They both think it’s really cool!
- My weight: 130 lbs at my 19 week appointment (3/23).
- Blood pressure: 115/76
- Baby’s heart rate: 148 bpm

Easter 2010

Easter Egg Coloring

Tim getting started.

 

Tim fitting his egg with a bow tie.

Coloring 6 eggs at once!

The finished products.

Easter Morning

Tim's basket.

Narnia 2!

Chocolate bunny, chocolate chick, sixlets (my favorite!), bubbles and more!

18 Weeks

(Click to enlarge) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- Baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces.

- Baby's busy flexing arms and legs.

- Blood vessels are visible through thin skin, and ears are now in their final position.

- A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth.

Mom:

- I'm hungry more often, about every 2 hours but have a hard time deciding on what I want to eat. It seems no matter what we have I never want any of it.

- Loving maternity clothes! They are so comfy I might keep wearing them even after I have the baby. Ha ha just kidding!

- The cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester blood pressure will probably be lower than usual.

- From now on, I’m supposed to lie on my side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.).

- Feeling more and more baby movement for longer periods of time. Alex even got to feel movement on Monday night!

- My weight: 129 lbs according to the wii.

- ONE week (6 days actually) until our ultrasound appointment!

- During this ultrasound the doctors will check baby’s growth, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date we are working with is accurate, and see how many babies I’m carrying (We had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and we already know there’s just 1 baby). During the exam, we might see baby moving around or sucking its thumb. I’ll post the pictures asap!

No picture of me this week, Tuesday I was sick, Wednesday we were busy with baseball, Thursday I forgot and Friday my photographer was working (as well as today). I’ll get one for next week.

?? Boy or Girl ?? (Vote)

We will (hopefully) find out if we are having a boy or a girl in just over 1 week, on April 23rd. I’m hoping for a girl, Alex thinks it’s a boy but has no preference either way and Tim is undecided.

Here are some old wives tales:

- Do you sleep on your left or right side at night? I normally sleep on ALL sides.

- If you have soft hands expect a girl. Alex thinks my skin has been softer.

- If you constantly want salty foods, like french fries, you're due for a boy. If you have a taste for sweets, like chocolate pie, prepare for a girl. I have been wanting salty foods up until a few days ago, but I also love candy all the time.

- If you're dropping your keys and stumbling over pairs of shoes, you might have a baby boy on the way. I'm always a little on the clumsy side so this one doesn't count.

- If you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl. I'm not really sure for this one.

- If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140. At 10 weeks it was 170 = Girl. At 12 weeks it was 168 = Girl. At 15 weeks it was 138 = Boy.

- According to the Chinese Gender Predictor it’s going to be a girl.

What do YOU think??

17 Weeks

(Click to enlarge) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- Baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom.
- Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord - the lifeline to the placenta - is growing stronger and thicker.
- Can move all joints, and sweat glands are starting to develop.

Mom:

- Not much going on this week.
- Needing more and more maternity clothes, went shopping for more today.
- I’m hungry every 2 hours now, quite a change from a few weeks ago when all I could eat was toast.
- Feeling more baby movement, usually during late morning /early afternoon while I’m sitting still at my desk.
- My weight: 129 lbs according to the wii.
- Two weeks until our ultrasound appointment!

16 Weeks

(Click to enlarge) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- Baby is now about the size of an avocado, 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.
- In the next few weeks, baby will double in weight and add inches to length.
- Legs are much more developed, head is more erect than it has been, and eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. The ears are close to their final position, too.
- The patterning of the scalp has begun, though the locks aren't recognizable yet.
- Toenails have started growing.
- The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as baby continues to develop.

Mom:

- The top of the uterus is about halfway between the pubic bone and the navel.
- Feeling a whole lot better as I settle into pregnancy.
- I *think* I might have started feeling some slight baby movement, usually when I’m sitting at my desk. It feels like faint little pokes a few inches below my belly button.
- Over the following weeks the baby movement will grow stronger and I should be able to feel them much more frequently.
- I’m eating a lot more now and feeling fine after, most of the time. I do get stomach aches more often depending on what I eat.
- My weight: 127 lbs according to the wii.
- Three weeks until our ultrasound appointment!

*My weeks change over on Tuesday’s, I’m debating on weather or not I want to start taking pictures and posting them with my weekly updates.*