Thursday, February 25, 2010

13 Weeks!

Our baby's a peach!

The baby can make a fist and suck their thumb now. (technically it was doing this a few days ago because we caught both on the ultrasound!)

Other milestones include the bones and skull and solidifying and the ribs are appearing. The intestines have finally moved completely into the belly instead of in the umbilical cord. The baby's tooth sockets are all ready to produce teeth when the baby is 6-7 month old, and the vocal cords and larynx are completed. While those seem like great developments now, I'm sure I'll be shaking my fist at week 13 when I'm up at 3am with a fussy baby.

I feel fine. The exhaustion has gotten a lot better - I still haven't' needed a midday nap in a while, but I'm in bed and asleep by 9 most evenings (With a 5am alarm clock). My appetite is back, but I still haven't gained any weight. I'm down about 9 pounds now.

Our Midwife appointment is coming up in a few days. I'll post some details about that on Tuesday!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Am I Glowing?

Here are some pictures from Valentine's Weekend. The first is right before heading to the cocktail party:

And this is before heading to dinner on Valentine's Day:


Like I mentioned before, we ate at a fondue restaurant (We went with the Kimballs when they were out here for our wedding, and attempted to take the DeRoche's but it was closed on New Years). Here's the cheese course - So Yummy:

We were so hungry when they brought the main course, I completely forgot to take pictures, but I couldn't resist capturing the rediculous dessert of peanut butter & chocolate:



On Saturday February 20th, we spent the whole day driving to and from Babies R Us trying to figure out how to get our crib home. We ended up hog tying it to the roof of our brand new car. {Stressful}

We got it home in one piece, but apparently, we can't follow even the simplist of instructions:

These pictures are being uploaded later than I had hoped because after snapping these pictures I sat the camera down in the garage to help Chris lug the crib into the house. I spent the next three days frantically trying to remember where I left the camera and trying to use Mommy Brain as an excuse to Chris. He didn't buy it. But he'll be happy that I retraced my steps and found it. :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

2nd Ultrasound - 12 weeks 4 days Pregnant

Yesterday we had our nuchal translucency scan (NT scan) to screen for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and Neural Tube Defects. The test is performed by having an ultrasound and getting the baby in a nice profile position. They then measure the fluid thickness at the back of the neck. We wanted it to be less than 2mm to be considered low risk.

We really weren't too concerned about the screening since we don't have any characteristics or family history that would increase our likelihood. We really just wanted to make sure everything was developing as it should be, that the heartbeat was nice and strong (since the nurse at our midwife appt. couldn't find it), and to see the little one since our first ultrasound was so early in the pregnancy.

I received a call earlier in the day from the perinatal center letting me know that one of the sonographers had called out sick so they were running behind and offered to switch my appointment. I said that we were willing to wait in the waiting room as long as it took. We were called back about an hour after our scheduled appointment time and led straight back to the ultrasound room.

She asked a couple quick questions (which were on the questionnaire I had already filled out and gave her, but apparently those forms are never read...)and she started the ultrasound. It was my first abdominal ultrasound (don't ask what the others were) and besides the pressing on my bladder, was much more enjoyable.

We immediately saw the baby jumping ALL over the place. It was like a dance party in my uterus. She left the baby and checked out my uterus and ovaries and all that good stuff, and by the time she got back to looking at the baby, it had calmed down significantly. The baby was facing straight out, so the tech was unable to get a good profile shot to measure the nuchal fold. Because of this we got to stare at the baby for a LONG time while she tried everything - having me roll from side to side, putting the probe on my abdomen and shaking it vigorously (which always caused the baby to throw its hands over its head and seemingly scream "EARTHQUAKE!"). She even had me walk and dance around the room to try to get him/her in a better position.

Finally she was able to freeze frame a nice profile shot during one of the many wiggles and measure the fluid behind the neck. It was 1.6mm. We later found out this was in the 64 percentile and Normal. Whew!

She did the Crown Rump Length (CRL) which was 6.65cm or 2.6" and consistent with 13 weeks (So he's still measuring ahead, but now by 3 days). They decided not to change my due date, but I'd encourage you to place your bets for late August instead of September. The heartbeat was 153 beats/min and sounded really good.

A few times he threw his hand up, and we were able to see each little bone in his hand and fingers. She showed us the arms, legs and the head (I swear we could see the brain which was creepy). She showed us the spine, ribs and the tiny little vertebrae. We didn't get a real good look at the lower half so the gender is any one's guess, although it really is still too early to tell.

I asked about the placenta placement and she said it was anterior, which basically means its along the front side of my tummy and not on the back side along my spine. The only negative about this is that the placenta will muffle the movements for a while, so I'll probably be further along before I really feel him or her moving about. Bummer. She didn't note whether it was high or low, but didn't seem concerned. She made us a CD with some still shots and a quick video clip since we couldn't record the u/s.

When the tech left the room to tell the doctor the readings, a resident came in and asked if she could practice measuring CRL's. We weren't going to turn doing getting to see him/her a little more, so she practiced for a while and finally was able to get accurate readings that matched the sonographer. While she was doing this the baby brought its hand up to its mouth and started making movements like it was sucking its thumb - so cute! She printed a picture of it for us.

The doctor came in an quickly told us that the numbers looked fine and to have fun getting all my blood drawn.

I had completely forgotten about the blood work.
And even when he mentioned it, I only remembered the single blood draw that accompanied the NT scan and not ALL the other prenatal testing they had ordered.

We went down to the lab and the intake nurse started reading off all the tests...
Wow.

They took me back to the phlebotomist, where I took a seat in the chair o' pain. She opened her little drawer and started pulling out vials: Big ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones. I asked if I got juice and a cookie.

She just laughed at me.

Thankfully she was great at her job and it didn't hurt a bit. I credit all the acupuncture I've had over the past 6 months for my increased needle tolerance. After that we were all cleared to go home!


12 Weeks!

So I'm a slacker.

Since I'm 12 weeks 5 days...
I figured I should probably do the 12 week update.


12 Weeks:
Future infant is now the size of a plum -
about 2.1" long and weighs about half an ounce.
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes.
The fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I prod my abdomen, the baby with supposedly squirm in response, although I can't feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in the brain, synapses are forming furiously.
He's getting smarter by the minute!

His face looks human now: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be.


I feel a million times better. I can get through my work day without taking naps in the backseat of my car at lunch. I'm not that nauseated anymore and can stand to eat most foods - my portions just have to be REALLY tiny. My sense of smell is incredibly heightened. When I come home at night, it seems like I can immediately smell everything that's happened that day - the dishwasher soap, the chips Chris snacked on, the stick the dogs snuck in the house and are chewing on, the onion he diced for dinner and, obviously, whether or not the litter box has been cleaned out. My new superpowers annoy Chris to no end. The blankets smell funny, the water tastes weird, and, in general, I have an adjective to describe everything.

On Thursday (13 weeks) I officially enter the 2nd trimester and breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I went down to Lebanon last week (February 15th and 16th) to see the folks and tell Ashley the good news. Chris and I bought two onesies - a girl and a boy theme - that both said something in praise of their aunt (Jess & Katie - you can both take credit when he or she wears them though) and put them in a gift bag. We traded belated Christmas gifts and she was super surprised when she saw them. Then she thought it meant we were having twins and freaked out again. She gave me a bunch of her maternity clothes so I'm all set as far as casual attire goes. I'll still have to buy some more work friendly tops though. I filmed her response and will post it on youtube tonight.

Hope everyone is doing alright!

ALSO - we had our ultrasound yesterday. The baby looks great. I'll post the video and talk about the experience on the blog tomorrow.

Love ya!
Carla

Friday, February 12, 2010

11 Weeks!

Hi everyone!

So I turned 11 weeks yesterday. Less than 2 weeks till I'm out of the first trimester and as of Monday there will be less than 200 days till the due date. I can't really say that it's flying by, but we're making progress.

The baby is as big as a lime, but that can be deceiving because next week it'll be as big as a plum, so by lime they mean Key Lime I think. Regardless it should be just over 1.5 inches long and weight a quarter of an ounce - or 7 paperclips. I just counted out 7 paperclips and weighed them in my hand and let me tell you, it doesn't weigh much. :) The developemental highlights this week are fingernails and toothbuds. Maybe that's why I'm craving all this cheddar cheese. The calcium. That's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it.




The intake appointment with the midwifery practice was a joke. They had us fill out all this paperwork on our family medical history (that we'd already filled out for the fertility clinic) prior to our appointment, and then when we got into the room with the nurse, we had to repeat all the information so she could put it in the computer system. Dumb. I think the only reason they didn't do everything on the phone was so they could get me in the office and on the scale. It was a waste of 3 hours of sick time.

I scheduled my nuchal translucency scan - or NT scan - for Monday February 22nd at 2:30. It'll be just after Chris gets off work so I'll just meet him downtown. (The NT scan is the down syndrome/trisomy18 screening. We're not too concerned about either, but we more just want to make sure everything is progressing alright instead of waiting till the 18week gender scan). The scan measures the fold in the back of the neck and has to be done between 11weeks and 13weeks6days. I'll be 12 weeks 4 days so right in the middle of the timeframe. I'll also have a bunch of bloodwork done at this time.

Then I have my first real appointment with the midwives the following Monday - March 1st (13w4d). I'll get a physical and whatever else.

We're working with the midewifery group at OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University). They're the same hospital we did all the fertility treatments with. If I have to be transferred to an ob later on it won't be so disruptive and they have a level 3 NICU right there if anything goes wrong. So hopefully there will be less interventions, but it's still a hospital.

In other news, Caesar is at the vet getting fixed as I write this email. I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'm taking the afternoon off to spend with the boys (and to elongate my already 4 day weekend. Thank you Presidents Day! Shopping sales AND and extra day off? How kind!)

We're going to a Valentines couple party thing with some of Chris' coworkers on Saturday evening. It's a cocktail party with wine tasting so we'll probably tell them then so
(1) I can get out of being offered yummy wine all night and
(2) so I can get cut some slack for the bump that refuses to be hidden in a cocktail dress.

On Sunday, we're going to one of our favorite restaurants for Valentine's dinner. Unfortunately it appears to be everyone else's favorite restaurant and, even when booked well in advance, the only available reservation was at 4:45pm. We expect a to be eating with a rockin' senior crowd. The restaurant is a fondue place- the appetizer is cheese pot based - obviously - the main course is raw meat that you cook in the heated broth and desert is, well, sinfully chocolatey. Before you get concerned about undercooked meat - I plan to bring along the iPod touch with its stopwatch feature to make sure everything is WELL done. :)

I think I'm gonna go down to Lebanon on Monday to see the parents and hopefully tell Ashley. I'd like to tell her in person so I can then shout it out on Facebook. I've known for 7 weeks and I'm ready to start telling people. So until you see the news of facebook, please continue to keep it quiet. Thanks!

Chris told his boss on Wednesday but I still have to sit down with mine - which I am dreading. I don't think anyone has dropped this bombshell on him in decades and the agency definitely doesn't have a standard operating procedure in place for handling my shift in workload. My coworkers are going to hate me. No, I'm not being dramatic. They're really going to be upset all my work they're going to have to do while I'm out on leave and I'm gonna hear ALL about it from them. Meh.

I hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day this weekend!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

10 Weeks!

'ello Lovelies!

So I'm 10 weeks and 2 days. morning sickness has gotten much better and I have a love/hate relationship with food - I either love it or I hate it. Like the ribs tonight - hate. Potato Salad - love.

The baby is as big as a kumquat (which apparently aren't in season yet judging from the 4 grocery stores we visited) or a prune. Future infant is just over an inch long and weighs as much as 4 paper clips - or 4 grams. The head is more upright. The wrists and arms can bend. The webbing on the hands is practically gone, as is the tail. The baby is also starting to move. Nipples and hair follicles are beginning to form. Fingerprints are visible. And its feet are 2mm long (1 tenth of an inch). It's also now officially a fetus instead of an embryo.





We have an appointment next Wednesday with the midwives. I'll know more then.

We took advantage of BabiesRUs' trade in program and turned in the old crib that mom got from our neighbors and the trashed pack n play we used with both puppies. In exchange we got two 25% off coupons that we used on the crib and stroller/travel system. When we go back in a week or two to pick up the crib, we'll use another coupon on a cosleeper/bassinet/pack n play.

Here's the crib we got: Babi Italia Lifestyle Pinehurst Crib in Tea Stain

Here's the travel system: Baby Trends Expedition

ShareThis

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...