20 Weeks!

Woohoo, finally an update in a timely manner!

First things first...things are going well! I can feel little thumps when I rest my hand on my belly, but the kicks are so sporadic that Eric hasn't felt it yet.

Now for the exciting news...we had the BIG ultrasound today. You know, the one where they measure everything and look at all the organs to make sure everything is developing at the same rate and that there aren't any unwanted holes or limbs. There's one brain, two eyes, two kidneys, two legs, and the spine is curved in all the right places. Peanut is measuring at about 19 weeks (that's still the 50th percentile) - Alex was on the small side as well, and as long as it's within a week or so, it's still considered normal! He's about 12 oz at this point :)

Oh, and did I mention it's a boy? I had another dream last night that it was a boy, and I think deep down I knew that he was a boy, no matter how hard I wished for a girl! Any disappointment was short lived - after all, a healthy baby is really all a parent can ask for! Plus, I think Alex would really like a little brother, and we have pretty much everything we need already. Maybe we'll just have to try again for that girl in a few years :)

Unfortunately, the CD they gave us doesn't work, so we have to make do with the few pictures they printed out for us. Enjoy!

Here we go...it's a boy! Not quite as clear as Alex's display of manhood, but we trust that the ultrasound technician knew what she was looking at!



Here's our little Skeletor, heehee! Alex thought he looks a bit like a dinosaur.



And the heartbeat is a healthy 150 beats per minute, just like Alex's was! It's always a relief to hear that whooshing noise :)



There's one concern - they were only able to see one blood vessel in the umbilical cord and there are supposed to be two. While this is a soft marker for Down Syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities, the doctor is confident that it's nothing to worry about, especially when you consider that it's the only marker and everything else looks like it should. However, to be on the safe side, they're sending us to a different office (with newer machinery) for another level 2 ultrasound in the next couple of weeks. There's a good chance that they just weren't able to see it due to the angle. And even if there is just one vessel, there's still an excellent chance that he'll be born without any problems.

But in the meantime, the only thing we're worrying about is picking a name! If you have any suggestions, please send them in for consideration :)

14-19 weeks!

Wow, I totally could have sworn that I did another update before going on vacation, but I guess not! Yikes, I'm getting bad at this! I have, at least, been good about taking pictures every week!

At least there hasn't been too much to update...

14 Weeks...



15 Weeks, and officially not fitting into my clothes already! Most maternity bottoms are still too big, but many of the shirts are just right. Of course, many are meant for bigger bellies, but for the most part, my usual clothes are out!

Two friends and I all bought Intelligender tests - they're basically a glorified Drano test! You insert a bit of urine into their special container with the special formula in it, swirl it good, then wait ten minutes. Then you compare the color it turns with the chart given to determine if it'll be a boy or a girl! It allegedly has an 83% accuracy rate...so we'll see if it was right or not at our BIG ultrasound! Oh, and for those of you playing the home game, it said girl :) All the old wives tales point to a girl as well...so my guess is boy!



16 Weeks...after one week's worth of ice cream...



17 Weeks...two weeks of ice cream - boy, does that make a belly pop!



18 Weeks: back in the good old U.S. of A...only 4 lbs heavier...(And to think, I usually come back from Germany 7-10 lbs heavier!) I had a doctor's appointment the day after we got back, and she was pleased with how things were going. Peanut's heartbeat was right around 140, which is great! They drew blood for the quadruple screening - testing for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, neural defects, and other chromosomal abnormalities. Between my age and health, the risks are low, but the reassurance of a negative is still nice - and it did come back negative!

We ended the week with a last minute trip to Alabama for Uncle Jim's memorial service. I felt the first proper kick in the car on the way home on Sunday! It was just a little thump, but it was a kick!



19 Weeks...Peanut continues to thump a little bit, and wiggles most when my legs are tucked up - probably in protest to being squished! It's getting much harder to lay on my stomach, but if I angle myself just right, it still works :) I've gained a total of about 8-10 lbs so far, which is just about right on target.



Next week, we go in for the BIG ultrasound (Tuesday at 2 pm, for those of you who are keeping track :)...they'll do all the measurements to make sure that everything is growing the way it should and that there aren't any holes in places there shouldn't be holes, and hopefully, assuming Peanut cooperates, we'll find out if it's a girl Peanut or a boy Peanut! We have a good girl name picked out (Charlotte), but are completely and utterly lost on boy names...so bring on any suggetions!