Thursday, October 29, 2009

20 Weeks and half way done

How our baby's growing:
Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. It's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of its head to its bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, it's measured from head to toe.) The baby is swallowing more these days, which is good practice for its digestive system. It's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in the baby's bowels, and you'll see it in its first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

As for me:
I haven't been feeling great this past week. I'm not sure if I'm not eating the right things or if I'm stressed out at work and not getting enough sleep. Hopefully this Halloween weekend turns things around. Some days I feel the baby move tons and other I don't feel it at all. When I wake up in the morning my belly isn't as big, but as the day goes along the belly sticks out there farther and farther. I'm kind of scared of being 8-9 months along and how big the belly will actually get. Loren is back from hunting (he didn't get anything, bummer), but I'm glad to have him home every night. Last night he cooked chicken pot pie, cleaned up, played with the dog in the backyard, and gave me a massage. He is an amazing husband and will be a wonderful father.

Friday, October 23, 2009

19 Weeks & Life

Our baby's sensory development is exploding! It's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that the baby may be able to hear us. The baby's arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of it's body now. The kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on the scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Things for me are going good. I'm still working hard at work trying to get caught up before we go live with our new computer/accounting system. Then being Relief Society Secretary has been taking some time with Tuesday and Thursday meetings, on top of that doing the newsletter, birthday cards, and all the rest of the secretary stuff. I'm really enjoying this calling though. I really didn't know too many people in the ward and now I'm getting to know them all.

I took on a project while Loren was away hunting this last week. I decided to paint and redo the bathroom. We didn't have the funds to replace the counter tops and flooring, so I decided to work with it. I had a friend over and we painted the walls and trim, and picked out new towels and shower curtain. It looks very nice. I still plan on redoing the back splash and painting the ceiling, but I want to make sure Loren liked it before jumping in that far. Hopefully we will also be replacing the toilet before the baby comes. This is our guest bath and I'm sure with the baby being here we will have many more guests, and I don't want any more clogged toilets.

As for my body and pregnancy...we are very glad Loren is back to give massages. The lower back is always aching and the ligaments that support my uterus are stretching to accommodate the baby and they are sore almost every day. Some days I feel huge and pregnant and other days I just feel fat. I did gain 3 lbs this past Dr. appointment. It's hard to eat healthy when your body doesn't want veggies. Even the thought of vegetables makes me want to gag. I've never been a big milk person, but I have been craving milk this past month and drink at least 2 big glasses each day.

Everything else in life is good and I can't wait for the new experiences that await us.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

19 Week Ultrasound

Today, Loren and I got to see our baby again. We are suppose to be at 19 weeks on Thursday, but the baby measured 19 weeks and 1 day today. The baby is growing great. It is sitting in my belly breach right now, but that is totally normal most don't move until closer to the due date. The baby's feet were way down low, and the tech kept asking if I could feel it kicking my bladder. Luckily I had an empty bladder, but I'm not looking forward to the future. It has all 10 fingers and 10 toes. The brain looks great.

We ended up spending 30 min plus getting the ultrasound. They measured everything from the heart to the kidneys, to the arms and the legs. It was amazing how much you could see. You can't see it in any of the pictures here, but you could see the backbone and ribs. At first the baby was moving around a bunch and the tech couldn't get a good pictures, but then the baby curled up in a little bitty ball and wouldn't get into the right position for pictures.

The first picture is of both feet. The second picture is a profile. The third picture is a profile with a view of it's foot at the top. In the last picture you can see the baby sucking on its thumb. It was amazing that you could actually see it swallowing. We are happy that our baby is healthy and growing. The ultrasound will calm my worries for a little bit. Our next appointment is in 4 weeks and we will have another ultrasound to get a better picture of the spine. I'm very excited to see how much it has grown. We did get a video of the baby moving around, but Loren took it to work. I will be posting that when I get home.




Thursday, October 15, 2009

18 weeks

Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and it weighs almost 7 ounces. It's busy flexing it's arms and legs — movements that I'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. It's blood vessels are visible through it's thin skin, and it's ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from it's head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after it's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now. But we won't be finding out the sex of the baby until the birth.

I'm doing well. My back is starting to hurt more and more. This could be from the pregnancy or from Loren being gone for the last week (no messages). My belly seams to be growing, but I have lost a couple pounds. I'm sure it is from Loren not being here to cook, but actually I've been so busy and exhausted that I haven't had time to cook. I think I feel the baby move everyday, but I'm still not sure if it is the baby or my stomach/insides bubbling up. We have an ultrasound on Tuesday the 20th, which I'm getting very excited for. I've already seen an ultrasound of the baby, but I'm excited to see the growth and development.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

17 Weeks

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

As for me, life is going well. My belly is growing, but I have yet to gain any weight. I'm sure that will be changing in the next few weeks. I'm already wearing maternity clothing except for my jeans (I hate things being too tight). I think I felt the baby move this last Monday, but I'm not sure. I'm very excited to actually feel the baby move all the time. Sleeping has gotten uncomfortable. I'm a back sleeper and now it hurts my lower back to sleep on my back, and when I sleep on my sides it hurts my shoulders. I guess that means I just get more messages (hint hint Loren). I'm sure I'll be able to get through it though. I'm only 2 weeks away from a 2nd ultrasound and 3 weeks away from the 1/2 way mark. I never knew you could worry about something so much. I'm always worrying about if the baby is ok. When you can't feel it move, and don't get to hear the heart beat everyday, it make you think if it is still alive. I guess I'm just a worry wort.

Loren leaves to go hunting on Friday and could be gone until Sunday the 18th. I'm excited that he gets to go to the mountains every October and shoot something. I'm also very excited to hopefully replenish our dear in the freezer. The dear steaks and strogenoff are two of my favorite meals. I sure will miss him when he is gone. I'm sure I'll keep busy this next week at work (they are letting me have some overtime to get caught up on scanning), and at home with some projects I want to get completed. I always have projects to complete, I've been working on Tracy's wedding quilt for a couple of years now. Hopefully the finished product will come back with me when I visit for Christmas. Yes, that's right, Loren and I actually plan on flying to Kansas for Christmas this year. I haven't been home for Christmas since 2004. It's hard to justify a plane ticket for $500 a piece, but we better visit before our family grows and it is even more expensive. We could find the ticket for less, but we are needing fully refundable tickets, just in case something happens with the pregnancy. Kansas Family - sorry, but you won't be getting any presents from us this year, except for our presence.

Well that enough of my rambling, my lunch break is over and I need to get back to work. Hope all is well.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

16 Weeks

In the next few weeks, my baby will double its weight and add inches to its length. Right now, it's about the size of an avocado measuring 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. It's legs are much more developed, its head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. Its ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of its scalp has begun, though its locks aren't recognizable yet. It's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, its heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.