Week 17

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

This week has been wonderful because I can feel the baby kick! I have thought I could before, but this week I actually think I have felt her. One morning she woke me up and I had to get up and walk around and wait it out. It doesn't hurt because she isn't strong enough yet. It has been really nice to feel her. It is always nice to have that reminder that there is a baby inside you and your not just getting fat! Also, I have been having some strong morning sickness this week, and it makes it a little easier to handle. And yes, I said morning sickness in my 4th month. My mom just told me that she was terribly sick her entire pregnancy. I heard that could happen, but just didn't think it would happen to me. So, it doesn't look hopeful that it will stop anytime soon. The good thing is that it comes and goes, so it isn't everyday.

I'm growing and growing. It might not seem that much to others, but everyday I feel bigger! I have been putting belly butter on my tummy so I won't get stretch marks, but I have read that it doesn't really matter. You get stretch marks if you are predisposed to them. I am still constantly hungry, but I really try to eat healthy. Except for my"daily" chocolate shake. I thought wow this is great, but I can only handle one every other or every third day. And, when I do have them I can't eat anything else. I love how people are still just finding out that I'm pregnant. It's so fun to tell people! And, I am big enough that people are finally asking me if I am pregnant.

(When Mark gets home I will post a picture)

We will go back to the doctor on Monday for another high-tech sonogram. So check back on Monday afternoon for sonogram pictures and hopefully a confirmation on the gender.

Week 16

In the next few weeks, our baby will double her weight and add inches to her length. Right now, she's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Her legs are much more developed and her eyes have moved closer to the front of her head. Her ears are close to their final position, too. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop. This is probably while my blood pressure is so low and I am always dizzy.

Names
Here are some Names we are considering. The lists has had many changes. The top contender is Charlotte Leigh "Charlie" Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles which is a family name in Mark's family and the middle name of his father and grandfather and his brother's name. Leigh is the feminine form of Lee which is a family name in Beth's family and her mother's maiden name and her brother's name. Charlie as a nickname is the combination of the two names.

Other contenders are Bailey. Beth's grandma is Betty, Mom is Billie, and then Beth. So, Bailey would follow the B naming. We aren't sure about the middle name though. Then, Faith Elizabeth, Hannah Kate, and Katherine Grace "Kate."

Stretchy Pants
I bought a pair of maternity jeans this past week and I love them. I can't figure out why I didn't do it sooner. They are from Gap Maternity, and not only are the comfortable but cute! Here is a picture.


The Bump
I didn't realize I was getting so big. But, here I am...

4th Sonogram

We just got back from the doctor. We met the new doctor today and we really liked him. He is a much older guy, and has been or is the president of the obgyn board of Texas or something. It was kind of sweet, because I think I might have been his first sonogram. He has never done his own sonograms for his patients, but since the sonogram tech guy was there dropping off the new sonogram machine (the other one broke on Thursday) he was training him how to use it. We got better pictures last time because it was a high tech machine. But we were very happy to see the baby and see her jumping around like her wild self. The doctor actually told Mark to start building a cage; however, we don't think we are going to keep our child in a cage.

So, the report on the baby came back excellent. She was very active and had a very strong heartbeat. They also received my lab report from last weeks tests, and there weren't any big problems. A few things we off but nothing was to the point of needing inervention. He said that he is hoping I will start to feel better within the next week. He said that I have a low blood pressure and whenever I sit or stand in one position for a few minutes then when I move I have static hypertension or something. So, I should remember to wiggle my feet and legs while sitting or standing still and not to move anywhere too quickly. And, if I start to get dizzy I need to sit down so I don't passout out and hit my head or stomach. So, good news that it isn't anything big, but there is not quick cure, so it is a bit frustrating.

Also, I have been losng weight! I lost 7 lbs between the end of Novemeber and last week and then another 2 pounds since last Thursday. The doctors aren't worried or anything, but I need to try and eat as much and as heathy as I can. I am trying to increase my protein intake. And, I read that I should have a chocolate milkshake each day to add extra calcium and calories. I think I can handle this, I love chocolate milkshakes!

And, about the gender... the doctor didn't see any boy parts once again, but didn't want to say for sure. So we are still pretty sure its a girl. But, in two weeks we will go for a high tech sonogram and we are hoping they will confirm the sex then. Our daughter is quite modest by the way, although she is constntly kicking her feet around.

Here are some pictures from this sonogram. (You can enlarge the pictures if you click on them.)

Update

I apologize because I never posted a new baby bump picture for this week. I will post one tomorrow.

This week brought the beginning of school as well as some more complications. I went to school on Tuesday and Wednesday but didn't go on Thursday or Friday. On Wednesday night I went to Kinkos to get some things printed. I was standing for about 15 minutes or so and the guy behind the counter started asking me a question. At first I didn't say anything, because I started to feel really lightheaded and dizzy. So, I just said, "I'm sorry I can't think," and before I knew it I couldn't see anything which is when I said, "I'm not feeling well.... I can't see anything." The kinkos guy by this time was around the counter stading next to me and he grab me and put me in a nearby chair. Mark was outside on the phone so he went and got Mark. By the time Mark came back in, I was conscious and he was looking at me. I told him I wasn't feeling well, and noone had told him I passed out so he handed me the keys to the car. He told me to go sit in the car. I tried to get up rom the chair, looked at the keys, and handed them back to him, apprently. The kinkos guy said do you need help out, and then Mark realized something was wrong. Mark got me a smoothie from the smoothie shop next door and I sipped on it with some fresh air. I went to bed when I got home and kept eating, thinking that maybe I was just hungry or soemthing. Although, everytime I sat up or tried to get out of bed I would get really dizzy again. I ended up falling asleep. In the morning I felt a little better and was trying to get ready for class, but I ended up passing out. Mark told me I wasn't going anywhere.

I stayed in bed that morning and Mark and I tried to figure out what to do. We were worried that my body was trying to tell us something and we were afriad that the baby might be hurt if we dind't do something (this feeling was only hieghtened by the fact that I hadn't seen a doctor since my complications the week before). I called the new doctor and told them I wasn't feeling well and they said my doctor was out of town, so I said ok. Then, Mark called them and told them that I needed to see someone and he was either taking me to the hospital or to them. They told me to come in and I could see the doctor's partner. Mark made me pack a bag in case they put me in the hospital. The doctor's partner was really great. We heard the heartbeat of the baby on the doppler (the sonogram machine was broken and would be repalced that night), and he told me he was really glad I came in. He took several blood samples to run some tests. He also said he wasn't going to put me in the hospital right then, but if anything else happened he would have to. So he told me to "take it easy" ie. lay in bed. My test results will come back on Monday. We have an appointment for a sonogram and to see my doctor on Monday. Right now they think that it might be one of three things, my thyroid and thryoid medication is off, my anemia is acting up, or gestational diabetes (I have hypoglycemia which puts me at risk for gestational diabetes). As long as I get diagnosed and on medication, none of these things should hurt the baby or me, and I should start feeling better.

Since we are having another sonogram tomorrow we might be able to confirm the sex of the baby. So, tomorrow is a big day. I will post what we find out.

Back to School

I dreaded this day for the past week, I had become quite accustomed to lying around in bed until mid-morning and then getting up to watch tv and maybe accomplish a few small tasks around the house. Then, there was bed rest, a prescription to be lazy. Although it did get kind of old quickly, it was nice to get some much needed rest.

Last Thursday Mark started back to class. But, it wasn't as big of a deal because he had been working at least half-days all through the break. I think he is going to enjoy this semester, he seems interested in his classes. He has been working hard with his Moot Court team to prepare their brief. Most of his evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons are spent working and meeting for Moot Court.

I started class yesterday. I have 8 o'clocks Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday this semester. Which means I have to wake up at 5:00 am at the latest to get to school on time. I have always been a morning person though, not that I like getting up early, but I am always more focused and alert in the mornings. And the best part is that I get out of class by noon on Tuesday/Thursdays and 2:30 on Wednesday/Fridays, factor in the drive time, and I will have plenty of room for a nap each day. :) Although, it has been hard for me to get back into the appropriate sleep schedule. Once, I get into a schedule it will be easier I am sure. I am in my last full semester at Truett, so my last four classes are left over requirements that I need to graduate. I am taking both Scriptures 1 and 2 and Text, Traditions 3, and a introduction to Missions class. This might be one of my hardest semesters yet because Scriptures and Text and Traditions are heavy reading classes.

I found out on Tuesday that I needed to get my application for CPE at Children's Hospital in ASAP. My information must have been old because I thought the deadline was in later in the Spring, but I found out that they started accepting applications in January. The placement coordinator called and found out for me exactly what I needed to do, and I spent all day yesterday putting together my application. It was a rather lengthy task that ended up being 18 pages. After all, I had to provide "a reasonable account of my life," and "an account of my personal and spiritual growth" among 6 other parts. Anyways, it is done. I took it to Kinko's and printed it on nice paper and FedExed it to the office.

This project almost interfered something that I had been looking forward to for months, the return of American Idol. January brings the beginning of classes and the beginning of new seasons for tv. Watching tv is not something I ever did much of growing up or in college because I was always so busy. With the move to Midlothian I discovered how relaxing watching tv could be. I have watched some shows on and off and there are very few that I actually follow. One show I do follow is Jon and Kate plus 8 on Monday nights. I got hooked on it one day when TLC was having a marathon and loved it. It is really fun to watch the children grow up, not to mention they are adorable. I also really like the tv show Life, although I don't know when it is coming back on, if at all. Mark and I follow the new episodes of House. My parents used to watch this show when I was around, but I never really got into it. I don't remember how, but somehow Mark and I got hooked on it, but we have only seen that last two seasons (none of the older seasons). And, finally, my first real show that I started following in season 6, American Idol. Then, last season I became a pretty devoted fan, nothing crazy though (When I say devoted I mena I DVRed it so I wouldn't miss any episodes). Mark even took me to the concert this August. I really am excited about the new season and what it has to bring.

Week 15

Our growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for our baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

This week was a bit scary as I had some complications. They were minor, but it sure did scare us at first. I called the doctor first thing the next morning and they seemed really concerned but told me I should go to the ER if I wanted to see someone because they were booked. We were a little upset, but held off going to the ER. We had been already in the process of obtaining references for a new doctor in Dallas. We called the new doctor and have an appointment for Monday. We are really excited about meeting him, because he is suppose to be the best. As for the complications I was told to go on bed rest for a few days. So I "hibernated" for a few days. It was nice to relax but go old real quick.

I am constantly hungry but the funny thing is that I can't eat very much at one time. I will get so hungry and have hunger pains and a light-head and then I will go to each an orange and barely be able to eat it all. So I have resorted to eating small parts of meals and snacks about every hour. However, I am still growing, I don't know if there is a noticeable difference since last week but I will post a picture when I get home tonight.

Week 14

This week's big developments: Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, her facial muscles are getting a workout as her tiny features form one expression after another. Our baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and she weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over her body. Our baby's hands and feet are now measure about 1/2 inch long and are more flexible and active.


We made it to the second trimester!! Approximately 6 months from today we will be holding our baby! We received the results of the nuchal translucency test, and the baby scored the highest on the scale. There is a 1 in 2800 that the baby will have down syndrome and 1 in 10,000 that the baby will have another type of disease. We were very pleased to hear that our baby scored high. I feel like I am growing each day, which I don't understand because some days I'm not really eating much. However, if I am not nauseated, I am usually really hungry. The only thing is that I can't eat very much at once, about an apple fills me up.

From what I've read, I don't think I should be able to feel her tiny punches and kicks yet. However, every now and then I get a sharp little pain-like feeling, and I joke that it is the baby kicking me (part of me thinks that it is though). Above is a picture we just took after we went out to dinner with friends tonight. I can't believe I am that big already, maybe that was the cheesecake at dinner.

3rd Sonogram

We had our third sonogram today. We went to the Fetal Care Center at Big Baylor in Dallas to see a periontologist because we were getting a Nuchal Translucency test done. The test is done with a high tech ultrasound and measures the fold in the baby's neck. Sometimes, if the baby cooperates, you can tell the sex of the baby as well.

First, the preliminary tests show that our baby is in the normal and healthy range. Which is great and means that we will probably have a healthy baby (no mental retardation or down syndrome). We will get the rest of the results back next week sometime which we are hoping will confirm the preliminary results.

The ultrasound took about 30 minutes. We got to see so many wonderful pictures of our baby. During the first 20 minutes the baby was just standing on its head bouncing up and down. And, every time the doctor would try and get a measurement it would turn or bounce. It was very difficult for the doctor to get the measurements he needed, but it provided for lots of laughs. We were so surprised at how active our baby was, constantly jumping around and moving its hands and feet. The doctor said that our baby wins the award for the most defiant baby he has ever seen. Of course, our baby is stubborn, after all, both of its parents are. He even called our child a "wild child." The doctor changed to a different ultrasound because our baby was not cooperating. The second ultrasound worked much better and got much better pictures. The doctor got his measurements, and we were able to look down there at the baby. Since it is still early the doctor wouldn't say for sure, but after several looks he thinks that there were no boy parts. He didn't say he saw girl parts for sure, but the nurse and I think we might have.

According to our Chinese birth calendar and all the online gender predictors we are predicted to have a boy. And, because Mark has two brothers and no sisters, we both from the beginning were thinking it was probably a boy. However, for the last few weeks, I have been getting strange feelings that it is a girl. After today, I am about 95% convinced that it is a girl. But, we will have to wait about 3-4 weeks to find out for sure.

Here are some of our baby's pictures:

This is the best picture we have of the baby. It was with the second ultrasound. It is obviously a side-view. The profile of her little face is so cute. I also love how you can see the umbilical cord. You can look closely and see her little rib cage as well. She looks really peaceful in this picture!

The baby is actually jumping around in this picture. You can see her little feet and butt sticking up in the air. Also, there is another great profile of her face. She is about to kick her feet to bounce up on her head again. The dark part of her back is her spinal cord. The very light dot out from her face is actually her hand which is about to go in her mouth.

This picture is kind of hard to see, but it is a pictures of its head and neck. You can see the spinal cord the best on the underside of her back. If you follow the spine you can see the back of the head. If you squint you might be able to make our the ears and the face.