16 week belly

Well, this will be our final post before we head off into the wild blue yonder (ie, move to Toronto / head home for the holidays), so I thought you might like to see dear old me with my ever-growing midsection...

Note I took this picture at night, after a very filling meal, so a lot of the belly is really just bloating! :)

But, I am definitely starting to get a bit of a bump!!

baby G's heartbeat!

Okay, now for the star of the show - here is the sound file of the baby's heartbeat at 16.5 weeks. Make sure you have your sound turned on!

heartbeat_20061220.wma

At one point halfway through you can hear Sean giggle in the background - it was the first time he'd heard it, and he had a HUGE smile on his face. His giggle might be my favourite part ;)

And then at the end the doctor said, "150s" and I said, "That's exactly what it was last time," and then the doctor says (but gets cuts off), "Good - totally normal!". In case anyone was on the edge of their seats, thinking, 'Totally... what??' :)

Third OB appointment

We had our third OB appointment today at 16.5 weeks and it was great! I am up 3 more lbs to 127, blood pressure was 112/58, and my belly is measuring 17" (that's top to bottom, inches should just about match weeks so we are right on target).

We heard the heartbeat again, and Sean was there this time, yay!! He thought it was really neat too (I think - Sean? Are you there? Are you ever going to post anything? :) ) It was beating away at 150 bpm, so the same rate as last time. But, this time I took along a recorder, and got the heartbeat on MP3! Very cool! If I can figure out how to post a sound file on here, I will do that.

The doctor then asked if we thought we might like to find out the sex. We said we probably would, if we could. She said, "Well, would you like to go have a look now, see if we can see anything?" Of course we said Yes!!

So we once again trooped off to the ultrasound room. She even said, "I got it all warmed up, knowing you were coming in." Ha! I guess she figured we'd bug her for one again, which is really funny. Anyway we could tell as soon as she started that the baby has grown incredibly in just a few weeks. We could see a lot more this time, including the baby's profile (nose & chin), mouth opening and closing, ribs, and the heart beating!

At first, the doc pointed out that the baby had its hand up by it face, and then when she went back to that area a minute later, the baby was sucking its thumb! It was SO COOL, you could totally see that the thumb was in its mouth and it was making the sucking motion with its mouth. Wow!

And to think I still can't feel a thing! Well, I can't be sure, anyway. I think I might have felt a little "bump" of a hello on my birthday. It felt a lot like gas... but not in a spot where you'd feel a gas bubble. Plus, I wasn't very gassy at the time (a rarity these days. Sorry TMI!). So, maybe the baby was wishing me a happy birthday. That's what I will tell myself. ;)

Oh yeah the point of the ultrasound ! Well as it turns out, partly because of the low quality machine and partly because the baby was just being shy, we didn't get a good view between the legs. Oh well - it was still totally worth it! She did venture a guess as to what it was, but also said she was only about 51% sure - so we won't be buying anything in blue or pink just yet. (And no, I'm not telling what her guess was!)

Since we're leaving, the doctor made us promise we'd send pictures once the baby arrives, which we will do. It's sad to leave such a great place - I just hope our next doctor is as nice!

14 week belly pics

Here's the most recent progression to 14 weeks:

Ultrasound pictures

These are from our second OB appointment on Nov. 22 (12.5 weeks)

Full scan picture. The baby is in the top right, facing out:



And here's a zoomed in version with text saying what's what:

An overdue update

I've been asked (read: told) to update the blog because it's been so long and people need updates. Okay, here it is! :)

I didn't realize I never gave the details of our 2nd OB appointment, which was on Nov. 22 (I was 12.5 weeks). It was great. I was up about 5 lbs, blood pressure was great, doc said everything looks perfect.

But most importantly, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat!! The doctor said, "Now I will prove to you that you have a baby in there," and stuck the Doppler on me. We heard it right away - she didn't even have to move the stick around at all. What an amazing sound!

I had told the doc that I didn't really feel pregnant, and I guess when we first heard the "choo-choo-choo", I must have had a look of disbelief on my face. She said, "Okay, wait let me show you, here's yours...", and she moved it over so I could hear the slow regular-sounding beat. And then, "And here is your baby's," and back to the middle where it was going "choo-choo-choo" again. WOW. I seriously could have stayed there for hours just listening. I thought about stealing the Doppler but didn't want them to be too mad at me before we leave. Maybe next time ;) Anyway the heartbeat was 150 beats per minute (bpm). She said the old wives tale is a higher beat (closer to 160) is a girl, and lower (closer to 120) is a boy. Hmm!

Unfortunately, at the time of my appointment, Sean was madly trying to get things together to fax in the offer for the house we didn't get, so he was delayed getting to the hospital. By the time he got there, I was already walking out. He was really upset he'd missed the heartbeat so I said, let's go back in, she if she'll stick the Doppler on me again. We waited about 15 minutes for the doctor, and then she came in and said, "Okay folks, let's go...!" and we followed her to the ultrasound room. Yay!

This ultrasound was so cool compared to last time! We could see the baby, arms and legs a-flailin', doing somersaults and jumping around like a little gymnast. Wow!! It was really incredible. In fact the baby was moving so much (very weird to me because I of course couldn't feel any of it), that the doctor had a hard time getting any kind of picture. We were able to see lots though, including the head and body, face, spine, little arms and legs, the umbilical cord and placenta. The whole thing seems so insane to me, to think that this little being is hopping around inside me and yet I can't feel a thing, and to the outside world, nobody can even tell I am pregnant!

I will post a picture of the ultrasound but you will really need to use your imagination to see the baby. Blur your eyes a little and then cross them, and it will look 3-D. (just kidding)

12 weeks & belly update

We are starting the 12th week today - woot! We have our second OB appointment on Wednesday, so I'll write more then, but for now here are the newest belly pics...


...I am definitely not pushing out! ;)

The (food) Phases of Pregnancy

I think I'll have to start referring to the stages of this pregnancy based on the foods I am craving.

First, it was pretzels (the Pretzel Phase). Partly because they are handy - I could buy them in our cafeteria or vending machines. But it was really the only snack food that appealed to me in the beginning - between the salt and the carbs I was a happy camper.

Then, as you now know, it was the Cheese Phase. Cheese in any form - sliced, diced, flat and square or long string style - I would eat it all. I found it especially good melted over things and would find excuses to use it in my meals (hmm, I could definitely go for the French Onion soup, that has cheese in it! Or - I wonder how many tuna melts I can have in a week?). Then I'd get grossed out by the thought of tuna, of course, but that's another story.

As it happens, cheese doesn't hold the same kind of appeal as it did before. In fact the thought of eating it kind-of turns my stomach - I guess I just went too crazy and ate too much of it.

Enter... the Peanut Butter Phase. Now anytime Sean asks what I'd like for dinner, I'll hum and haw over it, reject all his suggestions, and will inevitably decide on toast with peanut butter. Of course, I have to have hot toast right from the oven, so the peanut butter gets warm and melts. Cold peanut butter is only suitable when you have either chocolate chips or bananas on hand, and even then, once I start thinking about peanut butter, I've got to have it quickly. The chocolate chips have been lost to the back of the cupboard for months, and bananas are too much work, so toast it is.

Now if you excuse me, I'm off to make dinner...

Our first gift

... compliments of Alex (thanks Alex!!). It's a Christmas tree decoration that has two birdies taking care of a little egg, and it says "Parents-to-be, 2006". How cute!!


Of course, I have gotten lots of things from Dee, like books and other key items, so thanks to Dee for those! (I tried on the mat. pants, unfortunately they are all too short! Guess I need to go shopping ;) )

Ho Hum (and cheese)

So, we are at nearly 10 weeks now. WOW! But, it strikes me that this is a very 'ho hum' time in our pregnancy. (I say "our" because, let's face it, Sean is dealing with just as much as I am, between my mood swings, food finickiness, and general lethargy)

It just doesn't seem like there is much going on. I feel pretty good. Tired, yes. Sometimes the occasional cramp or twinge; and eating seems to be a challenge. Nothing sounds good to eat, even if I'm really hungry which seems to happen a lot. Except cheese. I just can't seem to get enough cheese. Mmm... cheese.

But, other than that... nothing. Nobody can tell I'm pregnant, I'm not showing no matter how much I push out my tummy :) I've been reading pregnancy books but a lot of it just doesn't apply yet, so it still seems pretty abstract and far removed. It feels a lot like we are waiting for something big to happen...

I guess going through a major move, buying our first house, getting bigger and more pregnant, and changing roles will keep us busy enough for the next few months. Oh wait, I forgot about birthdays, holidays, and the New Year. And then there's a wedding to plan... maybe some renovations... a nursery... oh yeah a new car of some sort...

On second thought... maybe 'ho hum' is a fine place to be :)

By the way...

I fully expect everyone to be rooting for twins. Yup, that's right, I want twins. That's not to say I'll be disappointed otherwise, but rather that's my goal. So say it with me...

TWINS! TWINS! TWINS!

Does the baby look like an alien?

I found this picture online of an 8 week baby in utero. Wow!! That's amazing! Albeit... a little "other-worldly" if you ask me.









And here's the write-up of what a 9-week baby is like (since we are pretty close...):

• Baby has begun movement - While still too small for you to feel, your little one is wriggling, shifting, and dancing already! Makes you almost wish for a window to peek in whenever you want!
• Most joints are formed now - and trust that your little one is practicing bending and flexing.
• Fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand - This is amazing to see! At only nine weeks, if you happen to have an ultrasound, you may observe your infant fascinated by everything he or she can lay their fingers on (mainly other fingers, toes, ears and nose!
• Fingerprints are already evident in the skin
• Average size this week -- length 0.9 inch (2.3cm), weight 0.07 ounce (2gm)

Our little "pac-man"

We had our first OB appointment on October 19th, at about 7.5 weeks, and it went really well! The doctor (Dr. Brennan) is AWESOME. She was bubbly, energetic, and really listened to what I had to say. She also struck me as really caring. She's one of those docs you'd want to be friends with after delivering. I'm actually upset that we won't be here for the birth!

I had dragged Sean to the appointment, even though neither of us really knew if he should come or not. We didn't want anyone to think we were weird ;) As it happens about half the women in the waiting room had someone with them, so apparently it was okay! I'm sure he's glad he brought a book though (what - those pregnancy magazines aren't entertaining enough??), since most of the time he was sitting out in the waiting room alone, surrounded by women with various bump sizes.

But, I'm so glad he did come - not only did it calm my nerves while waiting (no clue why I was nervous - what can I say, I am new to this!), but he also got to come back to the room while the doc did an ultrasound! I wasn't sure they would do one, with it being so early, so I asked the nurse - gave her those puppy dog eyes and said, "Oh, I was really hoping we'd get an ultrasound today...??" In the end all we could see was a screen full of snow, and then a blob of no snow. Not exactly the amazing ultrasound moment I had expected :) BUT - the doctor did confirm everything looked great and everything was in the right place. She said she could see "the tadpole" making a clipping motion in the bottom right of the sac - I guess that was the heartbeat. She said, if you look carefully, you can see it there, it looks like a little pac-man... lol Well I couldn't see that but I took her word for it - it all looked like snowy blobbiness to me.

When we were checking out and setting up our next appointments, I mentioned we would be moving in January. These people are so nice, the receptionist was even like "Oh no, you're not staying with us? That's too bad!" with this sad look on her face. Oh it just struck me now... they are losing a paying customer! LOL But I'm sure that's not what she meant ;)

Anyway it was very reassuring and a great experience. I did feel a bit out of place having no discernible evidence of belonging there (ie a baby bump) - but maybe by the next appointment I will. We go back on Nov. 22, right around American Thanksgiving! We definitely have more to be thankful for this year.

Belly pictures

I know, I know. It's waaay too early to be taking pictures of my belly, considering the baby is only ~2 cm long at 8 weeks! But, don't make fun of me... let's think of it as 'saying goodbye to my waist' ;)

So without further ado, here they are!

4 weeks:                   6 weeks:                    8 weeks:

                                          maybe a little bump?          starting to grow a little

Oops.

Oopsie! I had previously had the setting on this blog to only allow 'registered users' to post comments. Sorry about that! I've fixed that, so you don't need to sign up for a blogger account just to add a comment.

My bad! We'll call that 'pregnancy brain'. :)

So for Dee and Dad, thanks for signing up, and oops! ;)

How this all began...

It was a chilly Saturday morning, the wind was blowing outside. Sean and I were doing chores around the house, and we had just ordered subs from Jimmy John's.

** fast forward 12 days **

You didn't think I would go into detail there, did you??

Anyway, 12 days later on the way home from work, I stop at Walgreen's and head down the 'family planning' aisle. My heart was racing - I'd never done this before and don't know what posessed me to buy a test on this particular day, but here we are. I grabbed the closest box I could find (FactPlus, sounds good to me) and run away from that aisle. Pick up a few other items, so I could sortof hide the pregnancy test among the other, more innocuous things, pay and get the heck out of there. I am a 29-year-old woman and yet I am as giddy as a kid playing hookey.

When I get home I head straight to the bathroom, coat on, with the bag of stuff. Sean asks for the bag, so he can put the other stuff away.

Um. okay. hee hee! Look what's inside!! (~giddy~)

Sean being the direction reader that he is, wants to read through the entire packet before I take the test. We want to make sure we follow the directions exactly, lest we get a false result and waste a stick. Good idea, but I am bursting here. He reads the entire thing - I think even the Spanish parts to make sure we're not missing anything - and then leaves me to it.

Having placed the completed test on the counter (laid flat, exactly as the directions said) I stand there, staring at the clock. Hang on, is time actually going BACKWARDS? No, my imagination. It's been ten seconds. COME ON!! Alright let me check the stick. Nothing. Okay it's been 30 seconds, maybe needs more time.

** fast forward 60 seconds **

Woah. Um, that's a second line. When it makes a "+" sign, that means...? Wait, let me check the directions... Hmm. So, plus means... yeah, it's what I thought.

Sean!! Uhh. C'mere.

***

About a week later, just to be sure, we got another test. It came up positive in about ten seconds.

So... due date is June 1. Thank goodness we have 9 long months to get used to the idea of being parents.

Er... wait, we're nearly at 8 weeks already!! We only have 32 weeks to get used to the idea. Eep!