IT'S A BOY!!!

Baby's now the size of a banana!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, if baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up wither her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth).

Well, we now know that last part doesn't pertain to us cause Baby-C is a BOY!!! It took all of about 5 seconds into the ultrasound for the lil man to show us his goods. That was about all he cooperated for during that ultra sound. It took twice as long as it usually does for the tech to get all the pics she needed cause the lil man did not want to play nice. We even had to get us and walk around a few times and shake my belly a bit all to try and coax him to turn so that she could get a chest shot of his heart. But after an hour it was time to give up cause it was clear he was not going to move. In fact, the profile picture below is actually him with his back towards us (you can see the spine) looking over his shoulder at us like is he is pissed off saying "would you just leave me alone!?!"

That's two legs and his little manly parts in between! :)

Pissed off profile shot~

HALF WAY THERE!! Woo hoo!!!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Whoo hoo...we are at the half way point, and if we have a c-section we are officially over the hump of the half way point! So Monday is the big day..we find out if Baby-C is a he or she!! Well...if baby decides to cooperate for the ultrasound that is...so keep your fingers crossed. Seeing how extremely active he/she has been in all of our other ultra sounds, I feel our tech will have quite the challenge on her hands. During this appointment we should also be finding out the detailed results of my MRI. If it is what the doctor expects we will also be scheduling the c-section as well. We will let you all know the outcome(s)! :)

I know....I am late posting. (Week 18-19)

Baby's now the size of a sweet potato!

Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel his/her movements.

I did start to feel a few little bubbles this week. Hard to tell if its the baby or gas movement. But they say that is expected. More and more my hips are becoming an issue. Between the hip displasia and the ciatica, sometimes I cant walk, get out of bed, or get off the couch. Because of these issues, and so the doctor can decide if she needs to get a c-section on the books, I had an MRI taken to see exatly what condition my hips are in. We should get more info in our next dr appointment.

Baby's now the size of a mango!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month long bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

TJ and I were very productive in the Baby-C department this past weekend. We were able to narrow the stroller selection down to our two favorites, the Britax B-Ready and the Uppa Vista.

As you can tell...they are pretty much identical, in fact they are build in the same factory. However it does come down to a few key things that make them different... price, seat incline options, weight, and handel options. We plan to head back next Sunday or next week to see the two side by side and make our final decision.

Besides stroller hunting, we succesfully ordered Baby-C's furniture. Our main goal was solid furniture that would last a long time and will change and grow with the kiddo. So we got a crib that transforms as the baby grows and ends up as a double sleigh bed and the dresser that we will put a changing pad on looks simple with large drawers and will last a long time as baby grows. Below is a picture of the furniture, the dressor that we got is the low and wide one, not the tall one on the right.

Baby's now the size on an onion!

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. His/Her unbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints.

Sort one this week. Back to feeling tired again. Hope it passes soon. Been at various dr appointments all day today trying to figure out if my hip will allow me to have natural child birth or if a c-section is in my future. Not 100% sure right now...but it is looking more like a c-section.

Baby's now the size of an avocado!

Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean he/she can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Not too much to report this week. Each day my hip hurts more and more. We need to head back to the orthopedic doctor to chat about what I can expect for my hip from now till August and how my hip will affect birth. My OB would like to figure out now if I even have a chance to deliver normally. Right now, she is leaning towards a c-section which will not help speed up the healing process. But at the end of the day, I would rather know now and prepare myself, and all we want is a healthy baby.

Baby's now the size of a naval orange!

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his/her arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably can't feel the movements just yet.

Ok, so here is this weeks disclaimer....any of the above into that i post about the size of a baby comes directly from a weekly newsletter email that I get. Some times it references a "him" or a "her. That is just what they put in it and it by no means indicates that we know the sex of the baby yet. Trust me...we wont annouce that on a blog post. :) We are excited too but cant find out till our 20week check up. Anyhoo....wanted to let you all know that so that you dont think we are keeping it from you.

Sleeping on my stomach is now starting to hurt so its onto the side we go. Since i dont sleep well on my side and since it hurts my hip TJ and I purchased a large maternity pillow this weekend which should arrive this week. Woo hoo! Its quite large and after that and the bed hog bulldog are on the bed there will be pretty much no room for TJ. (Sorry babe!)

The news is out...

Baby's now the size of a lemon!

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine, and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over his/her body for warmth.

Well, the news is now officially out that we are expecting baby #1! Now that we are full into the second trimester its time to really getting the planning in gear. We are very lucky that this entire pregnancy has been super easy. No morning sickness or complications really....just sever tiredness. That luckily went away a few weeks ago and my energy is back.

The next doctor appointment is in week 16 and we will be just doing some more blood work, no ultrasound. But hopefully...if baby cooperates (which after seeing how it didn't last time we will have to just keep our fingers crossed) at our 20 week appointment we find out if Baby C is a boy or a girl!

Here is a pic of Baby C at 12 weeks...