Free Dessert?

So today I went out with a vendor of ours for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Apparently, I am visibly pregnant now, as they gave us free dessert to 'celebrate the baby'. I just had to take a picture of the bump today in all it's "even the server at the Mexican restaurant can tell I'm pregnant" glory.

Bedding!

Soon to be Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Gabe were kind enough to buy Preston his mattress and bedding for his crib. I set everything up for a photo-op (I know I need to wash everything and all the ties aren't tied down yet, yada yada yada) and it is amazing how much this room looks like a nursery now! I am so happy with the bedding we picked out - it is beautiful quality and isn't too over the top with blue. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who are as excited as we are about our little man's arrival. Thank you Kathy and Gabe!

20 weeks

From Babycenter:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He'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 his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Just Have to Share

This picture of Preston, curled up and sucking his thumb, is my absolute favorite.

19 weeks

From Babycenter:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Test Results and Getting into a Groove

Just got a call from my doctor regarding the spina bifida and Tay-Sachs testing I had done last week and both came back normal. What great news!

We are still over the moon that we have a little boy waiting for us in January. Everything is becoming more real and exciting by the moment.

Luckily, I've had no new symptoms in the last few weeks, so things are managable. Granted, I am still having my food aversions, backaches, heartburn and his kicks are getting stronger every day, but I feel like I know how to deal with all those symptoms.

We are very excited for our little get-away to New York City this weekend, and I cannot believe my shower and my sister's wedding is 3 weeks away! Classes start up next week for my last semester, and I am actually excited to have the distraction. I am so antsy to meet our baby now that I know who is waiting for us, that I am happy for any distractions to make the time go by!

It's a BOY!!

We had our gender scan appointment today which was a wonderful experience. Preston very quickly gave us the money shot, and there was NO DOUBT we have a little boy waiting for us. Preston was kicking up a storm, sucking his thumb, and for a while, decided to hide with his face towards my spine. He curled himself up in a sholderstand and then attempted to crawl around. It was adorable and it was such a great experience. We have a full DVD of the entire ultrasound as well as 31 pictures to share!

Direct link to all the photos

The DVD is split into three videos since it is so long. It's amazing to see Preston kicking, sucking his thumb, and flipping around!

Ultrasound 1 of 3

Ultrasound 2 of 3

Ultrasound 3 of 3

18 weeks

From Babycenter:
How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he'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 he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Appointment Recap

I went in for my first boring appointment today. I've only gained 7 pounds total this pregancy, 4 in the last month. The doctor is very happy about that, as am I. The doctor listened to Baby P's heartbeat on her doppler, which sounded strong and steady. I had some bloodwork taken for my quad screening, which is my last genetic screening test.

My next appointment is September 13th, where they will do a gender scan and confirm my gender scan that I am having on Saturday. I've been able to feel the baby move around a lot lately, and the little bugger actually had me up walking around at 3 am because it was being so disruptive. I joked that the baby was having a Dance, Dance, Revolution party! I'm feeling amazing all things considering and am looking forward more and more to January.

Babymoon!

Well, we couldn't stand it. We've been complaining that we won't be able to take a trip before the baby comes between work, school, holidays, and my sister's wedding. Zach finally got fed up and we are taking our babymoon next weeknd to good ol' New York City!



I'm excited - I haven't been to the city in a very long time. We'll fly in on Friday and leave on Sunday, so just enough time to be out of pocket. We are staying at the Waldorf-Astoria, which should be amazing. I'm really looking forward to some quality time with the husband, before our family expands in the new year.

Dinner Dillema

Hmm..what to have for dinner tonight?
Rice pudding
Pork tamales
Deviled eggs


Yup...nothing but a big plateful of deviled eggs.

Wow - these cravings sure make life interesting!

Doppler Love

I have been using the fetal doppler more and more often this past week. Although I feel the baby moving around from time to time, it's not so constant that it eases my mind all the time. I must have spent a half hour listening to the little monkey's heartbeat this weekend. I'm able to find it in about 10 seconds now (unless the munchkin moves!) and it is so strong and consistant, it is amazing.

This week is going to drag on since the big appointment is on Saturday. It's been a month since I've seen an image of the baby, so I am going through withdrawls right now. The doppler helps keep me calm, relaxed, and with a big doofy smile on my face. The best $20 I've spent, for sure.

17 Weeks!

From Babycenter :
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your 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.

Baby Kicks and Back Aches

I've started to be able to distinguish between baby kicks and round ligament pain. It's pretty amazing. It just instantly brings a smile to my face, which probably makes me look crazy since I am randomly smiling during the day.

I've also been hit with a lot of joint pain and back aches over the last week. It's all worth it for sure, but I constantly feel like I have the flu since I am always achy. I get shooting pain in my lower and mid back pretty constantly throughout the day and I am still waking up in the middle of the night several times to re-adjust my position. I will probably look into a pregnancy pillow to keep me from rolling over on my back or stomach sometime this week.

We are counting down the days and minutes until our gender appointment and are anxious to call Baby P by name.

Bedding

I think we have finally picked our bedding sets for the baby. I'm in love.

Boy:


Girl: