Halfway!

I'm officially halfway through this thing. My scale says I've gained 15 lbs so far. I suppose that's about right.

I grabbed this illustration off the internet - it shows where the baby is, and about how big she is! This week she's been responded with movement to different things. It's still so slight, but usually when I change from lying on my side to lying flat she'll kick around. Also, I was leaning against a cold piece of metal next to a cooler and right on my belly and she kicked big!

20 weeks... seems so long to wait!

19 weeks, 4 days

Ultrasound shots!

This is a photo of today's ultrasound, of Baby Thomas thumb sucking. The sonographer said that she knew exactly where her mouth was, and we saw her go for it with her thumb. She knows exactly what she's doing. :)

I had breakfast with a friend and she came with me to the ultrasound. It was fun having a girl friend there to make the moment. Love you, L! :)


Another shot of baby here: frontal shot showing her eyes (yes, it's a bit haunting) but trust me, her activities were everything but: thumb sucking, swallowing, wiggling arms/toes/hands...


Again we got a negative on the Down's syndrome, a healthy spine, no issues with cleft lip or palate. Of course a relief.

She looked and measured everything from the arms, legs, head, body, lips, and feet. She's 10 inches tall from head to foot. I'm about 10 lbs up this week, (11 lbs last) and working on putting on a pound this week. Breakfast at the deli is really helping. I started drinking half caffe coffee again, and did so right before the ultrasound. She was moving frequently, but not as much as before. Less room in there, maybe? It still seems like there's plenty of room in there.

Also, of course the sonographer went in for the second shot of baby moving from the bottom. One of the first shots of baby was between the legs, and still nothing growing there. When the sonographer got to checking the sex, she was cross-legged, but we managed to get a look at the gender, and once again:

Girl!

So, we're not painting pink, but it's still a good bet. She said she was 95% sure. David is too. I think he just wants a daughter...

Movement

Okay, after 2 weeks of wondering why my stomach has been rumbling so much I've decided what I thought was stomach is baby. It's so obvious now.

Last night I saw a movie with David and his folks, and when the movie got extremely loud something definitely popped in my upper belly. She was awake!

Then, when I was talking to Mary on the phone yesterday, I felt the sensation just as the books say, of "popping popcorn". While sitting in the sun, she kept it up for a good 45 minutes - what felt like soft kicking, or pushing.

Finally, last night I was dreaming about today's ultrasound (it was a boy in my dream) and I woke up from something pushing up on my rib. It felt more like pressure applied really gently on my intestines or rib cage. Very odd feeling.

So, I've been feeling the baby move for a few weeks, just hard to tell with such a new sensation. And, it is sensational! :P

What a cute little MANGO

Books are saying the baby girl is the size of a large mango and/or a tomato. How yummy. Here's what the Internet says:

Your pregnancy: 19 weeks

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, 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. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Week 19!

Went to Doc. She said "great job gaining 11 lbs!" Will be going in for an ultrasound next week to look at the heart, and again in two weeks to confirm the "anatomy" ultrasound. She also said that I MUST be feeling the baby move by now. Well, I'm not. Really. There are some sensations that in my upper belly that I've never felt. Are those what she's talking about? Sure doesn't feel like "butterflies" to me. More like pinching and pushing.

And those 11 lbs. Hard to gain. When your abdomen fills up with baby, there's less room for food.

All fo that 11 lbs was gained in the last month. Eating when I'm not hungry isn't that fun and most food tastes pretty boring. Can't explain it. I'm just not excited about food. In any case, Ron Hinger brought me Good Times today and that was yummy. Need new food ideas. Bored with food!

3D video of someone else's baby at 18 weeks

Here is a video like the one we saw during the ultrasound. This baby is in the 18th week.

In the 18th Week!

This week marks the beginning of the 18th week! I'm feeling "bigger" now, and I did get some M-jeans that should fit through all of this. Today I went in to get a blood test that will screen for genetic disorders like Down's, although the sonographer already performed a visual test on the baby; She said you can tell from the width of the neck, and gave the baby girl a negative on Down's. Fantastic!

In this 18th week, she's about 5 inches head to tail, plus some 2-3 inches for the legs. She weighs about 5 ozs at this point, which is about the size of a turnip.