Now 24 weeks on 11/17/10

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Feeling him kick, roll, twist...everyday now. By far this is the most exciting part of being pregnant...feeling him move is awesome!!

23 weeks update..

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Feeling pretty good!!!!

23 weeks along...pics

Baby Boy is healthy!

Had another sonogram on 11/1/10 and all looked well. Baby boy was kicking and moving a lot. He weighs one whole pound now according to the sono tech...not sure how she knows that. It is so cute and crazy to think of him weighing in pounds now. It has been ounces up until now. I have had some shortness of breath and dizziness this week. Apparently my lungs don't have as much room to expand so that is an adjustment..and all the extra blood flowing through me makes me feel woozy...but all and all I am having a healthy, good pregnancy. We just finished interviewing doulas yesterday and made a decision! So excited...we are planning to start yoga classes this weekend..together..so will keep you posted.

21 weeks pics...

20 weeks today 10/20/10

All is well...Thank God. Baby True is getting big..and so is mama. Daddy is working and keeping us active by taking us for walks with the dogs. I am also pulling out some work-out DVD's when I get home in the evenings. Helps ease back tension and I sleep better. 

I am exactly halfway through my pregnancy today (tomorrow will begin the second half....crazy!):


You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! 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. (The way your baby is measured changes now.) 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 (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

More pics to come soon. Z is working nights for the next few weeks. I should get some new pics this weekend and will post. Hope all is well with you too! Lots of love. 

18 weeks pics...growing...AND first kick 10/6/10

CAN YOU TELL I HAVE A COLD? WAS NOT FEELING TOO GOOD, BUT BABY MUST HAVE KNOWN BECAUSE I FELT THE FIRST REAL "KICK" THIS DAY 10/6/10. MADE ME FEEL MUCH BETTER.

18 weeks today! It's a .........BOY!!!

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.

Well, our little pumpkin was not shy. We had an ultrasound a little earlier than we expected (Monday 10/4) and after we determined that the baby was measuring normal and appears perfectly healthy (which was our main concern) we were asked if we wanted to know the gender. I looked up at Zach (who was glued to the monitor) and he excitely said "Yes!". The sono lady went down to the area in question and right there between little crossed legs was his pee pee! We are so excited. Zach could not stop staring at the pics we got to take home. The smile on his face is one memory that I will always carry with me. He had that same smile the morning I told him I was pregnant.

I never fully understood until now how much we really didn't care whether we we having a boy or a girl. I always felt that it was going to be a boy, but when we got a scare from some quirky blood work, it rattles your world and you feel so vunerable. To see that sweet baby and know they are healthy, that is the blessing I am holding onto. We are very grateful and becoming more and more humbled every day.

Who is that hairy guy?

Now, 16.5 weeks

Went to the doc today. He said all is well. I am scheduled for a sonogram on 10/18 and we will find out if we are having a boy or girl that day. I feel pretty good. My weight is starting to balance out so I am much more relaxed. It seems I just had a really big spurt at the beginning and I am hoping to stay on track from here on out. The doctor told me to pay attention to when I feel the first "kick" and mark the date on my calendar. That will  be a big day! I am so ready to feel the baby move everyday. Now I feel things here and there but mostly growing pains from my uterus stretching, no real kicks yet. Doc says first pregnancies it can happen as late as 18-20 weeks before you really start feeling it. I hope it happens sooner! Here is what the baby is doing now:

How your baby's growing:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Sorry for the big gap in time since my last post. Last week I had insurance class for work and a major test last Friday to become licensed to sell property & casualty insurance. I will have you know that with mommy brain and all I passed and have one more egg in my resume basket. I was more than relieved to know I am still capable of taking a class and passing a test. It has been a while since I did that.

Zach is busy still training in his new position at work. He is growing a full beard and is hairier than I have ever seen him. He looks like the Brawny paper towel man. I laugh thinking of the first pics with our new baby and what we will think looking back at his hairy face.

15.5 weeks pics

15 weeks today! Felt the baby move!

We felt the baby move Monday night 9/13. I was laying on the couch with my eyes closed while Zach was watching football, all of a sudden I felt an unfamiliar flutter in my lower left side. I stayed very still and continued to feel a flutter (kind of like you are going down a hill really fast in your car and you  lose your stomach). I motioned to Zach to come feel thinking there was no way he could feel it too. All of a sudden the baby moved again really hard and Zach was like "Was that it? Those little pops?". I was so shocked he felt it and excited! It was so amazing, I can't wait to feel the baby move everyday.

14 weeks-182 days to go

What the baby is doing now-2nd Trimester: (Baby True is due March 9th)

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

FYI, just tracked my weight gain for this point in the pregnancy and I am on track to gain WAY more than I want, or need. So, if you  have any good recipe or food ideas send them my way. I am making good food choices but I am eating every two to three hours. I feel like I can't get enough. Maybe I should just let it all go and let my body lead the way. It is weird how my body has just taken over, like it or not, not used to feeling out of control. The changes are daily and I am starting to think it is one of God's many ways of telling me to just let go.New and improved Destini is on the way too. 

Belly Pics...13 weeks

We are pregnant!

We found out June 28th that we are going to be parents. It was a surreal moment to say the least. The 2nd pink line was so faint I almost threw it away thinking it was negative. When I noticed the 2nd line I was in disbelief and immediately felt a rush of emotion. I woke sleepy Zach (he had been working all night and morning and had only been sleeping a couple hours) and turned on the light. He was so confused when I stuck the test in his face asking "Is that a second line, or am I just seeing things?". Needless to say he confirmed it and could not get back to bed. I will never forget the huge smile that would not leave his face. I knew he would be excited, but I didn't realize until that moment how badly he wanted to be a daddy. When we took the 2nd test later that evening (we could not wait until the next morning pee) I was so ready for disappointment. I told Zach there was a good chance it would be negative so don't be upset. Really I was trying to convince myself that a negative result was o.k. and it would happen when it was time. The second test was positive immediately and we were jumping for joy! That was when I let myself fall in love...and my love grows daily.  

I am 14 weeks and counting...