today's the day...

Today Larry and I head to the dr. for my 4 month visit. Like I posted previously, we are hoping, wishing, praying (feel free to do the same) that Dr. B will do an ultrasound so we can get a look at this little avocado. Its probably safe to assume that I will leave the office with one of two orders from the doctor: 1. continue bedrest or 2. return to work, but take it easy.

-There's a small chance that Larry and I will find out the gender today if she does the ultrasound. Go ahead and make your bets if it will be team blue or team pink. We are definitely a "house divided". Charmaine and I are betting on a girl while the 2 Larrys are practically demanding a boy. :) Let's hope the tie breaker will be today. I dont think I can wait 4 more weeks for the next ultrasound.

In the 4 month belly pix you can see that the baby bump looks a little more like an actual pregnancy bump and a little less like a beer belly (mmmmmmmmm, did someone say beer?? A cold beer sounds so good right now).

Larry keeps telling me that soon the belly is just going to pop out overnight. I guess I'll take his word for it...

Four months is an exciting milestone for me b/c it definitely seems like I am safely out of the "danger zone". There is also so much growth/development from this point on that it leaves a lot to look forward to. Some info about baby at 16 weeks is below. I definitely feel my heart beating harder/louder. I can physically see it beating in my chest sometimes. I havent felt the baby move yet, but am super excited to feel that for the first time...

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

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 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. 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.

Because your baby is moving well now, you may begin to feel his movements! Some women say that the early movements feel like gas bubbles or a slight flutter. If you have not yet felt the baby move, don't worry. Fetal movements are usually felt between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy. You may feel your heart beating 'louder'. This is because there is a lot more blood in your body than normal. (about 50% more)

105 days down, 175 days to go....

Well ladies and gents....We've made it to 15 weeks and now we are an orange!!

I head back to the dr. in 1 week. A typical 16 week/4 month visit is pretty routine. The dr. just weighs you, measures you, etc. There is not normally an ultrasound (how boring).

I am thinking/hoping that my dr. will do an ultrasound to check on the little orange (he/she'll be an avocado by then) since I will have been on bed rest for 3 weeks at that point. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope she does do an ultrasound 1. to check on the placenta (maybe she can diagnose or rule out the possibility of placenta previa) and 2. to make sure everything is ok. It is quite nerve-racking to be horizontal for 3 weeks without knowing what is going on in there, so it would be very reassuring to know that the little one is doing ok. Speaking of the little one, here's a little update on him/her (REALLY cant wait to stop using him/her).

Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his 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. She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb! Fingernails and toenails are growing. Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair on his head is sprouting.

I will definitely have an upate for you after the dr. visit in a week!!! Bedrest is calling....

14 weeks

The little one is 14 weeks and the size of a lemon now!! Looks like he/she has been busy! Apparently the vocal cords, nail beds, and tooth buds formed in the last few weeks and here's what he/she's up to this week:

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (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 the body for warmth.

ultrasound pix

5 days of bed rest down, 16 days to go...but, who's counting??

Here are a few pictures from past ultrasounds. Hopefully you can see the pictures clearly enough to be able to tell whats what!


Here is a picture of the baby's head (bottom right corner) with his/her hand to the forehead, saying "woe is me" already I guess!
10 weeks








This picture shows the baby's profile and then his/her arm reaching up and the hand "waving" to us.
12 weeks

This is the baby's brain, face (you can see the eye sockets) and then the body. He/She looks a little "alien-ish", but I'm sure it's just the angle :).
13 weeks

No one said this would be easy. :) Since my last post I started having more complications and headed back to the doctor. The ultrasound showed that the baby is perfectly healthy (yay). The dr. is not sure why I am having complications. She thinks I MAY have placenta previa, but she can't be sure because this can not be diagnosed until 18ish weeks. She wanted to be sure that we keep this baby healthy so she put me on bed rest for 3 weeks. Yes, I said THREE weeks! I go back to the dr. on 11/4 and will hopefully be taken off bed rest then.
Looks like I'll have plenty of time to work on this blog now. So, keep checking back for updates!

As if the prospect of becoming a parent wasn't enough of a commitment, I am going to attempt to do a blog. Really it's just my way of not having to answer phone calls, text msgs and emails :) (he he- just kidding). There is so much exciting stuff happening and we want to share it with all of the people who love us and this baby.

So I guess we start at the beginning. Baby Thomas is due on April 22, 2011. I am 12 weeks along and after a bit of a rough start, momma and baby are doing great. Once I figure out how this blog-thing works, I'll get some photos of the bump. Just imagine me with a little beer belly. Unfortunately, beer is off limits for me these days. Just one more thing to look forward to in April!