Week 20 Update

At first she was a bit shy.....then finally she let us see!

Here's her right foot.

Here' s her latest profile! Can you believe how much she's grown!

We have officially made it half way! Things are going great! Initially she was trying hard not to show us the goods, she was keeping her legs closed, which Jamie was very happy about and hopes this is the case for the next 30 years! She crossed her legs during the ultrasound and he thought that was even better! All her pieces and parts look great and she is growing right on track. It was a wonderful day! A little bubbette! We just can't believe it! It is so wonderful to finally be able to identify with who's inside kicking me! Hopefully we will have a name for you soon. Still leaning toward Audrey or Aubrey.....with the middle name either Ryan or Elizabeth....we still have a ways to go.
We are planning on starting on the room pretty soon......will have some pics of the progress. We head back to the doctor in 4 weeks for a check up and another ultrasound....more pics, yeah!!

Here's what's going on this week: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She'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, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

Cord Blood Registry

Banking Our Baby's Cord Blood

Dear Family and Friends,
We are so excited about the upcoming birth of our baby and look forward to our new little addition. One of the things we have chosen to do is to preserve our baby's cord blood with Cord Blood Registry. We believe this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and a true life saving option for our family. Not only does cord blood have life saving benefits for the baby but it can also be used for other members of our family if need be! We invite you to view our registry in hope that you may wish to contribute to our CBR account as a special baby gift.

Medical history is being made everyday with the use of stem cells found in cord blood. There is some wonderful information on the website, so I have included a link to the website over on the left hand side of the screen. To find our registry click on the link to the left, then click on the "After you have enrolled" tab at the top, then click on "Find Registry".

Thanks! Dianne & Jamie

Week 19 Update

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! We did a little car shopping....yes, we will have to get something a bit bigger! We are so excited that there is only 1 week left to find out who has been kicking me the last few weeks! I have been having a "boy feeling" up until about 2 weeks ago, then all of a sudden I thought "well, what if it is a girl?".....No matter what the baby is we will be happy that "little bubba" is here! Have a great week!

Here is the latest in development.....Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he 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. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

Week 18 Update

Everything is going well. My belly is begining to expand a bit. We are begining to toss around names.....Aubrey or Audrey for a girl and several names for a boy....Aiden, Hayden, Ethan and Brody are a few we both like....we will use James for the middle name if it's a boy......if anyone has any suggestions feel free to communicate them here!

Here's what's happening this week: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. Only two weeks to go until we find out!

So this is our bump!

Week 17 Update

We just got back from a trip to Atlanta for my birthday. We had a wonderful visit! The biggest news this week is I finally had to break down and buy some maternity pants and boy can I just tell you that it is the most comfort I have felt in weeks! I just can't suck it in anymore! But still not much to take a picture of yet.

Here's what is going on this week.....(I get this info from babycenter.com)

Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones.

Check up

Went to the doctor on Wednesday for my check up and blood work. Everything was wonderful. The baby's heart rate was 140 and Dr. Max says his guess is that it's a Boy! I think that's just an old wives tale, but we'll see......We go back on the afternoon of March 31st for the big ultrasound and we'll find out then. Keep us in your prayers. Will keep you posted!

Week 16 Update

March 4, 2008

Everything is going great! I am feeling the baby move more and more all the time! I know that is what I am feeling because I went to L&D and did a quick U/S the other day. The baby was moving all around, when I saw the baby kick around I could feel it! It was opening and closing it's little hand as if to say "Hi Mommy"! I can't believe how much it looks like a baby now! Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pics.....I am headed to the doctor tomorrow for a check up to get all my prenatal labs done. They will listen to the heartbeat, no ultrasound this time. We head back 3 weeks after that for our big ultrasound where they look at all the organs and make sure everything is okay AND to find out what we are having!!!

Here's the latest on the development: At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.