23 weeks

I had my monthly visit to Dr. S. on Thursday. When I got there, he came out and greeted me and then said I was having my Glucose Tolerance Test that day so I needed to go to the lab to get the drink and then come back for my appt. So I went down to the lab and drank the nasty sugar drink. It tasted like the syrup from the soda fountain at a restaurant and gave me an immediate head rush. I went back up to see Dr. S. and complained that it would have been nice if he'd warned me that I had to do that that day!

He answered a few questions I had including discussing the fibroid the tech noticed on my last ultrasound. He said no one had mentioned it to him so maybe the tech only thought she saw it and was wrong. He asked about whether I had scheduled Childbirth Classes and I told him that we have a class scheduled for April 21st. He said that they want me to have a growth ultrasound on April 3rd because my BMI is too high for them to get an accurate measure of baby's growth based on uterus size. He also said that they will keep measuring cervix length until 30 weeks and then reevaluate if they need to continue. He said that they want me to take it easy for the next 2 months, avoid heavy lifting, etc. so that nothing will come up. He said he doesn't foresee any problems but that he tells all of his patients that.

What's baby up to?
He loves bouncing on my bladder. He also likes to push out when I'm lying down and I can feel his back or something sticking out. He's kicking like crazy all the time too.

Upcoming events:
4/3- Growth ultrasound
4/14- Baby shower with Todd's family in NJ
4/21- Childbirth Class
4/27- Dr. S. monthly visit

21 weeks 5 days

I had another ultrasound today to check my cervix. It was great! My cervix was between 3.46 and 4.0 cm, which is awesome. Baby looked great and has grown a lot. His heart rate was 146 bpm. She did mention that I have a very small fibroid on the top of my uterus, but that it's so tiny that they don't think it's a problem. She said it's about the size of the tip of your little finger. She kept commenting on how active he was today too. He's been super squirmy lately and I've been feeling him a lot. It's so cool!

Last week we went to the Salvation Army to see if they had any good baby stuff. They didn't have much but we found a cute little photo album to hold his ultrasound photos.

Upcoming appts:

3/22- Dr. S monthly appt
4/3- Growth Scan and cervix check.

20 weeks- Halfway done!

I'm trying to make a collage of belly photos. The first one is from 9 weeks 4 days, the second is from 16 weeks 6 days, and the third is from today at 20 weeks. I think I look a little bigger today.

We went out shopping today and got the baby a sleeper and a onesie at a thrift store. Then we went to Babies R Us and picked out a stroller and diaper bag. Todd wanted to test them out before we made a final decision. We love the one we picked out because it's light, easy to fold, and manipulates really smoothly. Todd wanted to pick out the diaper bag so I didn't get one that he'd be embarrassed to carry.

Baby also more than likely has a name. His name right now is Zachary Collin but that may change before he's born.

19 weeks 5 days- IT'S A BOY!!

We had our anatomy scan today. Everything looks great! Baby was measuring well and all the parts were there. The tech spent about half an hour looking at everything and measuring all the parts. Then he showed us some shots and measured my cervix. He said everything is normal but baby was being stubborn and wouldn't give him many good pictures, so he got the doctor who came and double checked the heart and then got us a few more pictures. She said everything looks great too.

Headshot with mouth open
Headshot with mouth closed
Mouth open again
Profile with head and spine
Alien baby- head to the left and tummy to the bottom

Arms and handsAck, there's an alien in my womb!

We are working on our registries and now we can pick more things out because we know that IT'S A BOY! The tech said he saw the boy parts but couldn't get a good picture because he kept crossing his legs.

We are pretty sure we're going to register at Babies R Us, Target, and on Amazon.com. You can search my name on any of those and see what we like. The registries are sort of preliminary right now but will be finalized in the next few weeks.

Upcoming appts:

3/15- cervix check
3/22- Monthly dr visit
4/3- growth ultrasound

18 weeks 6 days

I had my monthly OB appt today. Dr. S was really positive and seemed happy with how things are going. My uterus measured right where it should be, right below my belly button. He checked the HB and said it was great, but didn't give me a heart rate number. He assured me again that my cervix was fine last week. He reminded me that my fetal survey is next week (like I could forget!). He asked if I had thought about a birth plan and if I am interested in Childbirth Classes. I told him that I am open to an epidural, but haven't thought much about anything else. I gave me information on Childbirth Classes, which happen at the hospital a few weeknight on a drop in basis and on the weekends once a month. Todd and I agreed that we wanted to take them so I signed us up for a Saturday class on April 21st. It is 5 hours and you learn about childbirth techniques and options. At the end you take a tour of the labor and delivery and get to see what it's like there. I'll be around 27 weeks then so it will be interesting to learn about. So we have that to look forward to!

Todd's mom also offered to throw us a shower for his family and friends in NJ the weekend before. We'll have a shower with my family over Memorial Day weekend. Todd's friend Ed also called earlier this week and offer us a crib that his daughter has outgrown. People are being so generous, it's great! On Saturday last week, we went to a consignment store to check out what they had and got great deals on a diaper pail and a really nice blanket that was originally from Pottery Barn.

Here is a picture of the blanket:

I like that it's a dark purple so it can be used for either a boy or a girl. If the baby is a girl, I am thinking about developing the rest of the room around the purple.

Coming up:

3/1- Fetal Survey
3/22- Next OB appt

17 weeks 3 days

I had another cervix check today. It was shorter but the doctors/nurses said it is still within normal range. I was worried so I called my OB's office, my high risk dr's office, and the high risk ultrasound dr to make sure it was okay. They all said yes, it is fine. So I will go back in 2 weeks for my fetal survey and they will check it again then.

I got a few new pictures today!

In this one, the head is to the left and then you can see the spine to the right. The little dots below the spine are the legs

Again, the head is to the left and the spine to the right, but in this one, you can also see the ribcage and the little feet on the bottom right. On the bottom left, you can see my bladder, which the baby was kicking the entire time they were looking at it!

16 weeks 6 days

I've decided to start sharing bump pics. I'm not sure if I'm showing yet though. What do you think?

Here is 9 weeks 4 days at Christmas
And here is today at 16 weeks 6 days
Please don't mind my stupid looking hair and pale skin...ick.