This chicken's kickin'!

OK, so the baby book says that baby HeShe weighs the same as a chicken breast... about 5 ounces. Well, now this baby has started kicking more and more... it is actually starting to feel like something!

Pretty darned cool!!! This little chicken is kickin'!

18 weeks pregnant: a peek inside

TODAY, we are 18 weeks pregnant. Scary thought... just 2 more weeks and we'll be HALFWAY THERE!!! YIKES!

Here's a peek inside: According to www.parenting.com, this is what a baby looks like at 18 weeks. At this point, babies have very little fat on them, but will continue to grow rapidly and will gain fat on their tiny bodies. (If I had to guess, I would probably say that the one pictured is a boy. We still have not decided if we will find out the sex at the ultrasound 1/6/09.... or if baby HeShe will even cooperate if we DID want to know! Time will tell...)

What to expect reports: The baby should be about 5.5" long from crown to rump and weighs about 5 oz. I should be feeling movement more and more in the near future.

Mike bought me the WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST YEAR book for Christmas. It appears that we have A LOT to learn!!! Granted, I've cared for babies before after years of babysitting, but still.... never had one of my own that I was responsible for 24/7! Mike says he doesn't think he's ever even held a baby and most certainly has NEVER changed a diaper.

He told the dentist his theory: if you put the diaper on wrong enough times, you wont be asked to diaper again. The dentist told him that it does NOT work like that... in fact, not only do you have to try again, but you have to clean up the extra mess as well. 

Better that he hears it from someone speaking from experience.

Merry Christmas!

Just wishing a VERY Merry Christmas. 

(See some of you soon!)   Love,  Mike & Sarah (and Baby HeShe)

17: Did anyone else notice the widget?

Just wondering if it is "just me" or if anyone else noticed that the tracking widget with the floating baby has changed within the past few days.... it seems that last week, the floating baby had it's limbs extended... long, lanky limbs, but this week, it seems to have taken a liking to the curled up fetal position.

My uterus is currently the size of a cantaloupe as my belly continues to grow ever-so-slightly each week. The baby is between 5 and 5.5" long from crown to rump this week and weighs about five ounces... think boneless chicken breast.

Yawning is a new skill that the baby develops this week.

Also, the nervous system is developing and progressing this week. (I'm hoping that baby's nervous system works better than mine... and that baby will remain MS-free for life!)

Been a few times that I thought I felt it moving, but it is VERY SUBTLE at this point. (Books say that sometimes it is confused for gas.) The other night, I woke from a sound sleep because I felt movement and it was enough to wake me, wondering "what was THAT?"  As it gets bigger and weighs more, I'm sure I will feel movement all-too-soon, which will be exciting. Mike is looking forward to being able to feel it from the outside. 

One of these days....

Mickey or Minnie?

Our friend Roy, from Burlington Menards, wondered this week: 

Is it too soon to tell if it is a Mickey or a Minnie?

I explained that we are going in for our ultrasound on Tuesday, January 6th and meet with the OB/GYN to go over results on Friday, January 9th.

If baby HeShe is cooperative, we MAY be able to tell what the sex is that week. However, we are still not sure if we want to know the sex or not. There seem to be all too many horror stories of people who were told that it was one sex and turned out to be the opposite. Perhaps it truly is best to remain rather gender neutral in our shopping and planning selections.

Last weekend, we started looking at cribs, as well as the lengthy list of items we'll need to purchase before baby comes. (YIKES! This is not going to be cheap!) 

I poked around online at bedding for a little while and found one that I thought was pretty cute for a gender neutral nursery. (So far, this one caught my eye, but we still have LOTS of places left to look.) 

We've got LOTS of time on our hands... afterall, we're only 42% of the way to the finish line!

Cold: NOT so good (weather and teeth)

Feeling a little bad that I haven't blogged in a while. Nothing overly blog-worthy this week. It has been freakishly cold here this week. Today was the first day that our daytime high made it ABOVE ZERO!!! Monday, the feels-like temperature was -43°F with the wind chill factored in. Tuesday, the feels-like warmed up to -23°F, which was QUITE an improvement. Indoor recess was growing old for all of the kindergartners and first-graders who desperately needed to run off some extra energy. Today, we were, in fact, OUTSIDE and the teachers were feeling VERY LUCKY for that! Tomorrow, the daytime high is forecasted at 20°F and snow is in the forecast.

Even though I haven't blogged lately, I still check into the blog daily. I like to check the baby tickers to see how far we've come and how far we have left to go before we meet little Baby HeShe. (You thought I was going to slip up and spill the beans on the name that we picked.... SORRY... you'll all just have to wait for the BIG DAY!)

Have had a toothache for about a week now and it has been getting worse. My teeth and face hurts! I slept with an ice pack on my face for the past few nights and it has felt better by morning; however, by mid-day, it is quite painful again. Hit the school nurse up for some free advice because I wondered if I should see a dentist or a doctor - not knowing if it was tooth-related or sinus. She suggested dentist.

Turns out that I went to a local dentist and after 3 x-rays, there is no sign of infection in any of my teeth. (The hygienist took extra precautions even though the xrays they use are "safe": she put a lead apron behind me, laid one an my top side and laid another one sideways across my "beer belly" baby. )

My right wisdom tooth looks like it has come down from my sinus cavity a little bit and may be putting pressure on my other (sore) teeth. My sinus cavity does show some fluid in it that does not belong there. Instead of ice, they recommend heat (a warm compress or heating pad). They recommend an over-the-counter nasal flush to help clean out the sinus cavity. Also, they tried to sell me a $150 mouth guard for sleeping, which is NOT covered by insurance. I decided to try the warm compress first before wasting my money on a mouth guard that I doubt I need. (I'm thinking that they would be able to tell if I really grind my teeth when I sleep; also, if it hurts to bite down, I am most likely NOT clenching my teeth when I sleep.) I'm not a dentist, but when they hit on my teeth to check for sensitivity and pain - it would hurt.... especially since they already hurt when I came in. Suggested a soft diet for the next few weeks.

Massage was suggested on my cheek and jaw to relax tension. (The dentist tried to say that it "could be the MS causing those muscles to over-fire" but I am pretty confident that it is NOT the MS since it has been mostly non-active for years now that is causing my toothache.) Seems that they were just guessing. So, looks like if the warm compress does not help, I can follow up with a doctor to relieve sinus pressure, which can affect my teeth. (The hygienist guesses it is more sinus-related since it gets worse during the day when I am upright. She also said that if the ice packs turn out to be more comfortable than heat that I should go back to them, contrary to one of the dentist's COUNTLESS recommendations.)

If they do eventually have to go after the wisdom tooth, I am told it will NOT be pretty. Most likely, no oral surgeon will touch it until after Baby HeShe is here. (It will take LOTS of work to get it out of the sinus cavity! I believe the exact words were "I don't mean to scare you, but it will be no picnic.") Time will tell, I guess.... hoping for a little relief soon!

16 week check-up: x+9.3 pounds

Baby is 16 weeks TODAY and should be about the size of an avocado at 4-5" long from crown to rump.

In one of the pregnancy books I was reading, it said that this 4 month (16 week) phase is awkward because people look at you and wonder "is she pregnant or is that just a beer belly?" (Not really a drinker so, guess THAT explains a lot right there, eh?)

Yesterday was our first OB/GYN appointment with our new doctor. At the appointment, I measured 5' 9.25" which I still find AMAZING that I somewhere/somehow lost 1/2" of height over the past 5 years. (You would think that I would be taller since a weight has been lifted off my shoulders as THIS is the happiest I've been in years!)

I weighed in at: x + 9.3 (where x represents pre-pregnancy weight)

At our appointment, the shadowing resident attempted to find the fetal heartbeat for us since we have never had the opportunity to hear it before. After a little struggling, the OB/GYN stepped in to take a stab at it. He seemed to be struggling as well. I was starting to get a little bit nervous that they could not find heartbeat, but the doctor announced "Don't worry, I know it is in there and moving around because I heard it."

Eventually, Doctor found the heart rate of the baby - which was 140 beats per minute. "Good." he reported. (It was probably only a few minutes of searching total, but started to feel like an eternity for us new-to-be parents who were anxious to hear it for the first time.)

"Did you want to know why I knew it was in there?" he questioned. "I heard it move when I was pressing over here." he explained.

He moved the Doppler back over to the lower left quadrant of my abdomen, announcing "Come on, baby. Move! Come on; move again for us." Within a few seconds, baby had moved and we could hear the SWOOSH, SWOOSH of fluid moving around inside.

We are scheduled to go in for an ultrasound at about 19.5 weeks (first week of January) and will meet again with the doctor at 20 weeks to go over the results and have a regularly-scheduled follow-up appointment. At that 19.5 week ultrasound, we are told they will be examining the brain and major organs to ensure proper development. If baby cooperates, we SHOULD be able to tell the sex at that time.... that is, IF we decide to do so.

Because my twin brother had a birth defect (the hole in his heart that was detected and surgically fixed as an adult, age 30), they will take a close look at the baby's heart at the upcoming ultrasound. Hopefully, all will go well; we're excited to see HeShe inside.

We are waiting on results from the Quad Screen (blood test) that was done yesterday. This test checks my blood for 4 different substances that are produced by the baby and passed into my bloodstream.

I'm told to gain up to 25 pounds during pregnancy. A little scared that I have already gained 9.3 pounds and of that, baby weighs ONLY 3.5 oz. (These larger breasts weigh considerably more than before, but still... I still have 5 months to go...)

You know what they say: it is what it is! Guess we just need to relax and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Grandma O!

Dear Grandma,

I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday TODAY! My, this month is a busy one for birthdays!

My dad says that all of the cute genes come from his side of the family, but I think YOU are very pretty. No matter what I look like, one thing is for sure, I have a good chance of being annoyingly happy like my mom. (I hear my mom gets her disposition and personality traits from you!)

My mom has some big shoes to fill - following in your footsteps - because my mom says that you were an absolutely WONDERFUL mother! I hope my mom is able to be there just like you were always there for her! My mom sure does love you a lot!

Hope you have a happy birthday! See you in the late spring! I can't wait to meet you!

Love,

Sweat Pea

Happy Birthday Grandpa Lowell!

Dear Grandpa Lowell,

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday TODAY! Mom and Dad had hoped that you could have an ultrasound picture for a birthday present, but I'm afraid THAT present will be belated because they don't take me to the doctor to pose for my pictures until Thursday.

I can't wait to meet you Grandpa! See you in a few more months!

I'll be the one who everyone will be SO EXCITED to meet, but there's a good chance that I'll resemble both you and my dad. (Dad tells me that all of the cute comes from HIS side of the family, but mom just tells me that my daddy wears sassy pants.)

Love,

Sweet Pea

Hi Sweet Pea,

What a great birthday celebration I've had. I've had a b'day cookie (with candle) at church coffee hour; a number of cards have been received, a singing birthday song on the telephone, treats from a neighbor, and a picture with your dad on the blog!!

And, what a birthday celebration we're looking forward to in a few months!! Your parents, grandpa's and grandma's, all the family and all the friends will be excited! You'll be the center of attention and rightfully so. Between now and then, there will be any number of "events" of course; but, your birthday will be THE event. May God provide every blessing to you and to your parents as you grow and develop during these next weeks!!

Love,

Grandpa Lowell

Baby Name

Mike wanted me to blog that Baby has a name!

We have decided to call Baby: 

HeShe

(We're saying that it is Latin for: I'll decide later.)

Not sure if we'll be able to tell the sex at 

Thursday's appointment.... may be too soon yet. 

In that case, it may just have to be a surprise. 

Guess we'll see!