our fifth appointment

Friday, April 30

I had my screening test for gestational diabetes today. Before going to the appointment, I had to drink a glucose drink. I had heard a lot of horror stories about how bad it tastes. It kind of tastes like gatorade at first. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but it was still pretty nasty. One hour after the glucose drink, I had my blood drawn. They tested me for anemia as well as gestational diabetes. I shouldn't hear anything from the doctor unless my lab results are abnormal.

Our appointment with the doctor was short, but we got some great pictures of the baby. Colby is convinced that he looks just like him! :) He is positioned with his head down right now. In the pictures, you can see the umbilical cord right in front of his neck and mouth. His little hand is in the background of the first two pictures on the top left side of the pictures.

He seems to be moving around a lot! I am feeling lots of little kicks and punches. It is so much fun to sit and watch as my belly bounces and wiggles and around. Colby and I are both enjoying getting to feel and see our little boy move!

Dr. Nilson says the baby looks great. I am 27 weeks and 1 day. Our next appointment will be May 24. We are also having our 4D ultrasound on Saturday, May 22. I can't wait to see him again! I know we will get some awesome pictures and video!

belly pics

7 weeks 5 days

11 weeks 5 days

16 weeks 5 days

18 weeks 1 day

19 weeks 1 day

belly pics 2

20 weeks 3 days

21 weeks 1 day

~22 weeks

23 weeks 3 days

24 weeks 6 days

our fourth appointment

I am so excited that I finally got to see my precious little baby boy! It has been six weeks since our last ultrasound and both baby boy and I have grown so much. I weighed 182 pounds at the doctor today for a total weight gain of 13 pounds! My belly seems to get bigger every day and it is definately time to start looking for some maternity clothes. I still have about two pairs of jeans that zip partway and can be worn with my bellaband and I am stretching out all of my pre-pregnancy shirts! Time for some shopping! Based on several different measurements including abdominal circumference, femur circumference, and head circumference, Baby Boy weighs 1 lb 4 oz. This puts him at 54.3% on the growth charts. Based on the baby's weight, his gestational age is 23 weeks, 0 days and our estimated due date is July 26. This is three days earlier than our original estimated due date. Although Dr. Nilson is not officially changing our due date, these measurements and calculations give him a better idea of our baby's age and when we will get to meet him. It's really fascinating!

We were able to get one good ultrasound picture today. Baby Boy wasn't really cooperating and had his legs in front of his face with his bottom up in the air and his head pointed downward. He was really moving around but wouldn't move his legs away from his face. You can see his face, nose, and eyes in the back of the picture behind his legs.

I am 22 weeks and 4 days. Our next appointment will be April 30. At this appointment, I will have to do a standard screening test for gestational diabetes where I will drink a glucose drink and have my blood drawn to test my blood glucose level. We are also going to try to schedule a 4D ultrasound at the beginning of May sometime. During this ultrasound, we will get to spend 30-45 minutes watching our little guy move and swirl around. This will probably be done with an ultrasound tech and is solely for us to see our baby. Hopefully we will get some good pictures and video during this time!

This past weekend we got the nursery almost completely painted with a lot of help from my parents. Thank you mom and dad! We just need to get the stripes painted on the walls. I am excited to continue decorating and getting ready for our little boy's arrival. I can't wait to hold him in my arms!

It's a.........

BOY!! It turns out that our little girl is actually a boy. It is a relief to finally know so that I can start planning! I can't wait to decorate the nursery and buy cute little baby boy clothes! Colby was 100% sure that it was a girl, so he looked a little stunned when Dr. Nilson said that is was a boy. Now that the news has sunk in, he is looking a little more excited. We didn't really get any good ultrasound pictures this time, but Dr. Nilson says that everything looks good. I am 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Our next appointment will be March 29.

there's a baby in there

After 14 and a half weeks, I finally feel pregnant! Until now, the fact that we're going to have a baby has seemed like a dream. Looking at ultrasound pictures of the baby and watching the baby flip and move on the sonogram has felt like an out of body experience. It has been hard to imagine that there is a baby growing inside of me. This morning, I was sitting on the couch after work and felt a "swishing" in my lower abdomen, like fish swimming around. The feeling only lasted about 15 seconds and it was gone. Everyone says that the baby's first movements feel like bubbles or butterflies. I'm pretty sure I felt the baby moving for the first time and it makes the whole pregnancy experience seem real! Now that I am through the first trimester, I am beginning to feel slightly less nauseous and am looking forward to being able to enjoy the second trimester. I have started to "pop" just a little and can feel my uterus protruding in my lower abdomen. We can't wait to see our baby again at the next appointment!

our second appointment

When he walked into the room, the first thing Dr. Nilson said was, "Do you want to know what it is?" "Yes!" we both said. "Any family bets?" he asked. I told him that I think it's a boy. "It looks like a girl," he said. He explained that he can usually tell the baby's gender with 80% accuracy at 11 weeks, 90% accuracy at 12 weeks, and almost 100% accuracy at 13 weeks. Since I am only 12 weeks, there is still a slight chance that the baby could be a boy. We should know with more certainty at our next appointment. He did tell us not to paint the room yet, but to start picking out girl names. Colby and I are both so excited to be having a baby girl!!

During the ultrasound, the baby was spinning, flipping, and moving around so much that I was afraid we wouldn't be able to get any good pictures. However, we got some great 3D pictures where you can see the baby's eyes, ears, arms, legs, fingers, and toes. It is so amazing to me that the baby is moving around so much and I still can't feel a thing!

Dr. Nilson says that everything looks great! I am 11 weeks and 5 days...almost through the first trimester! Our next appointment will be on February 9.