Twenty Week Ultrasound

Man, oh man...has it been a busy day!  Between our appointment this morning, my husband's birthday, and trying to finish getting ready for our trip tomorrow, I've been a busy little bee! But all fun stuff, so I can't complain! ;)

So, I'm sure you're all wondering how our little Peanut is looking and growing...and I'm so grateful to report that everything looks perfect, she's still a baby girl (PTL---otherwise Mommy was going to have some returning to do! lol), and she even posed for the camera a little!  Here's a brief synopsis of the appointment and some pictures of our pretty little princess...

-She is weighing about twelve ounces now, which the ultrasound tech said is "perfect...not too big, not too small!"

-According to her measurements, my due date is still July 27th, but according to their records from Dr T, they're calling it July 29th.  They won't adjust it because it's only two days off, so it's no biggie.  I just hope she comes sooner than later! lol

-Peanut is head down right now, with her head towards the right side of my bladder (hello pressure!).  She could choose to stay in this position the rest of the time OR she could be a little rascal and flip around to a breech presentation.  The amount of space she will have to do this is quickly decreasing, so my prayer is that she stays put, or otherwise we'll have to schedule ourselves a C-Section!

-Her heart is pumping beautifully, at about 145-155 beats per minute.  The tech was zoomed in more, so we could see all of the chambers working hard to get all of her blood circulated.  What an amazing sight!  

-She still likes to put her hands up around her face, behind her head, and under her chin.  She actually sucked her thumb during this appointment, which was a first for us to get to see and A-DOR-A-BLE to watch!  The picture of it (I posted it below, too) is, by far, our favorite!

-My weight is increasing just as it should be...so far I've gained seven pounds (which is an average of about a pound a week since the second trimester began---right on track!).  Watching that scale go up every week is soooo hard, but I tell myself it's all for this tiny miracle, so I'll take it! :)

-My blood pressure was also doing great; it was 103/65 this time.  When we first started out, I had been on bed rest for several weeks and hadn't been able to exercise, etc., so just walking into the office was enough to make my pressure jump up (I believe it was around 130/80 then).  I've been continuing to walk at least four times a week (four to five miles in our hilly neighborhood), so I was pleased to see that exercising has helped it tremendously!  Mommy sure doesn't need any Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH--which can lead to Preeclampsia), so PTL for this additional blessing!

-They drew my thyroid levels since they haven't been checked since the week of Christmas (they were totally normal then).  I should know the results of that test either tomorrow or Thursday, and then they can adjust my thyroid medication from there.  Praying it's all within normal limits and I don't have to increase my meds anymore!

Okay dokey...now for the pictures!

This one is a 3D image of her sucking her thumb while her other hand is tucked up underneath her chin/cheek.  Isn't she presh?!

This is a side view of her pretty profile...the tech said "well she sure is photogenic"! I like to think she gets that from me...hehehe.

Here is another (2D) image of her sucking her thumb.  When her thumb wasn't in her mouth, she was making kissy faces or acting like she was chewing something.  Too cute!

It's still a girl!!  Woohoo!  Here's her little "tootie" and legs (which look nice and strong, don't you think?).

And lastly, we got a picture of her tiny feet!  Of course, Daddy had to count all of the bones in her feet to make sure she has five toes (and yes, she does!)...silly Daddy. ;) 

That's about it!  Our next appointment is for April 9th at 9am (just a routine doppler, weight, and blood pressure).  It was so great to able to see how she's grown and what a personality she has already!  We are so thankful and feel so blessed that everything is a-okay with our little Peanut...God is so good!!!

Now that we know everything is looking good with the Nutter-Butter, it's time to head to NYC for a little vacay/baby moon!  Please pray for a safe, fun trip and that Miss Peanut behaves herself while we're gone! I'll be sure to take my belly pic Saturday morning, and I'll update you all when we get back!  I hope you guys have a blessed week!

Twenty Weeks

I hate to torture you guys, but I've been waiting twenty weeks to be able to do this...brace yourselves, folks.

(In my loudest "singing" voice, while strumming my air guitar...)

"Oooooooooh....we're halfway there!  Oooo--oh!  Livin' on a prayer!"  

Whew!  That felt good!!  Thanks for letting me get that out! ;) Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Yes, y'all, we've made it to the halfway point!  Peanut is officially twenty weeks "pre-old" today!  What a huge blessing it is to have made it this far!  It's hard to imagine that in just five more months (give or take a few weeks), we'll be welcoming our little girl into the world!  Gaaaaah!

Peanut and I were finally able to shake that nasty cold this week (PTL!), so now we can focus on our big ultrasound and her Daddy's birthday next Tuesday and our trip to the Big Apple on Wednesday!  But let's see what else we've been up to this week...

Symptoms:

-mild cramping last night and today (guess she's hitting a growth spurt again??)

-mild-moderate nausea the last few days

-reflux/heartburn (I'm going to buy stock in Tums)

-itching (must be from my skin stretching)

-off and on headache (I don't know if this is from hormones or my residual congestion)

-frequent urination

-painful bubble gut (ouch!)

-even bigger tahtah's (I mean, really...how big can they get?? Geesh! lol)

-very sensitive nipples (sorry to any male family members that's reading this!  But it's true!)

Size of Baby:

Banana (around 7 inches and 10 ounces)

Milestones/Happenings:

Peanut has working taste buds now!  And apparently, what I eat can affect the taste of the amniotic fluid she's swimming around in and drinking on a daily basis!  Studies have shown that because of this, some babies actually crave the stuff their mommies ate when it's time to transition to grown-up food!  (Maybe that's why I love egg rolls so much, Mom?? lol)  

Our little munchkin has also been practicing her own dance/gymnastics routine this week...she's been moving around like crazy!  She has her times when she prefers to sleep (fetuses at this stage sleep roughly 12-14 hours a day), but otherwise she's kicking and flipping away in there!  And I LOVE it! :)

Belly Pic:

Even though it still looks little, there's no hiding this bump anymore!  It's on display in all of my shirts and seems to be growing more and more each day!  It's getting harder to find something comfortable to wear...I can't wait for summer to get here so I can wear tank tops and stretchy shorts all day! lol  

Well, I guess it's time to tackle the task I've been dreading the most...packing for the cold weather in NYC!  Of course I have to be going to one of the most fashionable cities when I can barely find something comfortable and cute to wear to the grocery store! Is it bad if I just wear sweats, scarves, and rain boots all week??  Someone please say yes! lol

I'll keep you guys posted on our appointment with Dr S on Tuesday (it's at 10:30am).  Until then, please keep those prayers coming that Peanut (are I) stay healthy and that she keeps growing as she should! And, as always, give praise to God for this tiny miracle He has blessed us with, as well as the works He is doing in the lives of so many others!  I'll leave you with a few verses of praise that are on my heart this morning: "Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders!" (1 Chronicles 16:9) "Now therefore, our God, we thank you and we praise Your glorious name!" (1 Chronicles 29:13) Amen! :)

I'm On the Mend!

PTL, y'all!  My cold is finally letting up!!  I thought it was getting better Monday, but it was only taking a break and then came back full force by that afternoon.  This morning, I woke up to some stuffiness and a scratchy throat, but nothing I can't handle.  Looks like I may be back to normal (how "normal" are you really during pregnancy, though?? lol) before our trip next week!  Woohoo!  Now, if I can only keep my baby daddy from getting sick!

Little Miss Peanut seems to be doing well, too.  She took Monday off and slept most of the day, but she's been quite active yesterday and today!  Guess everyone needs a "lazy day", huh? ;)

Only six days left till our big twenty-week ultrasound with Dr S!  Eek!  We're so excited to see how our little miracle is growing and to watch her dancing around in there! Every time we get to see/feel/hear her makes our hearts happy and reminds us even more of God's love and faithfulness!

Allllllriiiiighty...nap time! :)  I'll see you guys back here on Saturday for Peanut's twenty-week Pregnancy Progress Update, when we'll officially hit the halfway point!  Yaaaaay!

Nineteen Weeks

Only one more week and we'll be halfway through this amazing pregnancy journey!  Wowzers!  It seems like only yesterday we were getting the call with that first wonderful beta number and spending the rest of the evening (and weeks to follow, to be honest) saying, "Wow...we're going to be parents...we're actually going to be PARENTS!" I am absolutely awestruck and grateful beyond belief by the miracle God is allowing us to witness and experience through this pregnancy...and the best is still yet to come!

So, what have Peanut and I spent our week doing?  As you could tell from my midweekly post, lots of planning!  PTL I was able to get most of that accomplished, though, so now I can enjoy all of these showers/trips/weddings that are going to be coming up in the next few months!  Now till July is going to be busy, busy, busy (which may help pass the time till our little girl gets here)!

Peanut and I also managed to catch a nasty cold this week...yuck.  Who wants to spend their week/weekend stuffed up and achy?  Not this chick!  The last few nights have been awful, since I haven't been sleeping very well anyway, and now I can't breathe, which makes resting even less of a possibility.  But, on the plus side, I woke up today feeling the same (if not slightly better) than yesterday, which means it's not getting any worse!  Hopefully by next week I'll be back to my normal, pregnant self! ;)

Now, let's see what my little Nutter-Butter has been doing as far as growing, etc...

Symptoms:

These are all out of whack because of my cold...so let's try this portion again next week, shall we?

Size of Baby:

Mango (roughly 7 inches and 8.5 ounces, per the Baby apps)

Milestones/Happenings:

Peanut must be content, because she's been kicking away in there!  As you may remember, I felt her kick for the first time last Saturday morning, and my husband actually had the pleasure of feeling her Wednesday night!  (It may have been the hiccups, because they nudges were pretty frequent and in the same spot, but nonetheless, he felt them!)  What an awesome moment that was!  Ever since then she's been on the move...even during the middle of the night (I think I wake her up with my sneezing/coughing fits...sorry, sweetheart!).  I love feeling her wiggling around in there, and every time I feel that nudge it makes me smile!

She has developed her own little ovaries now, which will contain all of the eggs she will ever need in her lifetime...isn't that crazy?!  She also will start having more of a "wake/sleep pattern", which she will likely stick to once she's born (sleep, baby girl, SLEEP! lol).

Belly Pic:

There's definitely been some growth since last week...or at least I feel there has been!  She's moving up higher in my stomach (I can feel her right under my belly button at times), which my bladder is very appreciative of, lol.

Now I think Miss Peanut and I will go try to take a little nap...we've got to nip this cold in the butt and refuel before our trip to NYC on the 13th!  Have a blessed day, y'all! :)

18W4D

Happy Hump Day, guys!  I hope everyone's having a fabulous Wednesday so far!  Sorry, WE hope y'all are having a fab Wednesday!  (Peanut was flopping/dancing around to get my attention when I typed that...she hates to be left out! lol)

The Nutter-Butter and I are up and at-em and working on this monstrous To-Do List that's in front of me.  On the list for today...

-Baby shower planning x 2 (one will be back home the middle of May and the other will be here the first week of June)...I know it's early, but I'm a planner!  And I have the hostesses already asking for details, so I've gotta get going!

-Plans to make for our "baby moon" trip to NYC in two weeks (oot oot!)

-Birthday planning for my amazing hubby's 32nd birthday in two weeks (sorry, honey, I called you out on your old age...but don't worry---you don't look a day over 21! :) )

-Wedding shower planning for my sweet soon-to-be SIL's shower (back home) in April

Man.  That's a lot of planning!  Better get started! ;)  I'll see y'all back on here Saturday for Peanut's update! Have a blessed day!