Third OB Appt {19 weeks!}

Monday we had our pseudo-monthly baby appointment. It started off with my most favorite part... vitals! The guy who took me in for my vitals was really nice and funny though. First thing that happens is the weight check. I hop on the scale and to my surprise, I finally gained some weight! 4 pounds since July! And I am not complaining one bit. But when he was about to write down my weight he asked me if I wanted him to subtract any. I laughed and said no and asked if people normally say yes to that question. Apparently they do. Haha. Then we were taken into the exam room and the doctor came in. She told me that they were going to measure me, which they haven't done before. So she took this paper tape measure and placed it across my belly and then was shocked by the results. She said that I was measuring much farther than my due date (around 23 weeks, I think she said) and asked if I was sure of my dates. I said pretty sure, we had an IUI done and she replied, that is pretty accurate then, haha. So then she asked the tech to bring in an ultrasound machine so she could make sure that there wasn't more than one baby in there. I didn't mention that we had an ultrasound last week, because I am not going to turn down another time to see Bean. Everything looked good in the ultrasound, still only one baby and Bean was measuring at around 16 weeks 5 days (give or take 10 days), which baffled me because I am 19 weeks now. But everything is good and next week we have our big anatomy scan where they check everything else with Bean.

This week Bean is the size of a mango! I bought some mangoes, but didn't photograph them because they were smaller than they were supposed to be this week, and I am just going to make them into salsa this weekend. :)
This is what BabyCenter.com has to say:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means that right now Bean is kicking my placenta around and not me, causing me to feel no kicks at all. :(

In other news, I feel like my belly is growing larger every day. 

I feel huge.

Next week is our big anatomy scan and our gender reveal! I know you all are so excited! ;)

<3 Brad & Jenna

Well, we know what we are having... {18 weeks!}

But... we aren't telling yet! :)

We had our gender scan done on Tuesday evening at this adorable place in a nearby town. It was really quick but super comfortable. They took us in this room and the table I laid on was really comfy. They had a big screen TV that projected the ultrasound happenings so we could see everything clearly. I drank some orange juice before the appointment because I heard that it makes the baby move more and boy oh boy did Bean kick up a storm! It was soooo cute to see. My breath was just taken away because the last time I saw Bean, it looked like... a bean. And now it's baby shaped.

We do have some pictures to share with you all though:

We are still debating on when to spill the beans about Bean, but right now I think we are waiting until the 20 week mark. We have an appointment next week with our OB and then the following week we have the "official" anatomy scan at the hospital. And after that we will probably announce it. I hope you all can hold out another two weeks. ;)
I love knowing the gender though. It made it *that* much more real to me. <3

This week Bean is the size of a sweet potato! (A small one, really...)

And here is what BabyCenter.com says about the baby:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

My bump is growing :)

We have started working on the registry though, and we will be posting the info for that next week once it has more stuff in it. ;)


<3 Brad & Jenna

17 weeks...

Last night I had a dream that I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. My dream got me really excited to meet our Bean. :)
Five more days until we find out what we are having for sure. We can't wait!!!

Other than that, it's been a really quiet week for us. We have been trying to find a place to go on a mini babymoon but it's pretty impossible to find anything affordable, sadly. I am sure we will come up with something though. This weekend are going to Virginia Beach to get away and eat some pizza. Mmm, pizza...

This week the baby is the size of an onion! And of course, the time I need an onion I don't have one...
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Next week we should have exciting news and new pictures of the Bean! Yay!

<3 Brad & Jenna

Growing Pains {16 weeks}

Our house is finally looking more like a home. We spent a good part of our long Labor Day weekend getting things in place but we still have some more work to do. Once it is done I will post some pictures. Besides cleaning up the house, we spent our long weekend relaxing and spending some quality time together.

We hit 16 weeks on Tuesday. My belly is looking a little more round but I have yet to feel the Bean. I have been getting some growing pains in my uterus and my back has been killing me. Oh the joys of pregnancy. I am loving the second trimester though. I feel good 90% of the time, which is a huge improvement from a few weeks ago.

We scheduled our "anatomy scan" at the hospital for October 5th, but I really wasn't feeling the vibe that I got from the receptionist. She made it clear that this was not a "gender scan" but an "anatomy scan" so the doctor can take measurements and make sure the baby is growing correctly. She said that if we wanted to know the gender that we had to make sure to tell the tech that because if you don't they won't tell you. What?! It's like people don't understand how much of a big deal having a baby is to some people. It kind of hurt my feelings. So, I did some research and found a place out in town that will do a 2D gender reveal for $65. I just want this moment to be special and I want the person doing the ultrasound to be excited for us and I don't feel like I will get that from the hospital. And if they are and I am completely wrong, there is no harm done really. Plus that means that we will know what we are having 2 weeks sooner! Yay! So that appointment is scheduled for September 20th. :)

What are your guessing on the gender? I have a lot of people telling me that Bean is a boy based on old wives' tales about your symptoms and stuff. I think it's a boy because my belly is getting super hairy, haha, and I read somewhere that excessive hair is caused by the extra testosterone from a boy fetus.

I love having a doppler at home so I can hear Bean's heart pumping away. It really is the sweetest sound. <3

This was from yesterday. :)

This week the baby is the size of an avocado! And since we love guacamole, I actually ran out to the store and picked some up. ;)
Some info about the baby as per BabyCenter.com:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And the belly.

(These are my new maternity pants!)

Hopefully next week I will be back to posting on Wednesdays. ;)

<3 Brad & Jenna

Surviving Natural Disasters {15 weeks}

Since hitting the beloved second trimester, I think that this pregnancy has come to a screeching halt. This could very well be the slowest thing I have ever had happen in my life. It's not that I want this pregnancy to fly by, I just want to get to the good parts. I want to feel the kicks. I am sure I will be eating my words when Bean shoves their foot in my rib cage, but until then, ignorance is bliss. However, the thought that in 5 weeks I will be at my 1/2 way point really does make this pregnancy seem super fast!

If you didn't watch the news last week, you missed the eventful week the DC area and all of the east coast had. It all started with an Earthquake, which was pretty scary to me. I was just sitting at my desk, minding my own business, and then the room literally started swaying. We were all told to evacuate the building since our buildings aren't made for things like natural disasters. But we survived. Then we had the scare of "Hurricane Irene", which was a legit hurricane in some parts but not where we were. We got some wind and some rain, but we have had worse thunderstorms than that "hurricane" in our little town.

We are finally done with our move from our apartment. Now we just have to organize and unpack the house, which we will be spending this long weekend doing. :) I am also going to drag us out to Babies R Us to look at things. I love window shopping and it will give us ideas of what we want on the baby registry. And I am also going to buy my first pair of maternity jeans. (Eeeep, am I really to that point yet?! Yes. Yes, I am.)

So here is the belly. Not much of a size change, but it's a lot firmer now.

I have been really slacking in buying the fruit of the week. But this week Bean is the size of an orange. BabyCenter.com describes the baby this week as:

"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")"

It is funny that it mentions holding a flashlight to my belly because in the midst of the hurricane drama I had a flashlight out and I was doing that, then both Brad and I wondered if we now blinded the Bean. Glad to know that it's safe.

We still have 25 days until our next appointment and then another week on top of that for the gender scan. See, I told you this pregnancy is moving slow!

<3 Brad & Jenna