Uneventful doc's appt

Well... I guess it was slightly eventful.  It was supposed to be at 10:30am, but I got a call at 8:30am asking if I could get bumped to 12:20pm and see a nurse instead of my doctor.  A little peeved about that because I saw a nurse last time, and they say they really don't want you to see a nurse two times in a row.... but.... Doc got called to an emergency surgery or something.

Also, I actually had questions to ask this time.... so I asked some of them, but would have preferred to not have to tell my medical history to the nurse while asking the questions, as Dr. B would've understood why I was asking them.  Oh well!

My blood pressure was 110/68... so just fine.  Weight was the same as two weeks ago when I went in for the fall, which is only up maybe 2lbs or something from my starting weight.  I asked about this and the nurse said that since I started with extra this wasn't alarming at all.  She says the body starts using the reserves for the baby, and that baby is basically a parasite and will get all the things he needs before anything goes to me - so she's not worried that he's not getting what he needs!

She measured my belly - that was the first time that was done.  She said I was measuring spot on.  Heard his heartbeat - 140s - 150ish - the norm.

Quickly went over the ultrasound results.  Quick is good in this situation, because it means everything checked out completely normal.  He was measuring 19 weeks, 3 days based off all the measurements, and I was 18 weeks, 5 days.... so a little ahead... but babies get growth spurts all the time, so we'll see!

The only slightly funky thing was that my right kidney seemed just a little enlarged.  She said this is normal during pregnancy, but also with my history of kidney stones that I should just keep gulping the water down.  Okay, okay.  I'll just live in the bathroom while this guy has his head on my bladder and I have to drink tons of water to keep the stones away!

My only frustration was that Dr. B had told me I'd need to do the 1 hour glucose test this time, but I wanted to wait 'til Monday (mondays are easier - no work), so I had called earlier in the week and the lady on the phone said that would be no problem, they could just order it to be done Monday.  So I mentioned that to the nurse on the phone this morning when she was re-scheduling my appointment (mentioned it twice actually), and she said she'd put a note in the file so that they knew to schedule it.  I mentioned it to the nurse at my appointment, and she said there was nothing in there, and acted like I was crazy.  She said she'd check after my appointment.  I reminded her again as we were walking out of the room (good thing since she was like "oooh, I had forgotten about that"), and then my nurse wasn't there, so she left her a note. 

I don't WANT to take the test early, but I know that with my history of PCOS the doc wants me to take it early as I have a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes.  So let me take the stinkin test!  Make me take it!  Maybe I should be paying myself since I know better than they do?!

Okay... vent over!

Yay that baby Eggo is doing well.  I think I'm feeling him move around way down low, but it's still too hard to tell.  Everyone keeps saying a few more weeks.... I'm sooooo patient.

Cantaloupe or Banana?

So we're at the halfway point!!!!  That's right!  Today I am 20 weeks pregnant!

Each week I've been reporting what thebump.com compares the baby to (fruit or veggie).  I'm thinking I may have actually been reporting one week behind.  Maybe some of my fellow preggo friends can help me out.  I'll post both and see what people think.

The thing is, dating pregnancies and the whole weeks / months / days thing is quite confusing.  Some people refer to the "20th week" others that you are "20 weeks" (these mean different things).  So I know I'm starting the 21st week now (since I'm already 20 weeks), so I think by thebump.com standards, I should be reporting that Eggo is the size of a banana.

Enjoy your fruits!  I know I am!

Your Baby: Week 20


Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Your Baby: Week 21


Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The blue (top part) of the nursery is painted and done.  We did the first coat of the green (bottom) part of it tonight!  Can't wait to continue to transform Eggo's room!!!!!

Time is flying by!

Well... time is definitely flying by! 

Here are a couple pictures showing Eggo's growth.

18 weeks, 4 days (4/18/10)

19 weeks, 4 days (4/25/10)

We picked out the paint colors for Eggo's room, and started painting this weekend!  You may be thinking "isn't this a bit early to start?"  The answer is probably yes.... but I'd rather be done early than scrambling to get it done at the end.  Plus, we've got some grand ideas for the paint / decor.... so it's going to take a while!

We've also most likely decided on a name.  Still going to try to keep it a secret, but it's fun that we likely can start calling Eggo a permanent name when we're home by ourselves!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Mango anyone?!

Well, baby Eggo keeps growing in there!

I'm 19 weeks today - so the fruit / veggie changes today!  Today babycenter.com compares Eggo to a mango!

Your Baby: Week 19

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

I don't really like mango, so I probably won't eat one this week.  On Monday, the ultrasound tech figured he weighed around 9 oz, so he's a bit bigger than this fruit suggests.

He's still got me looking pretty lopsided.  Can't wait to feel those legs and arms kicking and punching me!!!  Should be in the next couple weeks because I've got an anterior placenta.... so he's having to punch / kick through the placenta for me to feel him!

(still so crazy to say / type "him"!!!)

Also, we have some headway on the name game!  Can't share.... but we've got a favorite!

Nursery!

Since I think it's the most fun stuff on our newly formed registry, I figured I'd share pictures of things we'll be using / decorating with in the nursery!

Here's the bedding we picked out:

It's little grasshoppers hopping along the bedding.  We figure we'll mix in frog stuff too.

Since we won't be using the bumper as a bumper, I wanted to make sure I really liked the bedskirt and other stuff for the set.  I think I'll use the bumper to either make a valance or some wall hangings!

Then.... while I was in the bathroom (hey, I did good, only went once while we were at Babies R Us!), Jimmy found this awesome tree:

He was pretty excited to show it to me when I came back, and had already scanned it with the registry gun!  He was right - it's perfect!!!!  The colors are exactly right, and it will look awesome!  It's a decal, and online it gets great reviews for how easy it is to put up and make it look great, etc.

Initial ideas are that we might do the green on the bottom of the room, and blue on the top, then somehow have a border or who knows what between the colors.... Possibly with little jumping grasshoppers and frogs.

Eek!  I can't wait!  I love decorating, and I've been itching to paint!!!

Mr. Eggo!

Yep, that's right, our baby Eggo is a BOY!!!!

We are thrilled!

The ultrasound yesterday went very well.  Our ultrasound tech was very nice, and told us all about what we were seeing, etc. (which is nice when sometimes it just looks like grey blobs!).

Baby Eggo definitely wanted us to be sure he was a boy.  At the beginning of the ultrasound, he was all curled up in a ball (I was thinking "oh no..... please listen to mommy"), but I think the sugar from the orange juice I chugged before kicked in, and he stretched out and started wiggling / kicking all over the place.  He showed off his stuff for us (I told Jimmy if we had been on "team green" I think I would've figured it out), then pointed to it to make sure we saw.

We got to spend around an hour watching our baby on the screen, and seeing all his little baby parts!  The tech figured he was weighing about 9 ounces.  He was measuring at least four days ahead (I laughed 'cause they moved my due date back in the beginning EXACTLY four days).  His head, however, was measuring 1-2 weeks ahead!!!!  Yikes!  Looks like I may have a Koopman family head (the heads on my mom's side of the family are a bit large).  ouch.

Jimmy surprised me by taking the rest of the day off.  We had lunch together (ran into friends at lunch!), and then headed to Babies R Us.  I didn't expect to start a registry THE SAME DAY we found out... but Jimmy was up for it and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity!  We had already pre-looked at some stuff, so we got to look at more.... and picked out a bunch of stuff.  I know we'll keep adding to it.... but it's a solid start.  I'll do another post to show some of the stuff - can't wait to start working on the nursery!

If you're wondering about a name.... keep wondering for another 4.5 ish months!  We're keeping the name a secret.... so he'll be Mr. Eggo to everyone else!  (or baby, or baby boy, or baby Wells, or....)

Finally.... some pictures!

Eggo's profile - too cute!

Baby feet!!!

His left hand (I think it looks like he's hitchhiking)

A cool picture of his spine / head

And of course... the shots that showed us he is a he!

I think he's adorable!!!!  Bug I guess I'm kinda biased....

Don't freak out over.....

.... bubbles that may spill on the floor.

Lesson for the day.

This morning I was playing with the little one I nanny for, and he wanted to play with bubbles again.  He knew where they were, and before I could get up, he was getting them down off the counter.  Of course, I was worried about the bubbles spilling on the floor, so I got up quickly and headed over to catch them. 

Unfortunately I didn't see the jeans on the floor, stepped on them, and soon found my self grasping for a chair, and then hitting the floor - SMACK - on my left hip / side with a flop onto my face / front.  Ouch.  I may have said a bad word (which I promptly told him not to repeat).

I got up, grabbed the bubbles (which hadn't even spilled throughout all of this), then sat down.  Instantly I started crying because my hip hurt and I was freaked out that I had hurt the baby.  I know the #1 rule during pregnancy is DON'T FALL.  I failed.

I called Jimmy, bawling, and then sat a little longer.  I decided this was probably something I am supposed to call the doctor about.  So I did.  They were happy I called, and asked me to come in this afternoon just to check and make sure all seemed okay.

So I took the little one with me to the doctor's office (nice that it was during nap time and he was passed out).  Doc told me to try not to do it again.... hmmm.... okay.  He felt my belly, then listened to the baby's heartbeat on the doppler (a strong 149 or so) for a bit.  He said from what he could tell and the fact I hadn't had any major cramping or anything else bad, baby was fine. 

There were a few good things that came out of the appointment.  My last regular check up was with the nurse, so I hadn't seen Dr. B for six weeks.  We discussed the upcoming ultrasound (things to expect, etc.), my upcoming gestational diabetes screening (in two weeks - boo), and such.  It was nice to check in, and he was happy the ultrasound was Monday so he can see all the measurements and so I can have some more reassurance that the baby is doing just fine and totally oblivious to my klutzy ways.

So... lesson learned.  Just let the bubbles spill on the floor - it's basically soap and water - it will wipe up.
Check.

18 weeks!

Eek!  18 weeks today!  While some days feel really slow.... the time really is just flying by!  Eggo will be here before we know it!  We can't wait to see Eggo at our ultrasound on Monday - and hopefully find out if Eggo is a girl or boy!!! :-)

I woke up this morning feeling massive.  I know I'll only get bigger.... but the way Eggo is laying or something must be different.  I swear when I bend over / lean over it feels like I'm squishing the baby and all of my insides!

Here's a picture from today....

This week, Eggo is supposedly the size of a sweet potato (eeeeeeeew).

Your Baby: Week 18

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Okie doke.... here are the newly transformed rooms... including before and after pictures!

Craft room - before

Craft room is now a baby room!

We'll paint it once we know boy / girl and pick out the decor / bedding, etc.  But we decided it was time to put the furniture together so we wouldn't have huge boxes sitting in our entryway!

Office - before

We have gotten a laptop instead of desktop, and are in the process of trying to sell the desk!

Office is now a craft room - and eventually a playroom

Jimmy was very happy I decided not to re-paint the walls... he was prepared to refuse.

Thanks to Dawn for the awesome picture frames - I love them!

And I LOVE our new rug - but I didn't really get a picture that shows it off very well.  It ties in all the colors, and goes with our style, while also being kid-friendly and fun!

17ish week picture

So I said I'd do a left to right comparison... but the shirt I was wearing last night wasn't the greatest for pictures, and I'm too lazy! :-)  I think Eggo is starting to spread out to the left side, but the right side definitely still pokes out a bit more.  From the right, you can't see the indent where my belly button is any more (directly from the side), from the left you still can.

Here's the 17 week, 4 day picture.  Not the greatest... but I had to at least snap one!

I hadn't tried on "normal" (non preggo) pants for a while... so I tried on a pair of jeans last night.  Definitely throwing all non-preggo, non-stretchy pants into the "after baby gets here" box.  They wouldn't really button.

We worked on the baby room and moving the craft room this weekend - I'll do another post to show the changes!

Indecisive... duh!

Well.... I think I'm finally breaking down and changing my gender prediction.  I'll make it official on here, and on the expectnet poll (that you should all have completed!).  I had originally thought boy... but the last two to three weeks I've been getting this funky girl vibe.  Nothing specific, no gender dreams or anything.... just a feeling.

Originally I didn't think it could be a girl 'cause I had NO morning sickness, and some other reasons, but that's really not THAT great of reasons.  So I'll change my vote.  This shouldn't be a surprise to most who know me 'cause I'm a very indecisive person.... so it's only fitting I changed my vote.  Heck, it would be more fitting if Jimmy and I had played rock paper scissors for my "decision".  Maybe we'll do that for the name..... haha.

We'll see in 10 days!  Hopefully baby will cooperate and open those leggies!

We're excited for this weekend 'cause we're going to work on the first stages of converting the craft room into a baby room.... including most likely putting together the crib and changer / dresser.  Otherwise we'll have huge boxes in our entryway for another who-knows-how-many weeks.

Yay! :-)

oh, ps.  Still lopsided over here.  I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.  I think you should be able to see the difference between my from-the-right side picture and my from-the-left side picture.  Haha.

17 weeks!

Well, I have to say the last couple weeks have flown by.  I can't believe I'm 17 weeks.... and that we'll be seeing our little one in 12 days!

Here's what thebump.com says about the baby this week:

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

I have to challenge their use of an onion as the veggie / fruit of the week.  I mean really, the average onion is nowhere near 5.1 inches in diameter.  Oh well!

My belly is definitely lopsided and for the first time in my life I'm loving something asymmetrical! :-)  Baby is just hanging out on my right side... but that's cool!

Easter weekend fun

Well, we had a great time at home for Easter this past weekend.  We had a busy weekend, but we got to see some friends and lots of family.  We also dyed easter eggs, made rice krispy treat easter eggs, and cooked / ate basically all weekend.

This was the first time we had been back home since we announced we were pregnant - so about 6 weeks or so.  My figure has definitely changed since then.... and it was fun / funny to see everyone's reactions.  My Grandma R. told me I was "definitely blooming".  My Grandma K told me (in a very concerned tone) that "you figure seems to be changing / filling out".  We all laughed.

The annual BS Easter Brunch was Sunday.  It was hilarious because I swear almost every person I said hi to (And there were around 33 of us there!) said hi and immediately did the "elevator eyes" down to the belly and back up.  It made me smile every time.  I thought I'd be more self conscious about it all.... but I think it's just awesome and I figure every glance or belly touch / rub is just others showing their excitement too. :-)

I did get a couple random belly touches.  I was okay with it, since it's definitely hardening so I don't just feel flabby. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!!!

An AWESOME appointment!

Well.... I had my 16ish week doctor's appointment today.  It went GREAT!  Aside from the appointment when we got the ultrasound, I think this was my favorite appointment so far!  Here's why....

My appointment today was with the nurse practicioner instead of my doctor.  Since I don't work on Mondays I try to make appointments on Mondays so I don't have to inconvenience anyone.  Well, Dr. B was going to be out of the office, so they let me schedule it with Nurse R.

Background on Nurse R.: 
Nurse R. was the woman I went to close to a year ago for my annual exam.  At that point Jimmy and I had been trying to get pregnant for 4 or so months, with no success.  I mentioned it to her, and she ordered a full panel of blood tests, etc., to see if they could figure out what was going on.  While on vacation visition Spencer and Andreea in Washington DC, I got the call I expected - from her - saying that I had a couple hormones that were a little wacky and referring me to Dr. B to discuss this....

Flash forward to today:
While Dr. B is an awesome doctor, he is very to-the-point and doesn't ever seem rushed, but just not the kind of guy you sit around and chat with.  Nurse R. is the complete opposite.  When she walked in the exam room, the first thing out of her mouth was "well aren't you just looking too cute!?".  The whole appointment just felt like a lunch with a girlfriend (minus the food, adding in some talk about my uterus and some poking and prodding).

I was all flustered because I was supposed to bring some paperwork for Jimmy's insurance to this appointment, and after printing it this morning and setting it next to my purse on the couch.... I left it at home.  Nurse R. just giggled and asked me if I had it online or electronically - and patiently waited while I looked it up on my email (in the exam room), and printed it out.

We talked about symptoms (or lack thereof), and what to expect in the coming weeks.  She made sure I had the big ultrasound scheduled (TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY!) - and said she was just so excited to find out!

Then, I got on the table and she laughed as I had to hike my full belly pants down (but agreed with me on their comfort).  As she was feeling around on my belly I asked her where my uterus is.  Haha.  Probably sounded dumb, and she giggled again, but then taught me how to feel for it.  She said she can totally feel it and the baby on the right side of my belly, and up as high as my belly button.  She said that commonly your uterus isn't to your belly button until 20 weeks, but since Eggo is just chilling on my right side, it makes sense that it's higher up (and that I've noticed lots of changes over the last couple weeks).

We then got to listen to the heartbeat.  Even though we do this every night (although we hadn't for two nights due to super late bedtimes), it was just so awesome again.  She kept laughing 'cause the baby was definitely wiggling around in there and moving away from the doppler / kicking it.  I swear we spent 5 minutes listening to the heartbeat!

She said it was 152 and sounded perfect!

I seriously just can't gush enough about how wonderful this appointment was!  It was fun, and informative, and just pretty cool.

I also had my first stranger ask me how far along I was.  Granted it was in the waiting area for the valet at the doctor's office (so it's safer to ask a woman you think could be pregnant 'cause there's a high likelihood she is)... but it was cool.  It was a guy with his 1.5 - 2 year old who was waiting for their car.  His wife is 5 months along and they had just found out today that they're having another boy!

Yay for babies!

Well, that's all for now.  Nice work if you made it this far! :-)

16 week photo

Here's the official 16 week photo.  Well, 16 weeks, 3 days.... but I hope that's acceptable! :-)

This was after a day of LOTS of eating... but it's not too far off what the belly actually looks like. 

Grow Eggo Grow!  2 weeks from tomorrow we have the big ultrasound - hoping for open leggies!!!

Also... if you haven't played our game, you should!  The link is to the left of this blog post!