24 Week Appointment

The doctor said, "Wow, Susan, You're just doing SO well, there is nothing I have to say to you today!"

Weight Gain this month: +1.5lbs.
Weight Gain to-date: -1lb. (Don't forget I originally lost those 4lbs...)
Fundal Height: 23cm. (On-target with a 24 wk. baby)
Blood Pressure: 114/74
Baby's Heart Rate: 155bpm

Nothing else to report. I had to have my blood taken for the study today and now my arm hurts SOOOO bad. I'm not really that big of a baby when it comes to having blood taken, but WOWIE. It has been about 2 hours and now my whole arm hurts when i open or close my elbow, and I can't really lift anything. OUCH!

The babe kicks day and night. It is unbelievable. Some moms say that the kicks are the most enjoyable part of having a baby... to me, he kicks so much I sometimes find it annoying! I know, I shouldn't say that, but really... can I have like, a few hours of rest? I guess part of my problem is that this feeling is so strange to me that I find it very intrusive. Maybe our baby is just really strong or something. Roger and I can already see the kicks from the outside. It is so crazy.

I'm off to try and track down a new pair of jeans, that are a bit more comfy on my bulging belly.

Christmas Profile

Well, as requested, this is a belly profile picture for you... I can't say it is pretty, because I just feel enormous. Oh well, it's worth it.

Kicks and Punches

I can hardly wait for this little guy to make his debut. Well, for health's sake, I can wait a couple more months...

This baby NEVER stops moving! I'm not joking. He is constantly kicking, punching, tossing, turning, etc. He reminds me of his momma from 11:00pm-8:00am. HA HA HA!

Nothing much new is going on right now. We don't go back to the doctor's for another week... I'm not sleeping very well these days, mostly due to this lovely complication of pregnancy called never-ending-stuffiness. My nose is always stuffed up like a cold, but it isn't a cold--no pain, pressure, green-ness... yah, I know you wanted to know that!

Roger has been getting kicked in the face a lot lately, but I think he enjoys it. We're off to "Babycare Basics for new parents" tonight. I have a feeling it is either going to be just Roger and I... or Us and a bunch of unwed teenagers! Hmmmmm.. Fun times. But hopefully we take away at least a few golden nuggets of information. I signed up for this class more for Roger's sake than for mine, but don't tell him that!

20 Week Ultrasound

no, you can't see the gender on these photos, so stop looking at our baby's crotch! (Tee hee)

It's A......

Do you REALLY want to know??

Ha ha ha ha ha. Today's doctor's appointment was much better than last month. Everything good, nothing bad at all!

Weight: -1.5 pounds. (This is good, it means that I "mommy" am losing weight while baby is gaining...better diet, etc.)
Growth: "perfect"
Baby's Heart Rate: 142
My blood pressure: 126/78

It's A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A little update

I don't really have anything new to say... our next appointment is in 5 days. We're having the ultrasound then too. We've already had the one, but this is THE one. Ha ha ha. Don't be mad, we're going to find out whether it is a boy or a girl. Neither of us can take the suspense. If we have any additional babies, I think we'll let them be surprises.

I've been feeling pokes and tickles regularly for the past few weeks. If I'm really paying attention, I can feel it all the time, but I really feel it when I lay down to go to bed. My sister swiped a stethoscope for us to listen for the heartbeat, but I haven't been able to hear it yet. "They" say that around week 20 you should start being able to hear it with just a stethoscope. I don't remember hearing Isaac until my sister's belly was quite large, though.

My sister bought me a snoogle for my birthday. I haven't used it yet because Roger and I are switching sides of the bed, but I haven't switched yet, and it will be much easier to use on the other side of the bed. :)

I'll post more after our appointment. :)

Today's Update

Dr's Appointment today:

Weight: +2.5 lbs.
Blood Pressure: 118/68
Flu Shot: yes
Growth: "Perfect"
Fetal Heartbeat: 156 bpm

I'm feeling little tickles and wiggles fairly regularly. I wasn't sure that it was what I was feeling until the nurse put the doppler machine on my belly today to hear the heartbeat. She set it directly on the spot I have been feeling the tickles. Confirmed. :)

Shopping Yesterday with Emily (my sister) produced three new growing-belly items:

A new Coat from Target.
New Jeans & Shirt from JC Penney

Whoa baby.

No Real News

Although the books say that any day now I'll feel baby moving around... I think I might have a couple of times already, but it is certainly not regular, and I'm certainly not certain it was baby!

Today's Pregnancy calendar entry says:

Size
Your baby weighs about 2.8 ounces (79 grams) and is about 4 1/2 inches from crown to rump -- roughly the size of a small gerbil.

Development
At any time, you will begin to feel fetal movement as your baby's bones harden, and she starts a big growth spurt. Your baby has plenty of room: At this point, she could fit in the palm of your hand. This is a great time to be a fetus. At any given time, she might be playing with the umbilical cord (which she's now able to grasp), putting her thumb in her mouth, or kicking at the amniotic sac.

So I guess we should stop calling it sesame and start calling it gerbil. Ha ha ha! Just 14 weeks ago, this baby was the size of a sesame seed. Amazing.

That's all for now! Monday 10/23 is our next dr's appointment.

Gurgle

It probably looks funny -- talking to your wife's stomach, that is.

I swear I heard the kid gurgling back though.

Leavin' on a jet plane

Baby's first plane trip will be tomorrow! I was never on an airplane until I was 17 years old! We'll be travelling to Charlotte, North Carolina for Adam Brennan's wedding, which Roger is going to be in. It should be a fun time... Even though I'll probably have to use every bathroom between here and Charlotte. Can you even IMAGINE trying to drive there, though? Thank goodness for frequent flyer miles!

October 3 is the End of the 1st Trimester

I'm posting here now, because my friend Kari asked me to. She lives in Washington (state) now and can't be here for the play-by-play.

Recent developments include:

12 Week Doctor's checkup was on September 27, 2006.

• Blood Pressure: 118/64 (uhh, better than its been for years, it seems...)

• Weight: I'm not telling, but it was a full FOUR pounds less than it was a month ago at the dr's.

• Growth: "Perfect"

• Interesting event: Today, using the doppler machine, the nurse let us hear the baby's heartbeat. HOLY POOP! Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh. 173 beats per minute. Wow. I hope that everyone who wants to have children eventually gets to experience this at some point. It is one of the more miracle-ish things you'll ever hear.

The only photo, to-date, of our baby was taken a month ago, at 9 weeks.

The due date is April 10, 2006.