The Size of An Onion

The baby is about 5.5 inches from crown to rump and weighs over 5 ounces. He has really started kicking a lot lately. I love that feeling. For some reason it still catches me off guard though. Even sitting here typing this, he kicked the lap top on my belly and it just made me smile instantly.

I have an ob appointment on Thursday. So far I have gained about 3 lbs and my belly has really popped. I am having a really hard time finding maternity pants that actually fit so I have been rockin' the hair band trick. I bought some online and had to send them back and request two sizes smaller in return. I would love to gloat about a size 1 pant being too large for me, but in reality I am no size 1. I don't understand how these stores are sizing their maternity clothes. Never-the-less, I look really large in pictures so I have dreaded taking any. I promise this pregnancy the camera is adding about 15lbs.

these pictures are from Monday.



over 17 weeks now and all is well. I received a call from the perinatologist today. They had the full results back from the amnio. All is perfect. The guys are in Costa Rico right now, but when they get back I will be sure to tell them the wonderful news.

Exhale.

With the tumultuous pregnancy we had last time; I think there was a little more concern this round. Our last ultrasound was done at 6 weeks, confirming heart rate. We opted out of doing the routine nuchal translucency scan (normally done between 11-13 weeks) because I felt it was an unnecessary intervention since the guys were requesting an amniocentesis be preformed regardless. I of course felt like all was well in the womb, but I tend to be a little more relaxed than the guys are about these things. Especially Papa who tends to panic (you know I love you). Needless-to-say the guys were really anxious to see their baby again.

Daddy was able to fly out to Our desert to join Bear and I for an ultrasound and amniocentesis last Monday. Papa tried his hardest to make it, but work was not allowing him to leave. Maybe it was for the best anyways since both he and McQueen ended up with a little cold. The Sunday before our appointment, Daddy came to see our new house. He came bearing gifts for the kids, and even gave us a house warming gift later on(thank you so so much). We all enjoyed some sandwiches from Jimmy Johns and gave our guesses on whether we thought the baby was a boy or girl.

The ultrasound was great. We had a little giggle in the room when Daddy asked the tech, after the baby did a back to side flip, if there was a heartbeat. It was funny, but in all seriousness he was just being a concerned Daddy and the tech was so understanding of our last experience, she made sure to show him the heart rate right away. The baby was gorgeous, as expected and we were so happy to share that moment with Daddy. Before anyone asked, I watched the tech looking at the baby’s bottom and I got a brief glimpse of something I have seen a few other times on an ultrasound. A little something that the tech later confirmed “looked like” boy parts. Of course, the baby was being shy, so she said that she was pretty sure it was a boy, but the amnio results would be 100% accurate.

The amnio was.. well, it was an amnio. I have to say, I did not expect Daddy to stay for the procedure. I know how difficult that was for him and even after I told him it was okay to leave the room, he said no. He mentioned how he had watched me give birth and he decided to stay for this as well. So Bear held my hand while her other hand was on his shoulder. I am so extremely grateful to have such a great support system. Thank you thank you thank you all!

After the amnio, they checked the heart rate again and baby was doing fantastic. My uterus on the other hand was not too happy. It was a little difficult to puncture my membranes so the Dr. had to do a little moving around with the needle and I think this just irritated it more. I ended up having a really long hard contraction afterwards. I laid down for about 10 minutes, to see if it would resolve. The Dr. wasn’t liking how contracted I still was so I ended up getting a shot of terbutaline and sent home to be on bed rest for the night (thank you Bear for spoiling me and taking care of everything). The medicine made me very shaky and my heart raced all night long. If I never have to have that evil stuff again, I will be quite alright.

Waiting for amnio results is a little stressful, especially for the guys. The week dragged on without any word from the Dr. and finally today, we have the results. Normal healthy little boy. I am so happy that the guys can finally breathe a sigh of relief and continue to enjoy an uneventful pregnancy.

Congrats Papa and Daddy, McQueen is going to have a little baby brother soon!