week 33: I need to do some hardcore updating!

I've definitely been a blog slacker for the past couple months. Since the first trimester, everything has been going and growing wonderfully. We are having a baby girl, Penelope Sofia! I've gotten a little crafty and made a mobile and a name banner for over her crib. I'll post those pictures when we actually have a complete nursery! I had maternity photos taken at 28 weeks, here are a couple of my favorite ones.



Since my belly was a little on the smaller side, I'll be meeting up with CK photography in December to take more photos.

I've had to start seeing the high risk OB's twice a week and my delivering OB weekly. Reality is kinda setting in, this little girl will be here soon. Every week at the high risk OBs office, they perform an NST(non-stress test) where they listen to the baby's heartbeat and look for any irregularities. Then they perform an ultrasound to look for fetal movement, breathing, and amniotic fluid measurements. So far, she's been doing great. Next week, they'll do another growth ultrasound so we can see about how much she weighs. From here on out she should gain about 1/2lb a week, so we should be able to estimate how much she'll weigh when she arrives!

week 17:

Nothing too exciting to update on this week. We had an appointment with our regular OB who will be delivering and just listened to the heartbeat. Next week we find out what we're having for sure. I'm starting to get a baby bump, but most of my clothes still fit. My favorite pair of jeans are unbuttonable though and I had to use a bella band for the first time.
We got an amazing deal on a crib, I think that's the most exciting thing to happen yet. My mom had been looking for used cribs on Craigslist when she came across a lady selling her $275 crib voucher for her re-called crib for $150. My mom gave us the $150 for the voucher, I had a 20% off couppon at Babies R Us, and we ended up getting our brand new $350, 5 in 1 convertible crib for $5.35. If only I could find amazing bargains like that for everything else we need!

First Trimester Genetic Screen:

Two days after meeting with my OB, I had an appointment to screen the baby for Down syndrome and othe chromosomal abnormalities. The measure the translucency and width of the fluid behind the baby's neck and check to see that the baby's nasal bone is present. Here's what we saw...

The first picture is the baby from the side, next is the bottom of the baby's foot. The next set are all of the baby's head, paying close attention to the back of the neck and the nasal bone. They said everything looked perfect. They said they didn't see any sign of a penis, so most likely, we're having a girl. They said they have een fooled before, so don't go crazy on the pink. We'll know 100% next month!

week 13:

This week was a busy one! I had my first appointment with my regular OB who will be delivering our baby. They're nice and all, but no where close to as awesome as my reproductive endocrinologist. I met with his nurse, and she was a bit wacky, but just wacky enough for me to like her. We did an ultrasound at the end of the appointment to see how the baby was measuring and everything looked great. The first picture is the top of the baby's head, next is the baby's booty, trying to get a shot of the sex, and last is the baby's heart, beating about 152 bpm. In the next set of pictures, the top is the baby from the back so you can see the spine, next is the profile of the baby, and last is the baby facing you. My Dr said it was too early to tell what we were having, but maybe by next month we'll know for sure.

week 10:

This was my last visit with the reproductive endocrinologist - graduation day. It was kinda sad, I really liked the staff there and my doctor was an awesome Yankee fan.
In 2 weeks, I get to meet my regular OB (he's a ginger) and his nurse practitioner. So, the baby is 4cm big now and had all it's fingers and toes. You can actually see the jaw and teeth are developing, it kinda looks like Jaws from the James Bond movies. The doctor couldn't tell the baby's sex yet, but he was pretty sure it was gonna be a Yankee fan. Two days after my appointment with the OB, I'm getting my 1st trimester genetic screen done, so we may be able to find out then. I'm kinda hoping it's a boy, because we're having trouble compromising on a girl name.

week 9:

Now it really looks like a baby! It kinda waved at me during the ultrasound and it moved around alot. It's just a little over an inch now (with a huge noggin')and it's heart was beating 170bpm. Apparently there is an old wives tale that if the baby's heart rate is above 140, it's a girl and below 140 is a boy. However, low levels of nausea are a sign that it's a boy, so these wives tales aren't helping me out!
I graduate from my reproductive endocrinologist next week and then I have to wait 3 whole weeks before I get to see my regular OB. I'm waiting for my 1st trimester genetic screen to be scheduled somewhere between 11-13 weeks. I have gained 2 pounds already, but it's more likely from adding back some of the carbs I wasn't eating before. It kinda makes me sad that I worked so hard to lose 12 pounds and now I'm gonna gain it all back in no time. It's for a good cause I guess! ;) If anything it's giving me motivation to work hard and lose again after our baby is born!

week 8:

We grew arms and legs this week! the head is to the left, the arms are pretty easy to make out, then the rest of the body. It's legs are kinda tucked in like a frog. It is actually starting to look like a baby now, or more like a peanut with arms! We actually got to see it move it's legs a little bit and we were able to see the spine. Baby's heart is still beating fast at 165 bpm and growing perfectly at 1.63cm. I have still been lucky enough not to experience any morning sickness, I'm just thirsty and tired.
I only have 2 more visits with the reproductive endocrinologists office before I switch to my regular OB, and then my ultrasounds will be less frequent. However, I will get a first trimester screen done to check for the presence or risk of chromasomal conditions between 10-13 weeks. I was told by the nurse that they can often determine the sex of the baby when that screen is performed. I'm not really sure which one I want, but I'm kinda leaning towards a boy. We'll see soon enough!