Wednesday, August 31, 2011

14 Weeks- HELLLOOOOOO 2nd Trimester!


Finally we have made it to week 14 and now we are officially in the second trimester. Now is supposedly the "honeymoon" period of pregnancy. I'm hoping things start moving faster now. I still have several weeks to go before any of the fun stuff starts though. Baby is possibly growing some hair on top of his or her head, and their toes and fingers are curling and grasping! The baby also apparently doesn't particularly care for its mommy poking and prodding it with a doppler probe since every time we listen to the heartbeat it runs away and we start playing the "chase the baby" game, which honestly I find hilarious. As for me I'm still feeling "fluffy" and for the most part totally normal. We will be finding out what the gender is in only 9 days! I am so excited for next week I can barely contain myself. This will be the first time we get to see the little monster looking more like a baby and less like an alien blob. There will of course be plenty of pictures and video for that update!
Here is the obligatory belly picture. The "real" baby bump is lower down where my left hand is. We can feel the tough and firmer uterus where baby is hanging out.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Lucky Week 13


Well we have arrived at lucky week 13. Baby is the size of a peach now, and its tiny fingers now have their own unique fingerprints. Now the body is working hard to grow and catch up to the head, which makes up about a third of the baby's size at the moment. His or her motor skills are starting to kick in, baby can move and flex its arms and legs. Little baby Stutler is growing fast!

As for me, I'm feeling better after a few episodes of involuntary breakfast expulsion last week. Of course now that I say this the breakfast I am currently eating may decide to revisit soon. I am eating more than I ever have in my life, but apparently baby is taking all the food since I have only lost weight rather than gained it. For the first time in my life I'm irritated that I can't gain weight...go figure. We are getting super excited to go to Vegas and find out whether or not we are going to have a boy or girl, only 16 days left to go!
I have started school again and thankfully I only have one pretty easy class to deal with. I will be finding out if I was accepted into the nursing program by Thanksgiving and I'm not sure which answer I want to hear. I applied before knowing I was pregnant, yes this was planned but it's a long story for another day, and honestly if I knew then...I would have waited another semester to apply. The main reason being the classes start in January and end in May...you can do the math.
I'm getting really excited for things to really start going, now that we are starting to make our way to the 2nd trimester. I'm excited to look pregnant and not just fat, I'm excited to feel some real kicks, I'm excited for Kenny to be able to feel kicks, I'm excited to go to Disneyland so someday I can say "see you went to Disneyland even before you were born!" and then my son or daughter will roll their eyes and say "yeah...mom is weird". It's really odd how time seems to go by so fast for my pregnant friends and yet it seems to slow down for me. I can only hope that time gets a move on and I can get to the good stuff soon.

That's all for this week, so until next Wednesday~Buh-Bye~

Almost forgot the bump picture this week, a lot of the bloat has gone down and I can feel my uterus about 3in. from my bellybutton!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Trimester Limbo-12 weeks!



We've made it to the magical milestone of 12 weeks! I can breathe a sigh of relief now since the risk of miscarriage has now gone down dramatically. 12 weeks also marks the start of what I am calling "trimester limbo". It seems everybody has their own opinion on when the first trimester ends and the second begins. Even my doctor said somewhere between 12 and 14 weeks. So, for the sake of my sanity we are going to say 13 weeks is the end of the first trimester and week 14 starts off the second. So there.

So, what's up with baby these days? Munchkin is the size of a large plum now, and looking very human! Remember those tiny fingernail beds that were forming last time? Now there are adorable tiny fingernails formed on perfect, tiny fingers. Those fingers will start to open and close this week, those cute toes will also start curling and flexing. Kiddo's brain is getting a work out this week as reflexes begin to develop and synapses are rapidly forming. Seems like some of my brain cells have been "borrowed" for this purpose...which may explain why I need post it notes to remember my pants everyday. Baby is moving around much more now, and reacts to being prodded-particularly with a doppler probe. Baby also apparently thinks mommy's tailbone is a wonderful resting spot on some days, which can cause me to yelp every time I have to sit down or get up.

So, what's up with mom these days? I'm feeling good, no more sick feeling although I'd still appreciate all barbecue/beef being banned from my immediate sniffing range. I am very tired though, and impromptu naps are not unheard of. Although I guess when you are busy building new brain synapses not much energy is left over. Overall things are going great. I still don't "feel" pregnant yet, just more like I'm fighting off a cold or something. I am so excited to get to the "fun" parts like feeling the baby move and getting a real bump (not just bloat and pudge). We are getting super excited for the gender scan coming up in September, only 23 days away!! and speaking of countdowns there are only 196 days left until our due date! Seems like February will never get here but I know it will be before I know it. We have a lot of things going on in the next few months, a trip to Disneyland in October and what is sure to be a fantastic Christmas.

Well that's all for this week's update, we will see you next Wednesday!

Monday, August 15, 2011

For Kicks and Giggles...



So there is a great debate within the family all about one question...Boy or Girl? We will be putting together a betting pool eventually. In reality I don't particularly care if it's a boy or girl as long as they are healthy but I will admit if I had the choice I would like to have a boy first but God's got the final decision on this one and whatever He gives us we will be overjoyed nonetheless. We will find out (hopefully) on September 9th but until then, we are in the dark. Apparently they can now do some crazy blood test and tell you at only 7 weeks but we don't exactly have a spare $200 lying around to do said test. So just for kicks and giggles I thought I would see what some of the old wives tales have to say about the matter. So here are the results on some of the most famous of old wives tales.

#1. Heart Rate- Over 140bpm = Girl and under 140bpm = Boy
Well, the first scan showed a heart rate of 139bpm at 7wks. Around 9-10wks the heart rate was hovering at about 156bpm and last night it was a strong and fast 168bpm. So The verdict on this one is: Girl

#2. Ring Test- Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly. You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle.
My wedding ring moved back and forth over my belly...so Girl again.

#3. Acne- If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.
Considering I look like a teenage boy going through puberty in the worst way...Girl again.

#4. Cravings- People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.
I've probably consumed at least 3-4 pieces of fruit a day since getting knocked up and I am loving the sweets BUT I also like some salty foods...like the classic pickles. I'm calling this one girl since my fruit cravings often over power the salty ones.

#5. Left Eye Test (this one is WEIRD)- The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl. I have a “V”, so one more point for a girl.
After staring at my own eyeball for about 5 minutes...I'm pretty sure it's a "V". So Girl.

#6. Bread? If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the load, it’s a girl.
Who actually eats the ends anyways? If this one is true I'm doomed to all girls...ridiculous. I'm not even calling this one.

#7. The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.
It predicts a girl for us...sheesh so far everything is saying Girl!

#8. Mom's Beauty- Basically you are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, you might just be having a little boy.
Considering the amount of acne I'm dealing with and the exhaustion...I'm not looking my best. Calling this one Girl too.

#9. Klutz!-If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy.
I'm far from graceful, in fact if I can stay standing on my own two feet for longer than 10 minutes that's impressive. So, finally, BOY!

#10. Headaches- If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.
Absolutely getting more headaches than ever before, and it's not related to my lack of caffeine intake. So...BOY!

The grand total? 8 Girl and 2 Boy...hmmmm....
They say mom's intuition is usually right and mine is telling me, as much as I would like my little boy...it's a girl.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

From We to Three - 11 Weeks

We are 11 weeks pregnant today! Baby is about the size of a lime, and although I will never win any awards for citrus fruit carving...there is a picture of a lime with two hearts, one inside the other just like I have two hearts-one inside the other. Somewhere around 2 inches long, baby is growing up fast. Hair follicles are forming, and so are teeny tiny fingernail beds. Baby has a few new moves like stretching, somersaulting and forward rolls! Baby is doing good and growing swiftly, I can't wait to meet him or her and kiss those tiny fingers and toes. I've been feeling pretty good for being near the end of my first trimester. The fatigue has caught up to me, I take 3 hour naps now and go to bed earlier than I have since I actually had a bedtime. I am most shocked at how I no longer have a single pair of shorts that will button, even the "fat" shorts won't close. If you haven't seen me lately, I definitely have that preggo look to me, although I have not gained a single pound yet! Here is the bump picture for this week:


Everything I have experienced and will experience is all worth it to have such an amazing event go on inside of me, I am so excited to find out even more about this tiny life within me. I can't even imagine what this little life will look like and grow into. I daydream about different features they may have. I wonder if they will have my big Flintstone feet, or Kenny's perfect smile, my thick hair or the legendary Stutler height. I wonder if he, or she, will inherit her daddy's gift for music or my love for animals, well the kid will love Disney at the very least! I spend a good portion of my day thinking about those things, and I always come to the same conclusion...he or she will be amazing, after all we are all made in God's image so how could our special baby not be utterly fantastic.

I've been amazingly non-obsessive with the doppler, shocker I know. I will admit I was starting to get worried when I couldn't find a heartbeat since the one time at 9 weeks and 4 days but this morning I decided..why not. Within 4 seconds I found the little filly or colt galloping away! I got to hear that sound for a full 30-40 seconds! I actually let out a sigh of relief, then a squeal of delight. I managed a pretty good recording this time, the beats per minute is somewhere in the neighborhood of 156. I can't tell you how much I love that sound! Sometimes it is easy to forget that I have a life in there, but as soon as I hear that clip clop...it's like the world all comes into focus for me. I feel so connected to the tiny human nestled in the safe haven my body has created for it. Here is the heartbeat for your listening pleasure!


So, it's been a long post today but wow has it been a good day! That's all for now, we will see you in another week. We have an appointment on Monday and I am hoping the Dr. will do another scan so we can really see a baby in there moving around!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

10 Weeks-Double Digits


Well, we made it to double digits and only a few more weeks in the first trimester to go! The little munchkin is about an inch and a half long now and his/her organs are formed and beginning to function. So far this past week I have few to no symptoms, which is nice but I still don't feel pregnant, alas I doubt I will until I start feeling those kicks! As you can see from the picture this week, I've got quite a bloaty belly going on. It's frustrating when it looks right but you know it's just pudgy-ness. We watched the National Geographic special "In the Womb" last night and it was so amazing to see all the drastic changes that have taken place so far. In just 10 weeks (technically 8) our baby has gone from a single cell smaller than the period at the end of this sentence to a tiny baby with fingers, toes and a little beating heart. He, or she, still has a lot of growing to do though. Everybody asks us if we are going to find out the gender, and the answer is of course we are. If you know me, you know how impatient I can be so we will be finding out on September 9th. That's only 37 days away! I'm so excited to find out whether or not we are going to have a Roxas or an Ellie. To be honest we both want a boy first but of course as long as it's healthy we really don't care. Heck the kid could have a third eye and an extra foot and I probably wouldn't care as long as it was mine. That's all I've got for now, I'll update again in a week.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Success!


We have had our fetal doppler for about a week and at 9wks we couldn't find the heartbeat, although I wasn't worried since it's still incredibly uncommon to find it so early, I was anxious to hear the best sound in the world one more time! Last night I decided that maybe little one may cooperate this time and amazingly I was right. It took a bit of work but we finally found the little munchkin hanging out, although apparently we were bugging him/her since after about 10 seconds the beating disappeared. We managed to record the sound on our phones but the quality isn't very good, you can still hear the little galloping sound though. Our doppler is not digital so we have to manually calculate BPM and from the recordings it sounds like about 144 to me, give or take a beat or two.