19 weeks

Ms. Bean and I are doing well. She's been kicking and moving around quite a bit lately, although I only feel her when I'm lying still. Brad has felt her move a couple of times now, but it is still a rarity--she has to really kick hard or roll over for him to feel. I've gained 10 pounds so far, and I swear it is mostly boobs. I've grown out of all of my old bras and am having to wear my postpartum/nursing bras these days.

Aiden and I have been reading some books about being a big brother that I checked out of the library. He seems to be settling into the idea that he's going to be a big brother soon, but he asks me very frequently if he's still my special boy. I'm always quick to drop everything I'm doing, give him a cuddle and reassure him that he'll always be my special Aiden. I tell him that no matter what he does or how many little brothers or sisters he may have, he'll still always be My Special Aiden and my first child. That seems to reassure him enough to go back to whatever mischief he's into at that moment!

I've been feeling well. I don't tolerate the heat for long periods of time well, and sun exposure makes me break out into a rash and feel achy and tired, but I feel great otherwise. My belly has really started to grow and now gets in the way when I try to hug Brad. Aiden has yet to notice that my lap is getting crowded and is constantly begging me to carry him, but I have to tell him that he needs to walk--it is really hard for me to walk and carry a 35-pound kid these days and I know its only going to get harder, so he'd better get used to the idea now!

Here's an update on what's going on with The Bean:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom —about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Next week is our big 20-week ultrasound with the high-risk OB. They'll be checking out The Bean in close detail and we should be able to confirm the sex of the baby that day. Hopefully all will go well and baby is still growing on track. I'm also still in the process of getting an appointment with a rheumatologist. They are having trouble finding a doctor in the area that will accept my insurance plan and that is taking new patients. Hopefully I can be seen soon to get some more answers about all of the weird rashes and symptoms.

Be sure to check back next week--I'll post pics and video from the ultrasound as well as a new belly pic so everyone can see how big I'm getting.

17 week update

I had an appointment today with my OB and Ms. Bean is doing great. I'm measuring on track, I've gained 8 pounds, and her heartbeat is strong. My OB is sending me to ANOTHER specialist now, this time a rheumatologist to check out all of these weird sympotoms I've been having. (Rashes, sun sensitivity, achy joints, fatigue, etc.) He wants to rule out some of the more common connective tissue and auto-immune diseases with known pregnancy complications, just to be on the safe side. Brad and I joke that my docs seem to be trying to see how many specialists they can send me to in one year. I'm glad that my doc is taking this all seriously, though, and not writing me off. For now, though, Ms. Bean is doing great, her mommy is doing well, and we're counting the weeks until she arrives.

16 weeks

Here is the latest belly pic. Ms. Bean is 16 weeks along and doing well so far. I've gained 6 pounds so far, which makes me a little behind, but the stomach bug I had set me back 4 pounds.

I've been feeling so much better these days. The nausea is gone, my appetite has returned, and I've gotten much of my energy back. My only complaint--the Texas summer heat! It's hot enough without the extra weight and the roaring metabolism, so being pregnant in the summer in Texas is miserable! And it's only MAY!! Can't wait for the 20 straight days of 100 degree plus weather that are coming in August!

The baby this week:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Maternity shopping

It's official, my belly has popped out and my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit at all anymore. Since Aiden was a winter baby, I don't have a lot of summer pregnancy clothes, which meant a shopping trip for Mommy today! Brad had to work, so Aiden went with me. As you can imagine, he was pretty bored throughout the whole process. And I think the fuss over me being pregnant made him a bit uncomfortable--he threw quite a fit in the dressing room at one point. "Mommy, don't buy clothes for your belly! I like your old clothes. Don't buy new clothes!"

After a cuddle and a talk, he was OK with me trying on some new things, but he was pretty antsy. He kept peering underneath the stall walls, despite my scolds and pleas (luckily the woman next to me was already a mom with a small child, so she wasn't too offended). Then he spotted the maternity pillow hanging on the hook and began playing with it. (For those of you not in the know, maternity shops have dummy pillows for sizing so newly pregnant women can try on maternity clothes before they are showing.) He began swinging it around and kept whacking at the curtain in the doorway. Not wanting to be exposed to the world, I decided to show him a fun way he could use the pillow. We wrapped the Velcro strap around his forehead, attaching the pillow to the back of his head. Then I spun him around so his back was against the wall and presto, my son got to play crash test dummy while I tried on clothing. He thought it was pretty cool that he could whack his head against the wall and feel nothing! He giggled through the rest of my dressing room time.

Now, for those of you without children who are reading this and judging me, all I can say is "Just you wait...." I can almost guarantee you that the moms with kids are either laughing at my desperation or remembering some other crazy, half-hearted distraction attempt they've made to entertain an antsy little one. You'll one day be amazed at how easily you can entertain a kid--and how stupid you'll make yourself look in order to prevent a meltdown in public!!

Little flutters

It is such a magical moment, feeling your baby move for the first time. It's as if the pregnancy finally feels real--it hasn't just been a 4 month stomach bug! I still remember when I first felt Aiden move. I was 17 weeks along, visiting Brad's parents, Scott & Livy, and I'd just woken up from a nap. I was lying still when suddenly I felt a distinctive bump--there was no doubt that it was the baby moving. I lay there for 30 minutes, enjoying the occasional thump in my tummy and marveling at the miracle of it all.

This time around, I got to enjoy the experience much sooner, at 15 weeks. At 14 weeks, I'd felt a few flutters that I thought might be Ms. Bean, but it was hard to be certain. But this week, as I lay in bed one morning after a Braxton-Hicks contraction woke me up, I could distinctly feel the baby moving about. Guess she didn't like the contraction, because she was thumping and bumping away for several minutes. I don't notice her movements very often, usually during a contraction or when I'm very still, but the little flutters and bumps are such a wonderful treat. It gives me hope that all of this is going to work out OK and fills me with excitement and wonder and gratitude for this miracle happening inside me. Now I just look forward to the day when I can share this fun with Brad and Aiden.

14 Week Sonogram

Today was the appointment with the high-risk OB, and although we still don't know what caused the illness in Mommy and how it is going to affect The Bean, we did get some great news. The Bean is growing right on track, is perfectly formed, and is quite active! The Bean jumped around, turned and looked at us and waved, and spent the sonogram kicking and showing off. Brad and I were so relieved to see the baby. With everything going on, our worst fear was that we'd show up for an appointment and there wouldn't be a heartbeat or baby would have severe complications. And although we're not out of the woods, this good news is exactly what I needed to help lift my spirits and get me through this wait.

We even got to learn the sex of The Bean today! Although it is still a little early to be certain, it appears that The Bean is... A GIRL!! Both the doc and the sonogram tech agree. (Mom--no rushing out to stock up on pink just yet--it is still early, so they could be wrong!)

Brad and I are ecstatic! However, we're not quite sure how Aiden is going to take the news. He has been adamant that this is a boy--"That's my brudder in there," he tells everyone. We've decided to hold off on telling Aiden the sex for now--we figure we'll wait a few more weeks until we're certain before bursting his bubble. In the meantime, we'll be trying to wear down his defenses. "You know, it could be a little girl in there..." and the like.

My cousin, Quinn, will be happy to hear that the baby is a girl. Quinn has accurately predicted the sex of 4 or 5 pregnancies now! When we were in Oklahoma for Mother's Day, he touched my belly and nonchalantly announced that it was a girl. Looks like Quinn has a gift! That's one talented kid!

We'll keep you posted as we hear more news. Keep praying that all goes well and that The Bean stays healthy.

12 Week Appointment

Monday marked the twelfth week of pregnancy, which means on Sunday, we'll officially graduate from the first trimester to the second. This appointment was pretty short and sweet. I was weighed and vitals taken. I've actually gained, then lost, 3 pounds since my last appointment, which isn't fantastic, but isn't bad either. The Bean is the perfect parasite--it'll get everything it needs from me first and just leave what's leftover for my body. My blood pressure was great at 100 over 70, so no signs of pre-eclampsia with this pregnancy so far.

We listened to The Bean's heartbeat, strong at 165 beats per minute. The doc and I talked about some strategies for regaining the weight I'd lost with this stomach bug and he recommended a few things to try, like vitamin B6 supplements and Emetrol, for the morning sickness, which is still plaguing me. But the good news is, everything looks great so far.

I'll go back at 16 weeks, in which they'll offer to do prenatal testing and schedule me for my ultrasound. Brad and I will probably decline the prenatal testing, just as we did with Aiden. The test is a simple blood test to screen for an increased likelihood of Downs Syndrome, cardiac abnormalities and neural tube defects, but it has a high incidence of false positives, which means that we'd have to either wait the remainder of the pregnancy worrying or have an amniocentesis, which carries a significant risk of miscarriage, to find out for sure whether baby has any real problems. And since Brad and I would never be able to terminate the pregnancy even if there was a problem, we wonder what would be the point of really knowing? Many people disagree with us on this, I'm sure, and others probably think we're sticking our heads in the sand, but we feel we just have to have faith in God. He won't give us more than we can handle, and no matter what this child brings to the table, we can deal with it with God's love and grace.