14-Week Appointment Update

Everything sounds good! Baby's heartbeat was measuring in the 150's. AND we scheduled our anatomy scan! We're getting a level 2 ultrasound for heart reasons, but that isn't going to be until 22 1/2 weeks! So, our Dr. was so sweet and is having us do one at 18 weeks, which is just FOUR weeks from now! Hooray!

From the Bump: "Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth."

I'm just so happy that this is all going so well. It's been a rough year and a half.

Concentration

I am so bad at concentrating lately! I can't seem to focus on anything in particular. I'm blaming the hormones.

So, I was kind of hoping that I would be feeling better by now, but I'm really not. It is always worst right around 4 pm, but today I've been feeling it all day, pretty much. Last night on the way home we had to stop for food because I was feeling like I needed to eat to make the yucky tummy feeling go away. It only helped a little bit.

I'm getting excited for next week and our Dr.'s appointment! After that, Fred will tell his work and I will finish telling my work. I plan on telling my immediate team tomorrow at our meeting. I'll probably do a reassuring heartbeat check with my trusty doppler tonight, though. That thing is fantastic.

Peachy-keen, jelly bean

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Fressy is peach-sized this week! This is so amazing to me, since I can hear his/her heartbeat on the little doppler and it sounds so strong! Fred had a dream last night that Fressy was born, but I kept the gender a secret from everyone. Fred looked at the baby and knew it was a girl! But it was because of her long hair :) He also said that she had a pointy butt-chin, which is actually totally possible.

We're only about 7 weeks away from finding out if Fressy is a Fressica or a Fressico. :) Can't wait!

Heartbeat :)

The doppler finally arrived last night! It didn't make it to my doorstep until 7:00 pm and I was very anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Immediately, I went (with Fred in tow) to try it out! It probably took about 15 minutes, but we found it! There really was no way it could have been anything else. And it made us very happy!

Fred also conceded that my peace of mind was worth more than five bucks.

Twelve Weeks!!!!!!!!

This is such a milestone for us and we're so excited! Baby is the size of either a lime (if you listen to BabyCenter or a plum (according to The Bump). I personally like the plum better.

"As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed."

I'm also still waiting on my doppler, which is expected to arrive tomorrow. I was secretly hoping for earlier, but oh well.

Another question - when to tell? I think that I'll probably start telling next week and Fred said that he's probably going to start telling after our 14-week appointment on the 27th. It will be so fun for it not to be a secret anymore!

Caved in

I've told Fred about it already, so it's not a surprise - I bought a doppler. After looking into how much they would be to rent and how much they are used, I decided that the cost was almost as much or as much as a new one. So I bought one on Wednesday! It's on its way, so I hope it gets here sooner than it's estimated arrival date of Tuesday.

If you're wondering, it's the Hi-Bebe Bt-200.

I am very excited for the peace of mind it's going to give me! Fred was mad that I spent the money, but I think he'll get over it once he gets to hear the little one. I asked him how much peace of mind was worth to him and he told me, "Five bucks." Whatever.

Oh yeah

And Fressy's as big as a lime now!

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

"Everybody's Working for the Weekend"

Why does that song go through my head every week? Especially on Mondays? Not a good sign.

It was fun seeing my mom, brother, Grandma, and Aunts this weekend! We ended up going out to lunch with them on Saturday. They then went shopping and stopped by in the evening so that my mom could try the doppler out on me.

We tried to find Fressy's heartbeat for a good 20 minutes, but couldn't find it. So, we took a break and watched our Costa Rica video. We decided to try one more time and found it pretty quickly! My stomach was acting up, which I think was masking the sound of the hb. It read 169 beats per minute, so that was exciting! It was also a relief to hear it again. I know Fred is against buying a doppler, but I think I might go over his head and rent one - I'm kind of addicted to hearing that little whoosh-whoosh. Sorry Fred!

Ready for the Weekend

But aren't I always? It's been a long week.

Things are going along well. I'm still sick most of the evenings and I lay down at about 7:00 pm and sleep until midnight and then sleep off and on all night. I think because I'm not in as deep of a sleep, I've been having very strange and vivid dreams.

I have about 70 loads of laundry I'm going to attempt to tackle this weekend, so hopefully that goes well. My mom and Grandma and Aunts are all coming down (they're in town visiting my mom) and I think my mom is going to bring down her office's doppler! I can't wait to hear Fressy's little whoosh-whoosh heart beating again!

I also have my 14-week appointment scheduled for April 27. The Fetal Medicine unit at Fairview called to schedule my 20-week ultrasound, but they didn't have the Dr's schedule yet, so I have to wait to get the actual date nailed down. It will most likely be the week of June 8 (which happens to be Little One #2's EDD). I'm super-excited! I'm going to have a level-2 ultrasound because of heart issues in both of our families (non-genetic, but better safe!) and also a fetal echo-cardiogram. And we'll also find out if Fressy is a boy or a girl! I wish it was June already.