Pimp GB's Nursery...

Thanks to everyone who helped paint GB's nursery this weekend - it looks AWESOME!! Here are some pictures from the day:

23 week belly pic:

(Please ignore pregnant-fat-face/arms/butt...)

Full-Frontal Belly pic:

Pre-paint:

Pre-Paint and Kennedy:

Pre-Paint and Ginger:

Painting!

GUMMYBEAR'S NEW ROOM!!!!

The End :)

23 Week update

From Pregnancy.com:
If your baby were born this week there is a small chance your baby would survive, however it is best that your baby stay put for a number of weeks! Many women start to wonder what might happen if their baby is born prematurely. A baby born between 23 and 24 weeks would have a 10 to 70 percent chance of survival. It truly depends on a number of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Every day your baby stays in the womb increases their survival rate approximately 3 percent during weeks 23 and 26.
Generally after 26 weeks the survival rate jumps to 80-90%.

How far along? 23weeks and 1 day!
Total weight gain/loss: 11 lbs gained (17 total, if I include the 6 I lost and made up due to morning sickness)
Maternity clothes? I heart my bump!
Sleep: Having a hard time staying asleep :(
Best moment this week: Being told GB is doing just great!
Movement: She has quiet days and not-so-quiet days. She usually hiccups for a while right after lunch!
Food cravings: Chocolate milk (still) and peanut butter with bananas. Salt and Vinegar chips (which I never ate before pregnancy!)
Gender: Sugar and spice and everything nice!
Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks contractions
Belly Button in or out? In - but it pops out if I cough or sneeze!
What I miss: jogging :( I still go for walks with Ginger, but it's really too hot to stay out longer than about 30 minutes - and no running for me
What I am looking forward to: Painting GB's room tomorrow and setting up her crib!!

My 1lb, 2oz Drama Queen

We had our follow-up appointment with the MFM specialist yesterday and Matt was able to come! Overall it was a pretty good appointment and ultrasound! This is what we learned:

1. GB is still a girl!! As soon as the tech turned on the ultrasound machine, GB gave us a clear money shot - not shy at all! Good thing she's still a girl, because we JUST bought her nursery paint!

2. She is anatomically perfect - still no sign of spina bifida or any other neural tube defects the AFP reading said she might have. They looked for a long time at her heart to make sure all the valves are working right (they are!) and her kidneys.

3. She is growing RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!! This is a big one. She measured a perfect 22 weeks, 4 days throughout the scan and now weighs 1lb 2oz!

And here's the not-so-great-but-not-so-horrible news:

4. GB's umbilical cord has an abnormality. Instead of having 3 vessels (2 to bring blood in, 1 to bring waste out), she only has 2. This is called SUA - Single Umbilical Artery Compication. There are MANY babies that are born healthy with SUA, although it CAN be a sign that there are malformations in the heart and kidneys. However, since none of those malformations showed up on the ultrasound, the specialist thinks GB will be born just fine.

Sometimes, however, in the 3rd trimester the SUA can't keep up with the baby's needs and the baby starts to slow down in growth (called IUGR -Interuterine growth restriction) and then the doctors have to watch carefully to maximize the baby's time in the womb, but not let it stay too long without what it needs. Soooo, all this just means (drumroll please!)... MORE ULTRASOUNDS! I have another specialist appointment in late July, then I start going in weekly until GB is born.

So right now everything looks great and we're just continuing to pray that she keeps growing and spends her FULL amount of time in her safe little home.

In other news, I finally chose the colors for the nursery and registered for our bedding set!

Here is a picture of the Ladybug Paisley blanket:

And here's the bedding that goes with it:

We're painting the nursery this weekend, so hopefully I will have some before and after pics posted soon!

!!!

Either GB is taking a high intensity kickboxing class or she has EXTREMELY strong hiccups. I am watching my belly MOVE!!!

Belly Pics!

Pre-baby

16 Weeks:

21 weeks:

At this rate I'm going to be a hippopotamus by 40 weeks...Grow, baby, grow!

21 Week update!

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

How far along? 21 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: Who knows? I ate sooo much this weekend on our vacation!
Maternity clothes? I may never wear regular pants again! Maternity pants are so comfy.
Sleep: Matt and I both slept really well on vacation this weekend. I'm waking up about 2 or 3 times to go to the bathroom
Best moment this week: Matt felt GB move! TWICE!!!
Movement: The kicks are getting harder and I can tell what her sleep pattern is. For example, she's asleep right now. She LOVES mealtime and is quite a night owl! I wish she hadn't found my bladder, though. She seems to think it's her personal punching bag!
Food cravings: Chocolate milk, Nutter butters, fruit
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: I woke up Friday night with the worst cramps and thought I was going into labor! I panicked, but soon realized it was just gas :/
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Having a glass of wine at the Melting Pot this weekend; being able to walk 5 blocks without having to sit down in downtown Atl.
What I am looking forward to: Specialist appointment on June 22nd; also starting my registry at Babies R Us!

Cantaloupe...at least not 'till she's 30!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

How far along? 20 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yup.
Sleep: Sleeping more now that school is out. Still getting up about every 2 hours to pee.
Best moment this week: Getting kicked so hard during a movie that it SCARED me and I jumped!
Movement: Yes! The kicks are getting harder! Matt still has not been able to feel them yet, though. When I put my hand on my belly, she suddenly gets performance anxiety and stops.
Food cravings: Chocolate milk and nachos (but not together)
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Cramps in the morning the midwife says are braxton hicks and growing pains. They always stop within a few minutes and she said not to worry about them.
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Most of my cute summery clothes; being able to climb out of a restaurant booth without help
What I am looking forward to: Matt and I are going on vacation this weekend to a 4.5 star hotel in Atlanta! Can't wait!!

The Not-so-big Ultrasound

So I've had my BIG 20 week ultrasound scheduled now for about 6 weeks. This is the ultrasound where they measure all the parts of anatomy, look at the brain and heart, and tell you the sex. I was really looking forward to this ultrasound because it would be my first "normal situation" view of my baby. Does that make sense? Every time I've had an ultrasound, it's been all doom and gloom - for unknown bleeding, or a prolapsed ute, or cervix issues, or possible neural tube defects. This ultrasound was supposed to be the one where I get to oooh and awww and just enjoy watching her hopping around, without asking all the scary questions. On top of that, this was the only ultrasound Matt could get off of work for - so we've been looking forward to this for a LONG time!!

On Friday, 3 hours before my appointment, my midwife called to let me know that they had cancelled my ultrasound because they had all the measurments from the specialist appointment 4 weeks ago and did not see a need for the big ultrasound now. Talk about disappointed!

I know I've had several more ultrasounds than the average pregnant woman, but STILL! I just wanted the experience of laying there, holding my husband's hand, and watching our baby together - without an incredible fear of what they'll find.

Now, because of my rather "interesting" issues this pregnancy, I have been seeing the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) specialist since 12 weeks. Originally, they had me come back in for a follow-up to re-measure my cervix, but it turned out that they needed to do a more in-depth ultrasound at that appointment 4 weeks ago due to some abnormal test results. So they measured all the body parts. Problem is, they did not TELL me this would count as my BIG ultrasound. I was all alone, crying while watching the screen as they poured over the spine and skull- praying they wouldn't find a problem.

And now I've found out that THAT counts as my big ultrasound. Blah :(

Okay, I'm going to get over it and stop complaining. I have another appointment with the MFM on June 22nd - mostly to look back over the spine and heart and make sure that nothing was missed. Matt is trying his hardest to be at that appointment, and I just KNOW we'll get good news.

Seriously, it's not like I have had a lack of ultrasounds. And starting at 28 weeks I will have one every week to make sure GB is still growing on track - so I understand I have no business to complain. I guess it's more-so the fact that I had really anticipated this appointment for weeks - the 20 week big ultrasound is like the pregnant woman's mile-marker; it confirms that you're half-way to holding your baby.

I was still scheduled to go in and have my midwife appointment, so I went and did the usual things: pee in a cup (I've become so much better at this than I used to be!), weight (I've gained 12 lbs total - not bad for halfway through!), blood pressure (120/80 - YAY!), and listen to the heartbeat on doppler. Then scheduled my next "check-up" with the midwife for July 6th.

In other news, Matt and I have decided to finally bite the bullet and buy a new car! It is always questionable as to whether his Volvo will crank in the morning, and we're tired of having to put money into repairing it, just so that it can develop another problem a week later. Right now we're looking at a Kia Sportage, a Scion,, or a Fit. At first we were looking at used cars, but now we're finding some really good new car deals, so we have a lot of thinking to do!

Now off to find Matt so he can help me post some pictures....

Dance Party in my Tummy...

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

How far along? 19 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure - haven't been checking

Maternity clothes?Yup.

Sleep: Having a hard time this week, and I'm feeling bad for keeping Matt up when he has to get up so early for work

Best moment this week: Feeling GB move on the OUTSIDE!

Movement: Oh yes! Ever since this weekend she's been a wiggle-worm! I can feel little flutters pretty much throughout the day, but I'm also getting some little "thump" kicks below my belly-button. She's especially active during beakfast and lunch. Also during movies:)

Food cravings: Chocolate milk

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but starting to become shallower. Matt says I should be glad becauser it will make it easier to clean. ???

What I miss: Cynthia's end of the year hard strawberry lemonade. I don't mind giving up alcohol for 9 months, but did EVERYONE at the department party have to rant and rave about that drink?!

What I am looking forward to: Our BIG u/s with the OB this Friday!! Matt is leaving work early to be there, then we are going to register this weekend!