On Gender...

Next week is the **big** ultrasound, in which Marc will find out the baby's gender. I'm thinking of calling the doctor's office and having the baby be too difficult to see the goods!!

Anyway, some junk on the internet:
Chinese Gender Predictors... well, these give me varying results.
1 vote for boy
1 vote for girl

The Old Wives' Tale Gender Predictor (http://www.babygenderprediction.com/old-wives-tales/index.phtml) says 53% chance of girl... although I needed to guess on a few of them, since I'm neither being kicked in the ribs nor the stomach...

This picture seems to be a closer shot than the others, but the point still gets across. I think it's about time to retire the green nonmaternity shirt, and I apologize for the undone pants (they're kinda bulky in front).

The case of the disappearing belly button...

I noticed several weeks ago that my belly button looked strange. It was obviously stretching out and much larger than before, but it was clearly still an "innie." Yesterday, I noticed that the inside of my innie was moving outtie. This is so strange! I knew it would happen, but it's surreal to see it happen practically overnight.

What was I saying again????

Wow. I'm typically pretty darn forgetful. But something has happened in the past week, and I'm not sure if I can blame this pregnancy or not. I have forgotten what I was saying in the middle of a word, left my house without something I needed, tried to do a task and realized I had done it completely wrong, and now I might have messed up my side job!!

Belly shots for this week are coming soon... and boy, there sure is a belly!

Do I **look** pregnant?

I know I look pregnant to those who KNOW I'm pregnant... this weekend, I was told that there's "no hiding" that I'm pregnant... But can strangers tell, or do I just look like I have a beer belly? I am definitely having standing problems--I am having a lot of pain in my lower back, surely because I'm not standing properly. I spoke with my chiro, who 'taught' me how to stand, but that felt terribly unnatural and is taking a long time to adjust.

At 18 weeks,
"Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound."

17 week heartbeat

Hopefully, this link will work. This is the video of the heartbeat... please ignore me looking stupid. It will be paused for a second, but just wait and it should start.... let me know if it doesn't work and I'll try again!! The strange thunking noise you hear is the baby moving around in there!

http://www.4shared.com/file/10477321/6e41c819/100_3656.html?

16 week appointment

We had our 16 week appointment today. The doctor spoke with us about a blood test for spina bifida and gave us the bebe's heartrate--between 141-152 bpm... down a bit from the last appointment. Marc says this just confirms that HE is a boy. I still think girl, but I guess July will tell...

We took some audio of the heartbeat, which I will hopefully be able to post on here. The camera is currently in the car, so it will wait for another day.

I feel as though I grew overnight, and that my belly is sticking out further now. Maybe I'll get a new picture of that too when I upload the video of the heartbeat. Nothing that any stranger can probably notice, but I"m definitely visibly "showing" to those who know I am pregnant.

168 days to go...

Week 16 starts today. According to the emails I get, "At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado." Mmmm, I think I want some guacamole.

I had my first REAL couldn't avoid it craving on Thursday. It was about 7am, and I wanted a taco like nobody's business. Specifically, I wanted a crunchy shell and cheddar... I figured a taco would be the only thing to satisfy. You should have seen me, counting the seconds until Taco Bell opened! It was quite possibly the most delicious thing I ate all week.

I think I'm starting to feel the famous "fluttering," but I'm still not totally sure I'm not just forcing it to be there. Whatever it is I'm feeling, it feels an awful lot like the way they describe this early movement. I guess I won't know for sure until I see it on an ultrasound.

First post! Almost 16 weeks

Ok, so here we are, about to be 16 weeks along. This week, we have an appointment (Feb 8). It's so exciting! People at work keep telling me that I'm "in trouble," referring to the size of my belly and boobs already. Yikes!

So this was the best way I could think of to keep those near and dear updated on how I look, without sending a million emails with picture attachments (I'm trying not to be annoying as a first timer, plus Mom and Dad have dial up while in FL).

So far, I have pictures of the ultrasound at 12 weeks, Marc and I in Key West at 13 weeks, and me at 15 weeks. More to come!