Like Watching the Star Wars Trilogy, But Better

Dear Baby,
Your daddy and I FINALLY got around to scanning your ultrasound pictures and taking a few pictures of our own. I know your mama and daddy's friends and family have been waiting with baited breath to see these, so without further ado, the photos (you can click on the photos to see them bigger):

First ever ultrasound photo (you were only 6 weeks old!):














Your backside at 8 weeks (you were already camera shy and wouldn't turn around). Look how much bigger you were in just 2 weeks!:














Your 12 week ultrasound (you're already starting to look like a baby!):














This is what your mama looks like right now, at 17 weeks (don't laugh at the fat, baby, mama's been eating really well for you! And by the way, that big ole poochy belly isn't part of the fat- that's all you in there!):


















Here is the first thing your mama and daddy got that was baby-related. It was a present from your Aunt Marie and Uncle David! We laughed so hard when we opened this, and can't wait to start wearing it when the weather gets warmer :). :

















And last but not least, here's the first gift that we got for you specifically. These are booties that were hand knit for you by your very talented cousin Katie. She was very smart to knit them in green, since we don't know yet if you're a girl or a boy. Your mama cried when she opened the package, because it was such a touching and special gift. We can't wait for you to wear these! :

















I'm sure someday you'll look at these pictures and think that your mama and daddy are total dorks for posting all of these, and you know, you're right. :)

Love,
Mama and Daddy

The Evolution of Sasquatch.

Dear Baby,
I thought I knew alot about what to expect during pregnancy. You know, because your bibliophile mama here has only read about 248 books on the subject. But now that I'm talking to other pregnant moms all the time, there are some REALLY weird things that I'm learning about that pregnancy books JUST.DON'T.TELL.YOU.

I woke up the other day and realized that I am devolving (i.e., the opposite of evolving as a homo sapien). I am sprouting hair, very FAST growing hair mind you, in very. odd. places. Soon, small children will run away in horror as they see me coming. And their parents will reassure them, saying, "Don't worry honey, it's just a Yeti."
Love,
Mama

I Have An Avocado.

Dear baby,
I am continuously amazed at how much you are growing, and how many things your tiny body is already doing! Right now, you're approximately 4 1/2 inches long and weigh almost 4 ounces (about the size of an avocado)! Your tiny heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!!!! And your digestive system and urinary tract are starting to work all on their own. In fact, you've been swallowing amniotic fluid for almost a week now, so that you can practice swallowing for later. Your eyes are starting to move around, even though your eyelids will be closed for a while, and you're even starting to grow fingernails and toenails! And you can make funny faces with your mouth and nose too! You're even starting to grow hair on your head! You probably look something like this:











(image found at parenting.ivillage.com)

Most of all, you're starting to look like a real baby now, with your eyes and ears in all the right places and your little arms and legs and fingers and toes all recognizable. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I will be able to feel you moving around inside my tummy! I can't WAIT!
Love,
Mama

Cravings are so overrated. Kinda.

Dear Baby,
For the majority of the first trimester, I was nauseous and puking, having to go to the hospital for IV fluids on more than one occasion because I couldn't even keep WATER down. Now that I'm in the second trimester and the nausea is SO much better, I am actually eating. Yay! But... I'm starting to get those infamous pregnant-lady cravings for the strangest things. And once I satisfy the craving, it goes away completely. What's with that, baby? What's with this bizarre food affinity you've got going on here? Are you going to be one of those really picky babies that only eats beets for a week at a time?

Pregnancy is so weird.

Here is a brief list of things I have craved thus far:

1.) Fried chicken with ketchup.
2.) Marinated artichokes. Like, 3 pounds at one sitting.
3.) Fried shrimp.
4.) Taco Bell.
5.) Mc Donalds' Sausage McMuffins.
6.) Chips and salsa.
7.) Barbeque potato chips.
8.) Quesadillas with sour cream.
9.) Rocky Road ice cream.
10.) Chipotle burritos.
11.) Indian food.
12.) Girl scout cookies.
13.) Guacamole.

I am obviously totally adhering to my healthy, "organic", mostly vegetarian, baby diet.

(Don't worry though, baby, I'm still drinking my milk in the morning so at least you get your calcium.)

Love,
Mama

It's Been A While... More Updates Soon!

Dear baby,
I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this blog! So much has happenned in the last two months, I have no idea how to even start recording it. I will write a lengthy update in the next couple of days, with lots of fun pictures and stories, but for now, I couldn't help posting something SUPER cool.

Your daddy and I rented a fetal doppler, that we can use to hear your heartbeat whenever we want! Because we only see the ob/gyn once a month right now, we thought it would be fun (and reassuring too) to have the ability to check in on you every now and then to make sure that your heart is beating strong inside of my tummy. Well, today we got the doppler in the mail, and we made our first recording!

Click here to hear your heartbeat!

Right now, your heartbeat is about 120 beats per minute (woah!) and your little heart is pumping a few QUARTS of blood every single day. Can you imagine? Your little heart, which is about the size of a pinto bean, already so active. It's amazing to think about! Keep up the good work! Mommy and daddy will post sounds of your heartbeat every now and then, just because we think it's so neat to hear.

In the meantime, you should know that you are growing so fast, and mommy had to go buy maternity clothes for the first time this weekend! It's so weird to have pants with no zippers or buttons on them- just elastic so that they stretch as my tummy grows. It kind of feels like I'm back in preschool with my elastic band pants! I'll post pictures of the clothes I bought soon so that our friends and family can laugh at how silly they look. But wow, are they comfortable!!!!

Stay tuned for a REALLY long update before the end of the week!
Love,
Mama

Ultrasound #2 and The Joy of Pregnancy Symptoms

Dear baby,
A couple of days ago, I went to the doctor for a second ultrasound, just to make sure that you're growing the way you're supposed to. I expected to maybe see a little embryo, about the size of a piece of rice, since that's what everything I've read says you probably looked like.

So imagine my surprise when I had the ultrasound, and you were about the size of a jelly bean, which means that in just one week, you have grown a LOT! AND!!!! AND!!!!! The most exciting thing of all???? I COULD SEE YOUR LITTLE HEART BEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!! I almost cried, because all of a sudden, being pregnant became so much more real, somehow. The nurse who was doing the ultrasound told me that everything looks great, and that your strong heartbeat meant that the chances for miscarriage (something I've been really worried about) are greatly reduced. We're not "out of the woods" just yet, but I've gotta say, I was really relieved to hear that. OH! And we found out your due date!!!! We're expecting you on September 9. :)

Unfortunately, your daddy was stuck in Miami for work, so he couldn't see the ultrasound. But I made sure to get a picture of it so that I could show him:

(picture to come as soon as I figure out my scanner)

We have our first appointment to see the OB/GYN in a couple of weeks, and your daddy will definitely be there for that. By that time, you should be an inch long, and we may be able to see your little hands and feet starting to grow!

Aside from the excitement from the ultrasound, the last week hasn't been very fun for me, because I've started to get morning sickness. "Morning" is a complete misnomer, however, because I'm nauseous ALL DAY LONG. Just the thought of eating anything makes me sick to my stomach. Even some smells are making me really ill... for example, I cannot STAND the smell of eggs cooking. Ick.

A funny thing, though, is that the day of the ultrasound, I told the nurse that for some strange reason, the only thing that didn't make me feel sick was the thought of eating a McDonald's hamburger. So the nurse said "well then go and eat a McDonald's hamburger!" Apparently, at this early stage, WHAT I'm eating isn't necessarily as important as just EATING. So I called your daddy and told him that I was going to McDonald's to get a hamburger because the nurse told me I had to (heh heh). Other than that, though, about the only things I can stomach are toast, crackers, and some pasta with butter and parmesan cheese that your daddy was nice enough to make me last night for dinner.

The other thing I'm noticing is that man, I am so GASSY! I talked to the nurse about it, and she said that's totally normal because of all the hormones floating around inside of me. Still, it's not very socially appealing. I am also starting to get little pains in my abdomen that come out of nowhere! Apparently these are called "round ligament pains", and they happen when your uterus starts to grow. They feel really weird. And my boobs are getting bigger! I don't really need them to get bigger, but it's happening anyway. And I'm still really tired all the time and have headaches almost every day.

I've gotta say, though, that your daddy has been so good to me this week, making me breakfast and dinner (when I can stomach it), going to the grocery store just to get me some ginger ale, massaging my lower back when it hurts, and listening to all of my various worries. This morning, he turned over and started rubbing my tummy, saying how excited he is to be a new daddy and how he is anxiously awaiting your arrial. He's amazing, your daddy. You are so lucky that you'll have him around to help raise you :).

Love, Mama

First Ultrasound Pics

Dear Baby,
I went to the doctor yesterday because I had some minimal spotting and wanted to get it checked out (spotting in the first trimester is normal, by the way). The nurse did our first ultrasound, and right now you look something like this:

















(this isn't YOU, but it looks just like what your ultrasound looked like)

The nurse said that you look perfectly normal, and confirmed that you're about 5 weeks old. The little yolk sac (the small circle inside the black circle) is where all of your embryonic cells are multiplying, and the gestational sac is what will hold all the amniotic fluid as you grow. We are going in for a repeat ultrasound next week, to make sure that you're growing the way you should be. By next week, we may be able to see your heart beating! Exciting!
Love,
Mama