Gender & Anatomy Ultrasound

Friday, June 22, 2012 was our BIG day! We were so excited and anxious to get to this appointment. During the work day, every time I'd think about it, I'd get butterflies in my stomach! I couldn't believe that in a matter of hours, we'd KNOW the gender of our baby! And know if everything was ok or not with all the baby's parts & pieces!

The appt was at 3:30, so Caleb had to come straight from work (half an hour away where he gets out at 3). I left work at 3 as well to make sure I was there in time to check in, do the urine sample, etc - oh the joys of pregnancy! Nothing is sacred! :)  

They ended up calling me back before Caleb got there, so I was texting him from the bathroom asking where he was and saying I'd take as long as I could, without being weird, to do the urine sample! lol Luckily, he was only a few minutes away by then. So when he arrived, we were just starting the ultrasound.

Laura, the Sonographer, started out by looking at the heart. I was PLEASED AS PUNCH (understatement) to hear her say, "OH! Look at that beautiful heart!" PHEW! In fact, I'm pretty sure I said, "Hallelujah!", when she said all 4 quadrants are there and it is pumping away beautifully! Seriously, hallelujah! :) Heartrate was 166 when I first arrived. By the time Caleb got there (only a few minutes later), it was down to 154. I think mommy's anxiety/excitedness level is in direct correlation to baby's heartrate!


Multiple pictures, but especially showing the 4 quadrant heart! (the black parts in the middle of the white circle)


Laura did a bunch of measurements and notations about the RVOT and LVOT, etc. Then she moved on to the abdomen. She said the bladder and the stomach were full, so that means the baby has learned to swallow and that the digestive tract is working, as are the kidneys (she made sure there are 2 kidneys). She showed us the 3-strand cord that is the umbilical cord, made up of 2 arteries and 1 vein, and the cord insertion point on the baby's belly. She said that is important because it tells us that all the major organs have migrated correctly into the abdomen. 

When Laura looked at the head, there were a few things she checked out - the cerebellum, which she said looks kinda like 2 eyes in the back of the brain - and that looked great. She also looked upwards at the face (like up the baby's nose) to see the upper lip to make sure it isn't cleft. It's not! :) I remember she took some other measurements from one white line to another, but can't remember what it was specifically. I'll say that everything she looked at looked fantastic! Not one thing that concerned her! I'll say it again; Hallelujah! :)

Now that we're in the 2nd trimester, baby doesn't get measured from head to rump anymore, as the baby is getting more cramped in there and is all balled up most of the time. Instead, they take 4 measurements; the head circumference, the head diameter, the abdomen circumference, and the femur length. She did check out the fibula and tibia (our baby had his/her legs crossed, so we could see all 4 calf bones in one clear picture) and the arms and hands, but didn't measure them.

The below image shows that the head circumference was a little small at 17w3d, the 26th percentile (50 being average), while the head diameter was right on track at 17w5d. The abdomen was also pretty close to the right day at 17w6d. The funny part was that the femur length measures in at 18w1d! 61st percentile! Maybe baby will take after Momma and get my height (I'm 5'11)! Altogether, when the 4 measurements were averaged, baby measured in at 17w5d - spot on!  While talking about size, I'd also like to mention that the baby weighed in at 8oz! My Baby Bump App says at 18 weeks (I wasn't quite there yet), baby should be about 6.7oz. I'm hoping the extra weight is in those long leg bones! :)


Baby's measurements at 17w5d

 
Lastly, Laura was going to check out the nether regions anatomy for us! We were so excited, but wanted to find out the gender just the two of us so we could react in whatever manor we wanted (ie shouting, crying tears of joy, etc). When she was ready we looked away while she took a peek. She wrote it down on a piece of paper for us, folded it in half twice AND stapled it and gave it to us to take home. As a sidenote, Laura has let us video every ultrasound we've had, so I was willing to wait to see the gender part on video so that Caleb and I could have our own special moment finding out the gender alone. As soon as we found out, we went back and watched the video to try to see what she was seeing or not seeing!

Beautiful picture of baby's spine and heart and cutie profile!
Any guesses as to who s/he looks more like? A Winn or Farrell?



This picture cracks me up - the legs are as long as the rest of the body put together! No wonder I've been feeling stronger kicks/movements! Doesn't it look like there's a smile on that little face?!? :)

After the ultrasound, I had some blood work taken to check for chromosomal abnormalities and then went to wait for the doctor to see us. First thing she asked when she walked in was whether or not we knew what we are having! We said no, but she knew, so she wanted to make sure she didn't spill the beans.
She said from what she could see on the sonograms, everything with the baby looked GREAT! Yay! Then she answered our few questions -
Safe to bleach teeth and get a spray tan for my sister's wedding? Yes.
I'm having headaches I never had before, but BP was good, so that's normal, right? Yes.
Is there anything else I can do to prevent leg/foot cramps? Increase potassium intake... which I'm already doing.


Before Laura found out the gender, we saw the baby doing this! Laura said it must be a girl - such drama! :)

 All in all, the ultrasound was WONDERFUL! And I have all 25 minutes of it on video! Once we announce the gender, if any family wants to watch any or all of it, I'll send you the YouTube link. Let me know!

18 Weeks

Pregnancy Update June 25, 2012





The fold over flap of my sweat pants was pulled all the way up, so it looks like my belly comes to a point. It doesn't, and as you can see from the other pic, my belly button hasn't popped at all, so it's just an illusion :)



How far along: 18 weeks.

Size of baby: 5.6 inches, 6.7 oz. - a "Sweet Potato" (or a bell pepper)  BUT, let me add that at my sonogram on Friday, 6/22, baby was measuring at 8oz!

What developed this past week: Many of the baby's bones are starting to harden (from cartilage to bone), starting with the inner ear and the extremities. Baby's sense of hearing is developing well, making it possible for baby to hear sounds such as my beating heart and growling tummy.  Very fun to talk and sing to the baby, now that I know s/he can possibly hear me!

Weight Gain: Exactly 8 pounds.

Maternity clothes: Tried on a pair of "normal" pants at the end of this week, for the first time in about a week, and realized that I no longer can button them! It's maternity pants/stretch pants from here on out! I could wear the bella band with my regular pants, but I get a little annoyed with pulling it up all the time. BUT now that I'm pulling up/adjusting full panel maternity pants anyway, it's probably a horse a piece! So we'll see if I go back and forth for a little while longer.

Gender: Caleb and I know!! But we can't say yet... With such a big family, it was hard to coordinate everyone's schedules. So instead of doing a gender reveal party the weekend we found out, we're doing it next weekend. It's kind of fun for just the two of us to know, but it's hard to make sure we don't slip and refer to the baby as him or her! (There will be another post all about the sonogram and our day after we found out, as well as a gender reveal post).

Movement: Kicks and movements are getting stronger and stronger, but still very inconsistent. As for trying to feel it from the outside, I think we're almost there, but it's hard to know. As soon as I put my hand on the outside when I feel one kick, baby stops moving! When I don't put my hand there, sometimes I get a couple kicks in a row, though that's only happened a few times. Caleb has tried to feel for baby a couple times too, but to no avail as of yet. We're hoping soon!

Sleep: Sleeping well. The night before the gender/anatomy ultrasound I slept very well. The night AFTER, I kept having dreams that I accidentally slipped and someone found out the gender before our family. Also when I woke up to use the bathroom, I was awake for a while after because I couldn't stop thinking about how we KNOW the gender, and what we can now plan and do, etc. Luckily it was a Friday night and I could sleep in on Saturday!

What I miss: I miss not feeling the baby move when it's been a while! At first it was kind of bizarre to feel/know that someone else is LIVING in my body! But now I'm addicted to feeling the baby. So awesome! God is good! 

Cravings: Nothing.

Best moment this week: There are multiple this week: 1. Finding out the baby is 100% healthy and growing well! 2. Going shopping with Caleb and picking out gender-specific clothes for Baby Farrell. Note* Caleb has never cared before about picking out a baby outfit for anyone... this time he was finding as many or more outfits than I was! LOVE it! 3. Debating/discussing baby names with Caleb. What a big decision! Wow!

What I am looking forward to: Telling our family and friends the gender and seeing their faces! :)

17 Weeks

Pregnancy Update June 18, 2012



This is what 10:30pm after eating WAY too much theater popcorn gets me! :)

Full panel maternity pants rolled down for the pic - sexy, huh? :)

Thank you to my beautiful SIL for this cute maternity shirt surprise gift! Love it & you, K!



How far along: 17 weeks.

Size of baby: 5.1 inches, 5.9 oz. - an "Onion"  (Please note that last week we were at 3.5 oz! WOW!)

What developed this past week: Baby has mastered some simple reflexes such as swallowing, sucking & blinking! And, fun for all, baby can get the hiccups. Excited to feel that pregnancy phenomenon! :)

Sweet child is now forming fat underneath the skin to prepare for life outside the womb! Can't wait to kiss those smooshy cheeks! (Please, God, not TOO smooshy! No 10 lb baby please! lol)

Weight Gain: 7.6 pounds! Good news - I didn't gain an ounce since last Thursday's weigh in. So even though I gained 3.4 pounds in 10 days, I at least didn't gain MORE through 14 days - avg of 1.75 lbs in 2 weeks - I can handle that :)  (SIDENOTE: Don't get me wrong - I am not at ALL opposed to gaining weight, as long as I know it's because the baby needed it, not because I ate out and had junk food too much!)

Maternity clothes: Tried on the new maternity pants I ordered - mostly love them. A couple are too big and are going back. I haven't worn my "normal" pants in about a week, and therefore am not even sure if they still fit. These maternity pants are much more comfortable at this point. I can still fit my regular shirts, but they have to be longer in order to cover the not-so-sexy panel sewn into my mat. pants now that I'm not wearing normal pants/jeans.

Gender: 4 days! Things are getting crazy up in here!

Movement: Feeling the baby move more and more! :) Just today, 6/18, I've felt a couple bigger kicks, not just soft flutters! Definitely not strong/painful, but a jolt more than a swipe. In the last week, there were still a few days that I didn't notice any movement, I think because I wasn't still enough or paying attention enough to notice when it did happen. I hear that once these bigger kicks start, you don't have to be still anymore to feel them! I'm excited for that, because now that I sometimes feel them, if I don't feel anything for awhile, I try to wake the baby up and make him/her move to reassure me that all is well in there.

Sleep: Sleeping well. Random crazy dreams still. (Mom, you're not pregnant, right?! And I'm pretty sure I didn't get a gecko as a pet... :))

What I miss: Nothing I miss other than non-cramping muscles. It seems the past 2-3 weeks I've had my feet, calves & butt muscles cramp up fairly often! Trying to eat more bananas for their potassium, and I also replenished my prenatal vitamin supply that had run out while I was on vacation. Hopefully that will help, since taking regular one-a-day vitamins in the interim probably didn't do much to help.

Cravings: No specific cravings still. My father got to experience this week what Caleb has to deal with daily when he asks what I want for dinner. Dad and I went to lunch on Thursday and he tried to have me pick the restaurant... Sorry! Can't! Nothing sounds good until I walk in and smell it. Then I'm hungry for whatever good food I'm smelling! At least I'm easy to please, as long as you're willing to choose! :)

Best moment this week: Caleb's first Father's Day! (separate post with those fun details) Also, feeling more and more movement!

What I am looking forward to: The anatomy scan being over and knowing baby is growing strong and big and 100% healthy (Please, God!)! And being able to feel the result of that in his/her kicks and movements! To go along with that, I'm SO excited for when Caleb (and others) can feel the kicks too!

Father's Day 2012

June 17th, 2012 was Caleb's first Father's Day! We had a great, and busy, day celebrating him, my dad and his dad!

We started off at church and then went home to open Caleb's presents before lunch with my family and dinner with his. I should also note that, though it was Father's Day, my dad (and Caleb until dinner) worked especially hard for HOURS finishing our kitchen island and re-gluing some of our dining room chairs together so the table can be fully extended for our gender party on July 1! My Mom was also over and helped clean (YAY for not having to breathe in the harsh cleansers I usually use to clean the bathroom!). *Thank you Mom and Dad for all your hard work!!! Much appreciated! We love you!*

I tried my hardest to think of good gift ideas that would relate to Father's Day, but would still be things he'll use or that he needs. If you remember, for Mother's Day Caleb got me a much-loved Willow Tree statue. It means TONS to me, but Caleb is not the kind of guy who will LOVE a statue for Father's Day... So began the brainstorming. I came up with buying mostly things he needs/will use, but writing a note that relates the gift to the holiday. He would read the note and I'd have him guess what he thought was in the bag.

This will be a lot of pictures, but I want to remember this fun first! Feel free to skim :)

These are his gifts. Notice each has a blue (not for boy baby, but for boy holiday!) note on top. Those were his clues.

Reading the card I made using Baby Farrell's latest picture:



Of course I wrote a lovey-dovey, make you want to gag, note on the back, but ya'll don't want to read that ;)

 Opening some gifts:

Here are the gifts & notes:

"Because there will be a LOT of playing in your future..." 
Callaway Golf Balls

"Because you'll need to be on your toes..."
Nike Basketball Shoes

"The rod and reproof give wisdom" Proverbs 29:15
Black/Brown Reversible Belt

"Because there will be a LOT of reading in your future..."
"I Know My Daddy Loves Me" book to read to the baby

"Lastly, just because it's cute... and true!"
0-3 months long sleeve onesie

It seemed as though Caleb enjoyed his first Father's Day and was wished a happy day from many people! As fun as this was, I'm sure it will be even better next year when I'm getting to see him interact with, take care of, protect, and love our child to no end.

Happy Father's Day, Sweetheart! Baby and me will love you FOREVER!

The aftermath

**Weirdly, we actually hang out on our upstairs landing - this is why he's half sitting on the steps. We're strange, but the new carpet is SOFT! ;)

16 Weeks

Pregnancy Update June 11, 2012

Sexy maternity jeans

Starting to be able to tell even with my shirt down!



How far along: 16 weeks.

Size of baby: 4.6 inches, 3.5 oz. - an "Avocado"

What developed this past week: This week baby's limbs are developing quickly and have more controlled movement. The skeletal system is developing more as calcium is deposited onto the bones. Over the next few weeks, the baby's weight will double!

Weight Gain: 7 pounds (I wasn't home on Monday to weigh in, but this is what I guesstimate based on my weigh in on Thursday, 3 days late).  Not sure how this happened - it was going so slowly until now! :) Probably the fact that I've been eating out for 3 weeks with all the travelling I've done. Yuck.

Maternity clothes: Ordered some more maternity pants/jeans with a 30% off sale from Gap/Old Navy this week! Excited for them to come in so I can try them on and see if any of the styles fit well, for now and later! This week, I had to start stretching a small rubber band from my pants button hole to the button so that my regular pants have some give when I sit down or bend over. SO much more comfortable! Otherwise, doing well in my normal clothes for the most part - getting more difficult as the days go by!

Gender: 11 days! My, how time flies!

Movement: Felt the first little flutters this week!!! The timing was ironic, but I didn't have a doubt in my mind (at the time) that that's what I felt. I was texting my friend, Jessy, asking where she felt her baby move for the first time. And as I was replying to her answer, I FELT IT! The super soft (like butterfly wings) brush of a little body against the inside of my lower left pelvis. It seemed kind of like a swipe, about an inch or two across from start to finish. It was 4:30pm on Wednesday, June 6th, and I threw my phone down, mid-text, on my desk and went running in to my coworker, Lynn's, office, practically shouting, "I JUST FELT THE BABY MOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME!" I couldn't stop smiling for hours. It was the first thing I said to Caleb when I got home, and I texted all the girls in my family and a couple friends because I was so excited!

On Thursday, I was trying to pay attention to any feelings I had in that area, but while focusing on it, it was hard differentiate all the sensations! I never realized how long it takes for me to digest, or how many bubbles I feel moving around throughout the day. I just wanted to tell my body to stop doing anything in there so if I felt something I KNEW it was the baby! :)  By Friday, I knew I for sure felt it again and talked myself out of thinking I was crazy and didn't really feel it on Wednesday. So that's good :). Now I feel it fairly often, a handful of times a day, if I'm paying attention to it and sitting semi-still. Sometimes it's tickles so much that I feel the need to rub it from the outside to take away the ticklish sensation!

Sleep: Sleeping well, but consistently up every night to pee once - depending on how late I drink water, it can range from 3am to 6am.

What I miss: Sleeping through the night! :)

Cravings: Nothing. This is random. and totally NOT a craving, but it's food related. At the request of one of my suppliers (through work), while we were at dinner in Chicago, I tried LAMB! Which actually tasted kind of like really tender steak. Then he made me try rabbit! I tried to draw the line, but his mother actually put some on my plate... I can't believe I put it in my mouth. As I was chewing, I was trying to focus on the flavor, which wasn't bad, as it was wrapped in pasta and I never saw the meat, but I couldn't get my mind off the fact that I was chewing on rabbit! So I almost gagged and it was everything in me to just swallow and not grab my glass of water ASAP to try to swallow the bite whole. He said he'd find a few trucks of cheap product for me as payment lol :).

Best moment this week: There were a couple, but first and foremost: FEELING THE BABY MOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!  Secondly, going garage saling in Buffalo and crib shopping with Aunt Laura! I forgot to take a picture of us shopping :(, but it was so much fun spending hours looking at TONS of nursery set ups at White's Furniture and Carolina Kids (Unfortunately, USA Baby closed just a few months ago!). We got (BOGO free!) McD's Mocha Frappes (which we had to leave in the car and take shopping breaks to run out to get a sip! lol) and talked to some "helpful" people for a couple hours... Here's an example of one of the crib sets we liked:

As for the garage saling, though I know I'll want mostly gender-specific outfits when I find out baby's gender (in 11 days!!!), I couldn't HELP but buy a few things! It was so fun to be able to buy for myself for once!

I bought a few gender neutral outfits like this:

And I couldn't HELP myself but to buy these for only a quarter each! Who can pass that up!?!



Seriously - these say "Little but Tough" - I die :)

Before I finish talking about my weekend in Buffalo, I have to give a shout-out to Aunt Laura (and Uncle Scott!) who got me a great, unique gift! A "Bun in the oven, pea in the pod" Sweaty band headband! :) I LOVE IT! It holds my hair back so well without sliding a lot! Maybe I'll wear it during labor... ;)

 



What I am looking forward to: Feeling baby's movements get stronger, AND, of course, the gender/anatomy scan!!

15 Weeks

Pregnancy Update June 1, 2012

How far along: 15 weeks.

Size of baby: 4.0 inches, 2.5 oz. - a "Naval Orange" (WTE.com says Apple)

What developed this past week: The hair on baby's head is growing in and the follicles will make pigment if baby has dark hair. The body is covered by fine hair (lanugo) that protects against being constantly exposed to amniotic fluid.

Also, baby's skin is thin and nearly translucent - if we could see inside, we'd see small blood vessels forming under the skin. We may also see baby sucking his/her thumb!

Weight Gain: 4.2 pounds

Maternity clothes: Wore my first pair of maternity jeans this week - more for comfort than necessity, of course. It's crazy how much bigger my stomach looks when my pants don't hold it in so tightly! The jeans I'm wearing in this 15 week picture are still my normal jeans though, with my belt still on the 2nd hole, as usual... I think because they have such a low-rise, they allow my belly to hang out over the top, and therefore will fit for awhile longer.

Gender: Less than 3 weeks!

Movement: Starting to pay attention to any "bubbles" or "flutters" I feel. Haven't felt any movement yet.

Sleep: Sleeping well.

What I miss: Nothing this week.

Cravings: Still no strong cravings. Though I really want a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks... that's been stuck in my head for a week or so since I'm never near a Starbucks to quench my desire! :)

Best moment this week: Getting to see my sisters and mom after not seeing them for weeks! This was the first time seeing Lindsay since I got pregnant. It was great to show them my belly and compare pregnancies with Linz. So far we've had all the same symptoms, grown at the same rate, etc.

What I am looking forward to: Feeling movement in the next week or two - according to when Lindsay started feeling Jos!