20 week scan with pics

We finally made it to the 20 wk mile marker.  We had a very thorough anatomy scan today, including an echocardiogram and everything checked out "perfect" according to the sonographer. So relieved!  He got the hiccups during the echocardiogram, so we got to see his body jumping up and down.  He is 12 oz. and is measuring 2 days ahead, though his belly is 1.5 weeks ahead!  I think he may end up being a big baby.  My brother was almost 10 lbs when he was born!  Here are a few pics of Baby W.  He loves using my placenta as a pillow.

 

Sweet Baby W

Please quit bothering me!

In utero yoga

 

Almost Halfway!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my last post!  Can't believe I have made it this far along.
Tomorrow we have our 20 week anatomy scan at the high risk maternal fetal specialist tomorrow. It will be fun to see how much he has grown!  Of course, a wee bit of nervousness will be present - always waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it's getting better. I am starting to feel more like a normal pregnant person. 

 Yes, headaches are still hanging around, but this week they have not been as severe. the best thing about IVF is all the cloth covered ice packets that came with the medications.  They have been the best cold compresses for my head over the last 5 months.  So don't throw those things away ladies!

Hiccups!  I felt a rhythmic kicking yesterday afternoon whiled doing Circle and Bloom for pregnancy and thought it was funny that he was moving like a metronome.  When it started up again at 4 am this morning when I was trying to fall back asleep, I realized that it was hiccups.  I woke my DH up to tell him, because I was so excited.  He is becoming more real to me everyday!

Officially Obsessed with planning the nursery.  I have already put my crib put together!  It's a Jenny Lind DaVinci Crib I ordered off Amazon.  We also ordered a Sealy foam core soybean mattress from Amazon.  It was recommended in the Baby Bargains book (love this publication!).  It's not a top of the line crib by any means, but it will do the job.  We are not using the wheels.  There is no bite bar on the crib, so I am sure this crib with have little teeth marks all over by the time our baby is done with.  I can't believe they stay in cribs until they are two!  Haven't decied on bedding yet.  I ordered some sheets from Carousel.  Impulsive late night internet shopping, so don't know if I will be keeping them.  Haven't exactly worked out my color scheme. Will not be doing a bumper, so really all I need is a bed skirt and some sheets.  I have my eye on a linen bedskirt from Restoration Hardware - I ordered a sample of it for free:)

 I ordered nice dresser from Land of Nod, because I figure he will be using this for a much longer time than the crib. 

and shelving

I thought I would be able to have a fullsize bed in the nursery, but there is just not enough room, so am going to buy a twin bed that can become his big boy bed later and for now my nursing/sleeping spot.  I am going to order this Arm's Reach co-sleeper for the first few months. 

I painted the nursery room a neurtal off white light gray blue color a couple of years ago when we moved into the house.   One part of me wants to paint the nursery a bright new color, but another part of me just wants to keep it simple and serene with this color.  My favorite colors are blue and green.  It's so hard for me to decide!  So many shades of blue. Maybe I need to consult with my aunt who is a Benjamin Moore color specialist. 

My other big purchase for the nursery is going to be FLOR carpeting.  I ordered a sample of this. 

It's defiinitely pricey, but again something that can be used for years and our hardwood floors are freezing!  My mom had some leftover carpet that she said I could use, but it's not "green" and I want to try to keep the chemicals to a minimum in the nursery.  FLOR is low VOC. 

I haven't really come up with a theme for the nursery.  I love local MS folk art, so I will be purchasing these prints by Walter Anderson.

Of course, I have to have a turtle in the nursery!

Bump Debut

Well, I think it's finally here! I can hide it if I want, but I am ready to show it off.  Dammit, I worked hard for this bump!
I bought my first round maternity clothes this weekend in Birmingham at Pea in a Pod.  It was a little pricey for clothes I will only be wearing a couple of months . . .  but I want to look cute and again, I worked hard for this pregnancy and want to enjoy every minute of it!

Yesterday, I walked about 5 miles, at least (walking a dog and then went to the Birmingham Zoo).  I am feeling it today.

I hope that all of you had a great weekend and continue to enjoy the Monday MLK holiday.

18 weeks

Well, I will be tomorrow, so I thought I would go ahead and post it that way.   This week has been better, though my new year's resolution to wake up early is not working out at all!  I have a flexible schedule due to my husband being my boss (I'm working as his paralegal for now even though I am a registered dietitian).  Everyone I've talked to said I should go ahead a sleep while I can, so I am heeding this advice.

My headaches are better since I started massage therapy last week.  I am going to do it once a week until I get significant relief.  I am also doing the Circle and Bloom meditations for pregnancy midday to relax my whole body.  So hopefully headaches will be less chronic.

I ordered a new prenatal yoga video from Amazon (Element- Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga) and tried it out yesterday.  I like it because it is only a 30 minute session and I can just add kegels and another exercise that is good for keeping the SI joint stable during pregnnacy.  I like Shiva Rea's prenatal video, but an hour of yoga is a big commitment on a weekday.

This morning, I was sitting at my desk and noticed I hadn't felt the baby moving yet today and I started feeling like I needed to go home and use the fetal doppler.  I prodded around my belly for a minute and then about a minute later, I felt him bumping around, like "Here I am!" It made me so happy that I can already communicate with him!

It's been a mellow week.  I've found out that 3 of my friends are expecting in the Spring as well (due dates all before me which annoys me for some reason - I've got a competitive streak!).  I still get a pang of jealousy when I hear that a friend is expecting their second baby when their first baby is even out of diapers yet.  It's ridiculous, but the pain of infertility is still with me even though I am moving into the mommy club too.  

I'm just looking forward to the 20 week scan on Jan 26th!  Hope the next 2 weeks fly by!

16w6d

Time is going by much faster than it was in the first trimester.  We had another u/s yesterday and confirmed again that we are having a little boy.  He is a big boy, already 6 oz, when the average size is 5. I noticed on my little diagnostic exit sheet, they checked AMA (advanced maternal age), High Risk Pregnancy and Large for Gestational Age.  My doctor didn't say anything about it being bad that he was measuring ahead, but on paper it looks bad.  Oh well.  He is definitely filling up my uterus and his legs are folded up now, whereas at 12 weeks he was all stretched out.

Last night I got a massive migraine and my doctor had written me a script for lortab, but I hadn't filled it.  I don't really want to take pain pills, but if I had those last night I think I would have succombed, because I was so desperate.  I kept having dreams that I was having a horrible headache and then I would wake up and realize my head was still pounding.  Finally the pain dissapated around 3 am after some tylenol.  I made an appt with a massage therapist to see if that will help.  Unfortunately, the only acupuncturist in town went back to his medical practice.  There are drawbacks to living in a small town.

Also we got the final test results back on the integrative 1st trimester screening and we are negative for downs, trisomy 18 and neural tube defects.  Phew!

Well that's the update for this week - hope everyone is doing well and we are on the downward slide to the weekend.