Long time, no post

Well hello there!!

I haven't posted anything that hasn't been from a website in a while. Where do I even begin? On Tuesday September 8 Dan and I went to the doctor for our 16 week check up! Everything was perfect. My blood pressure was great too. It had been a tiny bit high the last time, but this time it was right where it should be. The baby is located where she needs to be and I am still getting sick. Well, I am not sure that getting sick is still supposed to be happening, but it is and I have come to live with it. Soon enough it will be gone, and then I can enjoy food without having to wonder how fast I will need to run to the nearest sink or toilet.

I have felt flutters now and then, and within the next few weeks I should feel more movement. I am beyond excited for this. Dan touches my belly when I say I feel a flutter, and his response is always the same, I didn't feel anything. Sorry Dan, you won't until she starts to really move around and tries to kick you. :)

Speaking of Dan, he is a great husband. He makes dinner every night and sometimes what he makes just doesn't sit well, so he will go and make something else for me instead. Who would do that really? He has been helping out with laundry as well. I know I should have tons more energy, but after working with 8 needy babies all day, the last thing I can ever seem to find is energy. I thank God every day that he has blessed us with one baby on the way and not 8! I don't think I could survive with 8 all by myself. I know I couldn't, so thank you again God for the one that is on the way.

As my belly gets bigger it is becoming more and more real (besides when we hear the heart beat which always bring a tear to my eyes) that there is in fact a human developing inside of me and that is something that I will never be able to wrap my mind around. I could read hundreds and hundreds of books on the developing life and it would still amaze me.

In 3 weeks from Tuesday we will hopefully know the sex of the baby. I am leaning towards a girl, but as long as the baby is healthy I will be content wtih a boy too. Dan is going to find out at the doctors office, and I am not. He is going to do something, and I can't tell you what just yet, because well, I don't know. He is going to do something that will reveal the sex to me later during the day or evening on Tuesday October 6th. So, calling you right after the appointment won't be an option, sorry! BUT, I will post it on here, so if your reading this, come back to the blog Tuesday night and you may find out the sex before some of my family members do.

It's getting late, and I am in need of some food and so is the baby. She told me :) So, for now I will say, "talk to you later."

Hugs,

Beth and Baby

16 weeks - Avocado

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

14 and 15 Weeks

15 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

14 weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

13 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

12 Weeks!!

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Daddy's First Post

Hi Everyone,

It's Dan here. Beth's taking a nap and I'm waiting for dinner to heat up, so I thought I'd make a quick post. I keep telling Beth that I'm going to post, but haven't done it yet.

Monday brought our 2nd doctor's appointment. They tried using the doppler, but couldn't pick up the heart beat with it, so we got another ultrasound. Yay!! Once they got it focused on the baby, you could see the heart beating away. It was so great to see. It's amazing to see the woman I love carrying our child. I never could've imagined the joy it gives me. I can't wait until we can see more clearly and make out parts of the baby better (speaking of which, the heartbeat was 176 bpm leading Beth to think the baby is a girl. I'd appreciate any evidence to the contrary, but of course I'll love the baby whether a girl or boy). Hopefully, when the time comes we'll have the $$ for the 3D ultrasound.

Well that's all I have now. Hopefully I will have more news to post soon on another topic, but I'll wait till I have news to talk about that. Have a great day everyone!!

11 Weeks (32 minutes early)

How your baby's growing:Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.