Week 13 Belly Pic

So, I'm a little late to post this weeks belly pic, but here it is. Nothing new to report this week except that my jeans officially do not fit anymore. Take a look at the picture and I will give you one guess why...

In other exciting news... Dr. G. had her baby on Friday! Welcome Melanie Giallella, born September 26th at 8:21am, 7 pounds, 20 inches. She looks just like her mom! What a lucky girl! Congratulations go out to Val and Mark!

It's a Peach!

"Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)"

New Ultrasound Photos!

So today was the big day! We went to both the Dr.s appointments this morning and there was good news abound.

At the OBGYN we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time using the doppler, and the heart rate was 160. Dr. T. officially decided to make my official due date April 1st...which made me mad because now I have to go and change everything again... So if all goes well we will see him again in a month.

Then we went up to Dr. White's in Amherst for the 12 week ultrasound. At this appointment they check the baby for signs of chromosomal disorders, and send out a blood test to test the risk I have of having a baby with a disorder. The office was brand new, and full of very fancy stuff... the ultrasound room had a huge flat screen TV in it that we could watch the baby on. Here they are, the latest photos of baby Kerl:

The baby was flipping and rolling around the whole time, we got to see the tiny hands and feet and the bones and organs like the bladder and stomach. She took at bunch of measurements and said that everything looked really good, and that the baby is measuring a little small, but it's not a big deal. I could have watched that screen all day! But it's just really nice to see that the spot in the first ultrasound actually turned into a baby like it was supposed to!

"Cousin" Giulianna

I couldn't resist breaking the news to Rachel in a creative fashion, so I took the shirt I made for Derek, and made a little onesie for Giulianna. When Rachel had her baby she kept telling Kevin and I that "she needs a little cousin soon!", so I thought the statement was appropriate even though they won't actually be cousins. So here is Giulianna modeling her new onesie:
Now a little PSA: I encourage everyone to participate in the baby pool by clicking on the orange box that says so on the right of the page. Kevin and I will be finding out the sex of the baby in November, so I'm thinking of not letting anyone change their answers after we find out. That way it will all be fair. SO VOTE NOW!

So I'm posting this weeks belly pic now so that I can post the new ultrasound picture on Tuesday. This week its harder to get into my jeans, but on a good day I can still do it.

Kevin and I are just counting down until Tuesday morning. I don't know if I will even be able to make it through the day tomorrow, I just want it to hurry up and be Tuesday so that we can see our baby!

I have a feeling the next 6 months are not going to pass by fast enough for us.

And... I got a cute new baby ticker...

Fruit of the Week - Plum

"As you move into the second trimested baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed."

Wow, my last week in the first trimester... I can't believe it already!

Belly Pic

I know it's a little late, but here is the Week 11 belly pic! Some days it feels like I'm huge, and other days it seems like I am back to normal again.

Today marks only one more week until our big ultrasound appointment and Kevin and I are so excited! Hopefully this time next week I will be able to post them for everyone to see.

I have been feeling really good this week, though I am severely lacking the energy to do just about anything around the house. This past weekend I'm pretty sure I spent about 13 hours a night sleeping, then laying on the couch or taking a nap. I guess when the 2nd trimester rolls around in 2 weeks I'm "supposed" to have more energy and feel pretty healthy and normal. I'm looking forward to it.

It's a Lime!

"Your baby currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future."

Wow! A lime just seems so big already! I can't wait to see the baby in less than two weeks!

Week 10 Pic

Here it is, the week 10 belly picture. I can't even believe that it's been 10 weeks already! Only two more weeks until we get to have another ultrasound, and this time I am assured it will actually look like a baby. Today we celebrated grandparents day by having the grandparents over to watch the football game.

I am starting to feel really good, as far as my stomach is speaking... there are a few smells and things that still set me off, but all in all I feel good. Staying awake however is another story... I am always tired, and have been sleeping at least 12 hours a night, with naps during the day. Who knew making a baby would be such hard work!

70 Days & Counting!

"With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)"

Belly Pic

Here it is, the week 9 belly pic.

Definitely loosing my waist slowly but surely.

Only 3 more weeks and we get to go for our big ultrasound, then we get to see whats on the inside! I can't wait!

Week 9 update

"Your little embryo has now officially graduated to a fetus. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!"

This weekend we broke the news to a few more good friends. Everyone is so excited about it, which makes me more excited too! Our baby is going to have so many great "Aunts & Uncles".

This weekend we went to the Chicken Wing Festival, and then headed up to the Teach's beach house for the day. I have been feeling very worn out lately, and have been sleeping about 12 hours a night. But all in all, I have been feeling much better and am able to eat more foods again.

No belly picture yet this week, but hopefully tomorrow I will post another one (headless of course!).

Big Weekend

So this weekend was a big weekend for us. Kevin and I decided to try to get our parents together to tell them early. We just couldn't wait any longer. So we got the parents together for dinner at a new place, and after we ordered I casually pulled a photo album out and told the moms that we had some new pictures to show them. I put the ultrasound photo in as the only picture, and my mom says... "Is this you???", "Are you pregnant???"

Surprise! They were all very excited and surprised, and tried to figure out how they didn't notice before, (like at Wines in the Wild). All in all it went very well, and it's nice to have family to talk to about it with. Also, we both had family picnics in Sunday, so news traveled rather fast, though we are trying to keep a little quiet about it still. Aunts and Uncles are all informed and excited. Next step: tell the friends. Hopefully we can accomplish that this coming weekend.

This week's belly pic is a headless one... trust me... it's better this way. My scrubs at work are starting to fit a little more snugly, and I have officially gotten rid of my "skinny jeans" from my wardrobe (for now). I will keep them in hopes of returning to them someday, but I know I have to remain realistic about my goals. I will worry about getting skinny after I worry about getting bigger!

Also its time for this weeks fruit!:

"Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy. "

"We're Going To Need A Lot Of Blood"

Those were the famous words spoken by the women at Quest yesterday. As if getting blood drawn wasn't stressing me out enough... It literally took 5 minutes to draw all the blood, and there were about 8 tubes to fill. I felt exsanguinated afterwards. But, the good news is that I won't have to have any more blood drawn until the Glucose Tolerance test at about 26-28 weeks.

So I am posting the Week 7 photo, which I am not too happy about. I am thinking that until that "pregnancy glow" hits, the rest of these pictures may have to be head-less.

It's a Blueberry!

They grow up so fast...
"Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place."

It's a Baby!

So I had my first doctors appointment yesterday, and everything went really well. I didn't have to have blood work done (yet) so that made me really happy, but I still need to get it done before my next appointment. So I met the NP Kris, who is the nicest person ever, she made me feel totaly excited and at ease with everything.

So she asked me a bunch of questions and did and exam on me... when she was done she said, "I bet you $100 that you will be a scheduled c-section." Music to my ears. She told me that I have a ovoid shaped pelvic opening and that there is no way that my baby's cranium is ever going to fit through there. Just then the Dr. called her into another room, and I had time to revel in the enjoyment of what she just told me. When she returned, Dr. Todoro was with her. "...I'm telling you there is no way..." she said. The Dr. examined me and said that he would not know for sure until my pelvis moves into position, but apparently I have a "flat" symphasis, and that since the same thing happened to my mother, it will more than likely to be scheduled.

Yay! I am just so excited to know that I will not have to do that whole "labor" thing... because seriously, if it's called labor, it's not fun... and if you can skip it...why not? I knew I wanted an epidural anyway, so that's inevitable.

So...I have no idea what my official due date is... the nurse told me it was March 30th, my charting tells me its April 6th, and the ultrasound says its April 4, and Kris put me at about April 2nd. Oh, did I say ultrasound?

TaDa!!!! Say hello to baby Kerl! Cant you see it? Its that thing in the middle...no not the black thing. See that bubble in the middle of the black thing?... that's not it either. See that little white dot next to the bubble inside the black thing? That's it!!! That's our baby!!! Only six weeks old, and measuring right on target. I even got to see the heartbeat flicker on the monitor. I cried. A lot.

My next appointment is not until 12 weeks, and we get to go to a special place where we can view the ultrasound on a big screen TV! By then everyone will know and it will be even more exciting.

While we are at it, it's time to post the week 6 belly picture. The bloat is really starting to show now. Just water weight, not an official belly yet, but it is getting bigger. Right now I just feel really fat, like I gained 5 pounds around my middle. Yuck!

The Proverbial Cat is Out of the Bag

Well, it has been a very interesting/eventful week for me at work. I decided to tell my boss and office manager that Kevin and I were expecting, and it was very well received. Dr. Keem gave me a great big hug, and was so happy and excited for me. My office manager told me that if I needed any special time off for Dr's appointments and things to just let her know. All in all it went really well, and it was a big relief to not have to worry about things any more.

On Wednesday I ended up having to tell one of the technicians about my news because she asked me to help her take an x-ray. I was initially reluctant to tell this woman in particular, because we don't get along very well, and disagree on everything. Also, she had a baby nearly 2 years ago (which, in her opinion, automatically makes her an expert on pregnancy and children) so I was not looking forward to the outpouring of "maternal advice" I knew she would be sharing with me. And... I was also worried that she would not keep my news a secret, and go and blab it to her husband, or mother (who lives next-door to my Aunt).

So now everyone at work knows, and seems pretty excited about it. Plus, it is so nice to be able to talk to people about it since I promised Kevin I wouldn't tell anyone else until Sept. 7th

It seem so far away!

It's an Appleseed

Week 5 is official...

Our little bundle is as big as an Appleseed! That's a pretty big jump from a poppyseed if you ask me! According to the descriptions the baby is starting to form organs and systems, and the heart will start to beat this week. It also says that the morning sickness may start this week... so far I have not had anything and hopefully it will say that way. I did however sleep for 12 hours from Saturday to Sunday this weekend, and I am feeling tired all the time. I guess it takes a lot of energy to build a little person.

Tomorrow is the big day I tell my boss at work. I hope everything goes well!

only 246 more to go...

Well the "Wines in the Wild" event went smoothly... I filled up my wine glass once, and then wandered away from our parents long enough to have Kevin drink it. Later on I would tell my mom to go over and try "this-or-that" wine, because I tried it and liked it. No red flags... so far so good.

I still haven't told my boss, but he will be in on Tuesday and I will have to do it then. A few more people know because we had to take x-rays the other day and I couldn't help. Everyone seems to be very happily surprised, which makes me very excited.

I'm posting the Week 5 belly pic. Still not much of a change here, but it will be fun to remember how skinny I was. According to many mothers, my body may never look like this again... and I'm going to miss it.

It's a Poppyseed

Our Baby is as big as a poppyseed this week, and growing:

"Now safe in your womb, the ball of cells (blastocyst) splits in two, becoming the embryo and the placenta. The amniotic sac and fluid are forming around baby, and will act as a cushion for the next eight months."

On that note, I told Dr. G today at work, and she was so excited! She couldn't wait to talk to me after work about everything. So after another busy day, we both stayed and talked for and hour. She and I are seeing the same Doctor, and apparently I am going to love him. We talked about how tough it is to not be able to tell anyone, and now its so exciting to have someone to talk to about it. So the next big step is to tell everyone at work before I get caught in a dangerous situation and I am force to say "I can't do that". I am thinking next week may be better, or Friday... we'll see.

In other news, tomorrow is "Wines in the Wild" at the Zoo. We are going with my parents, Kevin's parents and Colin. Somehow I have to attend a wine tasting event and not taste any wine... and make it look natural with out setting off alarms in either of the mothers heads.