Finally! It IS a "Real Baby"!!

January 6 ~ Today I'm 13 weeks and we got a test done called an NT Scan. It checks for Downs Syndrome and a few other conditions that result from chromosomal abnormalities. All these tests sure are nervewracking!! Thank goodness, things seem to be fine according to this one, though.

I hope today's not an indication of Little One's temperament...if it is, he/she is going to be one stubborn baby! We were there 2 HOURS for what should have been a 20 minute ultrasound!! the baby just wouldn't turn its head the right way, was flinging its arm up so they couldn't get a good view of the neck skin (that's what they have to measure). Three different people came in to try to get the measurements, in between which I walked, did side bends, used the bathroom, laid on my side, did squats....everything but cartwheels - ha!! Finally they got a good picture of it, but in the meantime while we waited for baby to change positions, they got loads of other great shots. These actually look like a little human's in there!

and our favorite...the "thumb's up"!

Time for the "real" stuff!!

December 19 - Our first visit to the OB for actual pregnancy stuff instead of just ultrasounds to see if the baby's OK. How exciting!! For me, at least....just the regular things like weight, blood pressure, all those questions they ask you about your history, etc. They did a second "dating" ultrasound to check the due date and it came back the same ~ July 14 (I CAN'T WAIT!!!)

At 10 weeks, the baby's supposed to be about the size of a kumquat (a what??)

The ultrasound machine was MUCH better this time, but I still think the baby looked more like a chicken or alien than human - ha! (But still VERY cute, of course :)

December 3: Graduation Day

Nine weeks today!! Congratulations, Baby! You are now officially a fetus instead of an embyro.


We had another appointment today and this was the first ultrasound that actually resembled a baby! Or, maybe more like a teddy bear, as the doctor called it. Here's the picture...you can see a great big body, and two blobs for arms and two blobs for legs. Of course, I was relieved again to see that little heartbeat.

At nine weeks, the baby is the size of a grape, or about 1 inch long and weighs as much as a paper clip.

So, we made it past scary week #8, but don't want to spill the beans yet. I mean, of course, we do! But, we've decided to tell everyone around 16 weeks...whew, that seems so far away!!

Fortune Telling

I was craving Chinese a few nights ago, and there's a great little place down the street from us. So, here I am worrying my head off between every doctor visit about the well-being of the baby...i.e. "Will there still be a baby next time we go?!" and here's my fortune I got to go along with my Sweet-n-Sour Chicken:




Of course, I immediately thought of the baby, but didn't say it because...how silly. It's just a fortune cookie, right? But then when Mark saw it, he grinned and said, "The Baby!!" Yay!! Yes, how silly, but at the same time, how FUN! :)

November 28, 2008

Nervous Ninny Mommy again! Our next appointment was supposed to be December 3, but they had us back a little early because of a little scare that, fortunately, ended up being nothing. I think Daddy was a little nervous, too, because when that little heartbeat showed up again on the screen, he JUMPED up to get a closer look, saying "There it is!!"

7 weeks, 2 days

My Little "Blueberry"-sized Baby!

I knew I was apprehensive about this visit, but I guess more so than I thought because when the doctor left the ultrasound room I just started Boo Hooing sobs of relief!! Whew! This pregnancy/baby business is hard work already...but so worth it :)

PS...Ok, I know these pictures aren't the greatest - they probably all look the same to you! I promise, the good stuff's coming!

November 21, 2008

I have been very much looking forward to this day, but also dreading it at the same time. I knew at our ultrasound appointment today, we should be able to see a heartbeat by now. PROOF of a baby, not just a blob in there! It's still hard for me to believe this is really happening sometimes.

What sweet relief when after a few seconds on the screen, we saw a little flicker....how amazing!

6 weeks, 2 days old...baby is the size of a lentil (I'm assuming that's some sort of small-ish bean?!!)

Since I haven't had a bit of morning sickness (Thank You, Lord!) and very minor fatigue, it's so nice to have a bit of confirmation that this baby's real. So far, aside from my nerves, it's been a walk in the park - we'll see if my luck continues!

Strange Blog Names

You're probably wondering what's up with the weird blog name, huh? Well, here's the conversation between us when Mark and I told Mom the news on the phone....

Mom: ...some random talk about getting a flu shot....

Julia: "Yeah, I went ahead and got one this year, like I always do."

Mom: "Oh, that's right. Didn't you say it made you a little sick?"

Julia: "Well, I thought it was the flu shot, but you know what it really was?"

Mom: "No, what?"

Julia: "I'm having a baby!!"

Mom: "What?!" (getting a little teary) "A baby? A REAL BABY?!!"

Julia: (crying) "Yes!"

Mark: (grinning ear-to-ear, wipes a tear away :))

So, now you know ~ we're talking about a REAL BABY here! Praise the Lord!

48 hours later...

...back to the doctor for a hormone level recheck and our first ultrasound! How exciting and totally nervewracking at the same time...until I realized there would be precious little to see (so, maybe not so much pressure ~ whew!) The HCG I had tested last time is supposed to double every 48-72 hours, and based on my first result, the doctor said anything over 5,000 would be good.

So, mooooooore nerves on my part. This is "the" test to see if the pregnancy is actually progressing. If the numbers aren't doubling, it's not a good sign. This has been the longest 48 hours ever! Thank goodness HCG came back at 5,504....yes, we might really be having a baby!! Now for the good stuff:

Here's the baby at 5 weeks, 4 days old!! All you can see here is the gestational sac (black part) and yolk sac (little white thingy underneath the gestational sac). Right now, the baby's the size of a sesame seed!

November 11, 2008

First stop this morning...the doctor's office for bloodwork, which they said would be back after 2:00 pm......the LONGEST day ever! I know the test I took said +, but there are supposed to be numbers in certain ranges to really confirm it. This seems just too good to be true :) What a relief when I called (at 1:45 - couldn't wait any longer!) and the nurse said, "Well, you're definitely pregnant."

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!! I started crying right there on the phone. This is really happening!!

November 10, 2008

Today's the day we found out we're going to be parents!! I slept fitfully all night last night knowing I was going to test to see this morning. Good thing I had a box of two, because I couldn't believe my eyes!! Mark was still in the bed snoozing away, and my heart was still pounding when I said, "Mark! Come here!" He bolted out of bed in there like I was being eaten by a bear - oops! Sorry about that wake-up call, but he was all smiles....and then back to bed he went!