Week 21

Now that it has finally settled in that we won't be finding out if Baby B is a boy or girl until his/her b-day, the countdown is on to the big day! You can vote in our new poll (on the left) if you think baby will be early, late, or right on time. Jeremy and I also took a tour of Labor and Delivery at St. Johns last week too, which has really made things feel real! (That and my growing belly, that is.)

This week (week 21) baby is about 10.5 inches and 12.7 ounces. Baby's digestive system is already working, and baby is regularly "drinking" amniotic fluid and passing it through his/her system. No worries though, apparently all the fluid is replaced every 3-4 hours.

Our big event this week - I received the baby sling I ordered online. It is a Peanut Shell sling that was recommended to me, and for now our dog Maggie is my guinea pig as I learn to use it (we'll have to post pics of that later). I'm hunting on ebay for a Baby Bjorn for Jeremy so he can also "wear" the baby while playing video games :-)

And we are having a...

Yes, today was the "big" ultrasound -our shot to find out if Baby B is a he or a she. And so, for those waiting anxiously with baited breath - Baby B is a...baby!

Yes, that's right. Baby B hid the goods. The ultrasound technician did his best, but could not give us a definitive answer as to if we are having a boy or girl. He kept saying "I don't see any boy parts." and told us that he "thinks" it is "probably" a girl, but that was about as far as he was willing to go. Sooooo frustrating! I even drank 15 ounces of OJ prior to the ultrasound based on other women's advice that it would help baby be active. Well, baby was active, but did still would not give us really good look a the "key" parts.

On a bright note, Baby B looked perfect - they measured all the parts of the brain, looked at the heart, measured the stomach, saw working kidneys, measured the arms and legs, checked the umbilical cord - it all looked just perfect. Baby is weighing in at a hearty10 ounces and looks fabulous.

So, for now, we will be calling Baby B a "she," although it is rather tentative. As the ultrasound technician suggested, we can buy girl's baby clothes but should keep the receipts :-)

The baby's the size of a WHAT?!?

Week 20, and I read that this week the baby is the size of a cantaloupe! Say what!?! OK, technically the baby is as long as a cantaloupe - 6.5-7 inches from head to rump and 10.6 ounces. This week is also when they stop measuring the baby head to rump and start including the legs in the measurement, which means baby is actually closer to 10 inches long. Hearing that makes me look a little differently at my growing bump :-)

Baby is now listening to everything going on around me and will recognize voices when he or she is born. I learned in a Child Development text I'm reading that baby will not only recognize my voice when he/she is born, but the baby will also show a preference for looking at photographs of me (as opposed to photos of other female faces). This preference is apparently only present among infants who experience their mother's voices, suggesting the baby's ability to recognize my face is rooted in his/her familiarity with my voice before birth!

Jeremy also felt the baby move for the first time this past week - just once, but it was still so neat! He's still talking to the baby and says he can definitely feel the little guy or gal moving around in there. Judging by the voices he uses to talk to the baby, I think he's going to be a champion story-reader someday soon!

This Friday we will get to see the baby again on an ultrasound and will (hopefully) find out if it is a boy or a girl. Keep watching the Bladeshome Blog for the latest news and updates!

Goodbye week 18

Well, we are now looking at less than 150 days until Baby B makes his/her big arrival! This was also the first week people seemed to start reacting noticeably to my bump :-) Do you think it looks bigger?

This week is also the first full week that I've felt Baby B moving and shaking consistently! What started as a few little nudges that seemed like popcorn popping in my belly has turned into a regular ruckus! It seems Baby likes to rock out right after I've eaten, and Baby also seems to love the organ music at church or music in movies - apparently he/she is either a big fan of the Lord of the Rings movie- or the baby is terrified by the sounds, as Aunt Debbie suggested!. Hopefully the latter is not the case, and this baby is going to watching a lot of sci-fi and fantasy in the Blades house! We already have the Star Trek and astronaut teddy bears ready for the kid.

Next week, week 19, Baby B will be the size of a mango - about 6 inches long and 8.5 ounces. Baby is also yawning, stretching, kicking, and even hiccuping in there. No wonder it feels like a party in my belly! Baby B had just better enjoy it now, because I have a feeling its going be getting a bit more cramped in there as time goes on...