20/20 Vision

This is a day late, but anyway, yesterday we got to do our 20 week anatomy ultrasound where we got to see that our baby has the right parts in the right places. The guy says everything looks right on track so we are getting more excited about our little baby in there. We did not find out the sex, eventhough I pretty much caved the 3 hours before and on the car ride over. Brian refused to give in and the ultrasound guy could not have cared less. I think his words were "I wasn't going to tell you anyway..."

But really, I'm not sad not knowing, and seeing the little skeleton, heart, kidneys, hands and feeties that I can't wait to kiss was more than enough. I can't get over how cute those little tootsies were. We also can see a better little face now. We found out the baby is sitting very low this week, with its head down and fists hitting me right below the belly button. I feel it moving a lot, sometimes what I imagine must be a full body stretch, sometimes little taps like dialing for take out, sometimes cannonballs on my bladder and once in a while something that feels like a cartwheel.

Here are some more recent belly photos eventhough we have not been religiously doing one per week...

Week 16

Week 18

Week 20

Excited big sister waiting for her little baby to love :)

Scrambled eggs, blessing or curse?

So we have been doing much better. The baby moves whenever it is hungry and then just after eating. Sometimes in between too, but around meal times it is most consistent. We have not had many episodes of nausea or vomiting unless again it is meal time. Are we sensing a trend yet? The baby Brian and I are expecting likes to eat, who would have thought! We have still been a little picky about food. Chinese and taco bell are still not favorites, just tolerable, and sushi looks and sounds great (but we can't have it). Lately the favorite foods have been oranges, vanilla yogurt and scrambled eggs with cheese. Chicken salad has been another amazing treat. We were doing really well with a two week no vomiting streak until this morning when I decided to brave washing an old scrambled egg pan and.... But still, I am feeling a whole lot more energetic and happy and back to my almost pre-pregnancy self who just needs to eat more frequently and has a little Scootieboo who kicks me :)

Wiggle Worm

So last Friday was the first time we thought we might be feeling baby moving around. I felt like someone was tap tapping me from the inside...Since then, most nights at around 8 PM when I lay down to relax, I can feel little wiggles and pokes, very faint, but like someone is flicking me in the tummy. At first I didn't believe it, since supposedly new moms feel the first kicks later on, but there isn't anything else there anatomically other than uterus to be feeling. So hooray for the first good pregnancy symptom amongst the other crappy ones :) SO far Brian has only been able to feel the hiccups since they come pretty regularly, but we're happy our little Scootie is making him/herself know.

There's a baby in there!

Above: Week 5 my tummy's baseline

Week 8: Baby or first trimester bloat?

Week 13: Definitely the beginning of a baby bump.

So yesterday began week 13, the last week of of the first trimester. I can't wait to see what it brings, since so far, every week has brought on some pretty uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. Is it bad that I read the second trimester symptoms and think...heart burn, gas and back pain sound pretty awesome compared to "morning sickness," headaches and gut wrenching constipation? Still, we continue on, me and this baby, learning what does and does not work day to day. I can say I'm generally less sick in the mornings now, but still pretty miserable by 4 pm. At least I'm getting a little break from nausea and vomiting...

This week, we've been on a ground beef, apple, banana, and candy binge. Milk, OJ, grilled chicken and spinach have been acceptable along with pizza of any form, green beans and homemade smoothies. Fried chicken, popcorn and lemon Italian ice are loosing their appeal, sadly. Bubble water continues to be a day to day puzzle whether it will help or make things worse. Aside from the candy, I would say on a whole, we're eating a little more healthy.

Things I've tried this week that I have found to be amazing: Tropicana OJ, everything bagels, tootsie rolls, peanut m & m's, homemade sloppy joe's, Dots and hot cocoa made with milk...aside from the sloppy joes, none of these things were pre-pregnancy favorites.

We are super excited to see the baby in 2 days, as we are hoping to hear a healthy little heart beat and see a more baby-like image on the screen :)

Everyday I'm Shufflin

So, we're at like 12 and a half weeks which means we are on the very tail end of the first trimester. This sickness business has seemed to get worse over the past week, but I'm hopeful that something magical will happen and it will poof and disappear soon!

Last weekend we went to Teresa and James's wedding and the best I felt in the past 3 months or so was dancing. We've decided that whenever Bon Jovi or dance music is playing, my tummy feels better. God help the world, there really is a little Brian growing inside of me. Now, not only do I eat what he likes, but I listen to more music he likes in the hope of feeling like a human being.

We go next Friday to see little Scootiebooboo on ultrasound again and I cannot wait to see how big he/she has gotten! Off to clean up our messy messy house...

Retro Post: The Pitter Patter of Little Fetus

It seems that on Tuesday, our little baby turns from an embryo to a fetus which ups our chances of carrying this pregnancy to term. We went last Monday and saw the little tadpole and heard its fast little heart beat (168 beats per minute) so that bodes well for us. It has a four chamber heart now, its tail is disappearing and its about 5/8 of an inch. We've told our families and some friends and coworkers at this point. Morning sickness is rather hard to disguise. We'll make a big reveal when I get past being so worried about the what ifs. Brian would yell at me right now, since he wants only a positive attitude from this incubator.

Still, its feeling more real and getting more exciting by the day. I hopefully have less than a month left of "morning sickness" which seems to be controlled only by popcorn and pregnancy tea from Debbie and constant munching all day. I've gained enough weight so that my work pants are getting pretty uncomfortable, and so I've given in and bought scrubs in 4 colors to make it through the next few months until I fit into maternity pants. I can't say I'm sad about the weight gain, I just wish it was more of a bump than a widening of my overall abdomen that looks more like ascites than a baby. Once its a full on baby belly, I'm going to be so excited, since this will be the one time in life that its ok to have a pudgy tummy.

Still, as much as I say I eat all day, its all pretty healthy stuff...fiber one cereal, yogurt, apples, almonds, 100 calorie packs of crackers, whole wheat toast with low fat PB, whole wheat english muffins, oatmeal, low fat/sodium popcorn. Our main vices are cheese and fried chicken, but since those stave off the vomiting, we're going to have to deal.

Retro Post: This Man

Brian has been so great these past few weeks. Some examples...

• Taking out the garbage to keep me from throwing up.
• Trying to keep up with my eating wishes so me and baby are fed.
• Making sure I have healthy snacks available to eat throughout the day and night.
• Getting up at 1 and 2 in the morning to get me a snack so my "morning sickness" will calm down.
• Coming home after over 12 hours at Stockton to bring me pancakes and mac and cheese, then watching me throw both up and still sleeping on the couch with me all night because I couldn't get comfy in bed.
• Giving up nights of video games to cater to my whining, nauseous pleas for random things...blue Gatorade, peanut butter granola bars, pancakes, jelly toast
• Putting up with my random aversions to bad breath, garbage, meatballs, dried fruits, etc without saying a word
• Rush ordering Sea-Bands on the day of the launch of his website because my "morning sickness" is so bad and I'm desperate.

So thank you to my wonderful husband. The little baby and I thank you for keeping us from unnecessary vomiting, starvation and a diet of strictly macaroni and fried chicken!