A HEALTHY Little Boy :)

So I am 18 weeks along, and this belly is getting quite large :)  A few friends from church said there either has to be 2 in there or they have my due date wrong!  I am inclined to go with the latter! 

At 18 weeks little Bud is being compared to a sweet potato or a bell pepper.  He is 5.5 inches long (crown to rump) and officially 9 ounces (the sonographer told us his weight, so he is a little larger than the 7 ounces that the baby websites say he should be).  We know he has been busy moving because from one ultrasound to the next he has gone from sitting up in my belly to upside-down and feet stretched into my ribs :)  Here are some new ultrasound pictures of the lil' guy:

Bud's profile with hands in the air

Bud is looking straight at us, but covering his eyes with his hands; and you can see his knees curled up too



This is Bud trying to give us "knuckles" in the womb :)

 

Bud's baby feet!

New this week: Bud's bones are beginning to harden (ossification for you smarties out there), he is getting some fat stores to help keep him warm, and his sense of smell, taste, sight, and hearing are all developing!  A substance called myelin is coating his nerves to help the connections travel faster.  Lastly, Vernix (a milky coating compared to cheese) appears all over his body to protect it from the amniotic fluid (so that come December I don't give birth to a raisin)!
Tim and I began working on the nursery last week.  He has big plans for it, so I will be happy if it gets complete in the next few WEEKS :)  The plan is to put in new base moulding, wood paneling every 2 feet going up 4 feet from the base, and then topping it off with some beautiful chair moulding (it's considered "judges paneling" if you're into construction).  The bottom half with be white and the top will be painted green to match the bedding. 

We bought all the wood last week and spent our anniversary using Dad's miter saw to make the cuts we needed.  This weekend we prepped the room for painting (spackled, sanded, taped) and then added the green paint on the top half.  We had some mishaps with the color, but nothing a few trips to Home Depot couldn't fix.  I'll keep you updated on our progress and show some pictures when we're finished. 

More big news this week: we have decided on Bud's pediatrician and the daycare he will attend.  We were very impressed with the doctor and his facility, making the decision quite easy after all my researching.  I visited 5 daycares and nothing compared to the our # 1 choice!  It's in a great location for both sets of grandparents to pick him up in an emergency and we felt very welcomed and reassured by the owners and director. 

We will be purchasing Bud's baby furniture this weekend, making my summer to-do list almost complete :)


7 on 7/15/11

16 weeks and counting!

I turned 16 weeks while vactioning at St. George Island.  My family and I had a fantastic beach trip with many adventures and misadventures :)  This includes being without power for 36 hours!  Here's a picture of the whole fam on the beach, Bud is in the picture too!


Baby Bud is growing quite rapidly!  He is now about 4.5 inches long from crown to rump, meaning about 6.5 inches from head to toe!  His body mass is equal to avocado!  In the next few weeks, he will double his weight (currently 3.5 ounces) and add inches to his length.  Toenails are now growing on those little "piggies" and his heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day, impressive!


Bud is quite the dancer in my belly, although I'm still not sure if I can feel him move!  I want to be sure I'm not confusing it with all the other belly pains before I announce his little flutters. We will have gender confirmation soon :)

Here are a few new belly pictures from 16 weeks:

                                                              6 pounds gained so far :)

Mommy and Daddy-to-be going to dinner at the beach