And now we're at 18 weeks!

Yikes! I was so busy the past few weeks with the law school's Reunion that I haven't had time to breathe let alone the energy to post anything. I'm at about 18 1/2 weeks now, and we're really looking forward to the ultrasound on Wednesday the 17th to find out the gender of the baby. I am showing a whole lot more now, though people who don't see me often probably just think I'm just getting a little chunky.

We had a rough week with our animals - first our sweet cat, Chewie, passed away, and then Connie the dog got bit by something which caused her snout to swell up so bad on one side that she looked like a bull terrier! The doctor says she's going to be fine, but she's on antibiotics and steroids. Connie doesn't even seem to notice how funny she looks, and it certainly hasn't slowed her down from wrestling with our other dog, Duke, or running around outside!

Anyway, here's what BabyCenter.com says is going on with our baby this week:

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Kick kick kick

I finally got to feel the baby kick. Niki had me feel her belly a few nights ago, and sure enough, kick kick kick. Very gentle, but I could feel it. Brought a smile to both our faces.

17 Weeks Already

We're moving right along and have reached the 17 week mark. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or not, but I think I'm feeling a little bit of movement from the baby. We have not been keeping up quite as religiously with the pregnancy diet, but I'm doing pretty well with eating healthy. I have only gained a couple of pounds, which is probably a good thing!

Here's what our baby website says about the baby at 17 weeks:

Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Sixteen Weeks and Counting!

Well, Niki is at 16 weeks here, which means this baby is due in about 24. We are very close to the halfway point. At this point, the baby has developed to the point shown in the picture. The baby is the size of an avocado, but will double in size in the next three weeks! Wow!

Anyway, Niki is doing very well. Her nausea seems to have eased up, and even though she is always happy to take an extra nap, she seems to have a little more energy. She insists that she does not have any food cravings, but only food aversions. This works out nicely for me, because Niki is much too sensible to wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me she does NOT want to eat olives, for example. On the other hand, on Saturday night at the Vandy game, Niki had a hot dog . . . dipped in nacho cheese sauce. She insisted that the nacho cheese helped meet her calcium quota for the day. Then today she put cream cheese on her turkey dog. Same excuse . . .

Quad Screen Results Normal!

Last week, I had blood drawn for a "quad screen" prenatal test, which looks for abnormal levels of alpha-fetalprotein ("AFP"). Levels too high could indicate a neural tube defect like spina bifida or anencephaly. Low levels of AFP and abnormal levels of human chorionic gonadotropin ("hCG") indicate the potential for Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome. There's a couple of other chemicals the screen looks for, and interpreting those in conjunction with the AFP levels can indicate other potential problems.

Luckily, the test showed that I was negative for "abnormal AFP levels", which is (according to the nurse who called me) another way of saying my test results showed no abnormality. Had the test shown an abnormality, we would have considered an amniocentesis. Luckily, I get to avoid the big long needle and we can feel a little more confident about having a healthy baby!

Click here for a neat site that explains more about what the quad screen testing does.

Job for Everyone

Statistics show that a pregnant woman who is hugged a lot is more like to hug her baby after it is born.

So, when you see Niki, hug her.

Thank you.

Learning the News

I wrote this the first day that I knew that Niki was pregnant and thought I'd share it with you:

I was in the anteroom for the Hamilton County Circuit Court, Division 4, when Niki called this morning. She told me that she's pregnant. She has missed a period and taken a pregnancy test. I told her to take another pregnancy test and give me a call. I spent the motion hearing in a haze. After the hearing, and on the way back to Nashville, Niki called to confirm that a second pregnancy test said she was pregnant. She called a doctor to schedule an appointment. They told her that if two tests told her she is pregnant, then she is pregnant. Due date is March 13. We think the kid was conceived in mid-June.

Niki and I decided that until 12 weeks, we will consider this to be a medical condition of Niki's. After 12 weeks, it's on! We agreed to tell our parents and siblings, but ask that they keep it quiet until 12 weeks. . . .

On my way back to Nashville, I had the following thoughts:

1. Thank God I've got the Mustang now. It'll be paid off in December, so that bad boy is "grandfathered" in.

2. I'll be 32 when the baby is born. That means when I'm 50, the kid will be 18. That's plenty of time to resume the "couple's life" with Niki again.

3. Nine months is not a lot of time.

4. We're pretty damn lucky.

5. I think it is going to be a girl.

Chewie the cat has been very affectionate with Niki the past few days and was there for the "test." Is he going to play a big role in this?

We are both completely floored. We knew we wanted to get pregnant, but were not officially trying. This happened REALLY quick.

We took one more pregnancy test tonight. She's definitely pregnant. In less than a year, my wife is going to be somebody's mother.

Crib and Glider

We found a baby store MUCH more pleasant to shop in than Babies 'r' Us (and it's a lot closer, too!) and went there this morning. It's called USA Baby (www.usababy.com), and it's terrific. We found both a crib and a glider that we loved. They were both very reasonable, especially because the store had its "Once a Trimester" sale going on. Now all we need is for Corey to build the top for the dresser that will serve as a changing table, and all of the major pieces of the baby's room will be in place. I guess we should start getting all of the crap out of that room now, shouldn't we?

The crib is a Munire and is made out of solid hardwood. The glider is a BestChair and my mom will be happy to hear that it will be built in Southern Indiana! We got it in a textured fabric in a color called "ginger", which is nice and soft but easily washable. I already have my eye on some bedding that has the same color in it.

15 Weeks

Looks like we have hit the 15 week mark! According to one website:

"At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form."

Great. Now Corey is going to be chasing me around with a flashlight and asking me how the sweaty baby is doing. I'm still not showing a whole lot, and people don't know I'm pregnant unless I tell them. I have read that some people don't "pop out" until they are 5 or 6 months pregnant with their first child, so I must be one of those "lucky"(?) people.

Barb & Larry's Big Announcement

Barb and Larry wanted to tell their dance group friends in a special way that B&L were soon to be grandparents. Each week after their dance class, the group heads back to Wendy & Tom's house for refreshments. Barb offered to bring the food this time, and made these adorable cupcakes, served with the hilariously cute baby boy and girl napkins. Barb reports that it didn't take the group long to figure out what was going on!

Corey's Birthday Present

I guess only a new father-to-be would want a "manly diaper bag" for a birthday present, but I was happy to oblige! He chose the one above (only the one he got is tan) because of all of its cool features and decidedly non-diaper-bag look. It's got all of the standard features, like a changing pad and an insulated bottle pocket, but there are no teddy bears or hearts on it. Now we just have to teach him to change a diaper...

And I wouldn't want to miss out on wishing Grandfather-to-be Larry happy 60th birthday today! We had the big birthday blowout a couple of weeks ago, but I'm hoping he pulls a bottle or two out of his new wine fridge tonight to celebrate.

More about names

...and this is why picking a name is so important! We don't want our kid to get any strange reactions when he/she tells people his/her name. ;)