All About the Kids

The marvel of modern ultrasonic imaging (and Dr. Kolacz) tells us that there is a 99% chance that we’re going to have a baby boy!

I have a single picture up in the gallery, if you have been born with the gift of interpreting ultrasound images! By the end of the weekend, I’m gonna try and do a little editing to help out those who aren’t sure if they’re seeing kidneys or eyes.I’ve found that it’s a ton easier to watch an ultrasound video (live–I don’t know that they ever actually record a video) than it is to figure out what’s going on in a single image. But the good news is that everything’s going well!

Here are some vital stats from the appointment:

Head circumference: 200 mm (7 7/8″)

Abdomen circumference: 220 mm (8 5/8″)

Femur length: 35 mm (1 3/8″)

Calculated Weight: 1 lb 15 oz (0.9 kg)

Sarah’s Most Repeated Phrase during the appointment: “Is that normal?”

The little guy was just constantly moving! I almost felt sorry for the doctor, trying to catch him to do her measurements…it was especially funny how, with all that movement, Sarah couldn’t feel much of anything. The doctor said that as the baby grows, he won’t have as much room, which is why she will feel him moving more and more as time goes on. Guess that makes sense. It’s kinda obvious, I suppose; but I never thought of that before!

Here we are, late into week 20 of the 40 weeks of pregnancy (that’s 4 1/2 months on the 9 month scale)!

Sarah has officially “popped” according to a number of sources, but she still hasn’t had her first visual congratulations. A visual congratulation is when someone looks down, sees that you’re pregnant, and offers congratulations right on the spot! Of course, politeness seems to be the main deterrent to this recognition, but there’s got to be a point where someone must just know they won’t be wrong. I’ll keep you updated on that one.

This is the last week to vote on the main page for whether you think it’s a boy or girl! We’re going in on Thursday for an ultrasound, and will find out (and have pictures for you) at that time.

Here we are, at 17 weeks, eagerly anticipating that first “kick”. Sarah had felt this weird sort-of tightening sensation, called the nurse’s phone line, and got a lot of good info about Braxton Hicks contractions (I know, you’re probably thinking that we’re getting a little too in-depth here), she did some reading and determined that it was not that at all. In fact, we think it might be that the baby is getting strong enough to start letting us know about it!

I’ve tried a number of experiments, including giving Sarah tons of caffine and sugar, but we haven’t yet tied that to an increase in activity…just kidding!

Even though I’m left out of the loop again (I have to wait till the baby starts punting hard enough to feel it on the outside), it’s fun to think about all the changes that have happened in the last few weeks. Soon, hopefully!

Two days ago Sarah went to her monthly checkup without me for the first time, so I’m reporting second hand info.
It seems the baby has figured out his or her favorite game already–hide and seek! The doctor spent a good deal of time chasing the heartbeat back and forth, never managing to catch it for very long before the baby shot off in another direction! The official, doctor endorsed heart rate was 150 bpm this time, so we seem to have a hyper little one on our hands (or a girl, depending on your views of the significance of the heart rate).

Sarah kids that the doctor was really picking up on a different baby each time, but I think I’ll just stick with the theory that we’ve got a strong swimmer!

Hmmmm…It’s been a while since we’ve had any news. I guess I’ve always thought of a pregnancy as a continuous stream of new and surprising changes. Of course, there are tons of changes taking place, but we forgot to get an oven window installed in Sarah’s stomach, so we’re sadly left out of the loop. I guess I’m more out of it than Sarah is, but I can’t really say I’m envious of her. I’ve been tired and sick before, and it really hasn’t been something I care to repeat for a solid 3 months!

However, in the past week or two Sarah has had a substantial improvement in her ability to hold onto her meals. This is great news, both because she isn’t too keen on this pregnancy sickness thing, and because it’s quite difficult to gain weight (per the doctor’s instructions) when you can’t keep lunch (or breakfast, or supper) down!