27 Weeks!

Less than 3 months to go until my due date and I figured it was about time to take another belly photo. Oh, the difference 6 weeks can make! I already feel HUGE, so it's going to be pretty scary over the next couple months when I get even bigger and the weather gets even hotter. Can't wait! Oh yeah....and I cut my hair.

Update: Ultrasound

I had an ultrasound on Friday to follow up on a couple issues that I previously wrote about. One was a cyst that had appeared in the baby's brain on the 20 week ultrasound. The good news is that the cyst was gone at my checkup on Friday, so I was very relieved about that. However, the problem with the kidneys that had presented itself earlier did not go away. The fancy name for it is fetal pyelectasis and you can read more about it by clicking HERE. It is not a serious condition by any means, but the baby will need some special care once he has arrived come September. Evan and I are both grateful that our baby is 99% perfect and healthy and we look forward to meeting him in only a couple months! We still have so much to do to get ready for his arrival. Hard to believe my due date is only 3 months away!

Checkups and Follow-ups

I had a routine prenatal checkup last week and everything was A-OK. Baby's heartrate was 152 beats per minute and my fundal height (the measurement of my uterus) was exactly on track with where it should be. I am purposely not looking at the scale when Kari weighs me at each visit, so don't even ask how much weight I've gained so far. I really don't want to know. Maybe I'll ask for a final number come September so I can record it in the baby book, but maybe not. I was still hanging on to about 20 leftover pounds from Isaiah when I got pregnant, so I am not exactly looking forward to what that scale will be saying by my birthday. Yikes.

As for follow-ups: I have another ultrasound coming up on June 12th. At our 20 week ultrasound at the beginning of May, Dr. Schad noticed a couple things that warranted some follow up. First, the baby's kidneys were two different sizes when they should be about the same. This can mean nothing or it could also suggest some kind of blockage to the bladder. He said it is fairly common and should go away within 6-8 weeks, so we'll be checking on that on the 12th. Also, he found a cyst in the baby's brain. I know.....that sounds scary. I about swallowed my tongue when he first said it too. I assured me, however, that this too is a fairly common thing that develops in fetuses and that it too should go away on its own within 6-8 weeks. The cyst is NOT a tumor or anything like that. So, we'll be checking to make sure that it has disappeared at the next ultrasound. I will be sure to share the results once it's done!

Apart from that, I thankfully have little to report! When it comes to pregnancy, no news is good news at this point. As long as things stay relatively uneventful, I know things are progressing as they should be. I do have days every now and again where I can literally feel my belly stretching out as I go about my day. It's weird and uncomfortable, but at least I know my little guy is growing. He still moves around a LOT and is capable of some very strong kicks. Maybe he's already trying to play with his big brother!

I see you!

Hard to believe, but I am already far enough along that I can see my little guy kicking me through my tummy! I noticed it a couple night ago when I was relaxing on the couch and he was being particularly active. I stared at the location where he was moving for a bit and sure enough, POP! My belly bounced out a that spot! Hopefully when Evan returns he'll be able to catch his first kick too.

Another prenatal checkup ahead for me tomorrow. I don't anticipated any problems!

Kicking around

This baby is certainly a MOVER! He kicks a lot and I have already felt them on the outside of my belly! I'll have to check my journal from last time, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't feeling movement on the outside just yet. I guess this one is a strong little bugger.

Still waiting for Isaiah's big boy furniture to come in so I can get it all assembled and start the transition for the office into the baby's room. I have purchased his new bedding and I think it will look really good. It's got a couple shades of blue combined with brown in a star motif! It should look nice with the wall color we already have in the office - we really didn't want to paint again!

21 Weeks!

Whew!  About 4 months to go....this pregnancy is half over already!  Hard to believe I am this far along already.  I was just talking to Evan today on our way to our Mother's Day dinner at HuHot (yum-o!) about how this pregnancy has gone so much faster than the last one.  I realize it's because I am otherwise occupied with a certain toddler, but it still amazes me.  I remember that the wait until the 20 week ultrasound in July of 2007 was just agonizing and seemed to take forever.  This time, I couldn't believe it was already here!  We still have a LOT to do in just 4 months, the biggest being getting the basement ready so we can move the office down there and the baby into the office.  Evan and his dad did get some new walls and some recessed lighting put up this weekend though, so there is some actual progress taking place.  Woohoo!

Whoa! Where did those come from??

I think my boobs exploded overnight. Not like a "Kaboom!" explosion like what happens when you toss a stick of dynamite into a vat of Jello, not that I've ever seen that done. It just seemed like a fitting image. No, I'm referring to the type of explosion, or rather....engorgement, that happens with you toss one of those novelty washcloths that comes all bunched up into the size of a quarter into a sink of water. Boom! All of a sudden, that quarter-sized cloth is swelling up to the size of a beach towel! That's what has happened to my chest. All day today, I am constantly hitching up my shirt that is covering the girls because I'm super-paranoid that they are out there for all these teenagers (I'm subbing at the high school) to see! I know they're supposed to grow in pregnancy, but honestly!!! Don't I have enough going on up front already? And why now? Why all of a sudden, in the span of a couple of days, have they suddenly decided to rebel against me and refuse to be confined by the likes of run-of-the-mill restrainment devices like undergarments and shirts? Oh no....they insist on being allowed to break forth into the spotlight! God help me if this trend continues.