Week 12 - 12 Thoughts from Chris

Holy crap. (In a good way!)

Obviously, you can check out Julia's post for all of the incredible details of today's doctor's visit. I'll just throw in some thoughts of my own.

Twelve weeks, and here's what I've learned so far:

1. Babies need a lot of stuff. I'm talking unborn babies, here. Think: nutrition. Have you ever read a baby book? If I didn't know better, I'd think a baby would sprout tentacles if the mother didn't get enough vitamin B13.
2. This baby thing is nerve wracking. There are approximately seventeen billion things that can go wrong between now and the due date. And I will spend roughly 90% of my time pretending like I have some control over every single one of them.
3. More than likely, our doctor's office was not designed to be an OB / Gyn office, or at least not designed with the male counterpart in mind. Imagine walking in with your wife and finding the only available chair is placed squarely in front of a set of stirrups. If this were a sporting event, I'd be paying top dollar for this front row seat. The good news? I've perfected the stand-awkwardly-and-slowly-walk-over-to-the-side-of-the-bed maneuver.
4. Ever hear a baby's heartbeat for the first time? You'll never forget it.
5. In the movies, when a women goes for the first ultrasound, the doctor squirts some gel on her belly and - voila! - there's a baby on the screen. In real life, that first ultrasound does NOT involve the belly at all. Don't see that in the movies. At least, not the movies I watch.
6. I have a feeling it'll be pretty hard to not be overprotective. I was waiting in the lobby for Julia today, and a male nurse walked up, took a look at the ultrasound pictures, and told me, "That's a good-looking baby!" I stood up, punched him in the gut, and screamed, "Don't talk about my daughter that way!"
7. Number 6 didn't really happen. But that's pretty much how I feel. That's my daughter.
8. The nicest people in Texas congregate at Babies R Us. Seriously, everyone there is so nice. I think babies just do that to people. At least, unborn, not-crying babies.
9. TV shows like "Bringing Home the Baby" are great to get an idea of what we're in store for. TV shows like "I'm Sixteen and Pregnant" are not.
10. I cannot wait to buy a load of awesome kid toys.
11. I seriously hope that this baby has Julia's smile. That ultrasound was the highlight of the day. Seeing the look on Julia's face while she was watching the ultrasound monitor was a close second.
12. Waiting is hard. I want September to be here.

There's something absolutely breathtaking about seeing your baby for the first time. I mean really seeing it - that yolk sac left a lot to the imagination. And I don't mean breathtaking because you just saw some sort of frog-legged, alien-faced creature making a home in your wife's uterus. I mean that you can look at those pictures, and see a real baby - our baby - and get lost in every single wonderful possibility that exists for that little girl.

Really takes your breath away.

Like Jules said - we're tremendously lucky to have ya'll in our lives. Thanks for honest excitement and genuine support.

love
chris

Week 12 - It's a.....

Girl?..... Maybe? It's a baby, for sure! Today was our ultrasound and quite possibly one of the most exciting days of my life thus far. I will have Chris add his two cents tonight, so if you want to see his addition to the blog, and his perception of this so far, come on back by tomorrow.

So what do they look for in this ultrasound, you ask? Plenty. The very lovely woman who was working with us today was examining the heart, fluid in the back of the neck (indicating genetic abnormalities), spine, body movement, size, and facial features.

Educational (read at your own risk):

Heart: 155 beats/minute (perfectly normal)

Neck: If fluid in the back of the neck exceeds 3 mm, this is thought to indicate Down Syndrome or other possible genetic disorders. Our little one: 1.45mm (perfectly normal)

Spine: Nothing exterior or showing, so most likely no spina bifida or such.

Size: 2-2.5 inches long. (tiny little thing)

Facial Features: Distinct nose, eyes and mouth. A lack of distinct nose, would again indicate potential genetic disorders. The profile was adorable, though the frontal looked alien-like.....Chris inquired about paternity and potential abduction and probing. Yeah, laugh...he's already making fun of his own kid.

Movement: Most little ones are moving, but not much...so to test this the lovely tech decided to shake the ultrasound wand over my stomach causing what I called the "earthquake drill." And yes, our little one did NOT like that drill. She kicked, she flung her arms and she was a mover. This does...or maybe does not bode well for the future. She'll be kicking my bladder in no time.

Gender: Did I say she? Well, again remember that the baby is only a couple inches long, and a mover, so it was hard to get a good read. So with very little certainty, we were told that she might be a girl. They look for (and I expect a giggle from Erik and Mike) genital tubes. If horizontal, that means girl, if vertical (yes, laugh again) that means boy. When she was still, they looked horizontal. This means, Chris wins the bet...or perhaps Erik since he voted for something not quite human...and well, check out the pictures for yourself!

Future: We had blood work done today, we go back in 5 weeks for another blood draw, and then in 6 weeks (a week after the second draw) we get a second ultrasound and the results. The blood work will have more certainty regarding genetic disorders and the ultrasound at 17-18 weeks will have more certainty on gender. So April 7th is the next ultrasound, unless our other doctor gives us one in the mean time.

In the mean time, I hope these pictures will keep you busy :)

Above you see a look from up top. That's the head, and the right arm, elbow, and hand with little fingers. Below are two profile pictures. So you'll see the head (nose, eyes, mouth), body, and little feet.

And finally, the alien picture.... the baby's face. :)

Love you all! Congrats Uncles, Aunts, Nanas, Popis, Mops and Pops! We are so lucky and blessed to have your support! Oh, and we are wrapping up the first trimester, so telling extended family or friends is okay by us. :) Oh and if you cannot see these clearly or want them emailed to you, please let me know and I will be happy to send them your way!

LOVE!

Jules

Week 11 - Dreams and Jinxes

Hey Everybody! Welcome to week 11! Not a whole lot to post, but this week we have pictures!

Julia: So lots of weird, vivid dreams at night. I am hoping those will go away with the closing of the first trimester, and a reassuring doctor's visit this week! We'll be having blood work and a nuchal transluency screening (a.k.a. ultrasound) which looks for genetic abnormalities (apparently fluid will build at the back of the neck for children with Down Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities). This ultrasound will also look for gender (assuming the baby is not cross-legged).

I am actually more nervous about this doctor's appointment then I was about finding out my comps results, but given a healthy family history, taking good care of myself, and the overall odds - I'm expecting everything to be perfectly fine. Everyone should be looking forward to some CUTE pictures posted on here, and most likely emailed as well. Of course, cute for a black and white image of our little one's silhouette.

As far as jinxes go... I made the mistake of telling a friend that I thought my morning sickness was finally over! It had been 5 whole days without getting sick...and a few hours later, yup the baby taught me a lesson in getting too excited too quickly ;) Overall though, and I'm sure I'll be jinxing myself again, but my nausea is lessening, and my cravings are increasing! Still not change in appearance, though I swear I can see/feel a difference.

I did spend last week house-sitting at Nana and Popi's house, and this is where the pictures come in! The spoiling has begun....

You have to admit, that is some cute stuff. Despite the fact that there was no "I love Daddy" outfit, these are some of my favorite little outfits! I didn't even think about zodiac, but apparently our baby will (unless several weeks early or late) be a virgo! "A born giver and nurturer."

Chris: The shuttle has come home, so it has been great to actually see Chris! He did VERY well as lead, with only one failure, which was not at all a big deal, and he handled it superbly! And here is another opportunitiy for a picture!!!

Chris has been ridiculously supportive and honestly adorable (yes, Erik make fun!) from the very beginning. He seems to be VERY excited for this upcoming appointment. I am hoping he will add to the blog next week so you can get the dad view-point of our doctor's visit. I know that he has felt awkward and excited at previous appointments, and I'm sure this one will be no different. He's learning what the dad does at these visits (hold my hand and ask questions).

Love you all!

Baby Facts:

2.5 inches long (about the size of a lime or fig)

7.o grams

199 days to go!

Week 10 - Doctor Visit

Hello, hello!

The past week or two has been filled with morning sickness (which always happens at night for me), nausea, and fatigue that can quite literally knock me off my feet.I'm not showing at all, and I have not gained any weight. Although I have some cravings, my nausea is keeping me from binge eating :) I am more than ready for my second trimester to begin!

An update on me: Still busy as ever! I passed comps, which is a HUGE weight off my shoulders. Unfortunately, many of my fellow comps-takers were not so lucky. In fact, there is actually hearings taking place in the near future for academic dishonesty. Apparently, some students thought it was okay to take large passages from something that was previously written. (Not smart.) While I think I am an emotional nutbag, my outbursts are typically limited to sappy movies and songs. Of course, it has been difficult coping with Chris' work schedule with the shuttle up, but we enjoy the moments we do get to spend together!

An update on Chris: He is doing an awesome job as lead! As I heard it, most of his work was prepping pre-launch so that nothing goes wrong while they are up there. It is no surprise that things are going smoothly. You can see him on NASA tv from 5:00p.m.-2:00a.m. (central time) This is also when all the interesting stuff is happening, because the crew is awake and working.
He also installed a back door for us! He did an outstanding job, and it only took...well, several hours, but there are no gaps, no bugs or small lizards can squeeze into our house anymore, and it does stick or anything. It looks quite lovely and actually brings in more light! Go Chris! I suppose I should just have him blog on this as well, so you can hear his point of view of pregnancy and boring household projects....

Now what you really want: Our doctor's visit today went very well. A relatively boring one, but we got exciting news. In 2 weeks, we are visiting with a doctor to do genetic testing (looking for disorders such as Down Syndrome), and at that visit they also do an ultrasound. As of 11-12 weeks, the baby has his/her fingers, toes, organs, etc. the rest of the way is really just growing and developing more.

This means....they anticipate being able to tell the sex! Don't get too excited, apparently they're right 80% of the time (1 in 5 get a wrong guess), but still!!! We will have pictures that actually look like a baby!! Crazy, huh? That appointment is the 24th (bright and early) and then we have another one March 10th to check up.

Otherwise, everything is going well. Apparently my uterus is the size it is supposed to be (an odd compliment to receive), and things are looking really good!
OOOH - there is the option to "comment" -- please take guesses as the sex of the baby. Chris apparently thinks it is a girl, and I'm thinking maybe a boy (I'm not sold). Comment and take a guess!

Week 9 - NASA news

Hello all. And welcome to my blog. I am new at this, so please bare with me. What gave me the idea to blog, you ask? My dear friend Katie told me that I should create a blog online because it would be cathartic and because other people may be interested in what is going on in my life. Let's face it, people stop being interested in you once you have a little one. So no, people are not so much interested in what's going on in my life, as much as what is going on in my uterus.



Unfortunately, you do not really have a say as to what my topic is for today, and there is a pressing topic that has recently been brought to my attenion.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35182959/ns/technology_and_science-space/



Our president is currently trying to take money away from NASA's manned-operations. While I know that my husband is brilliant and will be successful no matter what happens to NASA, I saw him come home from work the other day with this genuine smile on his face. He had the pleasure of going in the simulator with astronauts and I know that the experience was beyond amazing for him. He has worked so hard and accomplished so much, and I know that I am not alone in saying how proud I am of him. It breaks my heart to think that NASA, such an amazing and historic organization would be taken down to simple cargo travel and robotics missions. There is something beautiful and inspiring about men and women exploring space. It also breaks my heart to know that thousands of people, many of whom are friends, will be without a job. Finally, it kills me that when my child looks at me and says, "Mommy, I want to be an astronaut." I may have to reply with, "Well, not in this country..."



Am I overreacting? Perhaps. Am I hormonal and ridiculously sensitive? Yes, of course. I'm a nutbag. But does that mean that this is unimporant? No. This is incredibly important.



If you know of any way to fight this. Please fight it. Let your voice be heard, folks!



I love you all, and I apologize for such a somber opening blog.





Baby Updates:

-- Blood work shows nothing abnormal. No cystic fibrosis for the little one.
-- The tadpole is over an inch long! Talk about a growth spurt :)
-- The little one now has fingers, toes, and ears! Apparently tadpole moves about a little, but I'm definitely not feeling that yet!