Sorry, some of the captions are hard to read… The last picture is a footprint, well I guess a “feetprint” both feet were pressed against my stomach. She was VERY active, kicking, punching, I think I am in for it once I start feeling those kicks!
I wil try to remember to uplead clearer images in a few days… 
And there will be more pictures in just 3 weeks. Next Ultrasound February 20th, 2008.
… was quite large and heavy for her age. Weighing in at 10 oz. and around 7-8 inches (they couldn’t tell for sure because she was being an acrobat and refused to stop doing the headstand on my cervix, but I have another ultrasound scheduled in 3 weeks… that makes 5!)
So they changed my due date to June 22nd… possibly sooner??? So she is gonna be tall like her momma and poppa!
Boy, that still feels weird, momma and pappa… mom and dad… I guess it will until we are actually holding her and someone else says it.
In other news a little over a week ago, my mom and I took a trip to San Fransisco where my Aunt Dao, Uncle Karl and cousin Sydney live. We had a WONDERFUL time. I hardley get to see them anymore, so this was a real treat… and I am already planning the next trip out there just 2-3 weeks after the baby is born. SanFran in July… How wonderful! Did I mention Napa Valley is right there and I will be able to drink wine again??
Anywho… Karl and Dao were generous enough to give me some of Sydney’s things she has outgrown. I will forever be in debt to them. Thank you thank you thank you!
With that, this post is getting rather long, I will have to continue more later. The next post will be just ultrasound pics from the 18th… er 19th week
18 Weeks
Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper), and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She’s busy flexing her arms and legs movements that you’ll likely start noticing more and more. 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.
19 Weeks
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby’s brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They’ll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she’s born.
THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!! Only 3 more days and we find out if the baby is healthy.
Belly Size: 39 inches
Friday morning I had my 16 week check-up with my doctor. Jess was unable to go, but my mom willingly volunteered. We arrived and waited next to no time in the waiting room (maybe I should take my mom more often, she seems to be a good luck charm). Again, routine, blood pressure, pee in a cup, doctor will be right with you…
One think I really like about doctor Kastellar, is he is really prompt. Once you are in the room, he is there within two minutes.
So he tells me a bit about what to expect in the coming weeks, more movement more growing. more discomfort. Great. Then he pulls out the heartbeat monitor, and once again, cannot find the heartbeat. So he tells us that since my mom is there, we might as well do another ultrasound. It went something like this:
There is the baby
There are the ribs
There is the Heart, look you can see the valves
There is the spine
There is a leg and an arm, it’s rolling around in there…OH! I KNOW WHAT IT IS! Do you want to know?
my hear raced. I did want to know, but Jess was not there and I couldn’t bring myself to find out without him there. So with tearful eyes, I declined.
I called Jess to tell him the doctor said everything looked fine, and he was able to tell the sex of the baby. Surprisingly, he asked what it was. I told him I didn’t know… I wanted him to be there when we found out.
Next he said, “Well call the Doctor back and FIND OUT! I don’t need to be there…” So i called and left a message for the doctor. About 45 minutes later he called back and told us…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
IT’S A GIRL!
So, we have another ultrasound scheduled on Monday the 28th to see in detail and make sure it is a girl. The ultrasound machine, that told us it was a girl, is just a small portable one in the doctors office. So only 6 more days and we find out for sure (well as sure as we can be on an ultrasound) So check back next week for pictures and more updates!
How your baby’s growing:Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he’s around 5 inches long. 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.
Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton; until now, rubbery cartilage is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he’s born. A newborn’s skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he’ll have just 206 bones.
So now knowing that our baby is 4 1/2 inches long it is no wonder that I can feel it moving around. Just the other day Jess and I were at Walgreens and I had this terrible cramp in my right side. I poked it and prodded it and it was rock hard! I figure it was probably the baby’s bottom or back crammed up in the corner. As we walked outside it felt as if the lump just slid down… I stopped dead in my tracks and almost cried when I realized I felt the baby move for the first time all on it’s own! Since then I have felt it move multiple times, usually when it seems to be “tucked” somewhere. High and to the left or low and in the middle.. It always feels like there is some sort of large marble or something sliding across my insides. CRAZY!
On another note, I have been having the craziest dreams lately! Almost all of them involving vampires. I know some of you may be thinking, this is just my uncontrollable past catching up with me… but really according to dream analysis websites: to see a vampire suggests that you are feeling physically or emotionally drained. So it looks like I’ll be dreaming about vampires for a while… Mom, didn’t you have a few vampire dreams while you were prego with me???
Friday is another doctors appointment where we will schedule the ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy and whether it is a boy of a girl!
At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she’ll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby’s ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn’t recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she’s even started growing toenails.
Ok so how col is that?? I tried it, I got one of Jess’s high powered flashlights and put it on one side of my tummy, nothing happened, so I put it on the other side. Low and behold… It felt like a little bubble bounced from one side to the other! I must have done that for about 5 minutes before I finally put the flashlight away and went to bed. NEAT!