Ultrasounds, Vacay, and First Movements!

WOW it's been a while since I posted last, but things have been busy and people aren't kidding-- the second trimester FLIES! It has been almost 6 weeks since my last post at 13 weeks when I found out from Dr. Alton that my due date would be extended to March 7th. I went in at 16 weeks to see a high-risk OB who specializes in the cardiac development of the fetus, so she'll be monitoring me alongside Dr. Alton to make sure my condition doesn't affect the baby. And she too is wonderful!! After the tech performed a full anatomy ultrasound, Dr. Wolfe checked everything out and had a consultation with me to tell me how the baby is growing. She said the baby was measuring right along with 16 weeks, so she said we would go by my original due date-- February 28th! =) Another surprising fact: baby was measuring 6 ounces-- nearly double the average fetal weight at 16 weeks! That doesn't mean much now, because they all progress at their own rate, but I'm hoping my 20 week ultrasound shows significant growth that pushes up my due date even more. I just CAN'T WAIT to meet this little sweetie! We even got some exciting photos and I got to see the baby trying to get a thumb in its mouth. The ultrasound techs celebrated when he/she finally got that little thumb in its mouth! =) My favorite photo is of the baby "waving," I just love seeing all FIVE of those little fingers! After much discussion, my husband has put his foot down on waiting to find out the gender. And this is definitely its father's child, because throughout the entire ultrasound, the baby sat breech, Indian-style, with the cord between its legs! STINKER! Heart rate that day measured at 142 bpm. So baby is doing great, and Mom? Doing great too, ever since my high-risk OB Dr. Wolfe told me to get back on that treadmill! "Why did you stop running every day?!" she asked "I was pregnant and tired," I said. "Well, you're almost 17 weeks-- no more excuses! Keep running, and start swimming. I don't mean water exercise classes... swim laps!" I have been following the doctor's orders and it's like I almost never even missed a run as I clocked 3.42 miles in 35 minutes last week!

HELLO, EVERYBODY! =)

We also went on a mini-vacation to Denver September 21-23. This is where I felt the first real, unmistakeable movement! We were driving down a mountain so we could hike to Bear Lake, and I felt something like *poke poke poke*... it felt like popcorn popping! Now it's much more frequent, usually at night when I'm relaxing, and I have found that it often pokes at me when I'm talking about it. (By the way, I hate calling the baby "it!" Must convince my husband to find out the sex!) By the way, there it goes again... movement! Even when we listened to the heartbeat last (the day after we returned from Denver) the nurse said "OOH! Busy baby!" and you could hear the doppler making a squeaking noise between beats. I'm taking bets on how little this baby will sleep. I think it's because I'm so active myself. Heart rate September 24th came in at 146 bpm. =) Another funny thing happened as we embarked on this vacay... the first STRANGER noticed I'm preganant! She mentioned in the security line to her husband that a friend of theirs didn't want to go through one of the machines because she was pregnant, and as I asked a TSA agent for a pat down since I'm expecting, the lady turned to John and said "Wow! I didn't want to say anything to her unless she was just chubby or had a pot belly or something!" Oh, goodness. Thank God I'm starting to actually LOOK prego.

MOMMY, DADDY, AND ME ON A FUN HIKE!

Oh yes, another milestone-- while I haven't gained much weight (thank you second trimester energy for exercise!) I have grown... BIG TIME! While I haven't been able to fit into my pants since 8 or 9 weeks, people have been saying "I DON'T SEE A THING!" Well, here goes!

14 weeks, 3 days

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks, 2 days

My next ultrasound (the real full-anatomy one) is October 10 and I'll meet with Dr. Wolfe again. I'm also excited for that weekend because my mom and grandma are coming to start on the nursery with me!! I'll be going to Indy to see family and friends the following weekend for my birthday. So many fun weeks ahead with the holidays approaching, I have a feeling the 3rd trimester will be here before we know it! I feel like I"m so scatterbrained with these blog posts, I hope they make sense!! I'm feeling great so far, and I'm excited to continue this journey. Thanks to everyone for all your advice and support out there. =)