17 week appointment

Had an appointment today at 17 weeks. All seems well. Heart rate measured in in the 140s! At 8 weeks we were in the 160s so this is a bit interesting! Now everyone is saying "ah, definitely a boy" because of the old wives tales about slow heart rate = boy.

Well we'll know in THREE weeks! October 20th is the big ultrasound. We're trying to figure out if we want to do something special to make finding out the gender more of a surprise, like have the ultrasound tech write it in an envelope and enclose a picture of "the goods" for us, and then we can take it to my parents house later that night, and get brian's parents on Skype to open it all together! Or, we can open it later, just the two of us, so we can react whatever way we want alone together. lol. Who knows, just fun thoughts.

maternity style

My mother-in-law was in this weekend and spoiled me quite a bit with some new maternity items from Motherhood Maternity! I feel like I have a lot of clothes now, so blessed. Maybe just might need another sweater and possibly a winter coat.



She also purchased me an "Snoogle" body pillow - they look goofy, but they are pretty amazing and I'm excited for how it should help me stay a little more comfy as I get bigger, hopefully. And two little baby items... "baby's first tigger" & "baby's first pooh." so cute...



And last week I got a buttload of stuff from Old Navy, they had a big sale. More casual stuff but I love the colors!



Some of all these clothes are too big for me right now, it's so hard to believe in a few months I'll be big enough to fill them out, God-willing!

rough nights

This is sort of health, personal, worry post, so be fore-warned.

Friday & Saturday night as well as last week have been very very rough for me physically with my IBS and pregnancy. I've had a ton of pain, a ton of cramping, and some pretty severe attacks. Last week I got really weird with food again, not eating even close to as much as I have been... naseauted half-way through my meals and feeling not in the mood for anything. I thought at 16 weeks I'd be past that. Some of my cramping last week felt uterine as well, and some of it was higher in my stomach as well as lower in my intestines. At one point I had to leave a dinner with some friends because I was in so much pain.

If you could pray for me that the pain would decrease and my attacks would slow down. My doctor thought I'd be feeling better than this in a few weeks (at my last appt at 13 weeks) so I'm frustrated because I'm actually feeling worse. The pain can get to me really badly emotionally so I start to get fearful and worried again... and feeling that is almost worse than the pain. I am trying so hard to trust in God that he is protecting our child. I still need help with trust.

I haven't been able to determine yet if I'm feeling the baby move yet or if I'm just having so much intestinal distress. I thought at this point all that stuff would be pushed out of the way and I'd be able to clearly tell where the baby is and when it's moving. I feel a bit embarrassed when people touch my stomach right now, because its not really baby quite yet... I mean it is, but most of the time they're all just touching my fat belly. Ugh. And some ask me tons of questions like "how is baby lusky" because all I can say is... I assume totally fine but not quite sure :) The questions do get a bit exhausting. Maybe it's better if everyone reads the blog, then I don't have to field quite so many questions. LOL.

Anyway - appt on Tuesday at 17 weeks with the midwife so I always get excited and nervous about this, but mostly excited. Thanks for the prayers!

Belly Shots

I've been taking these but not posting them, so here you go. Honestly, not a huge ton of difference over the last 3 weeks. I think I've gained 1 pound over this time period according to my scale/records. Also, wow I need to get my roots done!




And - today.

16 weeks and love

We're 16 weeks today and I'm excited, because that means in 4 weeks I'll be HALF-FREAKING-WAY. I don't even believe it. I pray we can find out the sex of the baby that week as well!

16 Weeks Development: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Also, tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower).

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Also thinking of Molly, Abraham & children today as they remember their baby girl Felicity Margaret who would have been two years old today. Prayers and comfort with you as we remember!

15 week sonogram

Had an "unofficial" sonogram at Great Lakes Insitute today. I felt a little like a lab rat as the students were learning how to measure, find things, but it was amazing! It was thrilling to see this baby, with all the parts, moving around and just EXISTING in there! I still can't feel things so seeing the movement was incredible. At one point it was kicking and moving and reflexing all at once. So amazing. She showed me the face too but didn't really get a picture of it or the whole body at once, so we sort of ended up with a bunch of pics of different parts. Still awesome. There's really a baby inside me!!! It weighs about 5 oz right now! Couldn't tell the sex yet, but that's ok.

The first image is the baby waving to me, I'm convinced :) The last two are lower body shots.

Going to put 3 of them bigger here too.









hi everyone! :)

ticker

cute, dont know where to use it though :)

New Music, New worship

I've acquired a whole bunch of new music lately, including Matt Redman, Bethany Dillon, Jesus Culture, and some secular tunes Imogen Heap, A Fine Frenzy. I think hearing any of it at a later time will definitely remind me of this time in my life. This busy fall, this crazy time, this early pregnancy. Learning to trust God in new ways, finding His power in different places, relying on him for daily assurances.

Bethany Dillon put out a new album and one song in particular touched me with it's message and simplicity. It could apply to anyone, especially young women who are newly married, in love, or dealing with trying to find time to be with God aside from work, family, and other reponsibilities.

Bethany Dillon - Say Your Name
I'm trying to find a moment with You
These days are speeding by
This ring gives me a new point of view
I'm a dealer in my time
And if I can make a confession
My time is torn between
The man who has won my affection
And the God who made me

Oh it all looks different
But that doesn't mean anything has changed

Still I reach for You
When I am afraid
And this breath that comes from You
Helps me say Your name

I look at the life of Anna
Your presence was her home
I look at the life of my mother
Praying on her back porch

One day very soon
Face to face
I'll give an account of my time to You

exciting

Great Lakes Institute called me and I've got a free sonogram set up this Weds, Sept 16. I'll be 15 weeks. I can't wait to see what the baby looks like this far along!! I hope she/he moves around a bit so I can see the life!

14 weeks

Things are going pretty well, I've been feeling pretty good, IBS has been calming down a little bit but still bad at certain times. I have been feeling very tired the last two days again, napping on Sunday and sleeping for like 9-10 hours Sunday and last night. I'm not sure what is going on - maybe the baby is developing a lot right now and draining me! Who knows! Sunday I did a ton of housework in the morning early, which felt good, but then I think drained me later. I actually got up the energy to work out yesterday, did a mile on the elliptical and some weights. If I can keep that up, hopefully that will be good. According to my records, still no real major weight gain since the last few weeks!

I'm getting very excited to continue to be further along. Every fiber of my being wants to feel this baby move. Sometimes I sit and just try to concentrate, but I know it will probably be at LEAST 3 more weeks. I also called for a free sonogram to the Great Lakes Institute but they have yet to return my call which is annoying me because it's been almost a week.

One more weekend of double weddings, then a weekend off. I'm excited for that. Then only 5 more weddings and my season is effectively OVER unless I have anymore last minute weddings come in! I am praying for some graphic design work to come in and break up the winter!

Baby Developments at 14 Weeks:

Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

baby heartbeat

Here's a short audio clip from our appt today. She found the heartbeat very fast, as well as my uterus, saying "yep, its right there, it's like a little house." :-)



The appointment was great. The only concern she had was my weight gain, according to their records, I've gained 10 lbs. According to mine, only 5. I know. It's a discrepancy. So I don't know what to think, but either way I'll try to be careful with portions, and it's time to get exercise back in my life!

13 weeks

Tomorrow we have a doctor's appt/check up where I pray I'll get the opportunity to record our baby's heartbeat. I keep being a little fraid something will be wrong. But so far everything seems ok and I'm praying over my little one's safety and protection. Will update the blog hopefully with some cool sond effects tomorrow!

Some cool 13 week information
Your fetus is now about three inches long, weighs about an ounce, and is around the size of a peach or a medium shrimp — and half of that length is head. By the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body. Your baby's intestines are moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing.

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.