Weeks 20, 21, and 22!!

So..I got backed up and haven't done this for 3 weeks now.  In the meantime, we have found out we are having a boy that will be named Reed Benjamin Pollard.  It's amazing how quickly the time is going by as well!!  We will have more pictures up very soon!

20 Weeks

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

21 Weeks. 

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

22 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

19 weeks- Almost halfway there!!!

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The hair on her 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. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you

18 Weeks!!

Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, although he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. 

17 weeks and counting....

Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby weighs 5 ounces now, about as much as a turnip, and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby can move the joints, and the sweat glands are starting to develop. 

I have noticed that my center of gravity is changng, so occasionally I feel a little unsteady on my feet, sometimes dizzy and more headaches.  The heartburn is almost over, but occasionally still feel it.  I think I felt movement yesterday driving to work...too soon to tell???

Sonogram coming up on 5/24...so maybe we will know what we are having...so anxious and really want to know!

Finally 16 weeks!

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, our baby will double in weight and add inches to it's 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.

Soon I experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling our baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks our baby will grow stronger and I will be able to feel them much more frequently...stay tuned...I will let you know!

15 Weeks Pregnant!

Our growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). Baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. The legs are growing longer than the arms now, and baby can move all of the joints and limbs.

Although the eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. If we shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, baby is likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for baby to taste at this point, but baby is forming taste buds.

Our next appointment is Tuesday, May 24th (our second anniversary), and we will be having our first sonogram...hopefully we will be able to find out if we are having a boy or a girl!

We are into the second trimester!

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: 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. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. 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.

We are EXPECTING!

We are expecting!  I hope you will join us in this new adventure.  Our precious bundle of joy is due to arrive on Octboer 12th.



Pictures and more

We will have pictures and video and more coming to our blog very soon!  Keep watching! :)

Hot days, rain, and the first day of school!! (By Chris)

So..it reached 110 degrees here today which made it that much worse with the humidity.  Luckily it finally rained and I'm so looking forward to the 90 degree weather we're expecting Wednesday!  It's been an amazingly hot summer!

On the other hand..I went back to work on the 12th of August but today was the 1st day of school for students.  I always forget how hectic a day is when it's the first day of school and beginning on a new school year.  Work orders always get put in left and right and it's hard to keep up but over time it works itself out.

Overall, I'm just quite tired but that will work itself out with time as well!