It's a... GIRL!

Here she is, head to toes!

The 3D pictures are a little frightening at this age since the baby's eyes are fused shut, but I still thought they were pretty cool. The scary looking thing under her chin is the umbilical cord. Baby B was a very busy girl during the ultrasound, which was the first time Jordan really got to see her on the go. She put on quite a show for her daddy!

Baby B is in the 30th percentile for size. The doctor said that given my size, that is exactly what he would expect. We saw all four chambers of her heart, both hemispheres of her brain, her spinal cord, kidneys, two arms, two legs, ten fingers and ten toes. She is perfect - what a relief!

Baby B's Test Results

We got the results back from the second part of the integrated screen, and we again have the lowest risk level for everything, including: Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and Spina Bifida - 1 in 10,000. Very exciting news!

Here's a little blurb on the baby:

Head to rump, the baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces.

Three more days until the big ultrasound! Look for a new post on Friday.

Movement!

This weekend was Steph's bachlorette party in NYC and it was a great, but exhausting weekend. I can't believe that the wedding is less than a month away.

I am now over 18 weeks, and last night I finally felt the baby moving - it was really exciting! I don't think this baby ever stops moving. Hopefully he or she will be just as active for our ultrasound on Friday.

I will be sure to post pictures and hopefully the sex of the baby after our appointment. Any guesses? I still think it's a boy, Jordan is sure it's a girl. Only 4 more days until we find out!

The New House

The house is getting pretty close to finished, so I decided to snap a few photos. We ordered the baby's furniture this weekend, and it will take 10-12 weeks to come in. I can't wait to set up the nursery and have the new house feel complete.

Exterior

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Kitchen

Dining Room

Family Room

Living Room

Office

Garden

Garden

First Trip to the Hospital and Belly Update

Well, Baby B and I just took our first trip to labor and delivery at Beaumont. I had pains in my lower abdomen late last night, and my doctor sent me to Beaumont just to be safe. Baby B is safe and sound, and was doing some incredible acrobatics during the ultrasound. As soon as he/she gets bigger, I think I'm going to be getting punched and kicked a lot! The certified nurse midwife that I saw said that all of the baby's measurements are perfect, the heart is strong and he/she weighs 6 oz. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell the sex. The baby was cooperating, but the ultrasound was too fuzzy to see. I guess we will have to wait two more weeks!

Tomorrow we are going to Baby's Room to order the nursery furniture. I can't wait!

Here is a new belly picture - it's growing bigger by the second...

Baby B's Heartbeat

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Today I heard the baby's heartbeat and everything is going well - click the image above to hear it.

I had the second part of the sequential screen done, and will have results next week. The screen tests for Trisomy, Down Syndrome and Spina Bifida. Just a little over two weeks until we hopefully find out the sex.

The house is really coming along, I will post pictures soon!

The Very Blue Nursery

Our new house is being painted this week, and they did the nursery yesterday. We had them color match the silver sage (light green) linens we picked. Unfortunately, something was lost in translation and we have a blue nursery. The color is very nice, but not for a little girl's bedroom! We are going to wait until we find out the sex, and then repaint if necessary. I think it's a boy, which is the general consensus. Jordan on the other hand is confidant that it's a little girl. Three more weeks until we find out! The baby better not be modest, because I'm not patient enough to wait any longer.

I will be 16 weeks tomorrow - here's a little blurb on the baby:

Right now, the baby is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though locks aren't recognizable yet. The baby even has toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as the baby continues to develop.

Baby's First Family Vacation

We had a great time at the Homestead (Northern Michigan) with my mom, Grandma Joanie, Stephanie and Mike. The weather was perfect, and we had some great meals! Baby B and I ate well - maybe a little TOO well...

Saturday we traveled around to all of the small towns in the area - Glen Arbor, Suttons Bay and Omena - and then went to Traverse City for shopping and dinner.

Sunday, we went kayaking on the Crystal River - it was really beautiful! The river is very secluded, you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. It took us just under two hours to make it from the drop off point outside of town back into town. The river was a bit shallow in some places, so we got stuck a few times and had to get out and walk. The water is so clean though, so it was refreshing to get out and wade through it every once in a while.

I can't wait to take Baby B next summer!