Ignorance is truly bliss sometimes...

I have got some good news and bad news...

Good news- Mike felt B kick for the first time the other day. He was beginning to think that B didn't like him. I got to see it from the outside as well. I was sitting down doing one of my bible study lessons and felt him getting all crazy inside so I thought, "I wonder if I can see it from the outside. I looked down at my bladder and waited...then boom saw a little bump pop up and then quickly go away. It was really cool. Of course Mike rushed down stairs to see if he could see it too and B was tired and went to sleep. Really neat though.

Now for the "not so fun news"... After the Coflax Marathon race, Mike came by the hospital with lunch and to see what B was up too. While I was scanning myself I noticed a bright round area in B's liver. Never seen anything like it before and measured 1/2 a centimeter. Of course I immediately started researching and the findings weren't good. Anyways, went straight to the Perinatologist (a doctor that specializes in high risk/ abnormal pregnancies). The conclusion in a nut shell is, we think it could be a benign hemangioma/hemartoma (collections of blood vessels and other cells that are tiny a make a tumor like dense area that shows up as a bright area on ultrasound. If this is the case, I can deal with that. Hemangiomas are common in adults and I see those all the time and usually don't cause problems. There is no way of knowing if it is malignant until B is born, but is unlikely considering everything else thus far looks great. The other thought, which is unlikely for the same reasons, is CMV infection or Cystic Fibrosis which is why I got my blood drawn today.

I am glad I finally got this off my chest because Mike and I have been really anxious about this appointment and the results for the longest week and a half of our whole lives. How ironic that it happens to me. We have been praying and trying to keep good thoughts in our head. We made the decision not to tell everyone right away til we got some answers ourselves. Feel free to google anything that doesn't make sense or ask us. We are happy to share now. We will love this baby regardless of the outcome and are just trying to enjoy this pregnancy in the moment. I have a follow-up appointment in a month to check for any changes. Please keep us in your prayers.

19 weeks

How far along? 19weeks
Total weight gain/loss: broke even!
Maternity clothes? Bella Band and some maternity shirts
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I just can't do it captain, I don't have the power.
Best moment this week: Seeing a clean and organized garage
Movement: Pretty much daily now, mostly in the evening
Food cravings: Whatever sounds good at the exact moment in time and don't try to change my mind
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nada
Belly Button in or out? Well... still in, but gets very flat throughout the day. Maternity navel ring is in.
What I miss: Not having this pain under my right ribs, I think it may be my gallbladder
What I am looking forward to: 20 week ultrasound, pool time, and Mike being able to feel him kick.
Weekly Wisdom: Sleep when you can and don't feel guilty if its in the middle of the day. Don't try and act like you weren't sleeping on the couch when your husband walks in from 4 hours of cleaning the garage, when you were suppose to clean the upstairs. Can't fake the indented hand mark and couch creases on your skin.

I guess I am still not done yet

Today marks a first for me. I barfed in public, at work to be exact. I thought I was done with the full on puking, but I guess not. I still would drive heave and occasionally puke up bile in the morning, but I haven't really barfed for awhile. Nothing like sticking you head in a public toilet. I hope that is it for the day or else this is going to be a long memorial weekend.
Our 20 week ultrasound is in a week and our doctors appointment. I will keep up you updated on how everything goes. Everyone keep praying for a healthy baby. I sometimes forget that I am pregnant so I'm sure B was just keeping me in check this morning. It ain't over til its over.

First stranger reaction

The other day at work (the ob clinic) one of the midwives ask me if I was pregnant! Granted I was wearing an empire waist long dress and just got done eating a snack, but still, that is the first person to ask if I was pregnant. Everyone that knows I am always says "you are so small," "you don't even look pregnant, just looks like you ate a big burrito". So it was nice to finally hear the other comment. Mike says it is so obvious (but I wonder if he is just being nice). He is always touching my belly and really wants to feel B move. Every once in awhile it is strong enough to feel from the outside, so I will call him over and he will put his hand there, and then nothing. He tries to talk B into it, but he is just not having it. One time he thought he felt it and got all excited, but then I had to explain that it was the pulse from my aorta (and probably in his own thumb). One day he will, and I can't wait, he will be so excited.

FYI

FYI... there is a post sitting in the draft pile waiting for mike to attatch the picture with it. So hang in there. It is before the 18 week update. Second, as I am checking the blog to see if Mike updated it, I noticed how much more tan I look in the newer belly pic. Momma like! I don't know if it is because it was taken with Mike's phone or if it is a different location. Believe me though, it is not because I tanned. Just wanted to say I noticed.

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: -3 lbs
Maternity clothes? Bella Band and some maternity shirts
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Adding pillows, move over Mike.
Best moment this week: Feeling him kick inside and outside.
Movement: Definite movement. Not very often, but I can finally tell between gas and movement :-)
Food cravings: Butterfingers, yum! Grapefruit and strawberries.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Well... still in, but gets very flat throughout the day. Maternity navel ring is in.
What I miss: Sleeping on my belly. When I do (physically I can) he kicks me to remind me to get off of him.
What I am looking forward to: 20 week ultrasound, warmer weather, and Mike being able to feel him kick.
Weekly Wisdom: Done with sushi...for awhile. Starting to get hard to scan myself. He is so big now that he doesn't all fit on the screen, driving upside down and backwards is hard!

Hands for Feet

The one thing we didn't want baby B to get from his momma was her feet. Although they have been helpful for me (ie picking up stuff without bending over) they aren't the cutest feet in the world. I believe Mike refers to them as orangutan feet. They other day while taking a peek at B, I noticed that I was having a hard time distinguishing between his hands and feet... Uh OH... B got mommas toes! Good thing we are doing a jungle theme nursery, because my little monkey is going to feel right at home. None the less I will still be kissing up on those long toes!

On another note, I think I may be feeling B moving. I know some of it is gas, but some of it feels a slight bit different and much lower. I don't know, it may just be wishful thinking.

Anyway here is monkey evidence.

17 weeks

How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: -5 lbs
Maternity clothes? Bella Band and some maternity shirts
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Adding pillows, move over Mike.
Best moment this week: Being able to scan myself again and watching him kick all around.
Movement: I swear I felt a kick, but it also felt like gas so who knows yet.
Food cravings: Sandwiches, lemon water. Adversions- orange juice/oranges (they taste rotten to me)
Gender: Still a boy (I double checked)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Well... still in, but gets very flat throughout the day. Maternity navel ring is in.
What I miss: Shopping for cute swimsuits and other summer clothes and purses (all about baby stuff now).
What I am looking forward to: 20 week ultrasound and doing more yoga and walking.
Weekly Wisdom: It is probably better to do yoga at home when you still are passing gas like no other.
Milestones: Starting to look more pregnant and able to eat more things.

Its a....

BOY!!!!
I knew it all along. I had a feeling the whole time, well maybe not the whole time. As we got closer to finding out I started to lean towards a girl due to peer pressure. When we opened the box, I by-passed the outfit and went straight for the ultrasound pictures. The lady that scanned me made it sound like it wasn't obvious (another reason I thought girl), but as you can see, it is pretty obvious to me. It's weird to say I'm going to have a son. I'm not just pregnant, but I'm pregnant with a son. This keeps getting more real as the pregnancy progresses. My poor neice started crying when we said boy, she wanted a girl cousin soooo bad. I am shocked to have a boy because all I can think about are the horror stories Mike and his mom have told me over the years about how much of a trouble maker he was growing up. On a brighter note, Mike adores his mother and I hope I have that same relationship with my own son (oh God I almost started crying...suck it up).

16 week dr. appointment

Baby appears to be doing well with a heart rate in the 160's. But according to the Nurse Practioner I'm not doing as well. They weren't too happy with my .7lb weight gain. I was suppose to gain 4 lbs. Supposedly in 4 more weeks I should be 123 lbs, that is 15 lbs in 4 weeks! I do not foresee this happening. I'm not restricting, I'm just eating what I want when I want. And by the way I am still puking occasionally. Mike says he is going to force feed me, but when he told me to pick out candy at the candy store at the mall, I turned around to see him filling his own bag, I begin to wonder, was this for me or him? I am not too worried about the lack of weight gain and I'm sure I am just a late bloomer.

On a lighter note... today is the sex party! I had a boy dream last night....so we'll see if I'm right.