Our Little Wolfe Pack: January 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

It's "grape" to be a baby! Week 9!

Nothing much to report. I'm not feeling quite as tired this week as I have been the previous weeks. I scheduled our 1st trimester screening ultrasound on Feb 19th - basically they are checking our risk of down syndrome. And then we find out the sex on April 17th!!! YAY! I'm looking forward to that! I think that is about it!

Here is what is new with the baby:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Introducing Baby Wolfe and it's first photo shoot!

Everything with my appointment went FANTASTIC!! We saw the baby and saw the heartbeat and everything. She didn't tell us how many beats, but the little flicker was quick! It looked like a little peanut with a heartbeat!

It was pretty funny because when the doctor left and I was getting dressed Nathan goes, "I was watching the doctor and I know what buttons to push and get more copies of the picture!" lol So he printed off three more copies! I thought it was pretty funny.

We are currently trying to decide on a name for the baby until we know if it is a boy or a girl. I call Nathan "Monkey" all the time and he calls me "Goose" so we need to think of an animal name appropriate for a baby!

The baby's head is toward the bottom in the picture! Or rather I should clarify because other friends have been left very confused. It is not the actually bottom of the picture, but rather - the baby is the little shrimp lookin thing in the middle of the black oval area. The bottom round part of the "shrimp" is the baby's head. :-)

The doctor said everything looked perfect! And gave me a clean bill of health and said the baby is measuring perfect! We go back on the 19th for our next appointment. I think we get to hear the baby's heartbeat then. That will be very cool!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Baby Belly Week 8

Okay - so I don't know why I am doing this at this point because I seriously don't think that any of this is baby and it is all me. lol And yes - it quite literally is ALL ME! I'll take another one in two weeks and see if there is a difference. Oh - yeah - I'm also sucking it in! lol

Sorry it is a bit off center. I told Nathan to keep my butt out of the picture. :-) It is the only maternity shirt I have so hopefully it will grow with me.

Are you happy Jenny?

My precious little Kidney Bean! Week Eight

Good news - I passed the 3-hour glucose test! I was really happy with the nurse - who was actually nice - called this morning to tell me. The test yesterday wasn't bad, but since my viens are deep they had issues finding my viens for the four different pokes I had to have. They ended up poking me 5 times total and 3 of them were in my hands. OUCH! But it is worth it to know that I passed! I will be tested again the same time normal women are - between 24 and 28 weeks!

I have my ultrasound on Friday and will post a picture from that as soon as I can!

Here is what is new in the land of the baby:

New this week:

Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Do not pass go... do not collect $200.... oops!

Well, I found out that I didn't pass the 1-hour glucose test. Now I have to do what is called the 3-hour glucose test - a major pain in the booty. The test is basically checking to see if I already have gestational diabetes. I think I mentioned in my post from Tuesday they tested me early because my mom has type-2 diabetes and because I'm so voluptuously gifted. (And there is another whole story about how rude and mean the nurse was who called and told me the results, but I will try to keep this post positive!)

Bottom line is just because I failed the first one does not mean I have gestational diabetes or that I will fail the 2nd test. I can name three friends off the top of my head who failed the 1-hour, but passed the 3-hour.

Also - I have read many things online that you should fast even before the 1-hour test. (You are required to for the 3-hour.) The 1-hour test wasn't planned for me so I had breakfast that morning about 2 hours before I had my blood drawn and took the glucose test. I think the fact that I ate breakfast had a big impact on my results.

So - I have the next glucose test on Tuesday morning at 8:00. I will have to hang out at the lab for 3 1/2 hours! Luckily it is about a mile from my apartment so that will help things. I just pray they won't have issues finding a vien the four separate times the have to draw blood - my viens are deep.

That is my update of the day. Have a great weekend! I plan to!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Baby Blueberry - week Seven

Nothing much to report from yesterday to today other than I slept really well last night. I was in bed by 9:15. I told Nathan that I wanted to be sleeping by 9:30 - thankfully I was! I woke up feeling much better this morning. While I'm still tired it isn't nearly as bad as it was the past two days!

So here is what the baby is doing this week:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

My first OB appt!!

Yay - well it is official - at least as official as it can be when you go to the doctor for the first time. I met a very nice nurse named Sue and she told me A LOT of information and most of it I don't remember. Luckily it came with a nice folder to keep it all in AND I got yet another pregnancy book. Seriously don't need anymore of those.

I was given a flu shot - first one in probably 5 or so years. I forgot how much your arm hurts after the fact - so maybe I'm a baby, but it still hurts!

Then she informed me that because I am so voluptuously gifted (my words of course) I needed to do the one hour glucose test to do an early check for diabetes (or gestational diabetes). The sugar solution I had to drink wasn't half bad actually... tasted like Sprite! Then off to the lab to wait the remainder of an hour and get my blood drawn at exactly 10:12 am because that was exactly 1 hour after I finished the "Sprite" drink. The took I think 8 total vials of blood. It was a good time! *note: sarcasm*

I also had the joy and opportunity to pee in a cup which for some reason was difficult and I kept missing - yeah my hand was really happy about that. *note: more sarcasm* Luckily there was enough in the cup!

So that is the latest update. I will post what the baby is doing tomorrow. Other than that - nothing exciting to report. Oh - my boobs are huge and I may need new bras soon. Yeah - I wish I was more excited about that, but I'm not.

OH - one exciting thing - I haven't gained any weight yet! Which actually makes me happy. In fact I've lost 2 pounds since I weighed myself at home the day or two after we found out. That was great. I'm trying to eat SO healthy and it looks like it is working so far.

Okay - so now that really is the end of it!

Monday, January 14, 2008

....learn something new everyday!

How are women supposed to know all these things or how are we supposed to find out? The past week or so - more in the last couple days - I have been having these really sharp pains when I sit up from laying down, when I stretch in the morning or when I roll over funny during the night. I feel the pain on both sides.

So I start doing some research... verdict... Round Ligament Pain. Apparently it is my uterus stretching. I knew it would be doing that, but I didn't think it would feel like that! Why don't they send you a user guide for having a baby? Granted there is the "What to Expect when you're Expecting" book - but I haven't read my month two section... maybe I should be doing that.... :-)

Other than that symptoms wise I'm still just really sleepy all the time - I wish I was in kindergarten with nap time again. And I'm ever so slightly moody... and by ever so slightly I mean - yeah I'm flat out moody. Poor Nathan... I'm trying really hard to catch myself and he is been really understanding and a total sweetheart with everything thus far. I have a good hubby!

Tomorrow is my first OB appointment. I am just meeting with a nurse to discuss my OB history and all the do's and don'ts... which I think if I've made it this far I better know what I'm supposed to avoid! They said the appointment will take an hour. Not sure what else is going to be happening.

Then the countdown to the 25th starts.... ULTRASOUND DAY!! That will be fun!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Kelsey ate my Lentil Bean! - Week SIX!

So here I am at week six... I must say it is a bit unnerving when the crampy (implantation) feeling stop and you don't really feel anything down there going on. Since I don't have morning sickness or anything (yet - and hopefully not at all) most of the day I don't feel pregnant. I have to keep reminding myself that I am.

In 6 days I meet with the nurse to go over my history and such. I don't know what else is going on during that appointment. Then 10 days after that I will have my first ultrasound! I think once I finally SEE the baby on the screen it will start not feeling so abstract to me. Right now I still feel like I'm talking about someone else and not myself.

But anyway - here is what the baby is doing this week. AND there is a picture at the bottom!

Your magical miniature baby is growing at unprecedented rates, developing hand plates and the beginnings of finger buds. What's more they're already demonstrating the reflex responses to stimulation! Ah at last! The beginning of symptoms of morning sickness should be kicking in for you about now if you're one of the 85% of women that experience it.

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Scary moment

This morning I had a scary moment after going to the bathroom. There was some spotting. It was brown though so that is good. Red is bad.... brown is good. It did scare me though and I came out to tell Nathan and he was really supportive. We prayed and that made me feel better some. Then I called my doctor's office and they have an emergency service where they will page the on-call doctor. The doctor called me back within just a couple minutes and told me she was not somewhere where she could talk, but not to worry and she would call me back within a half hour. That made me feel better. She called back and we talked about stuff and she put my mind at ease. I guess it is a very common thing especially in your first trimester. So I am going to stay positive about it all. Thank God I haven't had anymore spotting since that one time this morning and even less this afternoon. So I am feeling fine.

Mom and Dad came in to pick our Christmas tree and we went out to lunch. It was nice to spend some time with them.

We took a nice nap this afternoon and I felt a lot better once we woke up from our nap.

Time to cuddle up with the hubby and then get ready for bed!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

5 weeks (and 1 day)

Today I am 5w1d! That is exciting to me! I had a moment of panic yesterday when I was having some pretty decent cramps, but as long as there is no bleeding I am fine. Then last night I had a dream that I lost the baby. So of course -at 5:00 am I took one of the last pregnancy tests I had. Of course it was blaringly positive - but it made a lot of sense to me at the time! ha! Oh well. I know it is just my overactive mind.

I really feel great. Other than being tired and having my breasts hurt I'm doing pretty great! I was in bed last night by 9:30 - hopefully I will get another good night of sleep tonight.

13 days until my first OB appt with the nurse to go over my history and all the do's and don'ts that I've probably already figured out. Then 23 days until my first ultrasound!

This was the baby update that I was emailed about being in my 5th week of pregnancy:

How your baby's growing:Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.

The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.

His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

It is SO crazy that all of this is happening in something the size of a seaseme seed!!

New Year Announcement

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So New Year's Day was to be the day we told Nathan's family about the baby. We were very excited and very anxious to tell them. We planned it out that we would give Nathan's parents the last two presents. They were bibs and one said, "I love my Grandma" and the other said, "I love my Grandpa." They seemed to be very excited and got all teary eyed. Nathan's mom looked at me and said, "Are you pregnant?" And it took his father a couple more seconds to go from a stone faced expression to a happy one. They seemed really happy.

Nathan's siblings all said I was a big liar. I told them I couldn't have any drinks New Year's Eve because I had a Crohn's Disease flare up. :-) I figured it was a good lie - heck it worked, right?!

Nathan's mom had been collecting baby stuff and gave me some cute Halloween stuff and some baby books. All of this was great...

It was a little strange the rest of the day when ... no one asked when I was due or how I was feeling or when we found out... nothing. Christina got upset because I think she is ready to be in the same pregnant shoes I am, but it made me feel really bad about even announcing our pregnancy. I think that is why no one said anything else the rest of the day. I'm sure they were all excited and when Nathan called his parents later his mom said they were excited, just tired from a long week.

Our Little Wolfe Pack