18 weeks (and one day)

From Loving the Life We Live

We're Buying the Biltmore

Okay, so we're not really buying the Biltmore.  But I was super excited to go to see the largest private residence in the U.S.; I've always wanted to.  It's major $$$$$ (currently $60 a person - yikes!) to visit the estate, so we will probably never be going back, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I think Greg did, too.

From Loving the Life We Live

Blue Ridge Parkway

Last weekend we visited Greg's grandfather in Asheville, North Carolina.  It was an absolutely gorgeous, unseasonably warm fall weekend as we cruised along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

From Loving the Life We Live

Fortune Cookies

Last Friday night, we went to P.F. Chang's with Greg's grandpa and parents.  After dinner, there were three fortune cookies up for grabs.  I cracked one open and found this fortune:

I was really excited and decided that I must have accidentally opened the fortune cookie that was meant for Greg. It sounds like he should be looking forward to some wonderful Adventures in Fatherhood! On Monday, in the car on the way back to Indiana, I cracked open another fortune cookie and found this:

Hopefully my undiscovered talent is having and taking care of babies.  :)  Do you notice that one of my lucky numbers is 20?  My due date is March 20th!  Another of the lucky numbers is 5 . . . our next ultrasound is on November 5th.  Good omens?

Okay, I don't really believe in the accuracy of fortune cookies, but I thought it was pretty cool that we got these two.  For the record, I did open the third fortune cookie, and whatever was inside had nothing to do with these . . . I think the word was "teapot" or something random like that.  So you can't say that all of the fortune cookies at P.F. Chang's said "mother" or "father" - we just happened to get both!

(By the way, I took these pictures by balancing the papers on my stomach.  There is a tiny baby somewhere under that fabric . . . I know because he or she was tickling me from the inside today!)

OB Appointment Update

This morning I had an appointment with Dr. Fenoughty . . . and I got a good report!  :)

• My blood pressure was 110/70.  I always get complimented on  my blood pressure.
• My uterus is high.  It usually doesn't get up that high until around 20 weeks, so she said I'm growing really well.  She called me a show-off.
• The placenta is in the front.  She said that's not bad, but it will make it more difficult to find the heartbeat for the next couple of months.  She had to try for quite a while this time (I don't like that!) and was almost ready to send me to get an ultrasound instead, but was eventually able to find it.
• Baby's heartrate was typically running around 145-148ish.

Dr. Fenoughty said everything looks perfect.  She's guessing it's a boy!  8 weeks ago she was guessing it was a girl, so at this point it's up in the air!  :)

Now we're off to North Carolina for a family visit.  It's nice to start off a four day weekend with some good, reassuring news!  My next appointment is November 5, and we'll have an ultrasound with that one.

From Loving the Life We Live

Was it . . . or wasn't it?

Last night as I was getting ready for bed I felt a little bubbly sensation in my abdomen.  I immediately froze, toothbrush sticking out of my mouth, and concentrated really hard on seeing if I could feel anything.  I decided it was probably just my bedtime snack digesting.

As I snuggled into bed, I was lying on my right side and on the left side of my lower abdomen I started having those bubbly feelings like crazy.

Was it baby's first discernible movements?

Or wasn't it?

I really couldn't say.

Everyone says that, when you're feeling your first baby move for the first time, you don't really know if that's what you're feeling or not.  It's not until it keeps happening over time that you begin to recognize it and realize what it is.

People describe the sensation of "quickening" as: a fluttering feeling, like popcorn popping, like bubbles, like a goldfish swimming around and hitting the sides of the bowl.

Well, I definitely could have described this feeling in any of those ways.

But maybe it was just gas bubbles or digestive rumblings or something.

It went on for quite awhile.  I could feel it even more when I pressed my hand against it.  I tried to see if Greg could feel anything, but he couldn't.

I know movement is usually felt for the first time between 16-20 weeks or soon after.  I really haven't expected to be able to feel anything at all yet.  They say you don't feel it as early with your first.  But then again, they also say you may feel it sooner if you're a very slender person, which I am (except for, you know, lately).  The feelings definitely caught me off guard, but I found myself thinking fondly of my baby and hoping that was him or her making their presence known.

It would be kind of weird of me to feel tender, loving feelings toward random intestinal gurglings.

But I think it just might maybe possibly perhaps have been baby doing some late-night exercising.

Or maybe not.

Was it . . . or wasn't it?

I hope it was!

From Loving the Life We Live

16 weeks

Yesterday (October 2), baby's daddy turned 32 and baby's mommy turned 29.

Today, baby-to-be turned 16 weeks.  Just as each year of life merits a celebration, each week our baby grows (along with, ahem, my waistline) is something to celebrate, too!

From Loving the Life We Live