Week 21 - Bump-ity Bump!

Little Avery Jo! We are at week 21...can't believe it...although everyday I wish you were in my arms already! There's so much to talk about this week - our trip back from Colorado (yikes!), my belly size (you!), you moving around in there and I'm sure there's a few other things along the way too! Here's what's up with you this week:

At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, you are about the size of a large banana (wait...you were a banana last week....I guess you have graduated to the "large" banana this week!).

A 21-week fetus (not you)

You swallow at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills you will need as soon as you arrive in my arms. And get this:: the taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what I've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). Your Daddy and I were joking tonight that you would be doing a "hot" dance in my belly for dinner because I had some spicy salsa! And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on you either. That's because you have very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. I guess I better start loading up on the broccoli and spinach now that I know this!

You still have a great deal of room in my womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, you will soon begin to feel cramped. Until my uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault.

With all that belly dancing they say you've been doing, it's hard to believe you ever get any sleep at all! But believe it or not, you sleep as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day!

I have been feeling bigger each day and LOVING IT! No matter what I wear now - blousy or tight shirts - you pop through! You (as my baby bump) arrived around week 16, but you are now much more definite. I don't think a stranger would quesiton whether I am pregnant anymore. In fact, I had a "first" this past week. While we were in Colorado on our last day in town, we went to a festival in Golden, CO with your Uncle Joe, Aunt Nora and your cousins JD and Cameron. There were booths set up selling stuff or advertising. At one of the booths for a local church, they were handing out free water bottles, so we hopped on that! While I was getting mine, the guy there at the tent said something like, "It looks like you are pregnant." That is the first that a stranger has asked or said anything. I love it! And consider it a milestone. Also, while we were in a gift shop a little later, I had to pee really bad and your Daddy asked the lady behind the counter if there were any public restrooms. She said, "No, but come back to the office area and just use this one". While I was in the restroom, your Daddy thanked her again and she said, "No problem, that baby has got to be pushing on her bladder!". I went from never having anyone (outside of family and friends) notice my baby bump, to two people in two hours! Well, I know for a fact that my baby bump grew leaps and bounds while in Colorado...so I guess this makes sense!

And due to that ever-growing bump-ity bump, I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to run. I still run (very slow, promise - doc says it's okay!) when I work out, but like I said, VERY slow compared to before you were in there. I ran a little on vacation, but did more walking...so I wondered how running on the treadmill would be when I got back. I ran today and it is a bit harder (but heart rate is still in the safe zone), but I cranked out 3.4 miles! I was so happy about that. It is a little harder and my belly tends to touch the bar in front of the treadmill display more often, but other than that...I'm still good to go! =) I'd love to keep it up for another month or two...but we'll see how it goes.

And I have yet to really feel you move, which truly sucks because everyone and their sister talks about feeling their babies moving all over the place online (even their hubbies feeling a kick from the outside - what?!). I've been patient and not worrying (the whole anterior placenta thing, blah blah blah), but it still sucks. Today, I was laying in bed on my back, kind of propped up, working on my computer when I felt a BUMP right below my belly button....then one to the left of it and another in the same spot as before. I think I would have passed this off as digestion or gas or something normally, but I started wondering...is this what you feel like? Maybe it's you?! The next 10-15 minutes, I felt some more of these things happening, and I think I am almost convinced it's you. I got the doppler and put it on the spot where I felt the thumping and there those wonderful squelchy noises were - the ones that I love to hear because it's you moving around! You were going crazy in there too moving around. So, that really made me think more that I felt you after all! Keep thumping away in there and I will see if I feel similar bumps in the next few days! So excited!

Our trip to Colorado is over - we were gone for two weeks!  My blood sugars (like I mentioned before) were a little crazy in Colorado.  Now, since we have been home a couple days, I am wondering if the altitude and climate affects my blood sugar numbers, because they have been wonderful since I have been back...even low at times.  Nothing seemed to get them down low enough while we were in Colorado...and now things seem to be good...really good.  I have done a little research on this and it does look like there is a connection to higher altitudes producing higher numbers.  I am going to the doc on Thursday, so I am going to ask them what they think.

Our trip - all of it - was WONDERFUL.  We had such a great time with everyone.  I truly can't wait until you can meet each and every one of them!  We left for our trip home on Sunday morning - bright and early -around 5am.  The drive was going great (my feet were even not swelling too bad!) until we hit the Arizona border (from New Mexico).  There, on I-40, were pot holes the size of Texas.  I am not kidding you, these suckers were HUGE...probably 1.5 to 2 feet deep.  Semi's with trailers were swerving all over the place to miss them (which was SUPER scary to watch!).  Well, we hit one and it was a hard hit.  A few minutes later, the car was pulling to the right and guess what?  We had a flat.  In fact, it hit so hard both the rims on the right side of the car were damaged too.  Ugh!  Luckily, only one tire went flat and your Daddy is a stud and was able to change to the spare (which looked so wimpy compared to the other big tires!).  Long story short, we drove the rest of the way home, 4-5 hours, on the spare going 55 mph.  It was not a fun day, but we made it home safe and sound and that's what counts!  Your poor sisters had to practically sit on each other's laps in the back seat too due to the regular tire not fitting in the spare tire spot in the trunk so your Daddy had to shift everything around and lay a seat down from the trunk to fit everything.  Oh well!  Like I said, we made it home and our beds never felt SO GOOD that night!  Here are a few more pics from the trip too!

Your crazy Daddy a the Denver Science and History museum - his "twin" is in the background if you can find him!

Your Sisters with a bear at the museum - they had a hard time facing forward and not looking back to make sure the bear was still in the case - they don't like stuffed dead animals too much!  =)

Your big Sisters messing around with the camera as we are driving somewhere  - your Mommy in the background doing who knows what.

Megan, Grandma and Kyndall

Your Daddy, Grandma and Mommy before we left Colorado

The festival we went to where everyone noticed you in my belly!

This horse was dancing to music, no lie!  There was a mariachi band playing and the horse was literally dancing to the beat!

Free sno cones!  Your cousins, Cameron and JD...and Sisters,  Kyndall and Megan

Kyndall and Bella - your Aunt Nora and Uncle Joe's adorable doggie!  Everyone loved her - including your Dad, which was a little abnormal for him  =)  Bella seemed to love you too - she would come and sit with me with her paws on my belly and would sniff my belly too!

Well, baby girl, that is all for now!  I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday (no sonogram - boo!) and then next week we get to see you TWICE!  The first will be at the outside sonogram company that we used to find out you were a boy (yeeeaaaaah....not so much) - we get a free "make up" sonogram for their little mistake.  And then later in the week we get to see your heart in detail at the fetal echocardiogram to make sure it is nice and healthy. 

Keep kicking - I want to feel more!  Your Daddy and I are going to relax and watch movies - sounds great to me!

Feeling Low About Being High

First of all...I'm stealing that title from one of the blogs that I love to read.  In fact here are two that I follow on a regular basis since they have both been through the whole diabetes and prenancy thing.  The first one is prego the second time and it looks like she is less than a week behind me.  The second one had a baby just a few months ago, so it's great to read where she's been and how being a new mommy is treating her. 

Managing the Sweetness Within
Six Until Me

Anyway, as for the real reason of this post, my blood sugars have been a bit crazy....and I'm still on vacation...so, it's been interesting.  Some things I have learned -

1) My blood sugars used to have a tendency to get lower between 3-6am (which is abnormal, generally diabetes makes a person's numbers raise as a part of your body trying to get you ready to wake up...and I've always been thankful to be abnormal in that regard!)....and it looks like I am getting away from that and now starting to rise instead.  I will be increasing my basal rates (again) around 2am to see if that helps.

2) I can't eat cereal, oatmeal, anything with a bunch of carbs for breakfast anymore - it looks like it's either going to be peanut butter or eggs and a piece of toast in the mornings for me.  I will just have to be very careful in the mornings with carbs...I've bounced into the 200's a few mornings in a row after eating oatmeal or a bowl of cereal.  And I guess I have a hard head, because it took me a few times to figure this out.  In general, diabetics have a resistance to insulin in the mornings anyway (in connection to what I explained in #1 above), so some never eat cereal or anything with a bunch of carbs....but me, I've always had it easy and whatever has worked.  I have now joined the ranks for my other fellow diabetics.  Which is fine, really...since I figured my whole pregnancy has been like this.

3) Even with raising my basal rates over a week ago by 30%, I may need to change my insulin to carb ratio soon.  That ratio is what I use to determine how much insulin I give for a meal, snack, whatever I eat.  For example, right now my insulin to carb ratio (I:C) is 1 unit : 10 g carbs...so if I ate a meal with 60 g of carbs in it, I'd give 6 units of insulin.  Well, I have a feeling that is changing and I have been erring on the side of giving more insulin lately for meals and that seems to work out now that I have gotten used to this new idea a little more.  Completely do-able...I just really liked my easy 1/10 calculation, makes life easier...but it looks like I may need to start getting better at diving by 7 or 8 instead now!  Luckily, I was always a math person.  =)

I've had more high numbers (high 100's and 200's) than I have ever had in this pregnancy over the last week and a half...and I just hope this is an okay adjustment period for little AJ in there...that she hasn't been affected by too much of my blood sugars bouncing around.  That's always the sickening feeling I get when I see a number on my meter that is out of range.  And then to see one that is WAAAAY out of range makes me particularly sick.  I have a doc appointment this Thursday, so as ashamed as I will be to be walking in with my crazy numbers over the last two weeks to show them, I will be happy to ask their opinion and get their suggestions.  I could call in my numbers and let them help now, but it seems as though right as I figure the current new crazy blood sugar number situation out, it settles and then a new unpredictable one appears.  I have a feeling I will be definitely phoning in my numbers a lot more though once I am back from vacation and it's all a little easier to do from home.  I also need to put on my Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor on again when I am home again...I really had things easy before week 20 and it was all very predictable.  Yeah, not so much now, so that is why I have the CGM and I can't wait to get it back to good use!  I already check my blood sugar levels 12-15 times a day, but the little device will help see trends and make it easier to see changes that are needed...and there will be a lot in the coming months!

We are almost done with vacation...we are at Bobby's sister's house one more night in Denver and then we are on the road early tomorrow morning for a long drive.  Please pray for my feet not to swell!  Just a little anxious about that.  In the meantime, looking forward to spending one more night with Nora and the family!

A Shower, Swelling And A Banana

Baby girl, we are at least halfway there (if not over the halfway mark, depending on how long they let me go!).  What a busy week we've had!  You have made your presence known by literally feeling like a bowling ball in my belly lately!  For 2-3 days I had a constant feeling of pressure in my lower tummy.  I assume this was because you are growing away in there, since this is your big growth spurt stage.  Here's a little more about you this week:

You are about 6.5 inches and weighs around 10.5 ounces (almost a pound - woot woot!).  You are now measured from head to toes, instead of head to rump, since you can lengthen your legs now.  And that means from your head to your toes you are the length of the average banana!  Your rapid growth stage is just about over. While things have slowed down, this next stage is vital to survival. Your heart grows stronger and stronger this week too. "They" say that I may be able to distinguish between your heartbeat and mine at this point by putting my hand on my belly while finding my own with the other hand at the same time.  I'll just use the doppler though, much easier! Your legs are reaching their relative size. And with the increase muscle development occurring as well, I am supposed to start feeling much more than tiny flutter kicks soon...although I have an anterior placenta, so I am preparing not to really feel much for another couple weeks.

Immunities are being transferred from me to you now. These immune cells will protect you from viruses I've already had for up to six months after birth!  Crazy, eh?! The nerve cells for taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch are now developing in specialized areas of the brain. Production slows down as existing nerve cells grow larger and make more complex connections. You may startle in reaction to loud sounds. Amazingly, you can actually hear noises outside of the womb. Familiar voices, music, and sounds you become accustomed to during you development stages often are calming after birth.  "They" tell me that you probably recognize my voice...and Daddy's too!

Your mommy's belly, is, well....out there!  I think coming to Colorado really made it stick out more!  And as much as this is what I have been waiting for, it's still a strange thing to see my body changing like this...I almost can't still believe that this is really happening!  The outfit I wore at the shower your Aunts and Uncles had for you really, REALLY made me look like the pregnant mama that I am!  Whew!  It's like it all came out of the blue from one day to the next.  It makes sense with the weird pressure I have had this week and all the growth you are having...still surreal for your Mommy!

Your mommy has also had her first bout with swelling.  Right after we got to Colorado last week, my feet were all swollen up from the car ride.  Your sister's were too (and she normally has BONEY feet - so she looked a little funny!).  I didn't worry too much about it then, after I had my feet up a while and had a good night's sleep, they were back to normal.  Yesterday, though, I noticed during dinner that the swelling was back.  I had been on my feet a lot that day, I guess.  Luckily, it's just the tops and sides of my feet (no more knobby, boney thing on the outside of the foot!).  It's not my ankles at this point.  I called the doctor today and talked to a nurse and she thinks it's just normal pregnancy stuff...not anything diabetes related.  Luckily, your Daddy and I bought a blood pressure cuff and brought it with us, so I know my blood pressure has been great (104/61), and I told the nurse that too.  Also told her it was just the tops of my feet with no other symptoms...so it's just pregnancy stuff.  I'm just a little worried about the drive home...I may have to invest in some stockings to wear to keep the swelling down during the drive.  I did have a weird blood sugar day yesterday too - two times I was in the 200's - which never happens...and it's not explainable (not that it usually is!).  Today has been great though...my increase in basals have basically done it's job.

Enough of that Debbie Downer stuff...the fun stuff of this week is that we had our first shower for you!  Your Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Kenny really went all out and had all the family over here in Colorado for a cookout.  Your Aunts and Uncles all brought some gifts for you too!  We got so many cute clothes for you, as well as some adorable hooded towels and washclothes, some cute little mittens so you don't scratch yourself and even some diapers!  We can't wait to use them all on you!  We had such a good time, and it was great to have everyone together!  They were all so generous...you are already spoiled!  Here are a few of the things we got for you.

The most yummy cake EVER!

A cute sleeper from your Aunt Nora (and Uncle Joe, JD, and Cameron)

Another ADORABLE outfit from your Aunt Nora (and Uncle Joe, JD, and Cameron)

A newborn onesie from your Grandma Frances...and the best part of it is.....................

there are ruffles on the bum!  I am IN LOVE with outfits with ruffles on the bum!

Really cute hooded towels and washcloths from your Aunt Soila (and Uncle Manual, Andrew and BJ)

From your Aunt Rhonda (and Uncle Kenny, Zach and Bailey) - have to admit this is one of my favorites - just read it.  =)

I love little sister outfits too!  Also from your Aunt Rhonda (and Uncle Kenny, Zach, and Bailey)

How cute is this from your Grandma? 

And for the grand finale today, I'm going to post my 20 week belly picture...as well as the 16 week one so you can see how big you are getting!

16 weeks

20 weeks

I think that's about it for now, little baby girl.  We love you so much!  I can't believe we are already over halfway there...I'm hoping this half goes even faster!  We can't wait to hold you, smell you, kiss you and just plain love on you!

And so it begins!

So the my blood sugar readings have been pretty steady and predictable (for the most part - there was always a few crazy, unexplainable ones too!) up until now.  And I knew this time was coming...I just wanted to get back from vacation before I had to put my mind into the steady blood sugar climb that I knew was inevitable....but it looks like my blood sugars don't take vacations like I do!  The last few days, I've been in the high 100's, doing everything I could do get them down (bolus, bolus, bolus, in other words - more insulin, insulin, insulin!), and they are still hanging out in the upper 100's.  I hate that.  It makes me feel like a crappy mom already.  So on the third day of this, I decided to use all these innovative features on my pump that I usually don't have to use - one of them is called a temporary basal rate.  Usually, I have a set basal rate throughout the day (e.g., Noon - 4pm is at .8 units/hr, 4pm - 9pm is at .725 units/hr, etc. - I have about 7 or 8 different basals rates throughout the entire day).  My basal rate should keep me at a steady good blood glucose number if I didn't eat any carbs throughout the day (the bolus is what I take for meals or short bursts of insulin to correct a high).  I can go in and tell my pump that I need a temporary basal rate - either higher or lower than normal.  Eventually, I will just adjust my basal rates entirely (and keep adjusting from what I read from other diabetic pregos!), but until I know for sure if this rise is permanent, I thought I would set a temporary basal rate and increase by 30%, so essentially I am getting a 30% increase in my regular basal rates.  And guess what happened?  Yep - numbers were amazing yesterday.  86, 93, 65, 86, 94...loved it!  I had it set through the night for a 20% increase instead, but at 2am I was 42, so I stopped the increase, ate some Starbursts and woke up at a little low, but good number of 70 this morning.  Went for a walk, was 104.  Good.  Had some coffee, check again after 30 minutes.  198.  I think we are back on track for my temporary basal to be set...so that's what I did and am hoping it delivers as well as it did yesterday.  I am now to 160...which isn't great, but not terrible...at least on the downward trend.  Plus I did eat some oatmeal and peanut butter for breakfast too, so that would naturally have me higher because there are carbs in them.  I have a feeling my life is about to get a little crazier!

Rocky Mountains Baby!

Thought I would upload a few pictures from our last couple days in the mountains.  We hiked a 2 mile trek today up to Alberta Falls (which you'll see in the pics).  It was a little steep and the air is definitely different in your lungs here (and I'm definitely pregnant with you!), so it probably was not the easiest day I've ever hiked, but great work out for all of us!  Then we went to the town of Estes Park, which is a cute little mountain town with cutesie shops and restaurants.  It even rained for us up here - which is something we've been missing in Phoenix for a while now - so we loved getting rained on!  There are also a few of yesterday of the mountains and then one or two of the Stanley Inn - which is the hotel that the movie, The Shining, was filmed in.  It sits right at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park on the edge of Estes Park...so we swung by last night and looked in the lobby.  We couldn't go actually into the hallways of the hotel where the movie was filmed (the staff must be used to us onlookers!),  which was really a-okay with us, because the girls were a little creeped out anyway.  =)

Hope you like!  =)

Right when we got up in the mountains - one of our first views

Your sisters!

Right inside the National Park - across from the Alluvial Fan

The Stanley Inn - where The Shining was filmed

Front entrance

About as far as we were allowed to go - the sign tells us to keep out =)

This was the place we stayed - super nice - the girls loved it! The Fawn Valley River ran right by our screen doors.

Hiking up to Alberta Falls - Kyndall was the videographer today

This was a Megan-inspired picture - she was taking it with a another camera and I loved the shot!

Our path

Yay!  We made it to Alberta Falls!

Your Daddy and Sisters!

Probably my favorite pic!

Gorgeous view on the road out of the park

I think that's it for now!  Believe it or not - we are now watching "The Sound of Music".  Your Dad has never seen it and your sisters and I have always told him we need to watch it and didn't want to.  Now, our cabin place we are staying in lets you check out movies and they had it, so your Dad, of all people, wanted to watch it and Kyndall doesn't want to watch it anymore.  Go figure.  I guess he got inspired by the mountains or something!  =)  Talk to you soon baby girl!

Week 19 - I'm thinking we are halfway there!

Hey there little girlie-o-mine!  We are now 19 weeks in!  And depending on we both do at the end of the pregnancy, it could be the halfway point this week.  Many times, if induced or c-section, they will do this at 38 weeks....so we are halfway there!  =) I am sitting here writing this in the Rocky Mountains with you in my belly!  The Fall Valley River is flowing right outside our open screen door.  Love it!  Can't wait to sleep with our screen open tonight too...with the sound of the rushing river putting us to sleep!  I can pretty much feel you getting bigger!  So here's the scoop on you!

Your reproductive system is already well established. The vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place, and your ovaries contain more than 6 million primitive egg cells (wow!). When you are born, that number will have shrunk to about 1 million, which is all the eggs you'll ever have. Your arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of your body now. Your kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on your scalp is sprouting. Around this time, your skin starts to produce a creamy substance called vernix caseosa, which is made of oils secreted by the skin, dead cells, and lanugo, the fine hair that covers the body. This waxy coating protects your skin from the effects of floating in amniotic fluid (I am imagining what my skin would look like after swimming in a pool for nine months - so thank goodness for that covering for you!). Most of the vernix will disappear before birth, unless you arrive early. Preterm babies are often born still covered with a lot of vernix. Even full-term infants will have a bit of vernix in the creases of their skin. You most likely measure about 7 or so inches and weighs anywhere from 7 to 9 ounces (you measured in last week at the doctor's office at 8 oz.). You are about the size of a mango!  There's a definite upswing on the fetal growth chart now, so we can expect some big gains in the coming weeks.

We are still adjusting to the fact that you are a girl!  All in a good way!  We catch ourselves sometimes saying "he" instead of "she"...still getting used to the change I guess!  We took back most of the boy-ish clothes and exchanged for some super cute girlie stuff instead.  Can't wait to see you in it all!

I am feeling great...definitely have a belly and love showing it off now more than ever.  We are in Colorado this week seeing your aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, etc.  I am definitely showing you off to everyone around here!  Plus, we have all your latest sonogram pics that we are showing everyone too!  They love them.  They are throwing us a little shower on Saturday, which will be super fun!  I'll tell you all about it next week!

That's it for now I guess.  I feel like there should be more, but nothing is coming to mind.  I'll post some good pictures of our trip soon.  In the meantime, kick away!  I still need to feel you!  Love you baby girl!

We have a healthy baby boy...oops, nevermind, it's a girl!

Okay, baby GIRL!!!!! (Yes, GIRL - we'll talk more about that in a bit!) What a day! We went in for your detailed ultrasound today and had my doctor's appointment first. Met with the same nice doctor that we had a several weeks ago. We really like him a lot. Anyway, my blood sugar numbers looked pretty good to him and he suggested a few changes, which was great. He answered a few questions I had (like would getting an electric shock hurt you, because yes, your Mommy somehow managed to mess with the pool pump's on/off switch with a wet hand the other day and I guess I touched some exposed wires! Anyway, he let me know that you should be fine, especially since it seemed like a small shock and we have heard your heart beating away just fine in there since then!). And, we were just a bit concerned because I had a high-ish blood pressure reading (140/85). I am always soooo nervous before I see you - and they ALWAYS do the ultrasound first, except today - so I was still all riled up because I hadn't seen you yet - and so obviously my blood pressure reflected that. So, we would just wait and take it again after the ultrasound. He let me know that my appointments were going to get closer together - every week to two weeks - which is great, I figured around halfway through things would start ramping up! After talking with the nice doctor, we went and got your sisters out of the waiting room and went in for the ultrasound.

The tech first asked if we wanted to know the gender - we, of course, already knew - but didn't want to "admit" this to her because we went to an outside company so we felt a little silly about it I guess. So, she started in on your scan and we first saw your beautiful spine - so cool to see all your vertabrae! Then, she went down to your boy parts - except - there weren't any and she announced that you were a girl! We were all shocked! We couldn't believe it - we had thought of you for almost a month now as a boy! All I could do was laugh. I had this little gut feeling that I shouldn't lock my mind on you as a boy yet. The girls were all shocked too...all we could do was laugh and talk about how crazy this is...and that they would have a sister now! We did confess to the tech then that we had gone and gotten a gender scan a few weeks ago, and she checked over and over again....still a girl! She admitted that there's always a chance for her to be wrong, but she has done this over and over again and never been wrong (to her knowledge). You were a little shy at first and had your legs crossed, so we got a shot of your girlie-ness, but later, you opened up and really showed it off even better. It's almost like you could hear us questioning whether or not this could be true and you just spread 'em and said, "hey, look...I really am a girl, okay?!". =)

All that crazy stuff aside...you looked great and healthy! That was the biggest deal to me above all. You were sleeping at first, but then started moving all over the place - which is SO COOL to see on the ultrasound screen.  Your heart rate was 148, which is exactly what we measure you at at home with our doppler.  She checked your brain, kidneys, spine, bone lengths, head and belly measurements...and I'm sure a ton more that I don't even know about. By the time she was to look at your heart, you were hiding it under my belly button, so the angle to capture everything was tough for her to get. We did get to see that you had all your four chambers and the aorta valve pumping (I think)...but I guess there were a few other things that normally get measured and checked that she could see properly because of your position, so we will have to wait a few weeks until I get a fetal echo sonogram...that will be a detailed heart look only at 22 weeks. The ultrasound doc came in to review the tech's findings and she reiterated all that the tech found - all looked great...just the heart was a little difficult to see...so they were a-okay with getting the rest in a few weeks. She said that this detailed scan finds at least 50% of all deformities and abnormalities (even alerts to Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida) and everything on your looked great! Whew! What a relief! Now the only stressor was to figure out how to return all of those boy clothes we had bought over the last few weeks! =)

After the awesome 20-30 minutes looking at you (oh...and your sisters LOVED seeing all your nooks and crannies! They were ooooh-ing and aaaah-ing the whole time!) she gave us some pictures and sent us over to take my blood pressure one more time before leaving. I was still 138/82, which is a little high to them, so they had to tell the doctor the number and have him talk to me before they would let me leave! Felt kind of crazy to be stuck there because of this...but the doc came back in and let me know that he's sure my nerves were playing into this number and I should just go find a BP machine at Walgreens or CVS over the next couple of weeks and check and make sure it's down. Your Daddy and I went a step above that and went and bought a machine so we could take it on vacation with us...and I am happy to report I came in at a healthy 104/65 tonight. Whew! I'm telling you, those ultrasounds do a number on me!

Oh yeah, I also found out that I my placenta is on the front side of my uterus, or "placenta previa". This isn't where you want your placenta at the end of the pregnancy, but the doc said that 90% of the cases resolve themselves and change by the end, so they aren't worried at all at this point. I did ask the tech is the placenta being in front (or between where you are and my tummy) would make it less likely for me to feel you move and she said, definitely yes...but I'd still feel you plenty...just maybe not as early as others. That was kind of nice to know so I don't sit here and worry that I haven't felt you much yet.

Tonight, your Daddy and I returned some of your boy clothes to a consignment store that we like...they took them all back and we picked out some cutsie new girlie ones for you! They are really, really cute! Your Daddy even found a Cowboys onesie for you...it says something like, "I spit up blue" and then has a Cowboys star on it. He loved it...whether you knew it or not...you are a Cowboys fan. =)

We are sooo much smarter than we even realized because we 1) used all neutral greens and yellow colors in your room - no need to change anything there, and 2) had your initals be AJ whether you were a boy or a girl. So, you used to be Aidan Josiah, but now will be our little Avery Jo! And your middle name comes from your Mimi's middle name! Oh, and I looked up your names tonight and what they "mean"...Avery means "elf counsel" and Jo means "he will enlarge". Your Daddy and I are cracking up at those meanings. Too funny - Jo's variant forms mean "God is gracious", so I think we will just stick with that one instead!

Okay, here are several pictures of you....you're our little girlie! And we love you so very much Avery Jo! More than you will ever know probably!

That's your back at the top - and your spine is all white - your head is down on the left

This is your scary alien baby look.  =)  Head is on the left, and a distorted look at your arms, legs and belly.  =)

Okay, so here's the big revealing picture.  It's a shot of your buns and legs, like you are looking up at them when you are sitting on a glass chair.  You're a girl!

Your head is on the right, with one arm/hand coming up to your face, with the other fingers showing up in the background.

That's your arm and fingers - looks like you got them all!  =)

One of my favs from the day - your profile shot - you look so cute there!  I think one of your hands is coming up by your face in the background too!

A 3D shot of you

Look at that little chicken leg!  This is just a shot of one of your legs, bent, with your cute little foot.  Your knee would be to the left and your foot on the right, with your butt cheek right above your heel.

Another 3D Shot...looks like you may be sucking your thumb!

Another girl shot - just in case you were still wondering about it.  =)

Whew!  Baby girl...quite a day we had.  Can't wait to think of you as a girl now!  And buy all those adorable girl outfits - boys clothes really just aren't as cute!  =)  We love you Avery Jo...like Kyndall said today at the scan, wish you were out in our arms already!  We all can't wait!

18 weeks and counting!

Hey there little man! You are now 18 weeks along...so crazy that I am close to 20 weeks - that seemed like such a BIG DEAL way back when and now it's almost here! And, we get to see you IN DETAIL this Thursday. Your Level 2/Detailed Ultrasound is then, so we will get to have some significant time to look at all your 2000 parts! We can't wait! The girls are going with us again this time, so we can give them a little better view of their brother than what they had before. I am hoping for some good pictures to post! It's been so long since we have seen you, so you are going to look so big to us I'm sure! Speaking of big...here's how big you are this week!

You are hitting the height chart at 6-7 inches long and you weigh about 5-7 ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast I'm making for dinner tonight!). Speaking of food - you are the size of a sweet potato now! The bigger you get, the crazier it is for me to imagine these big things inside of me!

And now for your skill of the week (drum roll please…): You have mastered the art of the yawn(someone's sleepy!). In fact, we may even catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn on Thursday. You are also making a ton of fetal movement — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And "they" are telling me that you are finally big enough for me to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So punch and kick away!

Something we won't see on the ultrasound, but is still in working order, is your nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in your brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, you are growing more acute, making you more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means we could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that you have by now).

I will have a lot more information about you on Thursday...can't wait to share!

Your Daddy and I also (almost) finished your room! We had all the furniture and the paint, but finally got around to painting yesterday. It wasn't too hard at all...we hope you like it - here's a video of your room - the only thing missing is some wall art (that your sisters are going to help us make) and then YOU of course! We can't wait til you are in it!




I think that's it for this week - we are excited to see your Grandma, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins soon! That's coming up on the agenda! =) I'm sure you'll feel lots of love as they touch my tummy!

Love you little guy!