12 week ultrasound

Today was a great day. We had our first ultrasound at 9:30 this morning... and it was an incredible feeling to see the baby for the first time. I still can't believe that it's living inside me and I can't feel a thing. I'm not-so-paitently waiting for the first kick or hiccup.

The baby was cooperating throughout the tests until they needed to do the nuchal translucency test, the test they do to determine the risk of down syndrome. We just couldn't get the baby to move to the right position. It took over an hour and three nurses to find the measurement, which they dertermined to be 1.6. Anything above 3 is considered risky so we're in the clear.

Here's our little one... with a heartbeat of 158 and measuring roughly 2 inches, about the size of a lime. In the bottom picture it even looks like the baby is sucking its thumb. You can even see tiny fingers. At one point during the ultrasound the little one was even waving it's hand like it was saying hi. I got tears in my eyes at that point.


We even got lucky and got to see a 3D image... You can see one arm up near its face and the little legs all squished up in there.I also took a picture of my belly at 12 weeks. I wish I would have taken one sooner so you could see the difference, but take my word that the little pooch was not there 12 weeks ago. :)

Here's what babycenter.com says is happening this week:

Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

Love to all!

Nursuries and more

We worked all day on the basement and I am exhausted. It was very hot today and we spent a few hours in the storage unit which was even hotter. That place is like a sauna and being pregnant does not help. I made poor Dave do all the work since I can't lift heavy boxes. :(

Now, all the stuff is in the basement and piled high. We're making progress though, we got all the painting and trim done on the first half and I started putting the office back together. I think I am going to miss having my desk in the dining room though, it's so much brighter up here.

Other than being sore and tired from today I'm feeling a little more "pudgy" lately. I'm pretty sure I started showing, but it changes throughout the day. In the morning I feel pretty thin, it's the evening that I feel a little more... round. I'm not even sure if I am supposed to be showing, but my clothes are definately tighter.

My newest craze is the nursery. I can't stop looking online for photos of rooms that I like. I haven't found the perfect room yet, but I have found a few that I like...

If it's a girl, I want something frilly and almost victorian looking. I'm not sure I want pink, but I love the "E" on the wall of the first one. I love the colors of the second one...very serene. I'd love to have an iron crib, but they're pretty expensive.

For a boy I think I want to do a vintage teddy bear theme. I love the greens and browns and think it's very cozy and warm. Not sure about the checkered pattern, but I like the plaid on the teddy bears neck.

I have also been looking for basinettes and cradles. I'm torn on whether I want a pack-n-play to serve a dual purpose or a true cradle. I love cradles, but just not sure it's practicale considering we're in such a small place. Here's the one I LOVE... it's made by a company called Green Frog Art... it's it gorgeous????
I asked my dad if he could make it... but I have no idea what goes into making a cradle and if he can even do it. Then what would I do with it once the baby goes in the crib?

Sleeping is getting a lot harder. I no longer complain about Dave's snoring (sorry honey!)... now I can't even sleep when he's perfectly quiet! I roll over about 10 times per night and can't seem to get comfortable. Between that and having to get up twice now in the middle of the night it doesn't make for a good night's rest. I may have to resort to a pregnancy pillow. They're huge and will take up most of the bed but I'm starting to think it's worth it.

We have our nuchal translucency test on Tuesday. It's going to be the first ultrasound and we'll be able to see the baby for the first time. I'm really excited and can't wait to share the picture. This sonogram tests the nuchal fold in the baby's spine to make sure the baby doesn't have down syndrom. I'm pretty nervous about that part of the test, but keeping my hopes up that the baby is healthy. We won't be able to tell the sex yet, not until our 18 week appointment.

Well, it's couch time... and maybe some ice cream with bananas and strawberries, my new favorite.

Love to all... Amy

Kumquat

In my original email to all of you I mentioned that the baby is now the size of a kumquat and I was completeley clueless how big that actually was. Many thanks to my mother-in-law Barbara, we can all rest in peace...

...alas, the kumquat.

Fun Stuff

Today I spent some time on the internet trying to find fun things to add to my blog. After all, if I can't feel the babyor see the baby I might as well keep myself occupied with fun wives tales and prediction calendars, right?

My first ones are now on the site... the pregnancy tickers. As the baby grows you'll be able to see the size and development, which I think is pretty great. I can't seem to get enough information about what's happening to the baby... fingernails, ears, eyelashes. It's all so interesting.

I also did a Chinese sex predictor. Since I am 31 and conceived in May the Chinese calendar says I am having a girl. Hm , think it's right?

I may have mentioned to some of you that I have what I call "stupid brain", but yesterday was a great example of my new found stupidity since I got pregnant. I was so caught up telling friends and family that I completely forgot about a meeting I had with a new client! Luckily she was very easy going and understanding. We rescheduled and everything was fine. Well, the meeting was set for 3pm today, or so I thought, and at 3:18 I realized I had missed the dang meeting again! I ran out the door, no makeup, not sure if I even had a business card and certainly not dressed appropriately since I thought I was late for the meeting that I missed the day before. I called her to tell her I was on my way only to find out that the meeting isn't until tomorrow. I really looked like a fool when I called her and admitted to my mistake yet again... Will my sharp keen sense of timing over come back?

Our first prenatal visit

Today was our first visit with our doctor, Dr. Cheryl Ferrier. The most exciting news is that we heard the heartbeat - 169. We are both very excited and now I am looking up every wives tale there is to determine if I think it's a girl or boy. I'm skeptical of the tale that says if it's over 140 it's a girl - I don't want to get my hopes up!

We are scheduling our first ultrasound in a week to determine if the baby is healthy. They don't do ultrasounds in my doctor's office so we'll have to go somewhere else for that. The baby is only about 2 oz. and not much larger than a kumquat (ask me if I even know how big that is!!!!) so I'm not sure how much we'll see. I know for sure though that we won't know the sex until 20 weeks... we're all just going to have to wait :)

The basement is coming along well - we are getting the carpet stretched today so we can start painting and cleaning. We have a week to get all our stuff out of storage so it's going to be pretty hectic this week. Work has been very busy as well, but what's new.

I've been feeling pretty good except for the occasional toss and turn at night and constant need to pee. I've only been slightly nauseous and have only had a few cravings... Arby's (which I'm not even sure I can eat) and Butter Pecan Ice cream. I've only gained a few lbs. and haven't seen a whole lot of change in my clothes.. although I'd like to so I can go buy more!!! I've gotten some maternity clothes (thanks to the moms) and lots of books to read (thanks again to the moms), but other than that I'm dreaming of all the cute baby things I'll have in months to come.

Dave is doing well... he's planning every moment until the baby is born... what he needs to fix, where everything is going to go and how much money we're going to need. It's cute.... I think he's going to be a great dad and can't wait to see his face when he first sees the little one for the first time.

I'm not doing so hot on the picture front, but promise in the next few days to get a before picture up to compare to when I'm a blimp. Oh what fun!

We're Pregnant!!!

As some of you already know, Dave and I are expecting our first child! We have created this blog so you can keep up with the baby and us as we prepare for the next step in our lives.

We're glad you're here and hope you'll check back often to see pictures, hear stories and even communicate with us as we wait for Baby Simpson #1. We are very excited and a bit nervous - after all we haven't done this before!!!

We have our first doctor's appointment in two weeks (July 23rd), but think we are just over 9 weeks pregnant as of now, July 10. We'll know for sure what our due date is after the appointment, but we think we're going to have a mid-February baby.

Everyone asks us what we want, a boy or a girl... it's almost always the second question after "When are you due?." We really want one of each, so we'll be happy with either one, as long as the baby is healthy.

My dad thinks it's a girl. On his side of the family all the aunts and uncles had boys first, then girls. All their kids, thus far, have had a girl first, then a boy... I can't change tradition now can I!!!!

Dave's mom thinks it's a boy. Dave's sister was the first girl in four generations and the genes are pretty stong for a boy, as I've been told. I'm not sure what to think.... I'm praying that for one child those girl genes appear at some point, but it doesn't have to be with baby one...

As far as maternal instinct... I can't say one way or another yet. I really don't even feel pregnant. Sure I've been nauseous a few times, but I've been really lucky in that department. My only complaint so far is the frantic middle of the night trip to the bathroom when I feel like I am going to explode!

We're getting the house ready already... we started by building a huge closet in the basement under our front porch. It's going to give us the space we need to store Dave's tools and use the acreage (yeah right!) that they take up now in the middle of our basement. We have a lot of work left to do, but I'm really excited about the progress so far. When you live in a 1200 sq. ft. house (and work there too!) you need all the space you can get, especially when you have a little person coming soon.

No plans for the baby room yet. We're expecting company in August and are going to wait until after that to start designing the room. Plus, since I'm an avid decorator I want to know the sex so I can go all out and make it the cutest baby room in the world! We have to wait a little while for that. All I know is that I'll likely get a cream colored crib since I have two cream dressers already.