When I look at these pictures, taken earlier today, it's hard for me to believe this is a 22-week belly--it seems so much larger to me. I'm definitely starting to feel the effects of being so "round": the backaches, the sore feet, tiring more quickly when I've been up and about for a while, even more heartburn... It's a little scary to imagine what my full-term self will look/feel like!  Still, every time I look down at my expanding waist, I can't help but smile or cry (happy tears). I am so thankful for the tiny miracles of each day, each hour, and each minute that I can see and  feel precious Baby DeBo in my tummy.

Last week, I came across a darling little red velvet Christmas dress for a baby girl, and I just started bawling uncontrollably at the sight. The thought of having a 9-month old next year around the holidays was so exciting and wonderful to me, I was completely overwhelmed by the happiness that swelled up inside of me. How long we've been waiting for these special, miraculous, joyous moments. How many Christmases have come and gone without the gift of a precious child of our own. This year, as the holidays approach, I feel myself happier and more thankful than I've ever been. Our long wait has ended, and we're living each day basking in the simple pleasures of our baby girl's squirms and kicks while daydreaming about seeing her face for the first time. Life is truly good.

To update you a bit on the medical side of things, I had a 24-hr. urine test last week (which checks for protein in the urine, a sign of preeclampsia), and it came back normal. I'll be repeating the test in a few weeks, but I was glad to have my worry relieved for now. I also performed the 1-hr. glucose test at that time, and the results came back abnormal. The doctor wants to see my levels at 135 or below, and they came back at 152. Because of the abnormality, I had to perform the 3-hr. glucose test yesterday, and hopefully I'll have the results back by my next OB appointment on Tuesday. I'm trying not to worry too much either way, but if they come back abnormal again, we'll know that I have gestational diabetes. I know that it can be managed with a strict diet or even insulin, if needed, but of course I'm still hoping that I don't have it, for the baby's sake. I'll keep you posted on the results.

If I don't post beforehand, I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

-Em

Many of you probably know by now (via Facebook) that we had our 20-week ultrasound on Friday. Baby DeBo was being very uncooperative, as has become the normal behavior with ultrasounds. People kept asking us if we planned to find out Baby's gender, and the answer was never yes, but was more like "We'll see if Baby cooperates!" I'm glad we went into Friday's ultrasound with that state of mind, not counting on being able to find out the gender, because as it progressed, it became evident Baby DeBo did NOT want to share its secrets with us. I became a bit disappointed, just because I was so looking forward to finding out, but then I started thinking that the prospect of it being a surprise could be kind of neat, too. Near the end of the ultrasound, the technician tilted the table back so that my feet were above my head and started shaking my belly to get Baby to move up and give us a better view. We got a couple preliminary peaks between the legs, and I started having a hunch about the gender, but I knew we couldn't tell anything for sure with just that. Finally, Baby gave us the money shot, and we confirmed that we are having a GIRL! The technician admitted that earlier on, like me, she began to have a hunch that it was indeed a girl, but I'm really glad she waited until she was sure to say something. We are so excited!

Baby DeBo's heartbeat is right at 145 bpm, and she is measuring right on for gestational age (approximately 10 ounces and 10 inches long). Everything continues to look good, which we are so grateful for. Because of my history of PCOS, the doctors will be having me perform the 24-hour urine test this week and will continue to keep a close eye on my blood pressure. (The PCOS predisposes me to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, so I am glad to have them keeping such close tabs on me and the baby.)

Because Baby wasn't being the most cooperative, the take-home pictures from our ultrasound were pretty limited this time around, but here are the two 3-D shots we got of Baby DeBo's face:

 

And, lastly, here is my 20-week belly shot (I definitely see a difference from two weeks ago this time around!):



I can't believe we're already half-way there!

-Em

Well...I'm not sure I see a huge difference in the size of my "bump" now and back at 15 weeks...but I certainly do feel a difference. I've accidentally bumped into things with my belly quite a bit this past week, especially, not realizing my girth. The "tight" feeling in my belly has also been leading me to rub lotion into it a lot, which I know is probably due to the growth spurt that the doctors told me would take place between 16 and 20 weeks. It'll be interesting to see if there is a more discernible difference to the bump in a couple more weeks.



A friend asked me earlier this week if I'm still feeling overwhelmingly blessed with this pregnancy, or if I'm starting to have complaints.

The answer is yes.

Every day, I'm definitely still in awe of the gift of life with which I've been blessed. Seeing and feeling Baby DeBo grow inside of me is the greatest experience of my life, truly. Sure, I still have my moments where I'm waiting for the hammer to fall, to receive the seemingly inevitable news of another unhappy ending, to have this wonderful blessing taken away. But luckily, these moments, these thoughts, are fewer and farther between as time goes on. And don't worry: I'm definitely not "wasting" my pregnancy by being afraid all the time. I know that whatever is meant to happen will happen, regardless of whether I'm prepared for it or not.

Even though I feel incredibly blessed, I still have my complaints: the tiredness, the lack of sleep, the having to pee all. the. time. It's funny how those "usual suspects" of typical pregnancy complaints don't take away from my thankfulness and utter happiness in continuing to have a healthy pregnancy. It actually helps me feel normal, rather than guilty, that the two can so easily co-exist.

-Em

This morning we had our 16-week ultrasound at a high risk specialist in Grand Rapids. The Baby wasn't too happy about being interrupted, so it was difficult to get good pictures. The sonographer kept saying, "It's busy" again and again, as an explanation for the Baby's attempts to repeatedly evade the ultrasound device. She switched to "4-D" (a 3-D ultrasound + movement) mode for a bit, but we were only able to see the back of the head today.

The Baby is measuring right on for 16 weeks, and currently weighs 4 oz. My blood pressure is still doing well, and the doctor didn't seem at all concerned about it at this time.

The next ultrasound will be in a month, at 20 weeks, and (if Baby is feeling cooperative) we might be able to find out if it's a boy or girl at that time. And, hopefully, we'll be able to see more on the 4-D ultrasound then as well.

Here are a few pictures from today's ultrasound:


Laying face up, here is the Baby's face profile


Here, the Baby is laying face down, and you can see the head and body (the spine is VERY visible)


Admittedly, this one is a little scary-looking. The Baby is facing us in this picture, and because s/he doesn't have much body fat yet, the face looks a bit skeletal (or alien-like).


Here's the back of the Baby's head and back (you can also see his/her left arm and hand) in 3-D

-Em

We got off on a pretty slow start with documenting this pregnancy in pictures, so I want to start remedying that now, by taking pictures of my progress every couple of weeks. A friend told me I'd be glad that I have these later on, even if I don't always feel like taking them now. I know she's right.

So, here goes...the first belly shots of this pregnancy, at 15 weeks:





Can I just tell you how scary it is posting a picture of my belly exposed? I wasn't planning on doing those, because I didn't have a particularly pretty belly to begin with, but I got over myself and my fear and just did it. (Deep breaths... )

-Em