December 31, 2008

Our baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear our voices now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

December 24, 2008

Around this time, our baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that our baby can hear now. Our baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as my heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. Our baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound.

Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

December 21, 2008

Party Animal


I've been feeling baby Hergie move for a couple of weeks now, just off and on. Last night I ate a couple of my mom's Secret Kiss Cookies (these are my all time favorite cookies---it's a good thing she only makes them at Christmas), and baby must have loved them too. It was a party in my uterus for about 30 minutes! I had to laugh. Just little flutters, but it was funny all the same.

December 16, 2008

17 WEEKS!!!
I just realized that I have heartburn right now. It's awful. Can barely stand upright. I thought it was hunger pains in a place that wasn't my stomach!



We had a doctor's appointment on Friday and got to hear the heartbeat. I cried. It was my last appointment with Dr. Craig....I cried again. Then she did another ultrasound and we were able to see Baby Hergie's feet kick and hands move....I cried some more. Yes, I am a bit of a cryer. It's not even the hormones. I'm naturally like that. Then Nick left to go back to Norfolk. Any guesses at what I did? Come on, you know...





Anyway, I thought I'd post a couple of the ultrasound pictures instead of finding 17 week pictures online.
















Can you see the legs in the top one???

Baby Hergie has legs!! Whew.

Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

December 9, 2008

At this point of my pregnancy, our baby is approximately 4.3 to 4.6 inches long and weighs 2.8 ounces. At this time, our baby is holding her head erect. Because her muscles are developing, she can make some faces now. Our baby is able to squint, frown and open its mouth. There is enough calcium in the bones that they will show up on an x-ray. Our baby's fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms.

In the next few weeks, our baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as our baby continues to develop.

Our next doctor appointment is this Friday. We should be able to hear the heartbeat!!! Nick will be driving back from Norfolk for the appointment, but then will have to return :(

December 2, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPA JIM!!!

December 1, 2008

Baby's skin is very thin, and blood vessels can be seen underneath. The skin is covered with a fine, fuzzy hair called lanugo, which will not fall out until your baby nears full-term. The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day. This week marks a period of rapid growth.

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

November 19, 2008

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

I'm feeling good. Still tired, but no morning sickness for quite some time. my belly is growing (yikes), but not enough for maternity pants...so I'm in my fat pants.

I had another dream last night that I had a baby girl. So, I'm sure the baby will be a boy and it's just playing tricks on me. Little stinker.

November 12, 2008

YES! This is OUR baby. It has a head!!!

I never posted our first ultrasound photo...it was the tiniest little blob, I didn't feel it was necessary. But it is no longer "our blob" as we've been calling it for the last month.

We had a doctor appointment yesterday and they did another ultrasound. There is one different image, but Nick has it with him. I will try to get it scanned tomorrow night before he leaves me for 10 days. :(

Everything looks good though, we are going to try to hear the heart beat at the next appt on Dec. 12.

November 9, 2008

http://medcenter.bryanlgh.org/FamilyBirthplaceVideo/


This is a video of the hospital we have decided to deliver Magnolia. It is gorgeous, isn't it??

November 4, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPA DICK!!!!


Week 11

• Nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.





• Fingers and toes have separated - Take a glimpse at how incredibly precious your child's tiny feet are at this point.





• Hair and nails begin to grow





• The genitals begin to take on the proper gender characteristics - It will be just a few more weeks before your ultrasound can show if you are having a boy or a girl! Have you been dreaming of pink or blue?





• Amniotic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys begin to function - This fluid, consisting primarily of water, helps provide a cushion for your baby while she's nestled within your womb.





• The muscles in the intestinal walls begin to practice contractions that digest food.





• Your baby is about 1.61 inches (4.1 cm) long and weighs 0.25 ounce (7gm).

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Telling the other grandparents...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Qyoi2Yytk

November 1, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT DARBI!!!!

she is now 27!

October 31, 2008

WEEK 10

• Baby is now called a fetus in "medical terms".
• The most critical part of the infant's development is complete. Now she is headed into a period of rapid growth.
• While a bit strange to envision, your baby's head is now about half its length - Soon the rest of the body's growth will catch up but this area is prepared to keep up with the rapid brain development!
• Eyelids fuse shut and irises begin to develop - Eye color is also determined by this point.
• Placenta begins to function this week or next - The placenta is the organ responsible for both the provision of nutrients along with the removal of waste to keep your baby growing strong!
• Your baby will be about 1.22 inch long (3.1cm) and weigh 0.14 ounce (4gm) at the end of this week

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat— a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size— to nearly 3 inches.

October 25,2008

WEEK 9

• Baby has begun movement - While still too small for you to feel, your little one is wriggling, shifting, and dancing already! Makes you almost wish for a window to peek in whenever you want!


• Most joints are formed now - and trust that your little one is practicing bending and flexing.


• Fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand - This is amazing to see! At only nine weeks, if you happen to have an ultrasound, you may observe your infant fascinated by everything he or she can lay their fingers on (mainly other fingers, toes, ears and nose!


• Fingerprints are already evident in the skin


• Average size this week -- length 0.9 inch (2.3cm), weight 0.07 ounce (2gm)

Our 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: our 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. 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 our baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

October 14, 2008

I HAVE A NEW COUSIN!!!!

My aunt, Traci, (and her hubbie, Jim) had her/their baby yesterday afternoon at 3:53.

Her name is Daleni Elizabeth and she weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz.

I TOLD TRACI THE BABY WAS A GIRL!!!!

October 12, 2008

Back in January, Nick and I were at a arcade/restaurant in Omaha celebrating Uncle Troy's birthday. They have a machine that takes a picture of 2 people and then determines what your future child is supposed to look like. All in fun of course. You get to choose the sex and hair color (maybe more, but that's all I remember). So this is what our child is supposed to look like...

October 14, 2008

8 weeks!

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from our 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. Our baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though Temple still can't feel it.

This week:

• Cartilage and bones begin to form - At the end of this week your baby will have already completed 1/5th of the journey 'til his birthday!





• The basic structure of the eye is well underway - The position is more "newborn" like already!





• The tongue begins to develop





• Intestines move out of the umbilical cord into the abdomen.





• Body grows and makes room - Two months along and this little one is growing inside and out by leaps and bounds!





• The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short





• Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm)

October 7, 2008

7 weeks!!!

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, our 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. Our baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

There are 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 our 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 our 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.

October 6, 2008

We told my parents this weekend. They didn't quite react the way we expected. We're assuming they were in shock ????

The story: when we got engaged around Christmas we gave them Father of the Bride (part 1). So to tell them we are pregnant, we gave them Father of the Bride (part 2).

Here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oc_flL57tg

October 4, 2008

THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!!

I get to tell the rest of my family tonight. I'm so excited...maybe I'll be able to sleep through the night again once they know. I've been waking up after 5 1/2 hours of sleep every night and not being able to go back to sleep. I'm so tired! I can't even nap!

But yay! In about 12 hours the people I love most will all know.

stay tuned

October 1, 2008

Oh my. I have NEVER been this hungry in my entire life! I can't stand it. I feel like I am constantly eating! After a year of watching what I eat, and how much I eat, I am now feeding my face constantly! NOTHING fills me up. It's very uncomfortable. I need to move into the grocery store, I'm going to eat us out of house and home. Yes, I realize I'm "eating for 2", but SHE'S THE SIZE OF A BEAN!!!! NOT GODZILLA!

2 more days til I get to tell mom and dad!!! and troy!

September 30, 2008

According to http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-6-weeks_1095.bc :

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that we'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine — 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, our baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

September 28, 2008

So far so good...no more morning sickness. I believe it was taking the prenatal vitamin in the morning. So now I am taking it when I go to bed. Much better.

Nothing too new to post...just that I can't wait until next Saturday so that we can finally tell our parents! Hopefully we will have a video to show :) just prepare yourselves for my mother. seriously. You should have seen how she reacted when we announced our engagement. THIS WILL BE WORSE, or BETTER...However you want to put it. So stay tuned!

6 days to go

September 25, 2009

This morning I had my first bout of morning sickness while I was brushing my teeth. I was feeling nauseous anyways, and then I brushed my tongue and that's when it happened. ick. I felt pretty icky until about 9 and it subsided. I was so exhausted today!

9 days until I can tell my parents!!!! I can't wait!

According to http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-5-weeks_1094.bc
baby hergie is about the size of a sesame seed and looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. She is now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of her organs and tissues.
The heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, the tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form our baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

WOW! Our baby is becoming a person! It's so amazing. We are going to be parents...

September 24, 2009

I talked to my mom last night and tonight and couldn't tell her!!! The whole time my head is screaming "I'M HAVING A BABY!" but I want to tell her in person, and of course she and my dad are driving through the New England states...like THAT is more important than hearing they are going to finally be grandparents! I have to wait a week and a 1/2 to tell them. I'm going to go nuts. I can't believe that they are travelling the week I find out I'm going to be a mommy.

Nick's getting excited. Last night, our friend Luke stayed with us and he wanted to tell him so bad...but I want to tell Luke and his wife Brandy together, so I am making him wait. They are supposed to be coming over for dinner on Friday night...I hope nothing comes up. It's been hard not to tell her.

Nick is now calling me "Preggo"...I feel like spaghetti sauce.

My sister found a really cool site for me, it shows where Baby Hergie is day by day.
http://www.pregnancy.org/pregnancycalendar/html_calpage.php?Date=9/1/2008&ElapsedStart=-1&DueDate=05/27/2009&ConceptionDate=09/02/2008

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!!!

September 23, 2009

Wow! We did it. We are having a baby. We found out for sure yesterday at 3:30 AM. I had to do a double take when I saw that 2nd line. I couldn't believe it. I told our cat, Jasmine, but she didn't seem to care; she just kept walking. Needless to say I couldn't go back to sleep. So when Nick rolled over a few minutes later and mumbled something, I had to tell him. He couldn't go back to sleep either...but more because he was freaking out. :) He came around though and is now excited.

I discovered today that peppermint candy makes me feel like puking. And my stomach feels like it has a pulled muscle on the left side. Ah...the joys.