Week Sixteen

This week started out with a prenatal check-up—something I definitely look forward to each month! I got to hear Little One's heartbeat, though it turned out that he/she was hiding lower than the doctor initially expected. My doctor is so funny; she said that it made sense that the baby was lower because I'm so "beautifully long waisted"... or something like that. That was certainly the first time I've ever heard those words spoken about my torso! I'm perhaps just over 5'5", so it's hard to imagine myself having "long" anything. It was sweet, though, and I've enjoyed getting to know our doctor more over each visit.

Things are still looking/feeling good, though one of the few symptoms that I've actually experienced in the two times I've been pregnant decided to resurface last week. This one never fails to boggle my mind...it just seems so odd. What am I talking about? Why, it's the pregnant nosebleed, of course! Strange and annoying. Anyone had these while pregnant? They've been pretty minor, but still require at least a tissue or two before I can return to life as normal.

Here's me today. I was even up early enough to throw on a little make-up!

According to my doctor, I've gained two pounds so far. I don't know what it is about the scales they use, but at home I weigh one thing, and then an hour later at the doctor's office, I weigh 4-5 pounds more! Drives me batty.

A friend of mine described the early-2nd-trimester-bump so perfectly. She said for awhile it just looks like a "fleshy mound", and then all of a sudden it seems like it pops into a hard little "official" baby bump. That is SO how I'm feeling these days. Looking at these pictures definitely makes me a bit crazy; all I can think when I see them is fleshy!

Here are some growth updates this week {from TheBump.com}:

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

Week Fifteen

The weeks just keep going, don't they? I feel like I'm writing one of these posts every other day! But you know what else that means... time flying by = pregnancy flying by. And the second time around, it is certainly feeling quick. I'm sure, though, I can give Logan a little credit for that. That child keeps me on my toes!

On the pregnancy front: I've been feeling baby movements here and there {for probably a couple of weeks now}, but I'm uber-eager for this little one to make a routine of it! The movements of your baby in the womb are intimate and reassuring and beautiful; it has to be the next best thing to breastfeeding. And right now my desire to start doing that dance with our little one is on my mind even more than the upcoming anatomy ultrasound! I'm assuming that feeling the movements consistently will happen before that appointment {19.5 weeks}, but we shall see!

I took another picture this week, but oh man...it's rough. Please excuse the self-loathing present in the next handful of sentences; apparently I'm in that sort of mood. I can't believe how tired I look. Actually, it looks more like I went and did some drugs and then stumbled into the bathroom so that my husband could take a picture of my pregnant belly!

AND...I'm getting a *little* annoyed that this so-called "bump" really just looks like an exaggerated and unflattering pooch. It's not that coveted little, "Oh look, she's pregnant!" mound... It's more of a, "That girl needs to get her a** to the gym and work off that baby fat!" flabby lump. Oh well. Our day will come soon enough...

Here are some growth updates this week {from TheBump.com}:

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

Week Fourteen

This time last pregnancy, I was bathing my wannabe bump in the Hawaiian sun...

This time around, not so much. Rather, it's the middle of winter, I've got a birthday this week {that's fun, I guess?}, and the bump {as some of you have prepared me for!} is trying harder to pop out.

Just about the only thing that has been the same about this pregnancy at this point—aside from the fact that I feel good!—is my weight; I'm pretty much exactly the same weight now that I was last time at week 14. That's certainly a surprise given how terrible my eating has been on some of these days! Oh well.

Here's my pic from this week...


...and some growth updates {from TheBump.com}:

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

Week Thirteen

I think I'm allowed to say that I'm in second trimester now—exciting! Perhaps it's just the contrast of regaining health after being so sick, but my energy already seems up this week. I am so looking forward to the perks of mid-pregnancy!

My belly is continuing to look a bit bloated, but my weight hasn't really changed and I'm still able to lie on my tummy at this point. I've insisted on still wearing my regular jeans, but now wear them unbuttoned with the aid of a hair tie and a belly-band. I do have another pair of "regular jeans" that are a size larger that I can button normally, but they look unflattering, as they're also a size larger in the legs and thighs.

I was successful again this week getting a picture, a trend I'm really hoping to continue!:

How many weeks do you think I'll be before I have to give this tank top up?!

Food-wise, I'm not sure what's up, but my food "cravings" have been 180 degrees opposite from those during my pregnancy with Logan. Before I still generally ate the same foods, but seemed to have an affinity for bananas, orange juice, and Rocky Road ice cream. These days, however, I basically protest anything that's actually good for me and I feel like my stomach has taken on the personality of a five year old. Pb&j sandwiches, macaroni & cheese, chocolate milk are just a few new staples to my diet. So basically comfort foods. And Japanese food. I'll also accept anything with white rice topped with some sort of light-ish Asian cuisine. So not that picky, right?

So far the only justification I've come up with for such different cravings is *obviously* a different sex. :) But there are still six weeks to go before I can confirm that theory, or not.

Anywho. Last, but not least—here are some growth updates this week {from TheBump.com}:

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Week Twelve

This week I was defeated by my *second* cold so far this pregnancy. I get sick so seldom that I forget how completely miserable the whole ordeal is, but now I remember... it sucks. And the first time around {right when I found out that I was pregnant}, wasn't nearly as bad. I guess what has been hard this time is how it compounds my fatigue, my body just feels so weak, and the tight throat, stuffy nose, and inability to smell or taste are all demoralizing.

But aside from that whole mess, pregnancy stuff seems to be going well. I have not one, but two baby appointments on Wednesday, and will definitely have some fun ultrasound pics to share after that!

Speaking of pictures... I said that I'd start taking pictures at week twelve, and I did! I certainly didn't mean for it to be so...sexy? {I'm not sure that I can claim myself to be such first thing in the morning with no makeup...}, but this is what we've got.

Sadly, I don't have much of an explanation for why there's such a large bump already. While I can tell things are changing, I do have some post-Logan pooch {though I never had a "flat" tummy to begin with} that's contributing to the whole "situation".

Anyway! That's enough from me. Here are some growth updates this week {from TheBump.com}:

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Week Eleven

Pregnancy-wise, things have pretty good this week. Wish I could say the same about everything else...!

It was so wonderful to come home from Christmas to beautiful weather in Santa Barbara, and Chris made sure to get us outside and moving! We've been doing a 25 minute walk/jog routine, which has been a great balance given the fact that I'm both out of shape and pregnant.

My body has been changing slowly but surely. I'm wearing my "fat pants" these days because they're more comfy, and my stomach feels a bit poochy, particularly from my bellybutton up. My tummy certainly isn't the only thing growing these days... I had purchased a new bra right around when I found out I was pregnant, and while the cups were a little roomy then, they certainly aren't anymore! This "growth" has been a bit of a surprise to me; the first time around I remember the tenderness, but not the very noticeable fullness. I'm sure the change is more apparent post-breastfeeding...things aren't exactly in the state they were before. :)

I think that's about it for this week. Starting next week I'm really hoping to get on top of the belly pics—this baby deserves some effort, too!!

Here are some growth updates this week {from TheBump.com}:

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Gender Prediction Test

Some weeks ago, my friend told me that she saw in a pregnancy magazine that there is now an over-the-counter baby gender test available. Yup. Not an am-I-pregnant test, but a what-am-I-having test! If that in itself didn't peak my interest enough, she said that the test could be used as early as six weeks after your first missed period / eight weeks into gestation / ten weeks pregnant. I was probably no more than four or five weeks along when she told me about it, so I just decided to file it away in the back of my mind.

I don't remember what reignited it, but last week {before we left for Christmas} I started thinking about that test again...and I decided it was time to do some research. I googled the concept and found that IntelliGender is the company who makes the test. After reading through the website and watching all of the videos, I knew that I could not not try it!

Here's some info from their website about how the gender test works {they don't reveal what chemicals are used to react with what hormones—I'm assuming this is because they don't want to help any potential competitors!}:

IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test is a simple urine analysis similar to the pregnancy test you took a few weeks ago. It uses first morning urine and a proprietary mix of chemicals which reacts with a combination of hormones to indicate the gender of your baby. It can be performed as early as 10 weeks (six weeks from the first day of the missed period). It only takes ten minutes for the results. It is an easy test to perform and provides quick results in-home so the news can be shared right away.

Laboratory results show 90% accuracy and real world studies indicate 82%. IntelliGender regularly commissions independent surveys to compare real world results with laboratory results and the test is constantly being monitored for improvements.

IntelliGender reminds all pregnant moms that seeing an obstetrician as early in the pregnancy is critical for the health of the mother and the baby and should follow the advice of their physician.

You simply collect first morning urine and insert into the test vessel. Swirl rapidly in a circular motion, place the test on a flat surface undisturbed for 10 minutes. Read the test at eye level and match the color to the boy or girl color chart on the test vessel. Below are examples of test results:

Read your gender result promptly at 10 minutes. If your urine has turned green to dark/smoky green, you are having a boy! If your urine stays relatively unchanged or turns a deeper yellow or orange, you are having a girl!

Intriguing, right?! I searched for where I could order the product, and found it for under $30 {with free shipping} at Overstock.com. I placed my order before we left for Christmas, and when we arrived home on Wednesday night, it was sitting on my doorstep!

I was able to test yesterday morning. Wanna see the results?


It *appears* that we're expecting a girl!

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There are a couple reasons, though, why I can't be *too* excited at this point.

I've emailed customer service about the dark residue at the bottom because I want to make sure that it does not indicate that the test results are inaccurate or that the test didn't work. On IntelliGender's "Sample Results" page, many of the "girl" real-life results appear to have little to no residue remaining, so that made me start second-guessing things! Hopefully I'll hear back in the next day or so; I just sent the email this morning.

The other thing, as you read above, is the test doesn't promise to be 100% accurate. Because of that I'm not holding on too tightly to the results, and rather looking at it as tipping the scale of a 50/50 chance in favor of a girl. Science has already failed me once in the gender department—and that ultrasound result was supposed to be 99.98% accurate!—so secretly I'm praying that I'm off the hook for false results this time!

We're looking at about eight more weeks before the anatomy ultrasound, so it won't be too long before we'll {hopefully} get to confirm whether or not we're bringing "Kate" home this year!