Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Ultrasound #4: 12.5 Weeks to Go!

We had our fourth ultrasound today and all is well! Pop-Pop and Mimi joined me once again (I think they are addicted to this whole ultrasound business) and Peanut put on quite a show. She was moving and squirming the whole time. Peanut is currently 2.5 pounds and is placing in the mid-percentile for weight, height and head circumference. So she is growing well and looking very healthy to the doctor. So we are right on track! Above is a traditional ultrasound picture. I love how you can see her little lips.

And here's the creepy yet awesome 3D photo. The tech took lots of these for us but this is the best one. Peanut is actually sticking out her tongue. Silly, baby! And she still looks an awful lot like Big Brother Noah. I love it!

Unfortunately, Peanut is still not in the traditional birth position. Last month she was breech and now she is transverse. This means that her little spin is flush against my stomach and her arms and legs are dangling down toward the ground. The good news is that we don't really have to worry about her positioning until 36 weeks or so. For now I have to suffer through her double kicks and punches to my bladder. She is going to be a lovely child, huh?
OK, as promised, I had Mimi take a quick photo of me at the zoo last weekend so you all could see how big I am getting (I've gained 19 pounds so far...whew!). Embarrassing but I want Peanut to have a few photos in her memory book of what her old Mama looked like with her inside of me.

Because I am in the elderly pregnancy category and considered high risk for my age, we get to have another ultrasound at the end of September and monthly from here on out until I deliver. It's pretty awesome to get to peek at our Peanut so often (we only had one sonogram and one ultrasound with Big Brother Noah). Mimi and Pop-Pop have already reserved their seats for the next show (I told you they are addicted). So stay tuned...

Oh, and we are well on our way to getting Peanut's bedroom in order! Mimi and Pop-Pop are going to paint next week and we will get the furniture in after that. So stayed tuned for photos of Peanut's nursery (maybe even before the end of the month)...

Friday, August 26, 2011

Last Trimester, Here I Come!

Hi, everyone!

Just wanted to give you a quick Peanut update for this week. I will be 27 weeks pregnant tomorrow so that means I only have 13 weeks left before our little Peanut arrives. I am also officially in my last trimester. Whew! I can't believe it! This has been such an easy and fun pregnancy. I'm much more relaxed since this is not the first time I've done this and I am enjoying feeling Peanut moving around inside of me. She is a prize fighter for sure!

This weekend, all the lovely men in our family are coming up to our house to help us get our former guest room ready for Peanut (Noah and I will be taking Cousin Ella and the grandmas to the Zoo so we stay out of the way). They will move out a queen bed, dresser, two night stands, bookshelves, miscellaneous boxes and a big heavy TV (which is going to Great-Grammy Mary's house...Livingston men, you can thank us later). Next weekend, we are going to pick out new big boy furniture for Noah so that we can finally get him out of his toddler bed and move his baby furniture into Peanut's room. I already ordered some really awesome train bedding and such for his new room. He is so excited! We will still need to paint Peanut's room a nice, pleasant girlie color (right now it is a lovely burnt sienna) so I'm sure we'll look at paint samples next weekend, too. She will get Noah's beautiful unisex Classic Pooh bedding and decor for her room as well as all the accessories that go with it (thank goodness we went neutral last time around). So stay tuned for before and after pictures of both rooms in the coming weeks...

So how am I feeling these days? Well, I've gained 15 pounds and Peanut is growing perfectly! So I am getting quite big. Maybe one of the grandmas will take a picture of big old me at the Zoo and I'll post it next week. A few weeks ago I had pain in one of my sciatic nerves, which made it a bit hard to walk around. On top of that, I had pain in one of my calves that got worse in the middle of the night. When I told my OB/GYN about it at my appointment last week he said, "oh, yeah, that will happen." Fortunately the pain went away in a few days. Sheesh! I'm also getting a bit more swollen in my feet and hands especially (had to take my wedding rings off last week and I am now wearing them on a chain). And of course I am getting less and less sleep and more and more tired as the weeks go on. But other than that, I am really doing quite well for an elderly pregnant gal. Ha!

On Wednesday, August 31, we will have our fourth ultrasound so I will definitely post photos next week of Peanut. Mimi and Pop-Pop are going to join Jeff and I again this time (they can't get enough of the Peanut Show). So stay tuned...

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ultrasound #3: Peanut's Progress

We had our third ultrasound today. Jeff was unable to get off of work but my Mom and Dad (AKA Mimi and Pop-Pop) joined me instead. It was their first ultrasound so they were very excited to see their grand-daughter in all her glory. And boy, did she put on a show for us today!

Here's your traditional ultrasound profile. We were also able to see right away that Peanut is still a girl (now I have more witnesses). She was extremely active today but she stayed still long enough for the tech and doctor to get a good look at all her organs and such. The tech discovered right away that Peanut is hanging out feet first. But she told me not to worry since she will most likely turn around later. Whew!

At one point, the tech said to me, "Are you feeling her move a lot?" and I said, "Well, yes, she is a bit more active than my son was at this stage," to which she responded, "You are in big trouble." I guess that means that the next few months are going to involve a lot of kicking, shoving, punching, jabbing and more from my little darling. And she will most likely be a mover when she is born. Sigh.
The tech loves getting this shot for expectant mothers. You have to have a bit of fun when all you do all day long is scan pregnant bellies. For those of you who can't tell, this is Peanut's hand in a fist. Cute, right? I love it, too.
And finally, here is a 4-D image of Peanut. I know last time the 4-D image was a bit gruesome but this time, Peanut has more soft tissue so she looks more like a real baby and not a creature from beyond the grave. Mimi thinks she looks like Big Brother Noah. I think so, too. Amazing!

So the bottom line is the doctor says Peanut is growing very well, is exactly where she should be for a baby at 23-weeks gestation and everything else seems to be just fine. So since I am classified as an "elderly pregnancy" and I am considered high risk because I am over the age of 35, the doctor wants to see me again next month. So we will get a fourth peek at Peanut on August 31. Mimi has already requested to come back with me. Can you tell she loved it? Pop-Pop was also amazed at what you can see in the ultrasound; he especially loved the 4-D images. Technology sure has come a long way since they had kids, huh?