Peanut is 15 Weeks Old!

How big is Peanut....
By the end of this week, Peanut is 5 inches long and weighs a whole 2 ounces.

What is happening with Peanut...
Peanut's skin is very thin, and his/her blood vessels can actually be seen through the skin. Peanut's ears are continuing to develop externally and continue to look more like normal ears. Peanut's eyes are continuing to move towards the nose from the sides of his/her head. Peanut's bones are beginning to ossify, which means that if an x-ray was taken the skeleton would be visible. Babies at this age have also been caught sucking their thumb on ultrasound pictures.

(According to the American Pregnancy Association)

Peanut and my expanding waistline!

Ok so this weekend when my zipper kept unzipping due to my expanding waistline I knew it was time. So Monday (President's day - no school! yippee) I went to the mall on maternity clothes mission. I was able to find a few pairs of pants that I can wear to work - they aren't perfect - but ok for now!

Peanut is growing!

Peanut is 14 weeks old!

How big is Peanut?
Peanut is now approximately 4 inches long and weighs just a little less than 2 ounces.

What is happening with Peanut...
Peanut is continuing to grow and mature at this point. Peanut's arms are going to begin to lengthen and be more proportioned to the rest of the body. The liver is beginning to produce bile, while the spleen is beginning to produce red blood cells.
The development of Peanut's brain enables him/her to use their facial muscles to grimace, frown, and squint. He/she may even be sucking their thumb. Because I have begun the second trimester and most of the critical development has been completed, the chance of miscarriage decreases.

(According to the American Pregnancy Association)

The Name Game

So far it seems like the front runners in the name game are Austin for a boy and Caitlin for a girl, which is good because those are mine and Kathy's favorites. Anybody have any boy or girl names they are partial to and feel like contributing to the pool?

We Heard the Heartbeat!!

Today's appointment was AWESOME!! Peanut has a good, strong heartbeat. When we asked the doctor how he knew it was within the normal range he told us his trick: "That's the Way I Like It" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band is 120 beats/minute, so he just compares to that. We have added a link to the heartbeat at the top right of the page so listen in!!

We also have 3 "new" pictures from the 10 week, 3 day ultrasound (Jan 24) at Flickr in the Baby Blog set.

We are now out of the first trimester. The secret's out. Shout it from the rooftops!!

Heartbeat appointment today!

Today is my checkup and we should be able to hear the heartbeat! Up until this point we have only seen the hearbeat - not heard it! We are bringing a recorder and will have the heartbeat sound up on the website tonight! Yeah!

Peanut is 13 Weeks Old!

What is happening with Peanut...
Up until this point, Peanut’s head was the largest part of his/her body, but that is beginning to change. Peanut’s head is now only about 1/3 of his/her total body. Unique fingerprints are now located on the tips of Peanut’s fingers. The kidney and urinary tract are completely functional which allows the amniotic fluid he/she has been swallowing to be excreted. Covering Peanut's skin is a fine, soft hair called lanugo.

How big is Peanut?
By my thirteenth week of pregnancy Peanut is about 3½ inches long and weighs 1¼ ounces.

(According to the American Pregnancy Association)

Relief is coming soon!

This week marks 12 weeks for Peanut and the risk for miscarriage is getting smaller and smaller. Next week will be 13 weeks and we have an appointment to hear the heartbeat on 2/12/07. Up to now we have been able to see the heartbeat - but not hear it. Once we get through that appointment - if everything is still ok - we have a very low risk of miscarriage and we will be much less worried! Then it will be time to celebrate! I can't wait for Monday!!!!!

Peanut is 12 weeks old!

What is happening with Peanut...
This week Peanut will begin to take on more of a normal appearance as the eyes move closer together and the ears move closer to their final position. The intestines have grown so fast that they actually extend into the umbilical cord, but they will begin to move back into the abdomen. The kidneys can now secrete urine, and the nervous system is continuing to mature. Peanut may have developed more complicated reflexes such as sucking.

How big is Peanut...
Peanut is 3 inches long and weighs 1 ounce by the end of this week.

(According to the American Pregnancy Association)

Click on the following website to see a drawing of what Peanut looks like this week...
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/12weeks/