20 Weeks ... We're Halfway!

You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel —the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure,measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Info from www.babycenter.com

Its a ....

... Girl!

After having a great Christmas with our families Ed and I had our 20 week appointment and ultrasound on 12/26! We were very excited!

They took us back for the ultrasound first ... everything appears to measuring out just fine and our little one is measuring in the 50 percentile. Shes not a little peanut anymore ... weighing in around 10oz! She said that everything with the brain and spine were looking great. It was amazing to see how her head and spine have formed over the first 20 weeks. The heart was still pumping away like it should. We saw where the stomach and bladder were forming. We saw her flip around a few times and still not feel anything! She was being very shy ... she was breeched and had her legs crossed. It was hard to determine the gender, but the tech stated that she saw three lines that leaned towards a girl. Didn't see any little boy parts sticking out. So we are now preparing for a little pink in the house!

We then were seen by one of the doctors and he stated that her heartbeat was around 153bpm. Our 24 week appointment was set for 1/22 ... after our 28 week appointment we will be seen every 2 weeks!

We then headed out to Montgomery to celebrate Christmas with Lynn and Jerry, Mary Beth, Mom and Pop ... also known as Mildred and JJ. We were able to spread the good news to Mom and Pop who were very excited.

Merry Christmas!

Just wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from The Lashes!

We have our 20 week ultrasound Friday and hopefully our little one is ready to show us who they are!

18 Weeks!

Weekly update:

Head to rump, your 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.

Info from www.babycenter.com

Belly Photos!

We had our last appointment on 12/9 ... everything is going according to plan. They took some more blood for our 16 week testing and we got to hear the heartbeat again. This time we were told that the heartbeat was around 150bpm. We were able to set up our next appointment and the 20 week ultrasound. Next appointment is 12/26 at 8am ... at that time we should be able to determine if Baby Lash is a girl or a boy?!?!

Here are some belly photos from week 12 and 16 ... I'm not a big fan of the 12 week photo, but it will give you something to compare the 16 week too :)!

12 weeks on 11/3/2008:

16 weeks on 12/1/2008:

16 Weeks ... We Are Almost Halfway!

Another weekly email:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your 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, his head is more erect than it has been, 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. He's even started growing toenails. 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 your baby continues to develop.

Info from www.babycenter.com

Our next appointment is 12/9 and at that visit we should be able to set up our 20 week ultrasound ... at that appointment they should be able to determine whether we are having a boy or a girl! We are so excited and will be sure to keep everyone posted! Here is a photo taken at 11 weeks ... I'll work on getting the 12 and 16 week photos up this week!