1st Big Photoshoot!

We just left our ultrasound...the "big one" and are so thankful that Lily is measuring right on and all of her body parts are present and accounted for.  She is growing as she should be!! I cannot express how relieved I really am!  YAY!!!

It's part of that fear of miscarriage/losing her/something being wrong that has plagued me since miscarrying last summer. I cried again as soon as I saw her heart beating --such a beautiful sight to see!! ♥

G and I sat and watched the monitor and about 2 minutes in, he said, "Is everything ok so far?"...seemingly reading my mind.  The ultrasound tech said, "I have to look at everything and if there is something wrong, I will let you know at the end."  Which increases a little anxiety in me, of course.

We watched as the ultrasound tech measured everything --legs, feet, brain, stomach, eyes, lips, arms, hands, heart, spine, etc.
Lily stretched her legs out, moved her arms a lot and did this funny little motion with her head...lifting up her chin over and over really fast as if to say "What's up?"  It was really cute and funny. We were cracking up that we were clearly able to see her toes and she has G's feet...they are SOOOOOO long!

We are so happy everything is good with her and will continue to pray for the same! 

After our CVS, we found out that I have something called "placental mosaicism"...which is basically the placenta having an extra chromosome. Not the baby, but the placenta.

I had 2 cells come back with an extra 16 chromosome. Because it was only 2 and not all of the cells, or the majority of the cells, is why it's determined to be in the placenta, but not the baby. Our CVS results were still considered "normal."
The concern with the mosaicism, is that the baby wouldn't be growing as she's supposed to. In order to monitor that, we will have "growth scan" ultrasounds every 4 weeks from now on. The benefit, obviously, is to see her all the time!

This ultrasound, today, which showed the baby continuing to grow on schedule, put us more at ease!  We just had the back-of-our-mind concerns prior to today... In our previous ultrasounds, we knew she was measuring ok, so we just prayed for that continuance!

We seriously just cannot say how excited we are!

Lily seemed to enjoy her 1st big photoshoot today too!

We got some great pictures and a DVD of the entire ultrasound!

19 Weeks!

How far along are you?
~19 weeks, 1 day! ( I decided to celebrate my pregnancy and birthday together. :) )

According to Babycenter:

"Your 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 your voice 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."

I wonder who decided to compare babies to fruits and vegetables?


What symptoms are you experiencing?
~fatigue
~uncomfortable
~peeing all the time
~insomnia
~sciatic nerve pain

How are you feeling?
~I'm still tired all the time!
~I'm having a harder time bending over to get things which is uncomfortable
~frisky -reow!

Any Dr. appointments/ultrasounds/tests this past week and how did they go?
~None this past week...but ultrasound and doctor appointment Monday!

Anything big happening in your personal life (moving, work related, family, etc.)?
~Turning 37 soon
~Getting ready to move
~wedding planning

Any fears or hopes you want to get off your chest?
~I was talking with a friend today about how here I am 19 weeks --almost halfway through my pregnancy--and everyday I still worry about miscarriage. I guess it's not something that ever goes away. It' isn't overwhelming or causes me a lot of stress, as I have learned to manage that, but it is a worry that seemingly never goes away. I certainly didn't anticipate that during this pregnancy at all...



Any belly pics or ultrasound photos from this week?

Any food cravings?
~zucchini
~fish
~apples
~milk
~Special K with Red Berries


Tell us your favorite thing about your pregnancy this week.
~Feeling her move more and announcing her name to our friends and family!

What has been the most surprising thing about this pregnancy?
~It has surprised me how quickly we've gotten to 19 weeks and also how sore I am at the end of everyday. There is a HUGE difference being pregnant in your 20s versus 30s!

Random Question of the Week:
What have you done so far to prepare, mentally or physically for baby (purchases, plans, redecorating etc)?Mentally, to some degree, I think we've been prepared for this baby since our miscarriage last summer...We have desired her, loved her and anticipate her arrival everyday. Physically, we have just begun to work on her room! We have made a few purchases and have found what we want as far as almost everything! We're still searching for the right stroller because Daddy and I are both tall, so we need one that we won't have to hunch over to push. :)

Sunday's Getting to Know You

It's Sunday's "Getting to Know You" with Keely at http://www.mannland5.com/. Click to play and link up!
She's got a great blog and I've "met" a lot of great women this week. :)

1. What year did you graduate high school?
1990! My 20 year high school reunion is this year ---I CANNOT believe I have ANYTHING that I've known or done for TWENTY years! At least my spirit is youthful... :)

2. What part of your body do you neglect the most?
my feet and toes...but that's about to change!  I'm getting a pedicure this week and I've decided for my own birthday gift to myself (and because my pregnant belly is making it more difficult to paint own toenails), I'm going to get regular pedis. Ahhhhh.....I can't wait!

3. Beach house or Lake house?
Hmmm....I'd like to say both because I love both. But, I will say lake because we all love to fish, be on a boat, camp and play outside. My fiance is afraid of sharks and I've been stung by a jellyfish (worse pain than childbirth!) so there's the hestitancy in the ocean. :)

4. Mac or PC?
I'm a PC. Last time I used a Mac was when I was a junior in high school...ummm 21 years ago. ;)

5. Did you wear braces?
Nope! Blessed with straight teeth...here's hoping my kids get them! A is looking good so far as his permanent teeth are coming in and well, this baby is still cooking.

6. If you could be one person for a day..living or deceased..who would you be?
I think I'd have to choose a President. Just to see.

7. How many times have you moved in your life?
A LOT! For awhile I seemed I moved every year! Hmmm...1st move at 6 years old across the country from PA to AZ. I think, 13! That's in and out of apartments in college, back across country from AZ to TN, back to AZ and finally back to PA two years ago. Sheesh. I hate moving!

8. Would you rather cook or clean?
Neither. Sometimes I love both, but right now I have very little energy for anything these days...hoping it comes back SOON! Fortunately, I have a good man who loves me and takes care of me in every way. ♥

Happy Sunday!