Pic of baby boy

As Miles said, we are expecting a healthy baby boy :) Needless to say we were all quite shocked but super happy! Baby is measuring ahead and weighs a whopping 12 ounces! The average for 19 weeks is around 8 1/2 ounces. Everything looks healthy and where it's supposed to be. The tech took about 100 pics, but for some reason we weren't given a "money" shot to share and we totally forgot to ask! Here's a 3-D shot the tech took of the baby, which was actually the only pic given to us. You can see his closed eyes, nose and lips :)

It's a...

Boy! Woohoo! - Elody and I went in today for our 'gender screen' ultrasound and found out that our little bean will come out a little dude! There was never any doubt about the sex of baby during the checkup, as he was, let's just say, not shy and seemingly not ill-equipped :)

We were honestly a bit surprised as most all of our friends and family thought we would be having a girl. Also, as Elody mentioned in a previous post, we even took the Intelligender test and were given 'girl' results.

The only real exception to this widespread belief was that of our wonderful friend KK, who was dead set on believing baby would be a boy; after she had a vision of this during one of her meditations. I would like to state for the recored that I will never, ever, question KK's intuition on anything ever again.

Week 19

Well, we tried camping this weekend and I've decided it's not much fun while being pregnant. My back is killing me today and I have a headache, which I can't take anything for. The joys of camping will have to wait until after the baby is born :)

My tummy continues to pop out a bit more each week. Miles and I think we felt the baby kicking the other day. We felt 4 pops in the same spot so I assumed gas wouldn't be that constant or strong. Haven't felt any movement since, but it was pretty exciting!

I went on ebay and found this gender prediction "psychic" that I paid a whopping $2 too. It was silly but fun. She sent me a list of questions to fill out and then sent me our prediction. She claims 95% accuracy. Anyway, she said she is 93% sure it is a baby girl :) Guess we'll see on Tuesday!

We also went ahead and ordered a crib, mattress and changing table online. We were able to save a lot of money by ordering through Amazon where we get free shipping thanks to my boss :)

We will post our gender results early next week so stay tuned!

How your baby's growing:

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. 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.

Week 18

Not a lot to share this week. Still feeling pretty good, tummy pains come and go, starting to have some sporadic back pain as well. My waist line is thickening day by day. There are only a couple of skirts I still fit in from pre pregnancy. It was fun to go shopping for some new clothes, and I got a couple of maternity jeans for when the weather turns colder. Miles said it is starting to become obvious that I look pregnant and not that I just have a beer belly, so that's good :)

Next week we have a regular check up with our OB. I'm sure I've gained some weight by now. At the last check up I still hadn't gained one pound, but I should have gained somewhere between 8 and 14 lbs by now. Still no big change in appetite, and I don't feel like I've been eating any more than usual.

We've also started researching birthing techniques and pre natal classes. I would like to try for a natural birth, but won't be ashamed if I need the drugs! I'm anxious to chat with our OB about Hypno Birthing and the Bradley Method. Those are the top runners so far.

We will have our big gender scan in a week from Tuesday. We check on the baby's heartbeat every night, and have noticed that it has lowered from the upper 140's to upper/mid 130's...so it could be a boy if the old wives tale is true. Guess we'll see soon :)

How your baby's growing:

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.

Week 17

Good Morning All! We hit 17 weeks today and it seems like my belly is starting to really pop now, especially after I eat anything, no matter how small the amount. I have still been feeling pretty good with my RL pain coming and going.

I have noticed I've been pretty off balance and clumsy lately. I've run into a few walls while walking, almost tripped over my feet while teaching, and the worst this far has been backing into my Father in Law's car while driving! I felt horrible :( Luckily, I have a very kind and understanding husband and father in law.

Daryl is visiting for a few days from AZ. He and Miles spent the entire day in Denver yesterday driving exotic supercars. I'll let Miles post about that one later :)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Could it be?

According to our Intelligender test results from this morning our little bean will come into the world a little girl. If that is the case, I am so excited! Yes, she may be over-protected and have to live with ground rules, such as, but not limited to, not dating until she is 21. But hey - it'll be for her own good! I would also like to start her off in martial arts classes, roughly at the age of 4. She can then acquire the skills necessary to fend off hormone fueled boys. Perhaps she is a blend of beauty and brawn, like female mma superstar Gina Carano. All I know is that she will look pretty darn cute in this onsie...

Intelligender

So, there's this gender prediction test that I've known about for awhile but figured I would pass on it due to it costing $30. I totally caved yesterday and bought one :)

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:

I took the test first thing this morning and it was a blaring GIRL. Only time will tell :) We have our official gender scan on Tuesday 7/28.

Chinese Gender Calendar

Did this for fun today. For those of you who don't know about this:
An ancient Chinese secret: This chart can be used to predict the sex of your unborn child. It has been said to be 99% accurate. The chart was buried in a tomb near Beijing for 700 years and now can be viewed at the Institute of Science in Beijing. To predict what sex your baby will be, locate the age the mother will be when she gives birth and the month the child was conceived.

So, I did about 9 different ones on different sites and since the answers varied, I don't have a lot of confidence in them :)

Predictions were:
6 said BOY
3 said GIRL

Week 16

Hope everyone had a fun 4th of July yesterday. It was raining and overcast most of the day, but the sky cleared up just in time for the big Palmer Lake fireworks show. We went to a friends house where there was a bunch of great food. Then we all went to a house that's right on Palmer Lake, giving everyone the best view of the firework show. I stayed in the house and wasn't able to see much, but it was way too loud for the baby. Miles said it was really good, a surreal experience since the fireworks were right above us. I'm still feeling pretty good. Still have a lot of RL pains on and off. I cut down teaching Zumba to twice a week now. I'm thinking of trying swimming as well. Figured it would be good for me and easy on my body. I wonder if I'll have to get a cap so I won't dry out my hair :) May have to get a new bathing suit too. Still no pregnancy glow for me. My face looks like you could play connect the dots with it. I'm just glad I have foundation to cover most of it! That's about it from here. We should know the baby's gender in a couple weeks...I can't wait! I also thought I would add what the baby is looking like now.

How your baby's growing:

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.