It's a BOY!

We found out via ultrasound this morning that the baby is a boy! The picture above shows his legs and the arrow points to the proof he is a boy. He is growing well and looks great from everything they could see today. He measures 17 weeks and 5 days. He has been measuring about 1 week ahead at every ultrasound. Sydney was so excited! She loved watching the ultrasound and quickly learned to "read" the baby's position. The tech and the radiologist got a kick out of her and her excitement. They whispered to her that it was a boy and then she got to tell her Dad and I that we are expecting a boy. She also announced that she wants to do ultrasounds on babies when she grows up now. We have come a long way from the days when she wanted to be the person to hold the sign for the digger when it crossed the road! The video is a 3D video image of the baby. His head is at the top, his arm and leg look like they are coming out of some blankets. We are scheduled to have another US in about 6 weeks and they tech said the images would be even better at that time for the 3-D ultrasound. He is still a little guy at around 5 inches and weighing just a few ounces. Enjoy his first video below!

Heart Beat

We went for a check up on Tuesday afternoon and I got to hear the heart beat! The rate was 151 bpm, which is in the middle of normals. Non-scientific data suggest lower heart rates are associated with boys while higher ones are associated with girls. Sydney's heart rate was usually in the 160's. I have no clue what to make of 151 since it is essentially right in the middle of the 130's to 170 range.

I am getting very anxious to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl. I have had 3 dreams the baby is a boy and one dream the baby is a girl. Sydney says she has had a dream the baby was a boy. Sydney is really wanting a sister. She is worried about a little boy peeing in her face. The Chinese age-gender prediction calendar says I am having a girl. It said I was having a girl with Sydney. Bret and I are truly OK with either, I just want to know so I can finalize the bedding and decorating for the nursery! I want to get things ready early with the upcoming Holidays. If I was computer and blogging savvy, I would insert a poll so everyone could vote if they think it is a girl or a boy. My talents lie elsewhere, so just e-mail me if you have a guess or opinion as to the gender of this baby. And don't forget....my new e-mail address is wendygibbs914@gmail.com . The old one will remain in service until November 1st.

There is a good chance that we will find out late next week if the baby is a boy or a girl at an ultrasound. The ultrasound was originally scheduled for Friday morning but the doctor has a parent teacher conference so she is supposed to be having her office contact me about rescheduling. Hopefully, they will move it up and not out.

I have been feeling great, most days I am so busy I forget I am pregnant until I finally lay down to relax and go to sleep. Heartburn is about the only symptom I have other than frequent trips to the bathroom.

The Second Trimester!

We have reached the second trimester today! I have completed 13 weeks and have started in on week number 14. Baby measures a little over 3 inches now and has completed development of most major organ systems at this point. We had a little bit of a scare this week with some spotting and bleeding. The physician referred to it as a threatened abortion and stated that it was probably due to a subchorionic bleed. Dr. Smith visualized the baby on the ultrasound again and baby was kicking and moving around like crazy as well as showing excellent growth from the week before. Dr. Smith says this baby must be a boy because he has already started trying to cause trouble! I got to take a few days off from work and relax around the house. We will have another check up in a few weeks and go for an amniocentesis during week 16. After that, we will know if this baby is a girl or a boy so I can at least refer to it as "he" or "she" while we work on names.