The poll was right! - Ashley Joan Soens

Hey everyone -
Thanks for making the poll fun with voting on whether you thought it was a boy or girl - as it turns out its a girl!  We found out this morning at 8a.  We had already had names picked out - so if it was a boy (or for a boy in the future) we had Wyatt Michael Soens.  Several people we talked to today seemed to express genuine concern that Pete would be disappointed it was a girl - so not only was he not disappointed he dressed the part for his family's xmas party - and him dressing in pink was all his idea, I had nothing to do with it!

So here is Pete in his glory....He has started asking people if its possible that he can make it so Ashley can throw a baseball well, "not like a girl" as he put it...classic

If you know the Carrie Underwood song, All-American girl that describes Pete - snipet of the lyrics below....

Since the day they got married

He'd been praying for a little baby boy

Someone he could take fishing
Throw the football and be his pride and joy
He could already see him holding that trophy
Taking his team to state
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket
All those big dreams changed
And now, he's wrapped around her finger
She's the center of his whole world
And his heart belongs to that sweet, little, beautiful, wonderful, perfect
All American girl

As far as I go, my stomach still keeps getting bigger, and I did gain 2.4 lbs in the past 2 weeks, although since its the holidays, they didnt give me a hard time (since I should have only gained 2 lbs).  Other than that, I continue to feel great, not really skipping a beat (or a holiday cookie), so all is well
 
Week 19 (pink shirt) vs week 17 (purple shirt):  Total weight gain to date  = 16.2 lbs

So updates on the actual baby - we had the big ultrasound today.  The heartrate was once again in the the 150s (158).  The ultrasound checked for a million things I didnt realize - from brain size (big like mine!) to kidneys, bladder, heart, and cord function.  Checks bone length to see if its a midget (its not!) and probably a million other things that I forget.  The ultrasound lady is so comprehensive so hard to remember it all...but bottom line, healthy baby girl on the way!  Here are some pics below.  Warning for the one near the end where she is looking right at the camera - her face looks like an alien - apparently thats what baby faces look like when it has no fat, just skeletal structure, and big ol eye sockets

Ashley's profile - and the black area in her chest is a beating, fully function 4 chamber heart!

Ashley trying to get her thumb in her mouth - apparently baby suck their thumb in utero is very common

Ashley with her hand on her head, just like in week 13.  Hopefully this isnt an early sign that she's a drama queen, something she may inherit from her aunt Caitlin

Warning....this is the alien face.  Someday Im sure it will be a cute little cherub face though, but not yet!

And last but not least, evidence that its a girl or so they say - those white lines in the circle are the lady parts!

Week 17....2 more weeks til we find out the sex

We are finding out on dec 19th, but in the meantime if you want to guess, we added a poll above

The wives tales:

BOY chinese calendar
GIRL heartrate = three most recent readings >140 (girl), 1 reading < 140 (boy)
BOY Carrying lower
BOY Pete has not gained weight
BOY Ring on a string/pendulum test
GIRL my two vivid dreams

Not much is new.  Went to the doctor and gained another 1.8 lbs in 2 weeks, which is pretty OK since its slightly less than the average 1lb per week.  Now I normally like to be above average, but not in the weight category!

I fell on the ice on Friday while walking the dog which led to some mild panic, but ultimately everything was OK.  The benefit of it is that due to Pete's concern over the fall, I do not need to walk the dog on snowy pr icy days the rest of the winter!!!

I got some feedback on the blog that people liked the side-by-side photos because it made it easier to tell the difference.  So here you have it.  We were recently in Aruba, so I am conveniently more tan in this weeks picture, which is the one on the left

Picture taken: 17 weeks, 4 days.  Total weight gain: 13.8 lbs

Week 15: My belly "popped"

So I dont have much new news to report.  Had a standard quick check-up this weekend where we listened to the heartbeat with a doppler.  The doctor estimated the heartbeat was about 150 on the doppler.  He also was quick to add that the wives tale about heartbeats and gender correlation dont really mean a thing!  Anyhow, we will find out the sex on Dec 19th!

So last weekend I think my stomach officially "popped".  As seemingly overnight I could no longer button my jeans.  My posture in this picture is terrible, but other than that, its pretty clear that a definitly belly pooch has formed!  I gained 3 lbs in 2 weeks, so slightly faster than the receomneded 1 lb/week but could be worse!!

And just to make it easy to see the difference, included a side by side from 2 weeks ago. The one from 2 weeks ago is on the right (as though that wasnt obvious...) and the one from today is on the left

(Me @15 weeks, 3 days. Total weight gain:12 lbs)

Also, this is a picture of the nursery stuff we picked out.  Its coming in person on Monday, so we'll see if we love it in person, but I am pumped about a Dr Seuss theme

I cant get the picture bigger so here is the link if you want to see it bigger

http://www.maternityandbabyshoppingmart.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8129

So stay tuned for the gender update on dec 19th!

Week 13 - A great ultrasound

So we had a doctor appointment today.  So I have gained another 2 lbs, and still not really "showing" just looking chubbier, so as I keep gaining weight I would appreciate a round belly so I at least have an excuse!  We had an ultrasound appointment this morning which was also very timely, because I had some minor spotting, which the dr said not to worry about.  The ultrasound we had today was for the purpose of a Nuchal Translucency Scan which basically is a screening test for a healthy baby, with particular focus on Down's, and Trisomy 13 and 18.  So from just the ultrasound today they can say with 80% certainty we have a very healthy baby at this point, and when the blood work comes back in 4 weeks, then the confidence rating goes up to 95%.  So good news!

Other things about the scan
 - Babys heartrate was 164 bpm
 - It is measuring 2.5 inches long, which is in the normal range for my dating
 - It has a noticable nasal bone - which although it is a good indicator it is not Downs, it also might be an early indicator that it has my nose - everyone keep their fingers crosses for Petes features on that one!

So next appointment is Nov 21st, but thats just a regular appt, and then we find out the gender (and confirm all parts are healthy) at our 20 week ultrasound on December 19th

Other things going on - Pete went to a "Dads class" where he learned all the dos and donts about what good guys are supposed to do, but he was pretty good to begin with, but sounds like he enjoyed the class as much as any guy would ;-)

So I have another picture of myself, as well as a bunch of the ultrasound scans. 

Me at 13 weeks, 3 days (total weight gain: 9 lbs)

This is the best one - the baby looks most like a human and you can see its whole 2.5" body, with its legs bent against the wall

This is similar to the one above, but with the legs fully extended

This is a zoom in of its face - you can see eye sockets, nasal bone and mouth

This one shows the baby's backside, the main thing here is the spinal cord

This one the baby is also facing the side, but it has it's arm up on its head.  This was towards the end of the ultrasound, maybe it was getting tired....

If you think this is lame....

....that I have a blog, don't worry about it, I was nervous at first too! Although that means you would have to delete it off your "favorites" where I can imagine its already stored :-) I thought this would be a fun way to give updates and share pictures, and keep it to just family and friends who know about the site.  And it helps keep my personal life off facebook where otherwise my 200+ "friends" might be facebook stalking me :-)

So you obviously found this website because you know we are pregnant!  The official 12 week mark will be on October 29, 2009, giving us a due date of May 13, 2010.  The first trimester went by fairly easily  - no nausea, no vomitting - just VERY sleepy and very anxious.  Due to some spotting, we had an early ultrasound at week 6 and they couldnt see a baby, and then another one at 7 weeks.  At 7 weeks we saw a grey blob (they said it was the baby) and heard the heartbeat!!!  It was amazing...  At our first prenatal appt (10/17/2009) we got another sneak peak through an ultrasound but it was not an official one with a souvenier photo and we could see, but not hear the heartbeat.  Pete has been great so far, he plans on coming to all the appts and the doctors office is open on Saturdays, so no need to interfere with work, school or our otherwise hectic weekdays!

So thats it for now - we have another ultrasound on Nov 7, which serves as an early screening for Downs, and is not invasive...so more to come after that!


This picture is 4 weeks 1 day (the day we found out)

This picture is 7 weeks and 4 days (Weight LOSS 2 lbs)

This picture is 10 weeks 3 days (total weight gain 5 lbs)

This picture is 12 weeks (total weight gain 7 lbs)