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....