22 Weeks

Everyone asks us... is it cool being pregnant at the same time as your sister? YES IT IS! Mandi is due about 9-10 weeks before me in mid-February. She doesn't know yet if it's a boy or girl. Everyone thinks it is a boy, but I say girl. These are some fun belly shots we took in front of the tree. I am nearly 22 weeks while my sister is nearly 32 weeks...

20 Weeks

Here I am at 20 weeks. We had "the big" ultrasound on November 25, 2008. The biggest news - the one that made me cry was that everything looked ok. 10 fingers, 10 toes, pumping heart at about 144 bpm. We found out it is a boy!!!

As you can see I'm growing! :) My belly all of a sudden really popped out and I am getting rounder. A trip to the store for some maternity wear was finally in order.

All about Baby Boatman:

He weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

16 Weeks

Here I am at 16 weeks!

This week I told work I was pregnant. I was nervous, but it went very well. No one had suspected which suprised me since I feel so very swollen in front!

Baby Boatman:

Right now, he or she is about the size of an avocado 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. The baby's legs are much more developed, the head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His or her ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though locks aren't recognizable yet. The baby even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

11 1/2 Weeks - Look at my Baby Legs!

I am about 11.5 weeks along and time already for another ultrasound!

This week's ultrasound was a part of the elective screening which includes specific measurements (nuchal reading) and blood tests. But for me it wasn't about the tests - it was about another chance to see little wiggles in action!!!

The very cool thing was that because the tech was busy measuring stuff I got to just stare at the baby for a LONG TIME. Probably close to 10 minutes. Which is so amazing. Hard to even really describe in words. I also got to watch him or her wake up right before my eyes. It was incredible. When we started the ultrasound he or she was sleeping. But then after a few minutes the head was moving and then the arms and legs and then wriggling about!

The baby looks very much like a baby the proportions have changed considerably in the last 2 weeks. The arms and legs were MUCH longer. And noticeable toes and fingers. In fact, if you look hard at the ultrasound pics - especially the ones of the baby's legs (I LOVE THIS ONE!!!) you will see bone just starting to form around the shins, thighs and sacrum - pelvis. The facial features are much more defined. The tech showed me a cross section of the hemispheres of the brain forming. It was all just really really awesome.

According to the weekly update:By pregnancy week 11 your baby is big enough to hold in the palm of your hand. Between 1.75 and 2.4 inches long your little bean weighs almost .3 of an ounce, and is probably about the size of a small plum. By pregnancy 11 weeks you can still see right through your baby's skin. In fact, your baby's skin will remain paper thin throughout much of your pregnancy, until you come closer to term. If you were to look directly at your baby during pregnancy week 11 you could see her blood vessels through the skin. By this point in time your little one should be able to open and close her fists, and is starting to form little buds that will one day pop out as teeth! By pregnancy 11 weeks your baby's fingers and toes have lost their amphibious like resemblance, now separated instead of webbed. Your little one is taking advantage of the huge space she is floating in by pregnancy 11 weeks, by kicking and squirming about. In the next three weeks your baby will go through a tremendous growth spurt, almost doubling in size. At no other time in your baby's life will she undergo as many rapid changes as are occurring during this stage of your pregnancy.

10 1/2 weeks - My Geriatric Pregnancy

If 40 is the new 30...why am I a geriatric patient at the OB/GYN?

Apparently this rule doesn't apply when it comes to reproductive biology. But as more and more women in their 30s....even 40s are becoming pregnant for the first time, shouldn't there be less ageism?

What gives?

A couple of months ago I was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and doing backbends daily and suddenly I find myself wanting to pick up a bottle of geritol at the pharmacy after a routine visit to the OB's office. I make a mental note to look for an easy off lid, since my dexterity has probably slipped in the past few months as well. I know I am 36. I also know the risks associated with a +35 pregnancy, but we want a family and I only just met the man who was right a couple of years ago. A couple of years before that - well that would be a different blog.

Undeniably there a different game plan and generally more fragility for my "age group" but I do resent being treated as if I have a condition. I also know my time to reproduce is running out. I am closer to 50 now than 20. Yikes! Gulp! But that is just simpletruth - reproduction has a timeframe. Which is why I am where I am - pregnant. And thrilled! And like any first timer in this space I am excited, scared, and fascinated by the journey.

I'll make a note here that my particular doctor's office in Seattle is fantastic. (Tout to Seattle Women's Clinic a part of Minor and James Medical and especiall to Dr. Scheve) I (very luckily) do not feel this and if I did I would leave immediately. Why would I need that for 7 months? I wouldn't and I don't need to. There are choices and my advice would be to find a practice that is welcoming and professional where you build some trust and you are treated like a person not an age. This is true for me.

What I am largely referring to is the media. Covers of People splashing older celebrities that have just entered mommyhood for the first time make the whole concept en vogue. And yet with all the literature reminding me of how old my eggs are and the slew of possible problems sometimes I walk away from articles and media dizzy and panic-stricken. The horror stories seem more horrifying.

My kudos and thanks to all the docs and staff out there who make us geriatric gestating patients feel like part of the young gang and as for the other stuff I largely ignore it. I read and learn as much as I need to in order to get through this pregnancy in the best way for the growing baby and me and while keeping some sanity.

10 Weeks

It's little Boatman!!!

The appointment and ultrasound today went great. Heart beating strongly and he (or she) was wiggling around something fierce. Pretty sure there was a wave! The picture isn't as fun as the ultrasound itself; watching the tiny body move and being able to distinguish features such as hands and arms is absolutely incredible. It took my breath and speech away. I did not want it to end! This ultrasound stuff is amazing and I think a pregnant woman should be able to get one EVERY TIME she has to go to the doctor! (Which is how it works in Mexico!) The doc set April 21st as the due date.

5-6 weeks - Returning with precious cargo!

Ben and I spent the last 17 months globe-trotting spending time on 6 of the 7 continents. We started in Chile and finished in New Zealand. It was epic!!!We arrived home with very precious cargo!

We eloped along the way in Thailand - here we are at the celebration my parents hosted in Minnesota upon our return to the states. I am about 5-6 weeks along.