Week 24

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Wonderful News

David and Wendy are expecting their second child. They are just over two months along. They had their first doctor's appointment last week. Logan is very excited to welcome a little brother or sister into the world. However David wants to wait until the birth to find out the sex so we might just all have to hang in there until then to find out what they are having. Their expected due date is in June so he or she will be just a few months younger then Kassandra.

Next Christmas will be very exciting for our family as we celebrate the Holidays with Logan and two new little ones.

Congrats David, Wendy and Logan. We look forward in welcoming your new little one into the family.

We have picked a name

We have decided to name our baby girl Kassandra Elfriede Holloway.

Early in the pregnancy we were looking at and concentrating on boy names because we thought she was a he. Okay so we were wrong - we are all entitled to be wrong once in our lives. Anyway once we found out we were having a girl the name Kassandra Elfriede popped into my head. We continued to look through the baby name book to give other names a try. However we both really wanted the middle name of Elfriede so it was limiting the first name to names that end in 'a'. The other names on our list were great names but we still preferred Kassandra. For both of us it felt right and we loved it so we stopped looking.

Now if my mother was still here she would probably argue with us in using Elfriede, after all her and I had discussed it in the past and she said "don't do that to the poor child". It's a difficult name for most to pronounce and spell I shouldn't do that to a child. Well it was something I really wanted, and luckily for me Tom liked and wanted to do for us. Kassandra is one very lucky girl to be named after such a wonderful, caring, and loving mother and friend.

Our monthly doctor appointment

Today we had our monthly doctor appointment. It went well and the baby's heart beat is strong. The doctor kept me on limited rest to ensure the safety of the baby (she doesn't want me to go into labor early). Nothing else to report as we were in and out pretty quickly this time.

Happy Holidays

Hi All,

We wanted to wish you and your family Happy Holidays. Our home is decorated for Christmas and we are looking forward to spending the holiday with family.

We are now 6 months along and doing great! We have our monthly doctor appointment on Tuesday and hope to be completely released from "rest".

Okay so really I don't look THIS pregnant! The camera added extra weight to my stomach... I swear!

Week 23

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Week 22

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Ultrasound appointment 12/10/09

Today we had our ultrasound appointment. Early on I learned that the best way to get the baby to move is to eat candy before the ultrasound appointment. So now before each appointment I have some starburst...like the ultrasound tech stated "it has fruit in it right?". So anyway the tech had some issues in getting clear pictures this time because the baby would not hold still long enough for the tech to get the picture.
The baby is doing well. She is 15 ounces which is right on track. She was curled up (basically folded in half). Tom and I felt the baby kick earlier this week but because we now see that she is folded in half we don't know if she punched, kicked or head butted us. Either way it was a wonderful experience that we both were able to share for the first time. I am starting to feel her move more and more. She sure is one active little girl.













David, Wendy and Logan moved out this week (congrats you guys) and into their own apartment. Tom and I have been busy rearranging the house and clearing out one of the bedrooms for the nursery. Tom will paint and decorate the nursery in January when I am out of town for a weekend. I have given him full reign on decorate the nursery any way he wants. I am so excited and can't wait to see what I return home to. What do you guys think???? Will it be all OU? Or will my theme of Snoopy with clouds and moon be somewhere within his design? I guess we will all have to wait until late January to find out.

Week 21

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Week 20

How your baby's growing:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She'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. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)

She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Monthly Doctor Appointment

We had our monthly doctor appointment with the OB/GYN. The appointment went well. I am off of "rest" but need to continue to take it easy when I can. I guess it's a good thing I'm out of work because that is easy enough to do.
We found out that the doctor's office will be changing locations right around the time that our baby is due (if the construction stays on schedule). They will be moving closer to another hospital, but that hospital is not capable of handling their volume of deliveries yet. Therefore depending on if they are in the new office, what the volume patients are at the time I need to go to the hospital and the timing of when I when I go into labor will depend on which hospital I deliver at. We will know for sure as we get closer to the due date along with the status of the construction. The good news is that either hospital looks good to us so we are open.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Week 19

We have an appointment with the OBGYN this coming week. We are looking forward in hearing another update as to how our baby girl is doing.

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 — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. 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

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 she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. You're baby girl has her uterus and fallopian tubes formed and they are in place.

It's a Girl!!!

We had our doctor appointment with the genetic counselor today. They were able to determine the sex with 90%+ accuracy. Tom waited outside the room during the ultrasound because I wanted to tell him the sex of the baby myself. Since he has enjoyed the ultrasound appointments as much as I have we recorded the session on DVD so that he can watch it later. So after the appointment I went out and bought some baby items. It's looks like those who voted for a girl were right - It's a Girl!!!! So I bought her her first doll, an outfit that says "Daddy's little girl", a 6 pack of bibs which I bought because one of them says "I'm not a boy" and some scrapbook pages (ok that one is more for me) but it is for the baby album.

She weighs about 7 ounces now and is in good health. Her skeleton looks good, has good blood flow and appears to be doing well, she even agreed by providing us with a "thumbs up" shot.






















Our regular OB/GYN appointment is in about 2 weeks so we will have another update at that time. Our next appointment with the genetic counselor is next month. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the pictures from today's visit.

Week 17

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. We had a great time taking Logan and Gwen (a friends kid who I babysit for two nights a week) trick-or-treating.

Nothing much to say about this week. I have not really felt the baby since last week. Still not eating to much and therefore have lost another pound. On the plus side - no news is good news.

























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.

Week 16

I felt the baby for the first time. Tom and I were talking, getting ready to go to bed and all of a sudden I felt butterflies. It lasted for about a minute and a half. I was surprised that it lasted so long. It was a fun experience that I can't wait to feel again (until the baby keeps me up all night kicking).

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.

Week 15

We had our monthly doctor appointment on Thursday and the doctor said that everything is great. I lost 6 lbs... what a great diet.
We also received the test results from the genetic consultation appointment and the results were great!!! I am not a carrier of the genetic markers so we do not need to test Tom and we do not need further testing on the baby unless we decide we want it. The baby's test results also came back and everything looks good. We will continue with ultrasound appointments to ensure that the baby remains healthy.

Here is how the baby is growing this week:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Don't forget to vote

Don't forget to put in your vote as to whether you think the baby will be a boy or a girl. We really want to know everyone's thought. The voting poll is over to the right so click on your choice now.
Thanks!!!

Week 14

Finally we made it to the second trimester. I no longer have morning sickness, which is a GREAT thing but I don't have a big appetite yet. On average I eat one (1) big meal a day and one (1) small meal a day. I think my weight has finally leveled out (I am no longer losing weight). Next week we have our monthly doctor appointment with our regular doctor (OBGYN).

How our baby's growing this week:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Genetic Consultation Appointment (take 2)

We went back to our genetic consultation appointment for the ultrasound appointment as explained below. Although it took some time (and jabbing of my tummy and jumping up and down) the baby finally cooperated and we were able to take the measurement we needed. They then took more blood (why not, I have plenty, right???) which backs up the ultrasound test. I am really glad that we were able to get the test completed because it was the last day to perform the test.

Week 13

This is the last week of my first trimester. I have a small baby bump and my clothes are getting tight on me. I have been wearing a lot more of Tom's shirts.

Here is the baby's progress for this week.
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Genetic Consultation Appointment

We had our first trimester Genetic consultation appointment. Just as we did, many of you may ask what is that? Simply put in the 1980's it was determined that anyone who has a baby at the age of 35 or older is at a greater risk of having that baby with health issues. They now provide screening to assist in determining some of the most common risks.
In the first trimester testing, for most of these tests it is a simple blood test from me to determine if I carry any of the genetic markers that cause the disorder (such as cystic fibrosis or spinal muscular atrophy). I had it the test drawn on 10/8/09 and I am now waiting for the result.

The testing for down Down syndrome is different in that first they perform an ultrasound to measure the back of the baby's neck. Unfortunately the baby did not cooperate and move into a position for us to get this measurement so we have another appointment next week to try again.

We did get more pictures of the baby. This time I included a little "map" for those that have trouble viewing an ultrasound.

Week 12

Sorry for the delay in this weeks post. It has been a rough two weeks. After finally getting over the morning sickness I ended up with the flu. As soon as I was starting to feel better I got an infection in my #2 tooth. I chose to have the tooth pulled, rather than another root canal on that tooth as it posed less risk to the baby. My mouth is healing nicely and I feel great again.

I love reading how the baby is growing. He or She is growing so fast. Here is the week 12 update.
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Week 11

What a week it has been. This last week has been a little tough in that I was sick for a few days and now suffer from a toothache that is preventing me from sleeping. I am thankful that it is Monday so that I can work with my doctor on possible remedies.

Here is how the baby is growing this week: Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Week 10

We are now in week 10. Here is what BabyCenter has to say on how the baby is growing this week:
Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.
If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

We are in week 9

We are half way through week 9. I was able to go for my first prenatal massage this week. Usually they do not accept someone in the first trimester but I had a note from my doctor that it was okay. They accepted me with some hesitation since I'm in my first trimester but I was happy about them okaying the massage as I really needed one. I had to change therapists as I had to use someone who specializes in prenatal. The massage was not as deep or thorough as I generally would get which leaves my back in some discomfort but I love being pregnant and therefore wouldn't change anything.

Here is the update from BabyCenter on how the baby is growing in week 9.
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

FYI - although "she" is poised for rapid weight gain her mother is not. I have lost a few pounds in the last few weeks but I will need to closely monitor my weight and make sure that I am gain the amount of weight that the doctor recommends. Although my weight loss is very slow (at times non existent) I want to keep the baby healthy and I would prefer not to have to work off any unnecessary weight gain.

Second doctor appointment

We are in week 8.

Yesterday we had our second doctor appointment/first Ultrasound appointment. This was exciting for us. We got to hear the heartbeat and see the baby (or blob or kidneybean). Here are the pictures that the doctor took.

According to babycenter is here is how our baby is growing this week:

Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Next appointments:

We have a Genetics Consultation appointment on 10/8/09

Our next doctor's appointment is on 10/22/09

Our first doctor appointment

Today we went to our first doctor appointment. Everything looks good. The estimated due date is April 16, 2010.

So far I have morning sickness (no pizza, chicken or anything greasy for me), mood swings and I am always tired but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I love being pregnant.

What does Logan think?

Logan can not wait for me to have the baby. When I wake up in the morning he asks me "Ina are you going to have a baby?" I tell him "not now but I will in 8 months".

Wendy and Logan like to guess what I will look like once I get bigger. This is Logan's interpretation of me.

We are Pregnant!

On the morning of August 7th I took a pregnancy test and the result came up positive. Tom wanted to make sure the test was accurate so he went out and bought a 3 pack. I took two more tests on Tuesday, both of which turned out positive. He said that was proof enough. I then scheduled my first OBGYN appointment for September 1st.