Halfway there...

We hit 20 weeks on Saturday, and are now officially halfway through the pregnancy. What I'm assuming is the easy half. So far, things have been wonderful. I have been embarrassingly healthy, and currently feel fantastic! I feel a little nervous even saying it, for fear I'll be eating my words before I know it. But I'm going to enjoy the blessing while it lasts.

We went to the hospital this morning for our 20 week ultrasound, and got to spend about 45 minutes looking at the Littlest on TV. This was the anatomy scan where they check everything -- head, eyes, nose, heart chambers, kidneys, bladder, diaphragm, stomach, spine, arms and legs, fingers and toes. We watched our Little One kick and wiggle while the technician recorded all the vital stats. Everything looks good. It's little heart is beating away at about 171 beats per minute. We made sure the tech knew that we didn't want to know the sex, but I'm not going to say it wasn't tempting to take a peek and see if we could see anything. But we stayed true to our decision, and Baby Clem remains a mystery until the big unveiling on D-Day in February.

Here are a few pics of the Littlest from this morning. They aren't great...just profile shots. The Littlest is laying on its back, and the head is at the left side of the picture facing up. In the first one, you can kind of make out an arm in the center of the picture, and a leg bent up on the far right side. I know, I know...it's kind of a baby Rorschach test. Please don't feel bad if it just looks like a black and white blob to you...it kind of does to us too.

We're Back!

Well, we're back from Asia and certainly have some catching up to do!

Somewhere between 17 and 18 weeks, my tummy popped out a bit. Before that, it mostly looked like I just ate a big breakfast. Then, sometime in that week, Baby Clem decided it was time to stop making mommy look pudgey, and let her actually look preggo. So, the tummy, while still modest, is definitely more prominent. Hallelujah! No longer any need for the t-shirt I was thinking of making that says "I'm not fat, I'm just pregnant." :)

We had a check up on Thursday with my OB, and all is well. We didn't get to see the Littlest, but we did get to hear the heartbeat pounding away at about 150 beats a minute. We are getting ready to schedule our BIG ultrasound for sometime in the next two weeks. This is where they check out all the little parts to make sure everything is developing properly. It's also the appointment where you can find out the sex of the baby...however, as most of you know, we're waiting until the Littlest makes its appearance in February to find out. Anyway, we should have good pics of Baby Clem pretty soon...which I know you all would much rather see then tedious pictures of me and my very slowly expanding tum. Just be patient! Weeks 19 and 17 are below...

-Trace

Week 19

Week 17

14 weeks...

Here's the 14 week picture...a little late, but better late then never, right? I'm 15 weeks today, but Kevin is in Chicago this weekend, so no one is here to take tummy pics. We'll get 15 weeks posted when we can.

I'm in the process of packing for our trip to Asia...we leave tomorrow morning. It's seriously frustrating, and in many ways a little demoralizing. I'm at that point where I'm still too "normal" to fit in maternity clothes, but still too "pregnant" to fit in normal clothes. So everything I have is slightly too tight, or seriously too big. This makes packing for 3 weeks a bit of a chore. I leave at 15 weeks, and return at 18 weeks...supposedly, there is A LOT of growth that takes place in those 3 weeks. So I have to plan for things that fit now, but that might not fit as well 3 weeks from now. Needless to say, I'm packing way more then I want to. I just don't know what's going to fit!

Now, on top of that...we are spending the last week of our trip on the beach. Hmmm...swimsuit. So, I put on my swimsuits this week, you know, just to make sure. Ok, really? Let's just say that there are parts of my anatomy that clearly don't fit in my swimsuits anymore. The bikini tops cover so little of pregnancy-enhanced "girls" that I look like I should be on the cover of one of those trashy men's magazines. Additionally, it is a common misconception that you are growing a baby in your tummy. Actually, if you look at the evidence, I am growing a baby in my butt...since this seems to be the location of the most increase. So, now I have to go out and purchase swimsuits that will hopefully fit me in 2 weeks. This was a little hard as it's mid-August, and NO ONE has swimsuits anymore. I pieced a few together, with only a few tears shed and slight damage to my psyche, and should be decently covered in Bali. Just don't expect any swimsuit pictures to circulate post trip!

So here's our 14 week pic. We will be back in three weeks and will post an update then...maybe even a more obvious tummy, and lots of fun trip details!

13 Weeks

Well, this is the last week of my first trimester...which is seriously hard to believe. Thought we'd put up this week's tummy picture...still not much change. I'm still feeling good, though it's been crazy hot in New York this week, which has absolutely sucked all of my energy. It's exhausting! We are so looking forward to autumn! By the time we get back from Asia, things should be better.

Anyway...here's week 13!

Growing Tummy??

Well, for all of our friends and family who do not live in New York (and for posterity sake) we've started taking pictures of the tum every week to chart its growth. As my friend Amber W. said, she's gotta see me pregnant, otherwise it'll be just too weird for me to show up with a baby without ever having seen the tum. So, on Saturdays we're snapping pictures...and I'm sorry to say, there is not much to see...barely even a bump. But maybe someday I'll look back on these pictures and think, "hmm...so that's what my stomach looked like BEFORE children!"

12 weeks

11 weeks

12 week check-up

Well, I went to my OB today for my 12 week check up, and things are looking great. It was a pretty quick visit, as I think they mostly are from here on out. Just a quick ultrasound to look at the little heart beating away, and a check of my vitals, and that was about it. She did have the results of my Nucal screening from last week, which were excellent. According to the test I have a 1 in >10,000 chance of having a baby with Down's Syndrome...it's the best possible test result you can have. So, we're definitely thanking God for that! Not that we were every really worried, but it's always nice to have good news!

With our birthday's coming up this weekend, it's hard not to look forward and think of the drastic changes this next year of our lives is going to bring. It is a mix of feelings that I'm sure all first time parents feel...excitement, trepidation, joy, absolute terror, and the overwhelming feeling of, "hey, wait a minute! Who said I was capable of raising a person?!?" We are, needless to say, praying our way through it...as I'm sure we will be for the rest of our lives. What else can you do?

-Trace

Nuchal Translucency Screening

Kevin and I went to the hospital on Wednesday, July 25, for my Nuchal Translucency Screening...a blood test and ultra sound to help detect Down's Syndrome, as well as other chromosomal abnormalities. This was our first external ultrasound, and when the technician started scanning around Kevin and I both gasped. There was actually a baby in there! We could see it! It wasn't just a shapless blob! There was a head, with a cute little profile. We could see it moving it's arms and kicking it's tiny legs. We got to both see and hear the heartbeat. And the whole thing is only 2 inches long! Absolutely astounding!

We have a whole raft of pics, including the one below with the little arm sticking up...we think it's pretty cute.

We have another appointment next Tuesday with my OB...it's our 12 week check up. And then we'll probably start breaking the big news to a wider audience. Things are looking good so far...we just keep praying.

- Trace