Ultrasound pictures!

We got quite a few pictures this last time. Hope you enjoy!

Facial profile:


The token alien face pic. :)


Arms labelled. Hands are on the right.


Full body with spine and jaw.


Lower legs. You can see the two lower leg bones on the left with the knees on the right.


Peace out!

It's A.....

Baby! We still don't know boy or girl though! Our appointment went well today. All measurements were right on and everything growing in proportion. It was really neat to see and hear the heartbeat (158 bpm), see where the stomach and kidneys are, the bones in the arms and legs, etc. We will likely have a repeat in about 4 weeks. At that time we hope we will have a definitive answer about the gender. Today the tech said, with multiple disclaimers about how unsure he was and not to paint the nursery yet but if he had to guess, he'd guess it's a girl. Who knows though?? We will scan and upload the pictures this weekend. We got some good ones and a rather alien looking one and one with the baby throwing up a peace sign. :)

And in other good news... my insurance said no pre-authorization was needed for the CT scan, so I'm scheduled for that on May 5th. Thanks for your prayers about that! It also seems that the ovarian cyst has begun to shrink and they said they typically disappear by about 18-19 weeks. We love you all and while we wish we knew for sure what we are having, it's kind of a fun mystery. Things are changing daily with me, so I will probably put up more updates than there have been in the last few months, so keep checking in!

Doctor's appointment update

We had our appointment today. Seems like things are right on track. We got to hear the heartbeat... 165 bpm! No ultrasound today, but we are scheduled for a detailed ultrasound on Friday afternoon. Hopefully we will get to find out what we're having on Friday! The doctor is also getting me pre-authorized for a CAT scan to check for aneurysms in this trimester. They say that MRA scans have too much radiation to be safe, so a CAT scan is what we'll have to do. If you can pray for a speedy pre-authorization, we'd be so grateful. She said her last one took three months to get authorized and we don't want to wait that long. The scan is safest for the baby in the second trimester.

I lost 1/2 a pound this month, but it's not something she's worried about yet. Despite the lack of weight gain, my shape is certainly changing! I can't sit down comfortably in hardly any of my pants anymore, so I went ahead and bought a few maternity things. Hopefully they'll last me a while since they are pretty roomy right now. :)

I also got a new pillow that will hopefully help me be more comfortable at night. Sleep is elusive these days, and only going to get harder to find as I get bigger! I believe that my last day at work will be May 10th. We are moving to our summer schedule, which last year meant split shifts and 110+ degree weather. I don't think I'd cope well with that this year. Hopefully John's elbow will get better soon and we hope to be heading out of town by the end of May anyway. I am thinking that I will get the bracelet business back up and running now that I will have some more time. And hopefully it will help supplement our income.

Thank you for all your prayers and we will update you on Friday after our ultrasound appointment!

Last week of the first trimester!

Based on the fact that I've had little to no nausea and have generally felt pretty good for this first trimester, there's not been much to say! I managed to make it through with only one episode of sickness, but I think it was more related to low blood sugar and high stomach acids than baby stuff. Don't eat just strawberries on a hungry, empty stomach.

Overall things continue to look good. I'm still not really showing, but I think that will change soon as all the books and info on growing babies says they grow very rapidly at this point. I've only gained about 4 pounds, but I know that will change really soon too. Other than getting winded easily at work and some low back pain, I am really feeling pretty great.

My next appointment is a week from today. So we'll have more of an update for you next week! Love you all!

Doctor update: Everything looks great!

We had our appointment on Monday. Sorry it's taken me so long to update you all. I have been trying to get all the loose ends at work tied up and get the house in order as we are leaving soon. John leaves on Sunday for Portland! We are excited and I am so glad to get to beat the heat this summer!

Baby is doing really well. We are measuring right on schedule as my appointment was on exactly the 10 week mark and the baby measured exactly 10 weeks, 0 days! Our "official" due date is October 21, 2008. We got to see wiggling arms and legs and a nice strong heartbeat. We didn't get an exact heart rate, but the NP said it was in the 150-160 range. Any guesses Dave, or do you need the actual data? :)

The only bad news is that I have a 5-6 cm cyst on my right side that they are monitoring for growth. It shouldn't cause any problems and would only be painful for me if it twists or ruptures. It is no threat to the baby. My thyroid was measuring a little low, but not low enough to treat so we will repeat that blood work in 4 weeks. And they are recommending a CT scan in my second trimester to help rule out any dangerous aneurysms since I cannot do an MRA brain scan now that I'm pregnant.

The wiggling arms and legs sure makes this all seem a little more "real". I am not showing or really feeling super pregnant, so I don't think it fully set in until I saw those little limbs waving at me. My mom was able to come to the appointment too and that was really special.

I will attach our two pictures. The baby's head is on the left side with a hand popping up just below and the legs sticking up on the end. The other gray line on the end is the umbilical cord. It's head is about half it's whole length, but the baby will double in size in the next three weeks!

P.S. If you click on the pictures it will make it bigger and if you look closely you can see the baby's profile!

New cravings and dreams

It's been a while since my last update, but only because there hasn't been much to say. I have been feeling good overall. I am not as tired, but I'm also trying harder to get enough sleep. Last night the baby decided that I absolutely must have pickles... a fairly common craving. I also discovered that I like salad peppers now. I did not like them at all before. The only "symptom" I'm having is lots of dreams... and not good ones. I have had a few dreams where something bad happens to me or the baby. Thankfully they are just dreams and totally normal for pregnant women to have.

My next appointment is on Monday. We are hoping to get to hear the heartbeat and maybe get another ultrasound. We move in one week! Things are crazy- trying to get organized, packed, get the horse taken care of for the summer, and figure out where we are going! Hopefully we will know if it's Portland or not in a few days. I will update Monday after the doctor's appointment. Happy Easter everyone! He is Risen!

Baby Hudge!

We had our first appointment today. Things look good and the doctor says all is going well! We got to see the baby's heart beat for the first time and actually see the baby instead of a little black blob. :) I am battling a cold that has kept me from work for two days. But otherwise I am feeling fine. Eating really well and craving lots of protein. Without further ado... here is little Baby Hudgins!!



Baby is circled in this one. The other blob is what will become the placenta.