Ultrasound Update - Take 1!

Today we had the ultrasound to check my cervical length.  I'm happy to report it's "long and closed," which is what it should be!  They told me I'd have several more u/s's to check, just to be safe.

Baby Nash was certainly putting on a show!  He/she was kicking and flipping and moving all over the place!  No wonder it was hard to find the hearbeat last week!  The hearbeat measured 151 bpm and baby is 6 ounces now!  We tried to see if she could get a peek at the goods so we wouldn't have to go tomorrow night for our elective ultrasound.  He/she was moving around so much the umbilical cord was in between the legs - so no guess!  (And just so you know, we were going to have her write it on a piece of paper and put in an envelope!)

Here are some pictures of our sweet baby!


Baby looking straight at us!  (A little creepy now, but still cute to us!)





Mid-movement or biting his/her lip - I can't tell!





Profile :)



Crazy Busy and WOW, 16 weeks!

We've been so busy, between going to the Train concert and then the lake for Labor Day, I never had time to update for 15 weeks.  Oh well, it was pretty much like week 14!

Yesterday I went in for my 16 week check up.  The midwife got out the doppler to hear the heartbeat.  It had been a while, so I was so excited!  She kept moving the doppler around and pressing down, and I began to worry.  She even mentioned we may need to go have ultrasound, so I was thinking the worst.  Finally, we heard the faint sound and it moved.  The little booger was moving all over the place and wouldn't stay still!!  Seriously, that's just like Judd!  Lord, help me!  The heartrate registered at 145 bpm, so now I don't know what to think...girl or boy??

The midwife also told me that due to a procedure I had done a few years ago, I was at a higher risk for preterm labor.  I will have to go back next week for an ultrasound to check my cervix, and I will go every four weeks the rest of my pregnancy.  If my cervix were to start shortening, we're looking at possible bed rest.  Of course, it's all precautionary now and I'm hoping for the best!  At least I get to see the baby every month!

We scheduled the gender scan for next Thursday night.  PLEASE start praying right now that I can be strong and have the u/s tech write down the sex!  My mom and mother in law are already saying I won't be able to do it.  I am going to be strong!!

Here are the latest bump pictures:

15 weeks (packing for the lake!)

16 weeks

Here's what's happening with Baby Nash this week, so exciting!

Listen up: Tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower)at 16 weeks pregnant. In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born (so choose your baby Muzak with that in mind…).

And baby's busily boning up in other ways. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now — strong enough, in fact, to enable your baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more. Baby's crown-to-rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces.
This little one's a looker — with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes — but a skinny looker since there's no baby fat yet. And here's the skinny on baby skin: It's practically translucent now, so if you took a peek inside your uterus, you'd be able to see your baby's blood vessels under that thin skin.

14 weeks!!

Time is really starting to fly now!!  I've almost made it through the first week with the kiddos, and everything is going great!  I've got a great bunch of kids and awesome, supportive parents to work with!  When I told the class that I was pregnant, a little boy said, "I thought you were either pregnant, or you are eating too much chocolate!"  Haha, kids say the darnedest things!

Judd and I are SO excited about Friday night!  We are going to see Train at Chastain with Matt and Tara Avera, and Benjamin and Meredith Haugabook!  Tara, Meredith, and I are decking out our table, we're so excited!  I'll be sure to post pictures next week.

I guess I am finally starting to look a little more pregnant than fat! :)  It may be time to start the weekly "bump watch" for family members back home (MOM!!)!  Here's the belly at 14 weeks:

Yikes! :)

So here's what is going on in that belly this week:

At 14 Weeks Pregnant, Your Baby is a Mover (But Not a Shaker Yet)

Growing by leaps and bounds, by week 14 of pregnancy, your baby is leaping and bounding. He or she is on the move almost constantly — and those movements are a far cry from those jerky twitches of last trimester (though you won't feel any of them for weeks to come). They are now ballet-like, smooth and fluid.

Your Baby at 14 Weeks: Developing Perfect Posture (or Better Posture, at Least)
Speaking of ballet, it'll be years before you'll start nagging your offspring to stand up straight — but unbelievably, he or she is doing it right now, without any prodding! No slouch anymore, your baby's neck is getting longer, helping his or her head stand more erect. This gives your 14-week-old fetus a more straightened-out appearance.

Your Little Bigfoot — A Hairy Baby at 14 Weeks
Growth is happening on top of the head as well — by 14 weeks pregnant, your baby could be sprouting some hair (though the final color may not be determined until birth) and the eyebrows are filling in, too.
Hair growth isn't limited to the baby's head, though. He or she is also covered with a downy coating of hair called lanugo, largely there for warmth. As fat accumulates later on in your pregnancy (the baby's fat, not yours — though that will accumulate, too), most of the lanugo will shed — though some babies, especially those born early, still have a fuzzy coating at delivery (it sheds soon afterward).

Back to School!

This has been quite a busy week!  I am officially back in school, and absolutely exhausted.  I'm excited about my class this year and all of the fun and exciting things in store!

We also made some final plans for our Pink or Blue Party!  We reserved the Clubhouse and ordered the invitations, which are too cute by the way:

We also celebrated Sadie's 4th Birthday this week!  We can't forget about her when the baby comes, she's our first baby!

I can't believe I'm 13 weeks today!  Here's what's happening with the baby, our little peach, this week:

Your fetus is about three inches long and the size of a peach at 13 weeks pregnant. But don't compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.


Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing. It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth (something else you'll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!).

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through your uterus (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) — those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

Goodbye, 1st Trimester!

This week marks the end of the first trimester!  At some point between today and next week, I will officially enter the 2nd trimester (I've read different days).  So exciting!

Overall, I am starting to feel much better.  However, a bad day or moment will hit me out of nowhere!  Today was my first day back at school, and things went well.  I'm sad the summer is over, but being back to work will help time go by quicker.

We've set the date for our gender reveal party!  We are inviting family and close friends to find out, with us, whether we are having a boy or a girl!  It will be Saturday, September 25th.  We'll find out with everyone by cutting into a cake - blue icing for a boy, pink for a girl.  We can't wait!

Monday I had my 1st trimester screening and 12 week ultrasound.  The baby REALLY looks like a BABY now!!  His/her heartbeat is holding steady at 170 bpm.  It's really starting to hit home!  Here is our sweet girl/boy:

So what is going on with Baby Nash this week?

This week marks a turning point for your baby. At 12 weeks pregnant, the herculean task of developing new bodily structures is nearing an end as most of your baby's systems are fully formed. Now comes the maintenance phase, during which your fetus' systems continue to mature for the next 28 weeks and the organs get to work.


Your little fetus weighs as much as half an ounce now, and the crown-to-rump length is about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum — busily working his or her way through the whole produce department). It's hard to believe (especially from the outside, since you're probably barely showing at this point), but your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks. And that's just on the outside — there's plenty going on inside too. The fetal digestive system is beginning to flex its digestive muscle — literally — as it starts practicing contraction movements, a skill your baby will need after birth to push food through the digestive tract. The pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones. And the bone marrow is making white blood cells, which will one day help your baby fight infection (including all those germs passed around the snot-nosed playgroup).

11 Weeks

This week was very eventful!  Last Wednesday, we left for the lake.  Judd was working at UGA, so it was convenient for us all to head to Lake Hartwell for a few days.  Sadie and I enjoyed a couple of days sunning and swimming, while poor Judd worked. 

Friday, I headed home to spend some time with my brother, Jon, and his wife Alicia and step-son Avery.  It was great to see them and hear about their house hunting.  Saturday morning, I got my hair cut and highlighted, then went shopping with mom.  I spent way too much money starting my maternity wardrobe, but it was fun!  Saturday night was my step-cousin Crystal's wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding at they Hyatt.  It was great to see the whole family.

Unfortunately, my "morning" sickness has not gone away completely.  I'll have a couple of good days, and then it hits again.  In the end, it's all going to be worth it.  Especially when I hear that sweet heartbeat.  Monday is our next ultrasound and appointment.  I should have lots of cute pictures to post, can't wait!

Here are a couple of pictures from before the wedding last Saturday.

Here is Baby Nash's progress this week, can't believe we have a LIME!!

Slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce, your fetus is growing by leaps and bounds when you are 11 weeks pregnant. And so is his or her head, which is equal in length to the rest of the body (don't worry — all fetuses are top-heavy).


On the crown of that large head (and over the rest of the body), hair follicles are forming. Fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week and by next week, the nails themselves will start to grow (so don't forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list).

Your baby's body is straightening and his or her torso is lengthening (sounds like a yoga pose, doesn't it?). Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults, and forward rolls. And while you can't tell this baby's gender by its cover yet, testes are developing if it's a boy and ovaries if it's a girl.

Don't forget to vote, so far it's overwhelmingly for a girl!  Only Sandee thinks it's a boy, and she's even doubting that a little now!  We'll see in a few weeks!

Doppler Success!!

We had success last night and again today with our new doppler!  It's awesome to hear the Baby's heartbeat anytime we want!  I don't know the old wives' tales about heartbeats, but it may change some of the votes, who knows!?!