Week 17

Catching up today! Daisy and Olive made their way into the picture for week 17..

Chris and I have been thinking a lot about names here lately. We had Perry ready to go before we knew it was a boy, actually for some time before he even existed. But a girl name so far is stumping us. We have had a few that we agree to liking but not a "ah ha, that is it" moment. Well we did have one of those moments when we were in Switzerland; we decided that we really liked Sophia. But I looked up the name on the popularity charts and wow is it up there. Top 5 for the last few years. So we backed off that idea. Really we want something similar to Perry in regards to criteria.

Namely (pun intended):

1) Easy to say and easy to spell
2) A solid name that suits a child as well as an adult
3) Doesn't pigeon hole into a particular career field but could work for a CEO to bar back (although my brother Bobby would tell you that Perry's name is sending him straight to law school)
4) Unique enough that there is no need to ever go by the first name + last name initial
5) And the kicker, and the reason I think we are struggling, is that the name needs to be pretty but not girly.

I ordered a book the other day so I think we will go about it the old fashioned way and pick favorites and narrow it down.

This coming Thursday we hit 18 weeks and have our next doctor’s appointment. The following week we have our anatomy ultra sounds where they go through the little one from crown of head to toes. I am excited to get to spend that much time looking at the little creature and of course confirming that all is as it should be.

Chris and I were talking yesterday about how much quicker this pregnancy is going by. The combination of having a sense of what to expect and a lot less doctor appointments in general are making this one less front and center all the time. Truthfully that is fine by me; I spent a lot of time holding my breath last time! It is lovely to be so normal this go around!

Speaking of normal, I promise to get back to weekly posting from here on out.

Week 17

Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Baby weighs 5 ounces now (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

Where did week 15 go you ask? Well the Allen family has had a very busy month of September and the week 15 shot was an unfortunate casualty. We got back from our big vacation and then Perry and I turned around and went to Salt Lake less than a week later for Carrie and Denver's wedding. We stayed for two weeks and Chris was able to join us half way through. With all of the business of visiting family, holding showers, attending the wedding itself and still working (I am working on a contract resign with my largest client that is all consuming)... well, let's just say that I am pleased that I only missed one week worth of pictures!

And although I didn't get week 15, do have other very worthwhile shots to share...

 

Week 16

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks the baby will double in weight and add inches to overall length. Right now the baby is the size of an avocado. The legs are much more developed and the head is more erect than it has been. Ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the hair on the scalp has begun and baby has started growing toenails. Baby's heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as the baby continues to develop.

Week 14

A new baby and a new blog!  We hit the week 14 mark this past Thursday which takes us officially into second trimester.  Yahoo to that.  Although I really can't complain, so far this pregnancy has been even easier then with Perry.  I remember having serious spells of exhaustion and having to take mid-afternoon naps.  This go around there has certainly been times where I felt a bit low on energy but not nearly what it was last time.  Maybe not really having the option for naps plays a factor!  Or maybe it is the difference between being pregnant with a girl vs. a boy (if all the pink on this blog didn't give that away already).  We had genetic testing (Maternity 21) a few weeks back which came back with all normal results and told us the gender.  I am amazed that in such a short period of time that the landscape has changed so dramatically and that we can avoid a amniocentesis with a simple blood test, not to mention have results at 11 weeks instead of waiting until 17.  Truly astonishing.

Our due date is March 6th, which is the exact same due date we had for Perry.  We are on the same timeline but two years later for this one, wild.  Although I do believe that we should be able to avoid another birth on my (and now mostly Perry's) birthday.

I am planning on posting a few ultra sound pictures and also some bump shots from Chris and my recent vacation to France and Switzerland.  Not to mention keeping up with the weekly blog.  So some good stuff to come.  Stay tuned..

Week 14
This week's big developments: Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, facial muscles are getting a workout as tiny features form one expression after another. The kidneys are producing urine, which is released into the amniotic fluid — a process that will remain up until birth. Baby can also grasp and suck her thumb.

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