MY BABY IS A BANANA!

This week, my baby is the size of a large banana. :-) Here is what the website has to say on the subject:

"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."

IT'S A BOY!

Mark and I found out today that we're having a baby boy! I started crying when the technician told us. It was just such a wonderful feeling knowing that we're going to have a SON! And even better, the technician and the doctor said that the baby looks healthy, which is awesome!

Mark and I already feel so blessed! We feel so lucky and relieved that we have a healthy baby boy on the way. It's when you see images like the ones below when you truly realize how awesome God's power is!

Here is the proof that it's a boy! And he wasn't very shy about it either! He was curled up in a ball, and his feet were by his head. So, basically, he was spread eagle...showing us his goods.


Here is the shot of one of his feet next to his head. Notice all of his perfect little toes???


This is a picture of his beautiful spinal cord. :-)


Here is his face. :-) It's kind of a creepy shot, but still. Imagine the skull-like image with flesh around it. LOL.


Here is a video of the baby's heart beating. You can see all four chambers of the heart! Amazing!

20 WEEKS BABY BUMP

Here is a baby bump pic of me at 19 weeks and 5 days. :-)

20 WEEKS DOWN, 20 WEEKS TO GO!

I'm halfway through my pregnancy today! :-) 140 days down, 140 days to go! It's so exciting! And tomorrow is the BIG DAY! Hopefully, we'll find out that our baby is healthy and whether or not it's a boy or a girl. :-)

According to www.babycenter.com:
"Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He'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 his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

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


(photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

100TH DAY PARTY

As many of you know, I'm Korean-American. Having lived in The States for all of my life, and the practice of typical Korean culture kept to a minimum, I am not fully familiar with all of the traditions of my culture.

Having said that, my parents told me in great detail yesterday about the Korean 100th Day Party. It's a party that is thrown on the 100th day after a baby is born. It's pretty interesting! And sounds like a lot of fun! :-)

Because my parents are already bringing it up, I'm thinking that a 100th day party will definitely be in the works.

Here's some information about a 100th day party:
http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/cel/birthday_celebrations.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/252667/100_day_celebration_for_korean_children.html?cat=25

19 WEEKS DOWN, 21 TO GO!

I'm 19 weeks pregnant today! :-) I can't believe how fast this time is passing by! I have been able to feel the baby moving around for a little while now. I'm getting more and more confident of what I'm feeling, and that's good. I'm anxious for the day that Mark can feel the baby, too!

According to www.babycenter.com:
"Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, 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. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid."


(photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

IT COSTS $222,360 TO RAISE A CHILD

I saw an NPR article on how much it costs to raise a child. Here is what it had to say:

"A middle-income, two-parent family will spend $222,360, on average, to raise a baby born in 2009, according to a government estimate released today.

Yes, a number like that screams false precision. Still, some of the broad outlines that go into the estimate are pretty interesting:

Housing is the most expensive part of raising a kid. It accounts for 31 percent of the cost, followed by childcare and education (17 percent) and food (16 percent).

The annual cost rises a bit as the child gets older -- from less than $12,000 per year for a baby to more than $13,000 for a teenager.

Among urban areas, the Northeast is the most expensive region to raise a child, and the South is the cheapest. Rural areas, which are lumped into a single category, are even cheaper.

The cost per child for a two-child family is 25 percent lower than the cost per child for a one-child family.

Researchers broke household income into three levels: Less than $56,670; $56,670 to $98,120; and more than $98,120.

People in the lower-income group spend 25 percent of their before-tax income on a child; those in the middle-income group spend 16 percent; and those in the higher-income group spend 12 percent. But in absolute terms, spending increases with income.

The figures are adjusted for inflation, and costs are calculated through age 17. [Copyright 2010 National Public Radio]"

You can see the article at this link: http://m.npr.org/news/front/127600351

MY BABY IS A MANGO!

This week, my 19th week of pregnancy, Baby McDee is the size of a mango! The all-knowing website says the following:

"Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature."

18 WEEKS DOWN, 22 TO GO!

I'm 18 weeks pregnant! It's 4 1/2 months! :-) I can't believe I'm nearly halfway through my pregnancy! It seems to have gone by fast, which is weird because at the time, it seemed to go by REALLY SLOW. Funny how that works.

According to www.babycenter.com:
"Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound."


(photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

17 WEEKS BABY BUMP

I'm 17 weeks 2 days into my pregnancy today. I feel like I fluctuate a lot and I'm bigger some days than others. This is what I look like today. :-)

MY BABY IS A SWEET POTATO!

According to the growth chart I refer to, my baby will be the size of a sweet potato by the end of the week. :-)

Here's some info on the baby this week:
Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

DUE DATE NECKLACE

I bought myself this necklace from Nordstrom! It's made by Go Belly Go. :-) Cute, huh?


(photo provided by http://shop.nordstrom.com/)


(photo provided by GoBellyGo.com)

3D/4D ULTRASOUNDS

To date, Mark and I have only had one ultrasound. Our next one is our 20 week ultrasound, coming up on June 29th at Texas Perinatal Group. This ultrasound will reveal if we're having a boy or a girl! Texas Perinatal Group will only perform a 3D ultrasound if it's medically necessary. So, Mark and I are now debating whether or not we want to also make an appointment at a different location to get 3D/4D ultrasounds done...just for fun. :-)

We would likely go to Stork Vision to get that done. While the packages aren't too expensive, and the curious/impatient side of me really, really wants to take a peek, another part of me wants to keep at least that part of the pregnancy as a surprise. I don't know what to do yet! Mark and I are both on the fence.

In the meantime, CLICK HERE and take a look and see how amazing 3D/4D ultrasound images are!

PRENATAL YOGA

I'm planning on taking some prenatal yoga classes. I'm still trying to decide when I want to start, but it'll be soon. :-) I'm actually really looking forward to it! It'll be nice to work out with a group again. And I figure that this will be a great way to meet other mommies and mommies-to-be!

I am leaning towards taking classes at Yoga Yoga, and there happens to be a Yoga Yoga studio just a few minutes from my house.


(photo provided by YogaYoga.com)


(photo provided by YogaYoga.com)

17 WEEKS DOWN, 23 TO GO!

I'm 17 weeks pregnant today. :-) Time to work on week 18! I'm 119 days through my pregnancy, 42.5% complete! I'm only 70 days away from my third trimester and 161 days away from my due date!

According to www.babycenter.com:
"Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He can move his joints, and his sweat glands are starting to develop."


(photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)


(photo courtesy of http://health.allrefer.com/)

16 WEEKS DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

I had my 16 weeks doctor's appointment today, and it went really well. :-) I got to hear the baby's heart beat again, and wonderful nurse Mary told me that it was beating in that 150s per minute. We also got to listen to the placenta. :-)

On June 29th, Mark and I are going to the Texas Perinatal Group to get an anatomical screening of the baby. So, we'll get to see the baby's heart, lungs, limbs, etc. And hopefully, if the baby chooses to cooperate, we will be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl!

We also got our paperwork for St. David's Hospital so I can start the pre-registration process. :-) Mark and I, just for kicks, drove by St. David's Hospital after our doctor's appointment. It's so fun to know that THAT is where we will be delivering our baby. Now that I'm in my second trimester, time seems to be flying by!

MY BABY IS AN ONION!

With 16 weeks of pregnancy complete, it's time to work on week 17! :-) And according to the growth chart I refer to, my baby is working on becoming an onion! Well, the size of one anyway. :-)

And according to that same growth chart:

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

16 WEEKS DOWN, 24 TO GO!

I can't believe I'm 4 months pregnant! That's 40% of my pregnancy complete! Today, it seems like the time passed by quickly.

According to www.babycenter.com:
"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."


(photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)