We're half way there!

We're officially half way through the pregnancy! Thinking about that fact, Bon Jovi's song keeps popping in my head "OOOOOOHHHH We're half way there, OOOO-OOH, living on a prayer".

Anyhow... back to the baby. Here's the update on what's going on at week 20 with our little baby.

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She'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 her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.) She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Baby Jordan at Week 19 (and an update on our nursery!)

We are still beaming with excitement at the news that we're having a baby girl! I would have been just as happy to have a baby boy, but let's face it - it's fun to decorate for a little girl. We've picked out our design for the nursery. We found a really pretty bedding set at Babies R Us (below - and look at the blankets and stuff, not the crib). We love the pinks and browns, and cute little flowers and butterflies. Aside from a couple touch-ups here and there, we've finished painting the nursery pink. Once we decide where to place the furniture in the room, I'm going to paint flowers and butterflies on parts of the wall. It will be really cute.


Now for the update on Baby Girl Jordan, according to BabyCenter.com. Today starts the first day of our 19th week, which means we are almost half way there (there are total of 40 weeks in a full term pregnancy).

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

Baby Jordan - is it a "he" or a "she"?

Yesterday we had the most fun doctor's appointment - we got to see our baby, and later in the day find out if we're having a boy or a girl. I'll get to that at the end of this post, but want to share my memory of the day as it happened.

In the morning, we had the ultrasound. Our baby was SO active - kicking, punching and wiggling around. We caught the baby yawning once, which was so cute (despite the fact that our baby looks like a skeleton/monster in the ultrasound still!). The technician performing our ultrasound took her time looking at all the anatomy of the baby, and was great at pointing out to us everything she was seeing along the way - the diaphragm, heart, spinal chord, arms, hands, feet and toes - so precious! We requested that she write the gender down instead of telling us, even if we saw and recognized the evidence on the screen. We had planned to have dinner with a small group of friends and family (family being my parents), where we wanted to open the envelop together last night.

She asked us if we wanted her to have us turn our heads when she got to the legs, and we said no - if we guess correctly, it's fine - we just didn't want her to confirm any suspicions, so that we'd be left guessing a little bit until dinner. Near the end of the ultrasound, she said "okay, turn your heads - I'm going to write the gender on the screen." Jason and I both looked at each other, and then to her, asking "you can already tell?" I closed my eyes and told her whatever she saw, I didn't see. That made me think it was a girl. But then she commented, "well, sometimes it's really abstract". For whatever reason, that immediately changed my thought back to that it would be a boy (which was really my guess for most of the pregnancy). Jason admits he really wanted a girl, but his gut was also that we are having a boy. The technician kept referring to the baby as "he" (except once), so we left really thinking that it was a boy, and that she wasn't very good at hiding it!

So fast forward about 9 hours (during which time I did not even try to find the envelop I asked Jason to hide) - We met up with the group at BJ's Brewery around 7pm. A couple of my friends mentioned the idea of betting on the gender of the baby, so I though of an idea. We had a few baby hats - a couple in blue, and a couple in pink. I told everyone to write their names on a dollar bill, and put it in the hat which they thought reflected the gender of the baby (Heidi and Ray tried increasing their chances by putting $2 in each!). Most everyone bet on boy. I think it was just Dad, Megan and James who voted girl (plus Heidi and Ray, the strategists!).

We asked the waitress to open the envelop and read the results for us. After a few minutes of staring at the sonogram picture, looking for the small type that revealed the gender, she excitingly said "it's a girl!" Jason and I were so shocked! We both got a little teary eyed, and the entire table shouted so loud with excitement that you would have thought our table of 12 included my entire family of 40!

We drew out of the pink hat, and found that James was the winner! He says he's going to buy the best baby shower gift $13 can buy. I can't wait!

Mom then handed me a pink package - she had one gift of each, just in case. It had a pink shirt in it for the baby that says "if you think I'm cute, you should see my grandma!". Gotta love it. The one for a boy (which she will be able to wear too) says "i love my mommy and daddy, but grandma and grandpa are the best!". Both included a little pin to wear on a shirt. I wore the girl pen on a pink shirt today, to clue in my co-workers. It's angel wings that has a cup hanging down that says baby on it (and includes some pink stones).

It was overall a very special day that we'll never forget.

Now, let the shopping, decorating and name selection begin!!!

Week 18 and Dr Appointment (the fun one!)

We got to see our baby this morning! We still don't know if "it" is a "he" or a "she". We're finding out over dinner tonight. We have our guess, but it's based purely on gut - not based on anything we saw in the utlrasound. I'll post again tomorrow morning with the answer!

All is well with the baby. Baby Jordan is 6 ounces, and all body parts are measuring as they should. He/She was VERY active during the ultrasound - kicking, punching, moving around, and we even saw him/her yawn once. That was so cute!

So today, we're starting week 18. Below is an update from baby center as to what's going on with the baby this week. Enjoy, and check back again tomorrow to learn if we're having a boy or a girl!

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.

Week 17 Update

One week from today, we get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! We're both VERY excited. Of course I might be more excited than Jason is to start shopping and decorating :)

Below is a quick update on Baby Jordan, per babycenter.com. Enjoy!

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