19 weeks: It's a girl!!!

The anatomy scan was today, and baby GIRL looks perfect.  We are over the moon.

She's measuring at almost exactly 19 weeks, so maybe a bit smaller than Zack, who was slightly ahead the entire pregnancy.  Even though I'm planning a repeat c-section, I don't think I'll mind delivering a baby slightly smaller than 8.5 pounds!  

All major organs and structures looked healthy.  We are so excited and relieved!  In fact, things looked so good, they don't want to see us again until early December, instead of in 4-6 weeks.  If she's on track then, we might only get that one peek at her before her arrival.  Speaking of her arrival, they're currently planning to let me go the full 39-40 weeks.  Aaack!  I was hoping to be halfway done today.  Perhaps she'll decide on her own to make her debut closer to 38 weeks.  If you're keeping track, I think the doc only mentioned my age twice today. 

And here's the mama, yesterday evening after teaching (hence the very tired), at 18 weeks, 6 days.  I'm guessing I'm still running about four weeks ahead of my belly size with Zack.  This looks much more like I did at 22-23 weeks last time, even though the baby is measuring a bit smaller! 

Pink or blue?

The big anatomy scan is Thursday, at exactly 19 weeks.  I'm trying hard not to think about the fact that they're really looking to see if anything is scary with the heart, lungs, brain, GI tract, etc.  It's going to be fun!  So is it a boy or a girl?  Let's take a look at some old wives' tales:

1. Carrying high or low?  If low, it's a boy.  This was true with Zack.  Too soon to tell with this one.
2. Beauty stealing?  Acne means a girl.  This was true with Zack -- my skin was flawless.  And it's a mess this time.  Prediction: girl
3. Heart rate?  Over 140, it's a girl.  I feel like Zack's was always higher than this, but I don't have any records.  This baby has definitely been in the 150s.  Prediction: girl
4. Cravings?  Sweets mean a girl.  With both pregnancies, my cravings have been for salt.  But with Zack, I actually had an aversion to sweets.  I am certainly more receptive to sweets this time.  Prediction: unclear
5. Chinese gender predictor.  Zack was predicted to be a girl.  Prediction: boy
6. Mayan gender predictor.  Zack was predicted to be a girl.  Prediction: girl
7. Is the hubster gaining weight?  If so, it's a girl.  He lost weight with Zack.  This time?  Prediction: girl
8. Morning sickness?  The more sick, the more likely to be a girl.  I had it pretty easy with Zack, and it was definitely worse this time.  Prediction: girl

So ... Zack was 5-2 boy (with one no result from the heart rate test).
This one ... 5-1 girl (with two no results).

Any guesses?

I'm starting to feel those fluttery movements -- so exciting!

New this week!

"Shoe"
"Ball"
"Nose"
"Dog" (Sometimes)
Blowing kisses
A cow says, "Moo"
And he can find his belly button -- and yours if you let him!

16 weeks, 6 days

By my calculations, the baby is now the size -- length and weight -- of my iPhone.

First belly pic

So here I am earlier this week, at 15 weeks, 3 days:

I'm afraid I'm already as big as I was four weeks later with Zack!  You can also tell how much more tired I am this time.  Two years and a toddler makes a difference.  Wow.

Storybooks and Daddy's memories

In the last two weeks, Z has suddenly shown an interest in books with plots, not just reference manuals!  First was Go, Dog, Go!, which we read and read and read several times a day.  And this morning, when he woke earlier than either of his parents was really ready, he and I sat in his rocking chair and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Barnyard Dance (one of my favorites from my babysitting days).  He also wants to sit in our laps when we read -- so sweet!

After Daddy read my last post, he wanted to add two precious memories of Paris:  It was there that Z first started holding his head up on his own.  That meant he could look around, so he also started noticing the world around him.  He was transfixed by the windows at Notre Dame.

(Am I the only person who thinks that Caterpillar glorifies eating disorders?  My mother, who loves the counting in it, hates it when I say that.)

Today, Z "drove" a fire engine at the annual festival at OU's airport.  And when we were at our favorite playground in the afternoon, he ran up to me, unprompted, and gave me a giant hug.  He is happy and loving.  So far, so good.

Zack at 17 months: Updated with even more!

I have done a terrible job of documenting Zack's babyhood.  So I thought I'd record his milestones while I still remember them and record where he is now.

• After trying for months, he finally crawled in January at 8.5 months.  
• He walked independently in July, around 15 months.  Now he runs everywhere.  We're working on holding hands in public; he prefers to be independent.
• He says "cheese," "please," something that sounds like "yes, please," "hi," "uh oh," and "eyes."  "Ay, yi, yi" with a wagging pointer finger means, "I'm hungry.  Feed me now."
• He signs "more," "please," and "all done."
• He started being interested in books early this summer, especially "reference manuals" -- the Priddy and DK books of big colorful pictures and labels.  In the last week or so, he's started to be able to point out the right objects when asked: "Where's the goat?" "Where's the tractor?"
• He loves to look at pictures of vehicles, food, and animals.  Tractors are especially popular.  He says something unintelligible that means, "What is this?" when he points to the pictures.
• His favorite foods are cheese and bananas.  He's a great eater at breakfast and lunch.  Dinner is iffy (especially meat) -- he's tired and sometimes full from all his daytime eating.  
• Although he eats dairy in other forms, he refuses cow's milk.
• He makes a generic animal sound ("grrrrr") for the dog and other animals, but he also knows the dog says, "woof, woof"; sheep/lambs say, "ba ba"; and owls say, "who, who."  He growls when he hears dogs in the neighborhood, and even when he passes pictures of dogs while we're in the car!
• He loves airplanes and stops whatever he is doing when he hears them.  Trains go "choo, choo," which sounds more like "too, too."
• He knows that bunny rabbits go "hop, hop."
• He waves both hi and bye.
• He loves daycare (mostly because of second breakfast) but hates church nursery and babysitters.  
• He's survived his broken arm at birth and two surgeries.  Since his ear tube surgery in January, he's been an entirely different -- and healthier -- kid.
• After refusing to breastfeed for two months, once he finally started, he never showed any interest in weaning.  He switched to daytime formula after the ear tube surgery but continued to nurse morning and night until July.  We only stopped because I couldn't handle the breastfeeding and the pregnancy exhaustion/queasies at the same time.  He still gets rocked to sleep.  (I know, he's spoiled.)
• He naps for 3+ hours on Saturday, recovering from all the fun of daycare.  We often join him.
• He has been to Disneyland twice (in January and May), and went to the beach in August.  He had no fear of the ocean.
• I've lost count of his airplane trips.  This summer alone, he went to Boston, Orange County/Palm Springs, Seattle, and San Diego!
• He loves bathtime and would stay in the cold water for hours if we let him.  Every night, he reads about how Elmo and his friends get clean.
• Most nights, Daddy does bath, and Mama does night-night.  
• After months of calling him "Baby-No-Sleep," he suddenly started sleeping through the night.  I don't remember when!  Maybe it was related to the ear tube surgery?  We also did a little cry-it-out.  He's had a bit of a regression the last few weeks; I wonder if his molars are starting to come in.  But in general, he's a pretty good sleeper.  He goes down between 7 and 8, and gets up between 6 and 8. 
• He's super chatty with us.  And his teachers say he talks at school.  But he's often silent as a church mouse with other people.  Sometimes he won't even crack a smile.
• He loves to laugh, to make us laugh, and to laugh at/with us.
• He has a song in his heart -- we often catch him singing a little tune of unintelligible words.