"Your Pregnancy - 25 Weeks"

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

According to Christian ...

This morning, I noticed a quote from Christian up on his classroom wall:

"Miss Mandee, my mommy is having a baby - it's a girl.  She has it in her tummy and tomorrow she's gonna push it out."

He's so funny!  Come to think of it, we've never talked about the fact that the baby is going to actually COME OUT one day - we just keep teling him she's in there.   Guess he's figuerd all on his own that his sister is coming out ... "TOMORROW."

All is Well ...

I know I've been pretty quiet on this blog - just posting weekly updates I get from a pregnancy website.

The good news is the reason I've been so quiet is that there's nothing to report!  I feel great, the baby is doing well ... it has all been pretty uneventful!  And that is exactly how I like things!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything was good.  He measured my stomach and it was right whre it should be (despite my fear that I've gained too much weight so far - I wouldn't know, I stopped looking at the scale months ago).  

My blood pressure was great, the baby's heartbeat was great ... all was well.

I no longer look like I've just "gained a few pounts," I now look pregnant - and that is nice.  Though, becuase I'm so short, I feel like I look REALLY pregnant.  I feel like I look as pregnant as another mom at Christian's school who is due any day.   Oh, did you want to see picutres?   Um ... problaby not going to happen. :)

Biscotti is a little wiggle worm.  I read about how babies sleep 95% of the time at this stage.  If that is true, then I've got an anomaly growing within.  I'd say she's awake much more than she's asleep. 

Feeling your own baby move is really one of the most terriffic feelings ever - I love every moment of it.  I often call Jonathan over to feel her move, and recently Christian has started coming over, too, and moving Jonathan's hands and saying, "That's MY baby."

Christian has pretty much stopped insisting I'm having a baby shark and only shows a mild interest in the baby.   I'm sure he's thinking, "Yeah, yeah ... I know .. .there's a baby in mommy's tummy.  So stop telling me."  

Still ... I think the baby will be giving Christian a stuffed animal shark when he sees her for the first time.  It'll be like a consolation prize.  :)

"Your Pregnancy - 24 Weeks"

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

"Your Pregnancy - 23 Weeks"

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.



"Your Pregnancy - 22 Weeks"

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

A Peek at Lil' Biscotti

I don't think I'll be getting many ultrasounds during this prengancy ... so these pics might be it for a while.  Enjoy! :)

Click any image to enlarge it.



3D pic of Biscotti!

Not too sure what the white spot is about. 

Almost like a flash that was too bright and close.

Another 3D pic of Biscotti from above.

Cute little feet!

GIRL PARTS!

Biscotti's fingers making a "peace symbol"

Biscotti's cute little profile - arm included.

Baby Lucero is a ...

Back in July, I had an ultrasound and the doctor was able to determine the baby's sex. He cautioned me that it was still early on, and not to start buying "baby stuff" just yet because he couldn't be 100% certain. So for weeks, we've been waiting for the "big ultrasound" that has been scheduled for today - the one that would tell us what Baby Lucero is!

Today we found out for certain!

 

The day I found out, I wanted to be more creative that just telling Jonathan, "It's a girl!"   I took a video of him trying to guess.   There are two videos, because the video cut off right after he guessed.

And be sure to turn the volume on your computer UP!

"Your Pregnancy - 21 Weeks"

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long —the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

"Your Pregnancy - 20 Weeks"

How your baby's growing:

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).

"Your Pregnancy - 19 Weeks"

How your baby's growing:

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.

"Your Pregnancy - 18 Weeks"

How your baby's growing:

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.

Our Exciting News!

May 2011

That's right ... we Luceros are expecting another baby!  And sooner than you might think:  the baby is due January 13th, but will arrive approximately a week earlier as I'll be having another c-section.

This story starts off in the same way Christian's story started off:  we were getting infertility treatments, but whereas our first treatment with Christian was successful, we had several unsuccessful attempts this time.  The doctor ran a few tests, found some issues, and we were on a break for a few months.

But quite unexpectedly, in May we found out we were pregnant - all on our own.   I had been experiencing a handful of unusual symptoms - none of which on its own would have indicated I was pregnant, but collectively, had me wondering.   On a whim, I took a pregnancy test and Jonathan and I were shocked to see those two very special lines.   Thinking the test was wrong, I took another test a few minutes later.  When that test was positive, I made an appointment with the doctor that day and waited with baited breath until the confirmation came in two days later.

I am now "very pregnant" and all is well!  We are affectionately referring to this baby as "Biscotti."

Christian knows we're having another baby, and he's makes us laugh about it!   The dialog goes something like this:

Me:  "Christian, what is Mommy having?"

Christian:  "A baby!"

Me:  Where's the baby?

Christian:  "In my tummy!"

Me:  "In whose tummy?"

Christian:  "In MY tummy!"

The other conversation goes like this:

Us: "Christian, do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?"

Christian:  "A BABY SHARK!"

The type of shark depends on the day.  Some days, he tells me I'm having a baby Great White Shark.  Other days, I'm having a baby Sand Tiger Shark.    But I've had a couple of ultrasounds and I can assure everybody that I am absolutely not having a baby shark.    Christian will be crushed when he sees the baby is in human form.

So that is our very exciting news about Biscotti ... thank you for sharing it with us!   Check back frequently for updates!

Important note:  if we are friends on Facebook, please don't mention the pregnancy there (you'll notice I haven't).  We are keeping this news rather private for the time being.  Eventually, I'll post the news on Facebook, but not just yet.  Thank you for understanding and keeping our secret for now.