Baby AND Belly Updates

We have now reached 15 weeks! Babycenter.com says:



"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam."



By the looks of my tummy, that apple Baby has plenty of room to play!

Return of the Villain

For some reason, I've been socked with morning sickness, parte numero dos. And this time, it's matched with headaches and back pain. Oh, well--I'll just take it as a sign that Baby Snodgrass is continuing to receive the chemical support his/her little body needs to grow and develop. And I'll just concentrate on the beautiful flowers my sweet, sweet hubby brought me yesterday!

Word to the wise: It's lots of fun to live in a city where flower carts are on street corners, especially when one is located on your husband's way home from work!

New York Part II

It's been such a busy week at work, so I'm just now finding time to post the pictures from Courtney and Robert's wedding. The wedding and reception were held at the Harvard Club in New York City, which is a really lovely place. The ceremony and reception were both beautiful, and full of personal touches. Courtney and Robert, I think Robert especially, love The Beatles, so both events included lots of Beatles music, some of it rewritten by Robert to be played by a string trio for the ceremony. It was really neat!




My dear friends from forever and ever, Virginia and Katie, were both bridesmaids. It was really great to get to catch up. This is our Crestline Elementary Cougars crew, plus Laura Ann, who couldn't make it up to New York--we missed you, LAB!





With my handsome husband at the cocktail hour!


In high school I was very active in theatre, which is how I got to know Courtney. A good number of our old "theatre friends" made it to the wedding, and I had such a great time getting to introduce Jacob to them. With Virginia and Tyler at the ccktail hour!





Our camera takes a really long time to take a photograph, so actions shots are close to impossible to catch (we may have to think about this when Baby Snodgrass comes!), so below is my feeble attempt at a first dance picture. At least you can tell how pretty Courtney's dress was! I tried to get one of them cutting the cake, and all you can see is a guest's arm!




For dinner, we sat at the Rome table, which had lots of friends from high school, and enjoyed crab cakes and filet mignon.


And I just couldn't resist:






Sunday morning, we got to enjoy brunch with the out of towners at The Comfort Diner. We ride taxis all the time here in DC, but somehow a taxicab picture seems appropriate in NYC!




It was so much fun to get to hang out with Virginia and Shane. In addition to being one of my best friends, Vir is now my new-mommy model too!


Soon after brunch, we hopped on the train and headed back into DC. What a very fun weekend--we were so thankful to be included! Congratulations to the new Dr. and Mrs. Robert Hunter!

Yay!

It happened...someone asked if I was expecting! Yay!!! I don't just look like I've had my hand in the cookie jar a few too many times anymore-- I look like I'm having a baby! Yippee!

All Aboard the Train to Second Trimester!

Yesterday, we hit 14 weeks, which officially puts us in second trimester! Here's the baby update:

"Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. "

It's hard to believe 1/3 of the pregnancy has passed, even though I feel like it's still FOREVER until December 19th! Happy second trimester, Baby Snodgrass!

New York Part I

Jacob and I were invited to the New York City wedding weekend festivities for two high school friends, Courtney Stubbs and Robert Hunter. We rode the train into the city on Saturday and had a tiny bit of time to sightsee before getting ready for the wedding. Our hotel, The Roosevelt, was just a few blocks from Times Square, so that's where we headed, just to take it all in!









Here, I'm pointing at the Broadway sign, not, as it appears, advertising the City Sights NY bus. Broadway still holds so much magic for me, even though it's been years since I've dreamed of being on stage there!

The bottom fell out of the sky while we were exploring, so we had to hurry back to the hotel, but we shot one last picture in the Square!

I've always kind of liked quick tours (the 30-minute Louvre, the 15-minute National Archives), so this suited me just fine. I'll post soon with pictures from the wedding!

Fabulous Friday

What a fabulous Friday we had! I was working from home Friday afternoon because of a power outage in my office building, and Jacob called at 5:55 to ask if he should come home. My answer? Yes!!! Right away!!! This was an extremely rare opportunity to enjoy a Friday night. We are never off at 6 PM. He came on home, and we scooted out the door to the weekly jazz concert in the National Sculpture Garden. We've always wanted to make it to one of these, and had never had the opportunity before. It was great! We sat by the fountains, which kept everything a bit cooler, and I got to engage in one of my favorite sports--people watching. Interesting people watching at that! The crowd was a mix of artsy and granola types, all enjoying picnics brought from home and sangria sold in the Garden. They had a live jazz trio, and piped the music over the speakers so that all the hundreds of people lounging among the sculptures could hear it. Such fun!

Getting ready to go--tummy update:

Enjoying the jazz:

Here's hoping we have another fabulous Friday very soon!

Don't call MY baby a shrimp!

The 13 week babycenter.com update arrived:


"Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce."

A medium shrimp?! Am I the only one with the distinct impression that a medium shrimp is shrimpier than a lime??? Hmmm...

Maybe I should have been a little more restrained in my choice of a lime photo last week. Oh well, one-half ounce to 1 full ounce body weight is undeniable progress! After the most recent ultrasound, Jacob had very quietly asked me if I thought Baby's Snodgrass' head seemed a bit large for his/her body (I blamed it on all the brains Baby's inheriting from him), so this week's update explains that too!

We are so thankful for this amazing miracle, and thrilled to be heading into the second trimester!

Rounding the Corner

I think yesterday was a turning point, folks. Since my morning sickness started, I haven't made it through a morning at work without 2 snacks (a piece of fruit around 9 and oatmeal around 10:30). If I even waited a little too long to eat either of them (like, 5 minutes!), it was a guaranteed recipe for disaster. But...yesterday, I had a very busy work day and managed to go without the 10:30 oatmeal. And I didn't get sick! Yay! My energy has been way up the last few days, as well. I've gone swimming for exercise a few days this week, and have resumed doing some cooking around here (poor Jacob must be relieved!). I think I must be feeling the first breezes of that 2nd trimester bliss everyone tells me about! Now we'll just have to see if our sofa bounces back from the Elizabeth-shaped indentation I've been working on for the last 3 months...

Go Nats!

We had a wonderful weekend! Jacob's brother, Josh, and his beautiful family came to stay with us and go to Sunday's Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants game. It was Little League day at Nationals Park, so our older nephew got to go early to parade around the field and meet some players. The other two stayed behind with us, but they were raring to go!

The kids had the best time riding the Metro! Our younger nephew loved watching the choo-choo trains come and go and they both thought it was hilarious that they would lose their balance when the train started and stopped. We finally got to our seats, just in time for the first pitch.

The New Nationals Park is really great--very well-designed, with all seats appearing to be pretty good. Plus, they have cup holders on the backs of the seats, which I think is a huge plus. No more spilled Cokes!

The kids were cheering for the San Francisco Giants because the first home they all remember was in California. When the Nats were up 2-0, I tried to convince them to switch sides. But these non-fair weather fans stuck with the Giants, and unfortunately, came out on top in the end, 6-3.

We absolutely love being Uncle Jake and Aunt Elizabeth to these wonderful children. With all our other family living far away, we're especially thankful to have them nearby! Next time, maybe the Nats will help us turn them into home team fans!

What Can Happen in 3 Months

Maternity clothes are starting to feel better and better each day, so I know my tummy is making progress. Jacob is always encouraging me to wear them because he is terribly afraid that I am smushing Baby Snodgrass if my waistband is a tad too tight--my sweet husband is too funny!

In the Limelight

The babycenter.com 12-week update gives the following:

"The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. "

I think Baby Snodgrass' "wave" at this week's ultrasound was pretty good evidence that he/she will indeed squirm in response to abdomen-prodding! In terms of growth, though, we've once again had a blockbuster week. Compare for yourself--

Fig (of Week 11)

Lime (of Week 12)

Pretty amazing growth, isn't it? So maybe I picked the wimpiest looking fig I could find, and a nice plump and juicy lime, but what's any good mother to do???

Sneak Peek

I ended up going to the doctor yesterday unexpectedly because I've had a couple fainting spells in the last few days, and he wanted me to come in for a blood pressure check. Everything is just fine--Dr. G says Baby Snodgrass is just pushing on the veins that send the blood back up to the heart and brain, and this makes me feel faint. He said it's likely to get worse as Baby grows, but it is no danger to Baby.

Anyway, the exciting part was that on this unexpected visit, the doctor did an unexpected ultrasound! To Jacob and me, it looks just like Baby Snodgrass is relaxing in a little amniotic hammock! He/she is 2 inches long, and looks great.

As soon as Dr. G pushed on my tummy with the ultrasound instrument, Baby Snodgrass threw his/her hand up over its head! Of course, I think it was an obligatory, "Hi, Mommy!" wave. It was the first movement I've seen, and so much fun! Then Baby kicked and wriggled his/her feet. It was the greatest! And the heart was just pitter-pattering away, so all is well. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I have a doctor who does an ultrasound every time--I think this is practically unheard of!

The only bad news is this visit means 4 more weeks until the next sneak peek!

Fig Baby!

We're deep into the 11th week now, and the babycenter.com update says Baby Snodgrass is about the size of a fig:

"Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming."

We have a doctor's appointment this Friday, so maybe we'll get to see some of this water ballet!