19 weeks

We had our official ultrasound Monday, and were able to see Baby Craig again! The quality of the pictures/ultrasound was not nearly as clear and easy to see as the one in Oklahoma City even though B.C. is 2 weeks older! This ultrasound was more of medical test, and they measured him, weighed him (some how??), and checked out all of his organs. The doctor said he looks PERFECT!! He is free from all the abnormalities that they check for (Down's Syndrome, Structural Heart Defects (No Mitral Valve Prolapse like MOM - YAY), Cleft Palate, Kidney Tumors, Abdominal Wall Openings, or Spinal Bifida... Those were the one's she told me about ). She also said he weighed 8 oz. which is about 1/2 pound, measured about 8 inches long,  and had a heart rate of 150 (much slower than the first couple of visits). She did say that the baby is in the 50 percentile for his weight and encouraged me to eat more (not sure how I could do that) to get my weight where she wants it. On the ultrasound, she could see that he had a full tummy (amniotic fluid...YUM!) and a full bladder. Yes, the bladder empties and the baby drinks up some more amniotic fluid... GROSS!


We are still deciding on a name, and having a really tough time with this. I am getting inpatient, but I guess we have plenty of time. I can definitely tell that he is getting bigger, and I can feel him sitting on my guts now... I can tell exactly where he is lying. He seems to have a preference for my right lower side... I thought he was squishing my appendix the other night! My belly is still not noticeable to people who do not know I am pregnant, but my friends and co-wokers (and J) have really been able to tell a difference in the last week! I have been playing B.C. music at night while I read my books (I really love the girlfriend's guide to pregnancy, first years, etc... books! They are funny and interesting to read!) Tonight B.C. got to listen to Kenny G Radio on Pandora, and I have noticed the only times I felt movement flutters has been while I play him music...maybe he will get his Dad's musical ability (Jason use to play the drums, and can secretly sing pretty good too)!


Development this week:
This week your baby starts bulking up and packing on the grossly named "brown fat" he'll need to keep warm when he gets evicted from his comfortable uterine home. Other highlights this week:
Vernix, a milky white coating that protects your baby's skin, appears all over your baby's body to keep his skin from getting pickled in the amniotic fluid. Think of it as if your baby has been dipped in yogurt, like those delicious but fake-healthy yogurt-covered raisins and pretzels. Ooh, we feel another craving comin' on. ... Under the vernix, a fuzzy layer of hair called lanugo now covers baby's body.
Don't worry, your Mini won't look like Cousin It when he's born. Most of the fuzz will fall off before baby makes his grand entrance.
Good news: Your baby's kidneys are fully functioning and producing urine this week. Bad news: That means there will be lots of diapers in your future. But so far you're safe—at the moment the pee just passes into the amniotic fluid.
He or she now weighs about 8½ ounces and measures 6 inches, as long as a turkey sub from Subway on warm, delicious Italian Herbs and Cheese bread (or Honey Oat bread, or Oregano bread or ...) 


I will try to post some pictures from the ultrasound and my belly tomorrow. I do not have these pictures on CD it is hard to get them online...That shiny paper doesn't scan or photograph well.

I am definitely starting to get a belly!

More proof... They have NO doubt that it is a BOY!

I am still amazed by his hands! All 5 fingers here! 

He has his hand up my his face! What a cute little profile!

18 Weeks

Our official ultrasound is coming up Monday, and we are praying that everything goes well as the doctor checks him from head to toe! We are sooo looking forward to seeing him again! The technology in ultrasounds just amazes me!  I also have to do the dreaded 24 hour urine test on Monday to check on my BP... Which has still been great but the Dr. wanted a baseline in case it goes up the third trimester. Jason has been working so hard lately and hasn't had a day off in months! I have been appointed the web designer for his new firearms manufacturing company, Patriot Defense Arms, which has been a HUGE undertaking! I am still having some problems with formatting the site (much of it has to be done manually though the html language of websites...Blah). I am also having trouble getting it show up in google, but I think I have it registered with google now! Check out the website if you have time... it is changing every week-
http://www.patriotdefensearms.com. As for me, I am still loving my nursing job, and looking forward to being out of orientation and setting my own schedule within the next month. I still feel completely incompetent on a daily basis, but they tell me that is normal and they would worry if I didn't feel that way.

As for a name, Jason finally slowed down long enough last night to help me think about names. We still have not picked one yet... but Jason had a couple of ideas. Jameson and Garrett. Jameson is a name that I have had on my list, but he says he came up with it on his own! Harrison is still in the running though...I just love it! Jason likes Harrison, but he is afraid the kids will call him Harry. We have also made some progress on things we would like for the nursery. We have decided on the Stanley Young America Basecamp Crib and two drawer dresser...now we just have to shop around and find the best price! I have also been shopping for an upholstered glider. I have found one at Costco online that looks to be exactly what I want with an EXCELLENT price tag! I have ordered a fabric swatch, and I am hoping it is what I want! I have also talked with friends and family (and consumersearch.com) who have young kids, and got some recommendations on car seats, stollers, high chairs, etc, and I think I am getting these choices nailed down as well!

Development this week:
The baby's nervous system continues to become more refined and detailed in development, with this week the myelin, or protective covering over the nerves, forming. This aids in messages traveling across the nerve pathways. The myelin continues growing until the baby is one year old. Other not so easily seen development includes the formation of the alveoli, or the tiny air sacs in the lungs. The vocal chords are formed, but without air, the baby is just going through the motions without the sound now. If the baby is a girl, the fallopian tubes and uterus have settled into their permanent position now. The baby's skin is being protected from the watery environment of the uterus, by vernix-a cheesy, greasy substance, and the lanugo-a fuzzy hairy growth on baby's skin. The baby is now between 5 and 6 inches long and between 5 and 6 ounces.


After being in scrubs for most of the last week and half, I had not noticed the changes in my body until I went to put on my jeans yesterday...they would not zip! Since I was not prepared for this and had lots of work to do with Jason at the shop... I had to walk around all day with my pant unzipped! I just covered it up with a wide belt! HA! I am going to Target today to find a solution to this problem! Here are the most recent belly pics. The pictures do not look like much of a belly, but I can definitely tell a difference in how my clothes are fitting!

I also played with a logo/sticker to mark all of his stuff... Diaper Bag/Bottles/Wipes/etc... Anything I might send with him to Mother's Day Out that I want back. This is just the first attempt, and I used Harrison as a sample. I thought it turned out cute! The black part would be the sticker and the white would be cut out... I have lots of colors of sticker paper too!

It's A BOY!!

The waiting game is over! Baby Craig is a BOY... so much for Old Wives Tales they were pretty much all wrong! Casey pointed out that I have been craving sub sandwiches which = meats and cheese... This is the only Old Wives Tale that was right! But, hey all the guessing was fun! We are still unable to decide on a name for B.C. ... I still really like Harrison and William "Liam"! Here are a couple of pictures from the ultrasound!

It's a BOY!

So CUTE! I Think he already looks like his DAD!

Jason is on the right!

Sucking his thumb... His hands are just amazing!

Or, You can watch the first 5 minutes of the ultrasound on youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN9mXQzMo8w

I went all over town today to shop for baby furniture... I have felt torn on what to purchase for the baby's room. Here is the one I like the best at the moment. It is available at a local furniture store, and their price is very competitive. It is the from the Stanley Young America Basecamp Collection. There is also a crib at Restoration Hardware that is very similar that I like a lot!

Basecamp crib

Basecamp Dresser/Changing Station

Restoration Hardware Crib

I also love this ledge from Pottery Barn and think it would look really cool in the baby's room somewhere!

I also know that I will need a great rocker to for the baby's room since I am sure I will be spending a lot of time in it. I was thinking if I find one that is not too baby I can put it in a reading nook or something once the nursery has been outgrown. I really love this one, but think I would put something other than the baby's intials for the monogram ... maybe just a C or ACJ for Ashley and Jason Craig...

16 Weeks!

I am already 4 months pregnant! WOW! The weather here in Memphis has been beautiful, and I have been enjoying getting outside and running with baby Craig. My doctor told me it was okay to continue running throughout my pregnancy and even encouraged it as long as I wear my heart rate monitor and do not get my heart rate up too high. I LOVE IT! She did ban me from my bicycle, which has been a major bummer as I love to race around the neighborhood this time of year. Anyway, I am sure you are all really wondering about the progress of Baby Craig. We had our 4 month visit last week, and the doctor told us the results of all of our lab work came back great! She has required me to do an extra test as a baseline in case my hypertension becomes a problem in the third trimester. So far my blood pressure has been amazing (even better than it was on medicine), the doctor said this often happens during the first two trimesters and is a result of changes the body makes during pregnancy.


Week 16
Development has reached a unique milestone, as the baby and the placenta are now roughly the same size. Every day, the baby is looking more like an adorable newborn, with fat deposits building up under the skin, and the neck and head straightening more, also the eyes and ears have moved into their final position. The eyes can perceive light although the eyelids remain sealed shut. The heart pumps 25 quarts of blood per day, which may sound like a lot until you consider that by week 40, that number will rise to 1900 quarts a day! Baby's heart rate is twice yours. The activity level continues to increase as baby may be contending with hiccups, and is breathing underwater. The baby is now around 3 ounces, perhaps up to 3 ounces, and is 4 to 5 inches in length.


Jason and I are traveling to Oklahoma City to have a 4D ultrasound done tomorrow! This is a 30 minute session in which they record on DVD all the activity and movement that it is going on in there! I am so excited! We really wanted to our families to be there to see B.C. before its born, and are so excited that it has worked out for everyone to be there. Not only will we get to see all the activity that is going on in there and get amazing picture of B.C. we will also get to find out if B.C. is a girl or a boy! It is fun to hear all the old wives tales about gender prediction, and try to determine what the baby is....

Here is the run down of the Old Wives Tales:
       1) Craving sweets = GIRL
       2) Ring Test = 1 of Each
       3) Heart of 170 = GIRL
       4) Carrying high or low = ???? Cannot tell yet
       5) Acne Breakout (which has been horrific!)= GIRL
       6) No Morning Sickness = GIRL

I think these are all pretty silly, but they are all in agreement that B.C. is a GIRL! We shall see Monday. Here are some belly pictures for those of you I will not be able to see on Monday! You cannot see much, but I can definitely tell it is there! It is a little bigger at night (all the blog photos have been taken in the morning). One change I have noticed, is that my normally very deep belly button is getting shallower everyday... I'm afraid I may have an outtie before this is over!