Latest Doctor's Appointment

Linda & I had our latest doctor's appointment last Friday. Things went great! Dr. Schieber was able to listen to Nugg's heartbeat through just the Doppler, so there was no need to do an ultrasound, like we've had at every other doctor's visit. I was bummed. But, good thing was that we were able to hear the heartbeat and it was a strong 154 beats per minute! They also drew some of Linda's blood to test (a common standard test) for chromosomal abnormalities and what our risk was for things like Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome. I'm not worried about it though. We would love the Nugg no matter what. We will get those results by the end of this week or beginning of next.

I had my VHS tape and camera just in case they did an ultrasound and we could've been enlightened on whether Nugg is a boy or girl. But alas, we must wait til our next appointment...in 4 long weeks to find out. That appointment is a lengthy ultrasound when they go over the entire anatomy of the baby from head to foot to make sure everything looks good. The waiting is gonna kill me! According to an 'ancient' Chinese gender chart, which takes in account Linda's age at the time of conception and the month in which Nugg was conceived, Nugg has a 90% probability of being a boy. We ran the same analyzation on mine & Linda's birthdays...along with our nieces and nephew, our siblings...and it's all pretty accurate! As far as names go...I think we both have kind of put that topic on the back burner until we know what we're having...we both have our favorites, but nothing set in stone.

Today marks the 17th week of pregnancy. Nugg would weigh about the same as a turnip and is about 5 inches long from crown to rump. If you open your hand out wide, that would be about how big Nugg would be at the moment! Soft cartilage is turning to bone. Fingers and toes all now have their own unique prints... Nugg is also starting to get fat! Fat deposits are starting to insulate the tiny body which will help keep Nugg warm, along with aiding metabolism. The umbilical cord is strengthening and growing thicker. Nugg's sweat glands are also starting to form now. Nugg's ears continue to develop and move closer to their final spot on the side of the head... If we could see Nugg right now, the ears would protrude out a bit from the head. Think of the quintessential dorky kid in grade school that had big ears. Although, Linda & I don't have big ears that stick out, this is normal for a baby in utero and they will eventually lay more flush against the head.

Linda has finally agreed to let me start taking weekly pictures of her as she starts developing more of a noticeable baby bump! Look for those soon!!