19 Weeks: The Small Zucchini

It's been a fun few days since discovering that the Bean is a she-Bean. Adam made a space in the closet for the Bean's clothes (still the one pair of feet pajamas). From my ultrasound, I got a better picture of the size of the Bean than from comparing it to a piece of produce. The Bean's head was positioned in my lower abdomen and a foot was somewhere slightly above my belly button. I've posted the pictures from the ultrasound. There is one footprint and a couple profiles of her head and upper torso. The one where her mouth is open makes us laugh. It's a little creepy because it is so skeletal and even looks like she has some jagged teeth, but we think it's funny--it's like she's grinning for the camera! We've decided it will have to be a blackmail picture. The Bean's legs and arms are now in their right proportions to each other and the rest of her body. The Bean is starting to sprout hair on her scalp and there is quite a bit of activity going on in her brain--it is starting to develop areas for all of her senses--smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch. Another fun happening of the week is that I've finally started feeling the Bean move around. The Bean is usually active after I eat. It might not be possible, but I swear I saw my stomach move one time during one of these periods of activity. As for me, my clothes keep getting tighter as my belly expands. I foresee a necessary shopping trip on the horizon.

Breaking News: It's a Girl!!

Hi everybody. Well, we had our ultrasound today and were a little perturbed at first because the Bean was lying face down, toward my back, so the tech couldn't see as much. She had me walk around, go to the bathroom, she jiggled my stomach and started poking it with the ultrasound sensor, trying to get the Bean to roll over, but the Bean was being stubborn. While Adam and I were on our 5 minute walk to hopefully get the Bean moving, he said, "I knew it! We're not going to find out the sex!!" I was surprisingly the calm one and thought it odd that he was so put out by it since he was the one who wanted to wait to find out the sex. Well, the nurses said it looked like the Bean was asleep. In spite of the Bean's unchanging position, the nurse asked if we wanted to know the sex, and after looking for just a second she informed us we were having a little girl! We were both surprised since we were sure it would be a boy. Finally when the nurse was about to give up, the Bean rolled over and started moving around more. We got to see her yawn, stretch out her legs and move her fingers around--it looked like she was giving us the peace sign. Adam and I are both very excited. We went to dinner and then went to buy a little girl outfit. I'll scan some of the ultrasound pictures and post them in a few days.

18 Weeks: the Sweet Potato

First the really exciting news: we will hopefully know the sex of the Bean this week--I go in for my ultrasound on Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post the news, providing that the Bean cooperates. Now we're talking--a sweet potato! The Bean is approximately 5 1/2 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. The Bean entertain his/herself by flexing his/her arms and legs throughout the day, which I know is true--though I haven't detected any movements myself, my doctor said she heard a lot of movement on the Doppler monitor while trying to listen to the Bean's heartbeat. She said I should start noticing movements in the next week or so. The Bean's skin is still kind of transparent and his/her blood vessels are noticeable through it. The Bean's ears have moved into the final position on his/her head and stand out from it. If the Bean is a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are already formed and in place--that's kind of cool. We're very excited to see how everything turns out on Wednesday--I'm really impatient and just want it to get here, but I guess I'll have to handle the suspense for a couple more days.

The Boring Bean

This has been somewhat of a lackluster week (week 17) in terms of Bean development, but the next few weeks should be a little more exciting. The Bean now weighs a whopping five ounces, and is about five inches long (about the size of a large onion). Along with a developing skeletal structure and umbilical cord, The Bean is also starting to develop its hearing.

What The Bean has lacked in fetal development this week, he/she has made up for in making his/her mom's life miserable. I (The Bean's father) am somewhat upset with The Bean for the way he/she has been treating his/her mother, and have told The Bean (note: The Bean's hearing is developing) that he/she needs to behave. I don't think The Bean is listening.

Here's a picture of Tiffany at 17 weeks:

Week 16

Well, we've seen the typical progress as far as growth goes in the last week. We're at 4 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 ounces, roughly the size of an avocado--I'm thinking a large Hass avocado. However, I have been informed that in the next 3 weeks or so, the Bean's weight will double and there will be substantial growth, lengthwise. I'm anxious to start measuring the Bean in pounds versus ounces, but it looks like I will still have a while to wait. I'm not saying I want to start packing on the pounds or anything (though I suppose that is inevitable), I'll just be excited once we pass the 1 pound mark. The Bean's legs are more developed and toenails are forming. Though hair has not started to grow, the Bean's scalp pattern has started to form. The Bean's head is more erect and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. The Bean's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. From what I've read, I could start feeling the baby move as early as now, but it's likely it will still be 2-3 weeks before I really can really feel anything.