California, here we come!

We packed the car and took a weekend trip to California. Sadly, Dusty had to work, so it was just me and my beauties! Our first stop was Aunt Jenelle's house. She is as beautiful and hard working as ever. Aly & Ty liked Auntie's fluffy bunny. He was very friendly and passive. They also enjoy playing with the water turtle. This time Aly got bit!!! I tried not to laugh because it scared her, but seeing a turtle dangling from her thumb was just like a movie and I couldn't hold back the laughter! She had a small mark, but everything turned out fine. She still likes turtles.

Next, we stopped at the Ray's new house in our old neighborhood near the beach. They happened to have a litter of kittens. It was nice to see the Ray family. They have a cute little house and they have put lots of time and energy into renovations. I miss spending time with them! Anna was my first Marine wife friend and she was a huge support while I was pregnant with Alyssa. She was also pregnant and her husband was deployed with Dusty.Our final destination was Camp Pendleton, to visit some long time friends. Vanessa lived next door to us in 29 Palms, CA. At the time, Destiny was 4 months and Alyssa was 3 weeks. Both of our husbands were on the same deployment in Al Quim, Iraq. Later, they were both stationed at Edson Range at Camp Pendleton. Recruiting duty has separated us by distance, but we remain good friends. It was great to see how much Destiny and Sarah have grown. It was also nice to meet the new baby for the first time!

The girls waited all year to visit California because they wanted to catch snails. You would never guess that Aly cried the first time I showed her a snail! Now, she would keep them as pets if I allowed it. When Auntie Jenelle was 3 or 4, she figured out that our mom was killing snails in the flower bed. This prompted her to begin a rescue operation. She secretly housed about 50 snails in our plastic Fisher-Price kitchen set! It's one of those memories that will stay with me forever.

Grandma's and Grandpa's are GREAT!

Grandma and Grandpa surprised the girls with a new playhouse! They LOVE it! It gives them something to do outside since we still don't have landscaping.

Pregnancy is not 10 months

A year has 52 weeks (12 months).
You are pregnant for 40 weeks (9 months).
You are not pregnant for 12 weeks (about 3 months).

The average month has 4.3 weeks in it.
If you are pregnant for 40 weeks, that comes to 9.3 months.
Which is like nine months and a week.
So don't count the first "pre-conception" days and you get nine months.
Even a 42 week pregnancy (from LMP) is still not 10 months.

http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/pregnancy/a10monthpregnancy.asp

I'm currently 19 weeks + 1 day so that means I'm 4 months pregnant...I won't be 5 months pregnant until 21 weeks + 4 days (April 6th). =)

Aloha Festival

I took the girls to the Aloha Festival over the weekend. They enjoyed eating shaved ice and making paper leis. They walked all day and felt exhausted by the time we got back home!

18 week ultrasound

My 18 week ultrasound went well!!! Mostly everything is growing just as expected. There was one minor thing. The baby has a slight issue with the development of the choroid plexus area of the brain. It really does not mean anything but coincidentally, I researched this type of abnormality before my appointment. I found it interesting. This specific area of the brain is responsible for producing fluid. It has nothing to do with the "thinking" part of the brain. Bilateral choroid plexus cysts can be a soft-indicator of a chromosomal defect called Trisomy 18. The good news is that T18 is rare and in most cases the cysts are typically resolved in the 3rd trimester and the baby is born 100% normal and healthy.

My risk for a chromosomal defect was reduced to 1 in 10,000 at my 13 week ultrasound (the lowest it can be). The hands, feet, heart, spine, and placenta look completely typical. Therefore, the "heterogeneity" in the brain is just the tissue growing and changing. My baby does not have true cysts. I will not require another ultrasound because the doctor is confident that the abnormality is completely benign.

One more thing...it's a boy for sure!

Here are some videos of the appointment:

Listen to the heart beating

Anatomical Survey Part 1 (Dr. describes brain)
Anatomical Survey Part 2 (gender and more)

16-17 weeks pregnant

I'm at a scary part in my pregnancy. Last year, I lost Cole between my 16 week check-up and my 18 week ultrasound. He was fine at 16 weeks and his heart was no longer beating when I went for a routine ultrasound 2 weeks later. I lost Cole to cytomegalovirus (CMV). My doctor described it as being struck by lightening. It's uncommon but I'm still nervously waiting for my 18 week ultrasound this month. My 16 week check was good. The baby moved so much it was difficult to get his HR for more than a few seconds! Luckily, I feel my little one kicking and rolling every night at bed time and here and there during the day.

Here is a picture of my belly at 16 weeks. I've grown in size and gained a few pounds. I don't even try to wear my regular pants anymore. Maternity pants are much more comfy.

I found a fun game online...please click HERE to guess when my baby will be born.
Last, I found a silly website that will combine 2 pictures and produce a hypothetical picture of your future baby. I'm positive that you will enjoy the laugh!

Pulling Weeds...or not

We were supposed to be pulling weeds but instead we went for a walk and enjoyed the sunshine. Sorry, Dad! We'll help you on Sunday =)