Baby Pics

During my 13 weeks of pregnancy, we've been fortunate enough to be able to see our baby twice already.

Actually, the first time was not fun. I had a miscarriage scare that sent us rushing to my doctor's office. I was shaking, I was bawling, and I feared for the worst. I kept thinking, "This is not how I wanted to have my first ultrasound." But then the tech brought an image up on the screen and said, "There is your baby. And that flickering is its tiny heartbeat."

Awesome. So, so awesome. I laughed; I have never been so relieved.

This is what the babe looked like at 7 weeks. Pretty funny to look back at now! After this, I was routinely calling it "The Blob." :)

At our first doctor's appointment at 8 weeks, we were presented with the option to do an NT scan (an ultrasound and bloodwork that tests for the probability of Down's, and the Trisomy disorders). After some research and conversation among ourselves, we decided to go for it and scheduled the scan for the 12th week of pregnancy. We figured that it was an opportunity to see our baby, and also hopefully get some reassurance that it's healthy.

We went in for the NT scan ultrasound and bloodwork on Monday, and that was when we got this lovely profile shot (the one I posted to announce the pregnancy on the blog!):

The baby had its hands up by its mouth a lot (like it does in this shot). I wonder if this means it's going to be a thumb sucker.

It's amazing how much development happens in the first trimester. Look at what a difference just five weeks makes! We went from a Blob Baby to a "real" baby, with facial features, arms, legs, fingers and toes. I'm constantly in awe of what's going on inside of my body right now. Every week, we read about the development and it's just incredible. During the ultrasound, I couldn't stop giggling, just because I couldn't believe that we were looking at this thing that's growing inside of me.

The baby was really active. It kept turning, rolling, and bouncing around. It kept moving its arms and legs, too. Here, the tech got a really good shot of the baby's hand and fingers. It was waving at us, like "Hi Mom and Dad!"

Here, the baby rolled over to face us. This is a straight-on shot of the face, but I know it's hard for most people to make out. Even my dad, who is a former x-ray tech and should be able to read these things, couldn't see the face. I think I'll have to draw him a diagram!

The baby kept showing of its legs, too. Baby kept sticking them up straight in the air. I can't wait until I can feel those little legs kicking me! :)

Our next ultrasound (and probably our last) is scheduled for the end of April, when we'll have the anatomy scan. I'll be around 18-19 weeks pregnant then. This is the ultrasound where we would be able to find out the sex of the baby, except we're not going to. ;) I'm looking forward to seeing the little bugger again!