Hey guys. It’s been a bit sorry I’m a slacker. Our dr appointment a couple weeks ago went awesome! Baby B was a stinker and we couldn’t find the heart beat as usual. This is also my body’s fault it happens a lot something about the way my uterus sits and the placenta is always up front. So we got an extra ultrasound! I’m very excited that next week baby B’s mommy and daddy get to come for the 20 week ultrasound! I can’t believe it will be the half way point!!! I’m already getting sad. As I always say I’m not sad like I want the baby lol. I’m sad that I won’t be pregnant anymore! I’m crazy and I know it but the last half is my favorite and it goes by so incredibly fast! I’m finally showing enough that people can tell it’s a baby and not just fat woohoo. Also great news I’m still not gaining anything!!! Believe me this is normal for me and baby is just fine! Miss Ellie from my belly, my first surro baby just turned 4 this week!!! I can’t believe it she so pretty and perfect. She has started ballet and is keeping her parents very busy. I’m excited to go visit the girls soon I hope. Obviously after baby B comes! I’m starting to feel tiny movements every once in a while if I’m super still! I can’t wait for the good strong kicks and jabs! I’m really hoping baby B’s mommy and daddy get to come for another visit so that they can feel movements later on! I’m still feeling great. My back does hurt some but that’s normal too. My job doesn’t make that any easier haha. Oh and surprise I’m back to craving ice! It’s by far my favorite pregnancy craving. I think that’s all I have for now. I’ll post my updated belly pic and a pic of how big miss Ellie is! Let’s see what baby B is up to this week!

Six inches long this week and just over a half pound in weight, your baby has gone through a bit of a growth spurt and is now the size of a large mango. What’s more, your little one has a cheesy varnish. Say what? You read that right — a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for “varnish”; caseosa means “cheese”) now covers your fetus’ skin. It’s greasy, white and made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby’s glands and dead skin cells. This waxy “cheese” may not sound too appealing, but it’s there for good reason: Vernix protects your baby’s sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, she’d look very wrinkled at birth (sort of what you’d look like if you soaked in a bath for nine months). The vernix sheds as delivery approaches, though some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with it at birth, so you might get a look at your baby’s first anti-wrinkle cream

Well technically I’m almost 17 weeks now in two days lol. I’m trying to be better at updates. It’s definitely getting more exciting now that I’m starting to round out a bit and look a bit more pregnant vs fat. I have been feeling great as normal. I still haven’t seemed to have gained any weight so that makes me happy! I started out a bit bigger then I did my last couple pregnancy’s. I’m very glad the pools going to be open soon! That’s our favorite summer activity, plus it’s great exercise as long as I swim and not just lay out! Tomorrow is kailynn’s last day of school and then we get to sleep in and have fun! Our next dr appointment is this Thursday also so that’s exciting! After the appointment we will be heading down to our family farm for a long holiday weekend! It’s great to let the kids run and play and not worry about cars and people! I’m excited to spend time outside enjoying family and summer fires with SMORES!!! it’s crazy to think I’m already almost half way done being pregnant! This is the part I can’t wait to hurry and get to and then bam it all seems to fly by so fast! Before I know it I’ll be sad it’s all over. Anyway let’s see what exciting things baby B is doing this week!

Your baby now weighs in at a whopping three to four ounces and he’s four to five inches in length. The backbone and tiny muscles in his back are gaining strength, so he can straighten out his head and neck even more. And thanks to his developing facial muscles, your baby is capable of making a few expressive frowns and squints, even at this early stage. His eyes are finally working too , making small side-to-side movements and perceiving light (although the eyelids are still sealed). Peekaboo!

Your fetus is becoming a looker too — with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes — but a skinny looker, since there’s no baby fat yet. And here’s the skinny on baby skin : It’s practically translucent now, so if you took a peek inside your uterus, you’d be able to see your baby’s blood vessels under that thin skin.

Listen up: Tiny bones in your fetus’ ears are in place, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you’re speaking (or singing in the shower) at 16 weeks pregnant. In fact, studies have found that babies who hear a song while they’re in the womb recognize the same tune when it’s sung to them after they’re born (so choose your lullabies with that in mind).

Hello everyone I’m so glad warmer weather is here! I have been feeling great still. I definitely feel much bigger this pregnancy then my last four! I swear I’m showing like I’m 20 plus weeks! It’s crazy. I technically haven’t gained any weight yet so that does make me feel a bit better but man I can’t believe how round I am for just 15 weeks! Clients at work are starting to notice now so I guess that’s good better then just looking like I’ve put on a summer beer belly haha. I believe my next appointment is may 25ish I’m always excited to go see how baby b is. We have been super busy with my sister moving back to town so spending lots of family time together and we are hoping to get our patio expanded with a roofed area for covered seating! It will be so nice to have an outside entertaining area! I’m already picturing summer fire nights and friends and wine!!! Expect I can drink next summer lol. I’ll include a picture so you guys can see how round I have gotten lol.

What’s baby B doing you ask? Look at all this exciting stuff!

Your baby at 15 weeks

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she’s likely to move away from the beam. There’s not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. If you have an ultrasound coming up, you may be able to find out whether your baby’s a boy or a girl! (Don’t be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby’s sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby’s position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to “hide the goods.”)

Well I zoomed right through week 12 and today we are at week 13! Happy second trimester. We had a dr appointment today so that was exciting! Sadly my dr had a lot of trouble finding the heartbeat on the monitor so she is great and rushed me to the front of the line for a quick ultrasound to just check on baby B. I can’t lie I was a bit nervous. Thankfully as soon as they got the monitor on there you could see baby B bouncing around in there! I FaceTimed J and she could see baby and chat with the dr a bit. We set up my next appointment for 4 weeks and then 4 weeks later the big 20 week ultrasound!!! I know J and K are planning to come for that appointment so that will be fun! I have been feeling great. I actually told the dr I’m feeling better this pregnancy then I did the last two! I haven’t been suffering with the awful pregnancy headaches. (Knock on wood) I’m hoping it won’t be too long before I can start feeling baby move. That’s my favorite part! So far no real cravings or anything. I have recently been loving salads haha. So far I haven’t gained any weight. That’s pretty typical for me to not really gain anything with pregnancy. I believe the most I ever gained was with kailynn and it was 15 pounds. I’m hoping it stays the same this time too! Now here is the fun info about baby B! Also I did take a pic for week 12 and 13 so I’ll post both!

What’s up with your baby? Well, besides being as large as a peach now, that big old noggin of hers is now about half the size of her crown-to-rump length (that’s one reason why your little peach looks more like an alien from outer space at this point). By the time you give birth, her body will catch up, measuring three-quarters of her total size. But don’t compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting in the next week or so, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path.

What else is going on in there? At 13 weeks pregnant, tiny bones are beginning to form in her arms and legs. Because she can move them in a jerky fashion, she may be able to get her thumb into her mouth (a habit that may come in handy for self-soothing when she’s a newborn). Your baby’s intestines are also in for some big changes. Up ’til this point, they’ve been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord, but now they’re moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby’s abdomen. And to serve your growing fetus’ needs, the placenta is also growing, eventually weighing one to two pounds at birth (something else you’ll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!). Also developing this week: your baby’s vocal cords (the first step toward saying, “I love you, Mommy!”). Because sound can’t travel through your uterus, you won’t be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but you can bet those vocal cords will get a good workout once she’s born.

Happy 11 weeks to us! Things are still going so well. I feel like it has been so long since we have been to the dr now! I have more blood work on the 25th and then the dr appointment a couple days later. I’m feeling great. I have had a few stretching ligament pains. If you don’t know what that is. It basically feels like someone has taken a knife to your belly and is just stabbing and twisting it! I’m so excited for when I really start getting a big belly so I look pregnant! Baby B is a great little friend, I’m so very happy that I haven’t had any crazy pregnancy headaches.

Let’s see what baby B has been doing!!!

Slightly more than one-and-a-half inches long now and weighing about a quarter of an ounce, your baby has been pretty busy growing this week. While you can’t tell this baby’s gender by its cover yet, ovaries are developing if it’s a girl. And by week 11 of pregnancy, baby has distinct human characteristics: hands and feet in front of her body, ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of her tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth and visible nipples. Hair follicles are forming on the crown (as well as over the rest of the body). What else makes your baby look human? Those hands and feet have individual fingers and toes (meaning goodbye to those frog-like webbed hands and feet). Meanwhile, fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week; in the next few weeks, the nails themselves will start to grow (so don’t forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list).

At the same time, your baby’s body is straightening and her torso is lengthening (sounds like a yoga pose, doesn’t it?). Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults and forward rolls.

Ok so yesterday was our ultrasound appointment! At 8:30 am!!!! I barely got there in time because my kids don’t know what hurry means. Ha. J and K were both able to come for a super fast day trip to see their baby. It was such an exciting time. The dr had everyone close there eyes and just listen to the sound of the heartbeat. Baby B had a great little heart 127 bpm. He also asked before the ultrasound now how many are we looking for. I said oh just one we only put one in. Twins would have came as quite a shock to us all, but it does happen and embryos can split! We just saw one wooohoooo. As of yesterday the baby seemed to measure 6 weeks and 6 days he said though yesterday was 7 weeks. We had a great visit with lots of laughter. As far as me and symptoms I still feel great. I’m definitely still tired all day and now recently I’ve been VERY emotional. Those of you that know me well know I’m not a emotional person I do my best to never cry. Well it’s not working well with this pregnancy! Baby B has my emotions all crazy.

Last Saturday Ricky took me to a pet store I love to go to so I can snuggle puppies. Well when we were there I ended up holding a baby RAT!!!! ewwww I know. Actually he was super super sweet and soft and just sat on me. The lady told all about them and how they are great pets and they are so smart and you can teach them tricks and potty train them etc etc. well obviously I decided I loved this little guy but it was time to put him up. Ricky said don’t worry we can research them more and decide what to do. The lady then says oh yes don’t worry we get them in ALL the time. I said wow I had no idea rats were such popular pets. She then looked at me and says oh well most people buy them as feeders for their reptiles! I literally lost it and ugly cried in the middle of a crowded store. Like hard to talk crazy cried. I had to explain to this poor girl that I was newly pregnant and I guess a bit emotional. She felt so bad. I mean I knew people had snakes and stuff but I honestly thought they just ate mice! I still feel absolutely awful for that poor guy. I cried for a good two days about him. I know it’s silly to cry over a rat but I totally did. Lol.

My butt is really really sore. These shots are definitely getting less and less fun. I’m hoping I can be done with them closer to the 10 week mark but I have a feeling this RE (reproductive Endocrinologist) will make me do the full 12 weeks. Now we just wait for information from the clinic on what they want us to do next.

Now for what baby is doing!

Your baby at 7 weeks

The big news this week: Your baby’s hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs – although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny baby fingers and toes you’re daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that’s the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you’d spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby’s brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby’s growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body

Sorry I hadn’t posted yet this week! Monday was our last official beta blood test and the numbers were great! 4562! Now we get to do an ultrasound finally. J and K are getting to come too! We are planning for next Thursday. I’m still taking the shots every night and the patches and pills. I’m hoping we can be done with them soon! We should be able to see the heartbeat at the ultrasound so that’s exciting! I’m still feeling great! Just extra sleepy. Also here is a first belly picture for 6 weeks! It’s mostly just my normal belly lol 😂

Baby news for 6 weeks.

You might be coping with full-blown pregnancy symptoms (poor girl), but there’s plenty of good news too. The folds of tissue in the prominent bump on top — the head — are developing into your baby’s jaw, cheeks and chin, which will eventually become one adorable face. And are those little indentations on both sides of the head the sweet dimples you always hoped your baby would inherit from your mom’s side of the family? No, they’re ear canals in the making. Small dots on the face will form the eyes and button nose in a few weeks. Also taking shape this week: her kidneys, liver and lungs, along with her little heart, which is now beating about 110 times a minute (and getting faster every day). During embryo and fetal development, practitioners measure babies as small as yours from precious little crown to cute little rump. That’s because as your baby grows, her legs will be bent, making it hard to get an accurate read on the full length of the body. When you’re six weeks pregnant, your baby’s crown-to-rump measurement is anywhere from a fifth to a quarter of an inch and growing — making it the size of a nail head or a sweet pea (your little sweet pea!)

So as you guys know my last blood draw was not making J or I feel very good. I’ve always had my numbers double on time with out a question. So obviously we have been slightly worried and we fell down the google trap. You can read one million great inspirational stories about beta numbers being low and slow and having great pregnancies after , But then you read that one and then another negative and that’s all you can think about. We tried getting the ivf clinic to just let us test Friday because we didn’t want to stress and suffer all weekend. That was a big fat NO GO. They just said nope wait until Monday. So this is when we started scheming. We tried to think of how we could cheat the system. I had just one order paper left to get our blood work done. I thought how much trouble would we be in if I pretended to be super confused on the days lol. Like oh you said Monday but I got confused and went Friday??? I decided that was a bad idea. Then I thought hey they have no dates in the orders and I fill them in as I go! Sooo I just made an extra copy of it. I mean why give me open beta orders if you don’t want me to use them and abuse the system right? I then had to call the monitoring clinic here to make sure they could even do it and if they would help us keep our super secret and NOT send it to the IVF dr so we wouldn’t be caught cheating. Turns out they were super on board to help. It was honestly so much fun planning and scheming with J. We were like two teenagers all morning lol. So needless to say I went for more blood work today. Then I instantly felt like oh crap. I was like what if the numbers are really bad what then? Do we own up to it and call the dr or fake like it never happened and just suffer all weekend anyway and go again on Monday? Uggggg stress!!! So we waited all afternoon until the results were finally in. We figured it out and if the numbers were to double like they were supposed to we would be at 918. So I was hoping for something at least close to that number. Then when she said the number I freaked out and made her say it again because I thought I must have misheard her. She said 1277!!!!! WOOOHOOOO our secret scheme worked!!!! Now we are definitely super excited and resting so much easier now this weekend. Now we just have to go back Monday and pretend to be so shocked by our big numbers. I sure hope you enjoyed this story just half as much as we did planning and executing this extra blood draw. Thank you all for reading and praying and sharing!

So on Tuesday we had our second beta blood draw. The numbers came back at 459. I’ve been pretty worried about this number. It’s technically still in the realm of normal and it did rise. I was just hoping for a good strong hike in the numbers to make us feel like we did with our first beta! 132 was a good strong first number. Things could still be fine with the number we have now but I can’t help but to worry a bit. When the nurse called all she said was it was higher and that we would do another beta on Monday morning. So we have to wait six days!!!! Uggggg we feel like this is so long to wait. I’m also sure Monday will take forever to get them numbers back. We are obviously hoping to have a good big number on Monday so we can just hurry up and set up a ultrasound to check on baby B. I’m also still doing all the shots and boy are they taking a toll on my poor butt! This time I’m getting big golf ball sized knots and huge bruises! Please continue to pray for us and that J and I can stay calm and be patient.