16 Week appointment

So I started off my day in a pretty interesting way yesterday. I woke up from a dream where I had just told someone I was going to be having a girl on April 6. That is the first specific baby dream I have had yet. In every dream I have, I am aware of being pregnant, but I have never dreamed of a date or the gender of the baby before. The fun this is that this due date is entirely possible. I have been measuring about a week behind with my ultrasounds, and April 6 is six days later then my original due date.

Later in the afternoon, Paul and I had our 16 week appointment. I was really excited to go in and see how much weight I have gained. I thought for sure I had gained at least 5 pounds. I asked the nurse after she weighed me, and she said I gained 1 pound. 1POUND!! What the heck! So, at 16 weeks I have gained a total of a whopping 2 pounds. This means I am technically losing weight. I was moping and said and feeling like a failure, when Paul reminded me that I have been walking 3-5 times a week. So, as my belly and top half are getting bigger, my hiney and legs are getting in better shape. I can live with that. I would still liek to put on 5 more pounds by my next appointment, though.

Our little baby was being ornery at the start of our appointment. The nurse was trying to locate the heartbeat with a doppler, but the little bugger kept wiggling away. I didn't mind that the heartbeat was so hard to find, because I heard it for a second in the very beginning. I help hearing a weird noise I am not capable of describing in words, and the nurse said, "that's the baby running away". We finally, very faintly, caught the heartbeat, which measured 144 bpm. It was so faint, because the baby was probably turned away from the doppler. Silly baby. I have had a mover on my hands since the first time we saw the little picture at my 12 week ultrasound bouncing around like mommy was a trampoline. What is interesting about the heartbeat, is how consistent it has been. At my first ultrasound, the heartbeat was 164 bpm and at my first appointment with a doppler, the heartbeat was 164 bpm. At my second ultrasound on September 30 at 14 weeks, the heartbeat was 144 bpm, and two weeks later it is the same.

Paul and I have our 20 week ultrasound and 20 week appointment on November 13. I have a feeling it will be here before we know it. Next week Paul and I have conferences in Denver. We will be home the following week. Then, we will be out of town for a week for a conference for him in Reno. By the time we come back, it will only be a few days before our appointment. It will be very hard to have the opportunity to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl, but the surprise later will be worth it. I am just very excited to see how big the baby has gotten and see how developed the baby is. In my heart I truly feel all is well with this baby, but it is always nice to have that feeling confirmed by professionals!

The doctor said the NT scan and my quad-screens all came back good from my ultrasound on September 30. That means the risk of our baby having Down Syndrome is very low. Hooray for one less thing to worry about. I told Paul it amazes me how at every appointment we receive more and more evidence that I am growing a perfectly healthy little baby!