Lucy Jane Neel has arrived!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 at 4:05 am
8 pounds 2 ounces
20 3/4 inches long
After more than 26 hours of laboring at the hospital, Lucy was delivered via a c-section. She is a very healthy and happy little girl. Now that we are back home with regular access to the internet, we will be uploading some more photos soon.
08-DEC-2006
38 Weeks
We're down to counting days now - 13 to go!
I've had a pretty uneventful pregnancy, which is a good thing. Nothing exciting but heartburn, stretch marks, and itchy belly. I had a rash for a few weeks. I think it was PUPPPs - if you don't know what it is, be thankful. It was sooooo itchy! Luckily, mine has pretty much cleared up already, but some women keep it for a couple of weeks after delivery.
PBaby is staying head down, which is good. He's a very smart baby. He's already been counting my ribs with his toes. He gets the hiccups a lot... it's fun to watch my whole belly jump around, but I hope the hiccups aren't painful for PBaby.
I'm going to miss feeling wiggles in my belly all the time, but I'm getting very excited about meeting our little baby and getting to hold it in my arms. I've been getting prepared for the baby's arrival - packing for the hospital, freezing meals, and making sure we have all the clothes and gear we need to take care of our little one and make him comfortable and happy.
I am planning to have a natural child birth. If you have any recommendations for hospital packing or anything else, I appreciate any tips!
weight : 201 1/2 pounds
belly : 46 1/2 inches
05-NOV-2006
33 Weeks
Wow, only 7 weeks until blastoff!
PBaby is very active these days. He's always kicking, getting hiccups, and (of course) poking me in the bladder. Lots of people ask me if I have any intuition about whether PBaby is a boy or a girl. I honestly have no idea. In keeping with Murphey's Law, it's probably a girl because we have a boy's name picked out, but we're having trouble deciding on a girl's name.
I'm feeling more prepared for our new addition. We had a baby shower yesterday, and now we actually have some bedding and a good supply of clothes for PBaby. I've been feeling very well. The only problems I have happen at night. No, I don't have to get out of bed to get pickles and ice cream. But turning over without help is more challenging every day.
I officially got stuck in the car the other day. I opened up the car door as far as I could in the garage, but no matter how I turned, I couldn't fit through the opening. Slug was finally able to help me out. So, I didn't have to spend the night in the car.
I've been very busy making things for the baby - roman shades for the nursery, a hooded sweater, booties, leg warmers, hats.
Busy, busy, busy... I can't wait to see little PBaby!
weight : 189 pounds
belly : 45 inches
Second Ultrasound - 20 weeks
We had our second ultrasound today. Little PBaby is 20 weeks old and now weighs about 13 ounces.
Today is the day we would have been able to find out PBaby's sex, but we are not finding out. Actually, Slug doesn't want to know the baby's sex until it's 5 years old... I think he's just trying to get out of diaper duty. From now on, I'm going to refer to PBaby as "she" for simplicity and because boys are messy, and I don't want to think about a little boy in there making a big mess.
We've been listening to the baby's heartbeat at doctor visits, and today we got to see the little heart beating again. It was amazing how much was visible on the ultrasound. We were able to see the 4 chambers of the heart, the kidneys, little fingers on the hands, and lots more. We could see PBaby having a little snack of amniotic fluid and watch her swallowing it. PBaby even posed for a couple of photos by sticking her tongue out while she had her snack - she gets this from me.
This image is from today's ultrasound. You can see PBaby's head, with a profile of her nose and open mouth.
We are well into the second trimester now. I knew I would be tired during the first trimester, but I couldn't believe how soon after I became pregnant I felt completely exhausted all the time. It is so nice to have that energy back! Luckily, I did not experience sickness, just some nausea.
I have been feeling PBaby moving around for a few weeks now. Sometimes, she just gives a little kick, and sometimes it feels like she's turning somersaults. I haven't really been having any cravings - no more than usual, anyway. I always have those days when I need a hit of chocolate or a certain kind of food.
Soon, I'll make Slug take some photos of me in good sunlight and post them.
weight : 167 lbs
belly : 37.5 inches
16-May-2006
First Doctor's Visit - 8 weeks
We had our first doctor's visit today, along with an ultrasound. We have a healthy, 19.6mm long baby. This is actually big for 8 weeks. So, the ultrasound machine estimated that I am almost 9 weeks along. Our baby already has arms, legs, and a tiny beating heart. If you don't see a baby in the photo, the baby is in the top of the black blob. Its head is on the left and down some. You can see the little arms. One is reaching up to the head. The legs develop after the arms, so they aren't as easy to recognize, but you can see little leg buds.
It looks like I'm due right around Christmas - Dec 20 according to the measurements taken today, and Dec 26 according to calendar calculations. I guess we're having Christmas at the hospital this year.
So far, I've been lucky. I seem to be one of the women who doesn't get "morning" sickness. But I do burp a lot, and I am very tired. If I'm not working on PBase, I'm probably asleep.
One difficult thing to decide is what to call the baby before it is born when you don't want to know the sex. PBaby has been suggested, and I think it's kinda cute.
weight : 156 lbs
belly : 34 3/4 inches
26-APR-2006
It's Official! - 5 Weeks
Yes, I'm pregnant! We just found out last night, and we're very excited.
We've called family and friends and told them the good news. My uncle was the only one who said "How'd that happen?"
We called Slug's mom and said "Hey Grandma!" when she answered the phone. I had expected excitement, but she just told us we had the wrong number. Then, she realized it was us.
Now, I've got a million questions running through my mind. Will it be a boy or a girl? What will we name it? Will we be good parents? and of course... how do I go about hiring one of these "Genies" to change the diapers?
Oh well, I guess we've got a while to figure things out.
weight : 155 lbs
belly : 34 inches
Other Pregnancy Photos
See http://www.pbase.com/emily/pregnant_blog for my Pregnancy Blog