15 Weeks (and Counting)

This has been a good week for Nicole, Chris, and the Bun. Yesterday was appointment number three and the first opportunity that we had to meet our doctor. That, as it turns out, was the major objective of the appointment. Our doctor's name is Camille Calderwood. We both really liked her and she happens to be pregnant too. Outside of meeting Dr. Calderwood for the first time, the appointment mainly consisted of doing some measurements on Nicole and listening to the Bun's heartbeat. Let me tell you that that will never get old. Ever. It is so amazing. We also have the option of doing some screening blood work this next week for a few diseases like Down Syndrome. We are still discussing that course of action.

We also have found out that it is highly recommended that you receive an H1N1 vaccine if you plan on spending significant time with a child under the age of two. Since we are planning on doing that, we are in the process of both getting the vaccine. Chris has already received his and Nicole is headed to a different clinic today to get a version of the vaccine that is made for pregnant women. If you're wanting to spend significant time with our Bun when it arrives, it would be great if you'd consider getting the shot. It's not a mandate or anything, we're just trying to follow the advice of our doctors.

We have our next appointment in three weeks on Wednesday, February 24. At that point we'll schedule the big ultrasound for sometime the next week. The one that is a lot longer and the one where we may find out if the Bun is a boy or a girl. (Concerning that, most people who "have a feeling" about our little Bun seem to think that the Bun is a boy. Feel free to leave a comment and let your "feeling" be known. I'm disallowing any "I knew its!" if your position isn't clearly made beforehand. For the record, Nicole is thinking boy and Chris is thinking girl.)

Right now the Bun is probably about 4.5 inches long and weighs almost 2.5 ounces. Our baby is growing rapidly. If you were to peek inside Nicole's uterus during pregnancy week 15 (which won't be allowed by anyone except our medical staff) you would still be able to see our baby's blood vessels through his/her paper-thin skin. In fact, the blood vessels forming in our baby's body make him/her look rather like a map! This week, our baby will start producing lanugo, which is fine hair that will cover our baby's body up until a few weeks before birth. Lanugo covers every part of our baby in utero, except for the palms, soles of the feet, lips, penis, nails, and inner fingers and toes. Typically babies will shed this hair by the 8th month of pregnancy, but it can persist in some newborns for a short period of time. Pre-term babies are more likely to be born with lanugo than full term babies. Our baby might start sucking his/her thumb this week.

The bones in our baby's body are also starting to get harder during pregnancy at 15 weeks and will continue to do so throughout your pregnancy. Our baby is spending most of his/her time practicing breathing, by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Believe it or not, the very act of doing so will help our baby's air sacs develop during pregnancy. Our baby continues to form taste buds at this point in time.

Thanks for taking time to catch up with us and the Bun! We appreciate your love and support.