The Secret Revealed

I realize I have been more than a little negligent in posting on our blog, but I have been a little tired lately.  A little nauseated too.

The above is a picture of our no. 3.  That's our "secret revealed!"

I am currently in my 13th week of pregnancy (or the beginning of the second trimester).  While we have named baby, "Little Guy," we do not actually know a gender yet.  I had my third scan this morning and Dave was thrilled to be able to join me.  He hasn't been involved in any of the prenatal stuff yet and he always feels more connected after he gets to see baby in action.  And baby was in action!  (I always seem to have very active children during scans.)  Today we saw him opening and closing "his" mouth, kicking and stretching, and waving "his" little arms about.

I also felt my first confirmed baby movement today.  There have been a couple of times in the past week when I have wondered if I felt baby, but this morning on our drive to the doctor I definitely felt a very faint, but familiar "thump, thump."  Very cool.

This above picture is looking down on Little Guy.  The left arm is on the top, face to the left of that and right arm swiping across the right cheek.  We have named him Little Guy because I am convinced that this must be a boy.  As mentioned, we have no confirmed gender yet, but today's heart rate was the lowest of any of my children.  We'll see what the amniocentesis tells us in three weeks!

Yes, we are doing another amnio to check for Dave and Sylvia's genetic disease, Von Hippel-Lindau Disease.  When I was pregnant with Sylvia I was quite certain she had the disease.  When I was pregnant with Veda I was quite certain she didn't.  I was correct both times.  This time I have no feeling either way.

I am a softie for feet pictures.  Perhaps if you have been reading long enough you have gathered this about me already.  We got a really great foot view today, but the sonographer wasn't able to print a picture of it.  But we still got this above shot.  There are those little legs and feet hanging out on the right hand side, already beginning to kick me.

I am doing well.  The first ten or eleven weeks were rough, but since then I have had a little more energy and haven't been feeling as sick.  There is one small concern.  Today's scan confirmed placenta previa (the placenta is covering the cervix).  There had been suspicions before but it isn't until about the 13th week that the location of the placenta in relation to the uterus can be viewed on ultrasound.  There are no huge threats or concerns.  It just means I can't lift, pull, push, or do heavy exercise.  Generally the placenta "moves" up and away by about the 26th week.  [Technically, the uterus expands, the placenta does not actually move.]  So, we'll just keep tabs and see what happens.

I realize this news may be rather surprising to many of you.  It kind of was to us too, but we are very excited to welcome our newest family member in early-mid December!