Hello 2nd Trimester!

Hooray! I've made it to the 2nd trimester - today I'm officially 14wks on the dot! I'll gladly wave nausea & fatigue goodbye in the next few weeks, thank goodness. Both of those are for the birds! Baby Lopez is now the size of a lemon (approx 3.5inches) and is quite busy these days...here's what's new in his/her world:

• Baby can squint, frown, grimace & make all kinds of other 'faces' - thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout moving from one expression to the next
  
• Baby's kidneys are producing urine which is released into the amniotic fluid around him/her - a process they'll keep up until birth
  
• Baby can grasp now & has the ability to even suck his/her thumb!

I ventured into the Dr's office for my scheduled 14wk appt - one that I knew was to be uneventful...well, it turned out to be quite the opposite! Once I met with Dr. Duggar, and we went thru the usual list of questions on how I was feeling, he pulled out the doppler to check for the baby's heartbeat. We were able to locate mine no problem...slow & steady. However, we had a hard time locating the baby's - this made me nervous. I listened closely to the static and the hum of my own heartbeat - watching Dr. Duggar's face the whole time to get a 'read' on his reaction to the missing heartbeat. We did get a glimpse of it, but couldn't sustain it. He in his usual jolly manner, simply sat me up & said, 'Well, you must've been praying for this - let's get you an ultrasound to check on that baby!" I wouldn't say I was praying for that - but it was a bonus as it was a no-charge ultrasound! He sent me to the tech & explained we couldn't quite locate a strong enough heartbeat on the doppler & for her (the tech) to check things out & make sure all was well - Dr. Duggar said not to be worried as it's common to not be able to locate the heartbeat sometimes...it's almost as if the baby was playing a game of "hide & go seek" when he moved the doppler. When I realized Dr. D wasn't alarmed, I settled & decided to get excited about the impromptu visit with my sweet baby! Baby Lopez didn't disappoint either - he/she was having fun in there waving & moving their cute little feet! Baby L was laying directly across my tummy so we got some fantastic photos - I was so tickled that I cried! I was just hating that poor Rod was missing it! Since it wasn't a 'major' appt, I told him to not even worry about attending...who would've known!? Baby L even placed his/her hand up by their face (just like Big Sister Sophia did in her u/s sessions) and even began to suck their thumb!! We tried to peek for the sex of the baby to get any sort of inkling, but it was just too soon - as girls can look like boys and boys can look like girls at this stage. Bummer is I'll have to wait another SIX weeks before our big 20wk appt to check all vital organs & determine gender. Major 'sigh'....

What's fun is that I'm really showing now - now I don't just look fat - it's obvious I'm pregnant. If there is ever a 'bad' part in pregnancy, it's the period where you just feel bloated and look like a fat cow. Moo. However, I'm still waiting on the 'glow' to kick in too....any day now would be nice!

Here's our latest photos of Baby Lopez:

Baby L is approx the size of a lemon!

Sucking his/her thumb!

Another side view of baby

Baby L sort of 'waving' - Hello World!

So, today was a fun day for our little family - it was completed by Sophia getting a special trip after school up to Lake Martin with Rod's parents too! They had a wee of a time...and upon returning home to our house, Sophia joined the neighborhood kids playing t-ball in the cul-de-sac! Now off to the kitchen to eat dinner...we're ALL hungry!