Make Your Boy or Girl Vote Public -- Add a Comment to this Posting

I'd love to know who voted "boy" and who voted "girl" in the poll ... so after you vote please post a comment to this posting to tell me who you are and what your vote was. Thanks!!!

4-Month Belly Shot

Here I am at exactly 4 months.

I haven't decided yet if I'm brave or stupid to be posting pregnancy pictures wearing a leotard on the internet, but since you are reading this I have already found the courage to click on the "publish post" button. I'm taking comfort in the thought that the only people going to this site will be friends and family who like me.

And as you can see, I am definitely showing. I actually look like I'm carrying two babies ... one in my belly and the other in my butt.

Even though the doctor says I haven't gained too much weight I can see the result of substituting naps for exercise. This picture does provide the motivation to try and get some more walking worked into my schedule somehow.

So, brave or stupid, I'm planning to do a belly shot at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 months. I hope the kid will someday get a kick out of seeing these photos to document his/her progression toward birth.

Stay tuned...

More Great News From High Risk Screening #2

I went in today for blood work at Dr. R's office for some important tests as it relates to the likelihood of a perfectly healthy baby.

All 3 tests came back NEGATIVE, which is not a guarantee, but certainly puts the odds dramatically more in our favor.

The odds for any 38-year old woman to have a baby with Down syndrome is 1 in 175, and for any type of chromosomal abnormality 1 in 103.

They told me that based on the blood tests the chances of my baby having Down syndrome is 1 in 810, the chances for spina bifida is 1 in 6,000 and for other types of trisomy abnormalities 1 in 10,000.

They stressed not to be concerned about the Down syndrome number because they said the only reason the 810 number is that low is because of my age. Still, 1 in 810 is a lot better than 1 in 175, so I'm very happy with all the test results.

Routine Doctor Visit = Ultrasound #5

Today I went in for a routine monthly checkup with Dr. C.

After unsuccessfully trying to hear the baby's heartbeat with some audio contraption that he moved all around my belly I was sent to the ultrasound room just to confirm the heartbeat.

Fine with me! I'll take any opportunity to see what the baby is up to!

The above sonogram picture is from this visit. He/She is starting to look at lot more like a baby, eh? You can see that the little feet are crossed. The baby sure looks comfortable and relaxed. Check out that nose ... let's hope the rest of the face catches up soon.

Other than the fact that I gained only 5 pounds in the first trimester, I really don't have much to report from this visit.

The next really BIG NEWS will come on November 19 ... when we find out if it is a boy or a girl!!!

Maternity Wardrobe

I'm right at the 3-month mark here and my "baby bump" has definitely popped to the point where I already can't fit into my old clothes anymore.

I've already purchased the bulk of my maternity wardrobe, including 3 suits for work and the jeans I'm wearing in this picture.

My Mom and Anita have been very helpful to me in the maternity clothes shopping department so far. I've made maternity purchases at Ann Taylor Loft, Mimi Maternity/Motherhood Maternity, The Gap, Old Navy, Target, JC Penney and eBay. Yes, eBay. I've been able to pick up several nice items that were new (still with the tags on them) for very cheap prices.

Great News From 1st High-Risk Screening!!!

Today I went to a perinatal specialist's office for the 1st of 3 high-risk assessment appointments associated with my "advanced maternal age."

Above is the latest sonogram from this appointment. I am at 12 weeks, 1 day right now.

I won't get the official analysis from these appointments for 4-5 more weeks, but I did get a lot of comforting news at today's appointment.

First of all they counted 2 arms, 2 hands, 2 legs, 2 feet and they showed me the 2 sides of the brain on the ultrasound monitor. They also confirmed that all of the baby's organs are internal.

They also measured the fluid behind the baby's neck because an excess of fluid in the head area can be a signal of mental issues, including down's syndrome. The measurement they are looking for needs to be less than 3 to be considered negative as a flag for these issues, and our measurement was 1.1. The woman who did the ultrasound said that the lower the number the better, so I was very glad to hear that the measurement was significantly lower than 3.

The baby's heartbeat remains strong at 155 beats per minute.

I go back for more blood work on 11/6, and then on 11/19 I have a level 2 ultrasound and they will review the results of all 3 of these high-risk assessment appointments.

On 11/19 we should also learn if we are having a girl or a boy!!!

So stay tuned...

How This Blog Got It's Name

The above album cover is Carly Simon's 1974 "Hotcakes" and as you can see she was pregnant with her daughter Sally.

Howie and I call this her "pregnancy album" and it was the first thing Howie played on his iPod after I told him I was pregnant. Howie and I don't always agree on which of her albums and songs are the best, but we both LOVE this album.

Track #3 is a wonderful little song called "Think I'm Gonna Have A Baby", which is how this blog got it's name. The lyrics are below and you can hear a 30 second sample of it by clicking on the link below...

Carly Simon's Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby

Platform shoes on table tops
I think I'm gonna be a lady
Opinions flyin' right and left
I think I'm gonna tell him maybe
They're puttin' out too many phonograph records
I think I'm gonna have a baby, a baby

I wouldn't be naughty for the sake of naught
Or be different just to differ
I wouldn't sell myself just to get bought
Or give to just deliver
They're puttin' out too many phonograph records
I think I want to be a river, be a river...

Rivers do such nice things, they roll to the sea
When I am a river then Ill want to listen to me

So you pick me up, and you tune me up
And you wind me up and play me
You talk about heart, and you say you know soul
And the way to treat a lady
You're puttin' out too many phonograph records
I think I'm gonna have a baby, a baby

Babies do such nice things, they rock on your knee
When I was a baby my rockin' was something to see

(The End)

I just love the lines "They're putting out too many phonograph records, I think I'm gonna have a baby" and "When I was a baby my rockin' was something to see."

Special thanks to Anita for her patience and persistence in helping me figure out how to get this audio clip onto the blog!!!