Yes its been a long time and I am slack!

I have been neglecting my blog lately, does anybody read it anyway????

So I am 19 weeks and 3 days pregnant. All is going well and my belly has seemed to stop growing a bit so I don't feel HUGE for my dates anymore. Darian and I went and had the anatomy scan on Monday and everything is looking good and bubs is healthy.

The big news is that it is a BOY.....

We were not bothered what sex the baby was as long as it was healthy but knowing makes it easier to but for and the kids can now talk to their brother....all the girls wanted a brother so they are happy. Matthew is in his own little world so I guess he doesn't really care.

I finally went and had my hair cut and coloured on Wed, its only been about 9 months since I had a hair cut. It turned out ok. Darian and I went to his work Christmas function that night at the Left Bank Fremantle so getting out and about without the kids was nice. Mum came up for a few days and baby sat for us.

Other than that the kids have finished school for the year, their last day was yesterday and I have enroll led them into the local school next year which is walking distance. Eloise was a bit sad about leaving her old school so I am hoping she will be happy next year.

So that's been the last few weeks in a nut shell I will try and keep up with the weekly baby updates too :)

19 Weeks.....

The baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.2 to 6 inches this week. The baby weighs approximately 7 ounces and will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and birth!

One of the most amazing aspects of your the baby's growth and development is that of the fetal brain. The baby's brain is one of the first organs to appear. The baby's oversized head shows the brain's importance in his development. Because the nerves that connect the muscles to the brain have grown into place, baby's movements are consciously directed. The baby's ears stand out from the sides of the head and the buds for your baby's permanent teeth appear. The baby's arms and legs have reached their relative proportions and his feet are approximately one inch long.

18 Weeks......

By week 18 of the pregnancy, the baby's crown-to-rump length is 5 to 5.5 inches long. The baby continues to develop fat layers and weighs about 5.25 ounces. The baby will continue to grow and develop, but the rapid growth will slow down for a little while.
There is still space available in the uterus and the baby will be active for periods at a time. The baby may sit cross legged or turn somersaults.

Around this time, the baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the part of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that the baby can hear now. The baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as the mothers heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. The baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound.

17 Weeks......

The baby's weight has doubled in two weeks and now weighs about 3.5 ounces! The crown-to-rump length of the growing baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches.
The uterus is moving up and is now approximately 1.5 to 2 inches below the navel.

Huge changes continue to take place within the developing baby. This week fat begins to form and will continue to do so until he is born. Fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. Right now, at 17 weeks, water makes up about 3 ounces and fat 0.018 ounces of the baby's body. In a baby at term, fat makes up about 5.25 pounds of the total average weight of 7.7 pounds. The placenta is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. The placenta will continue to develop in tandem with the fetus and it will weigh more than a pound at birth! By this week, the placenta is large and well established with a network of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and waste.

The eyes are facing more forward. The ears are now close to their final position.

The baby is more flexible with ability to move head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, feet, and toes.

Fingerprints are forming now.

16 weeks 2 days

Yay today a electrician came to fix the oven. It stopped while I was cooking a roast Sun night and its fixed now. I hadn't realized how much I used it until I couldn't.

I got Talia to take a photo of me this morning before time got away again and the pregnancy was over and no pregnancy shots. So here I am 16 weeks and 2 days.

I have felt the baby move for about a week now and cant wait till its strong enough for Darian and the kids to feel it. We went and bought a change table on sat and I managed to pick up a bassinet on eBay. I like to get things early as I know when you get big and heavy the last thing you feel like doing is shopping....
So we are basically ready for the baby, just a few things like a rocker and clothes...they can wait...May baby....warm going into cold....tough one. I will have to get a bit of everything.

All the girls are so excited, every day Eloise asks if the baby has grown and she has even started to talk to my tummy.

week 16.....

At this point of the pregnancy, the baby is approximately 17cm long and weighs 200grams. Not only is the baby growing, the uterus and placenta continue to grow to accommodate the growing baby! The amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is increasing and there is about 7.5 ounces of fluid.

The child can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.

At this time, the baby is holding her head erect. Because her muscles are developing, she can make some faces now. The baby is able to squint, frown and open its mouth. There is enough calcium in the bones that they will show up on an x-ray. The baby's fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms.

Week 15......

The baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 4 inches and it now weighs approximately 1.75 ounces. The baby is close to the size of a softball

The baby is growing at an amazing rate and looking more like a human every day. Because the baby's skin is so thin, you are able to see blood vessels through the skin. Lanugo hair covers the baby's body, but it will be gone when baby is born.

The hair on the eyebrows and head continues to grow. Some babies are born with little or no hair and others have a head full of hair! If I were have an ultrasound at this point, I might be able to see the baby sucking its thumb. Even though the eyes continue to move to the front of the face, they are still widely separated. The baby's ears look like normal ears and continue to develop externally.
The bones that have already formed continue to get harder and retain calcium. The baby is very mobile and flexible at this point. It can bend her arms at the elbows and wrists and she can also make a fist with her hands.

lazy day sunday

Yesterday was going to be warm so we decided to fill up the small pool for the kids to swim and play around in. The kids had a great time and I managed to get some photos I have been a bit slack of late.

14 weeks pregnant....

The baby's crown to rump length is 12 cm (3.2 to 4.5 inches) long and he weighs approximately 1 ounce now. The baby is about the size of the average fist.
At this time, the baby's face is becoming more developed. The cheeks and bridge of his nose appear and the ears move from the sides of his neck to much higher on his head. The eyes continue to come closer together.
A big development from this week onward is the development of lanugo. Lanugo are the fine hairs that grow over almost all of your baby. The hairs grow in whirled patterns that follow the grain of his skin. These patterns later give way to the baby's fingerprints. The lanugo will be shed before birth and replaced by thicker, coarser hairs.
The baby's thyroid gland has matured and starts to produce hormones.The embryo`s soft cartilage is now being replaced with ` real` chalk bones.
The baby has eyebrows, but no eyelashes. Fine, light hair also begins to grow.

A slow week.

Well it hasn't exactly been slow as lots always happens when you have kids. I was suffering from a head cold for a few days and because I couldn't take anything I felt like I was dying. Because of this Matthew missed out on Play group and gymbaroo this last week. He also had his physio review, she had received the report back from the pead and checked him over. He is still not running or jumping (he does a cross between a fast walk and trot)
He is still walking by rolling his hips, which turn his knees in and thus causing the over balancing and pigeon toes. She thinks its from all the "W" sitting (not that he does that much anymore) so we are to get him to sit crossed legged to stretch the opposite tendon. Hope fully this will loosen and he will walk better. He is to see her in a month and if she doesn't see an improvement she wants him to see a orthopedic surgeon . Have no idea what they would do...I guess its a wait and see thing.

The girls are good, they spent the weekend with their dad. Eloise is very excited about the baby asking every day if the baby has grown and how big is it now. She was too young to remember Matthews pregnancy so this one is really real to her. I cant wait for the baby to start kicking so she can feel it.

Other than that nothing much is happening. I have applied to a near by school to see if I cant get the girls in there next year but because they are out of area we have to wait until final figures for next year are know and then we are considered. So we wont know until the end of the school year if the girls are going to a closer school.

13 weeks, whats happening.....

The baby now weighs 14 to 20 grams. The crown-to-rump length of the growing baby is 2.6 to 3.1 inches.
The baby is now about the size of a peach.There is a milky membrane that surrounds the baby. It is pierced by the umbilical cord and is made up of two layers, which are fused together. The placenta provides most of the nutrients and oxygen that the baby needs.
By this week, the placenta is well formed and ready to take over hormone manufacture from the ovaries. The placenta will produce progesterone and estriol. These hormones will be crucial in the maintenance of the pregnancy. Tissue that will form the baby's bones is being laid down, especially around the head and limbs. The nose and chin are becoming more prominent. The baby's eyelids meet and fuse together and they will not open again for nearly four months. The eyes started out on the side of the baby's head and they are now moving closer together on the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head. If examined outside of the womb, you would be able to distinguish male from female at this time.

The sockets for all twenty teeth are formed in the gums, and vocal cords are beginning to form.

12 week scan

today we went for our 12 week scan.....very exciting...
Even though this is number 4 for me there is nothing like seeing that little jelly bean up on that monitor. The little heart was going ten to the dozen and it was jumping up and down...all healthy and good
the heart beat is sitting at a very good 161 beats a min.
We will know the results of the test in about a week.

Catch up with an old friend

Today I went and had coffee with an old school friend of mine. I haven't seen her since about Feb 1997. She has just returned home from living over seas and she is going back to live in South Africa for a year as her partner is from there and he is unable to immigrate here as yet.

It was great catching up.

Now that I am home I am very tired.....cant wait until I get my energy back....at least the morning sickness has gone

Tomorrow we are off for our 12 week ultrasound to check for Downs syndrome and just to make sure everything is OK....

12 Weeks....whats happening

The baby's crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches and it now weighs between 8 and 14 grams! In just three weeks, the baby's size has more than doubled and begins to look alot more human. Even though I won't be able to feel the baby moving at this time, I would be able to stimulate him and he will squint, open his mouth and move his fingers or toes.

Because most of the structures are already formed at this point, few will be formed after this time. The structures will continue to grow and develop throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. The baby's skeletal system now has centers if bone formation in most of the bones. The digestive system is capable of making contractions that push food through the bowels and it is also able to absorb sugar. The pituitary gland beginning to make hormones.

The baby develops reflexes and the skin is very sensitive.
The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel pain. the baby may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers.

My girls are back home !!!!

Yesterday we drove to the airport and picked up the girls. They have both grown taller over the month and look so happy. Well not as happy as their mum :)

We came home and the girls unpacked and showed me all their new clothes that they were given. Darian then went and picked up Meg for the night and the kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing...

Will have to take some photos of them....

Pig hunting in the Northern Territory!

Great photo, thought I would share it....

Week 11...whats happening now.

The baby measures about 5 cm from crown to rump and weighs about 8 grams (0.28 ounces), nearly doubling in size during the last week!
Baby now has a limited ability to suck and swallow, although this action is not fully mature until 24 to 28 weeks.
Their taste buds have developed enough to taste the amniotic fluid that surrounds them and their kidneys are now functioning and secreting fluid into their bladder. The baby will soon pass a type of clean urine into the amniotic fluid, in a continuous cycle of swallowing and urinating this fluid to keep their kidneys functioning until birth. The baby also breathes amniotic fluid into their lungs to strengthen the muscle under them and to regularly practice rhythmic expansion of their lungs.
Their stomach now produces gastric juices and they have about 20 baby teeth in their gums! The baby's sex organs are still developing and their typical male or female characteristics are not obvious yet.
Baby's movements are now more coordinated and purposeful. Regular movement is now important for your baby's growth and development. Without it their muscles would waste, their joints would seize and their bones would become brittle. Movement of some description is now a daily part of the unborn baby's life (when they are awake!)

Matthews Paediatrician Review

Yesterday Matthew had his 6 month review with the Paediatrician. He had received the OT's report and was pleased with his progress. He then played a whole heap of games with Matthew, puzzles, building blocks and recognizing common objects.

He is pleased with the progress of Matthews speech and fine motor skills however he is still concerned about Matthew's balance and that is pigeon toeness is getting worse.

Matthew sees the physio for a review on the 30th of this month, so we will see what comes of that.

The Paediatrician will review the test and send out the results in about a week. One thing he did say is that he wouldn't mind Matthew being seen by a Neurologist a PMH, just to check his muscle tone, we have done a muscle enzyme test and that came back normal but the paediatrician is still concerned about the weakness and floppyness of Matthews muscles. So I guess we wait until we see them and see what they say.

Matthews OT Review

Yesterday Matthew had his 6 month OT review. We had a new OT but that was OK. His name was Matthew as well and he was nice.
Well after 1 1/2 hours of playing games there is some great news and not so great news...
In lots of areas including, puzzles, block building , threading, joining and fun things like that Matthew has caught up. he is doing the same things that a normal 3 - 4 year old would do...
However because his fingers are so flexible his drawing and cutting skills are still well below his age range...but we can still work on it.

This is all good news as 6 months ago he was in the 12 - 18 month range for his skills, so all our hard work is paying off.

He has been put down for another block of treatment in the new year...

10 weeks...whats happening.

The baby measures around 3.5 cm from crown to rump and weighs about 5 grams (or 0.18 of an ounce). By now, the baby's complete body plan is laid down. The baby will continue to develop and grow for the remainder of the pregnancy.This week is somewhat of a landmark for the developing baby.By the end of this week all of the baby's major organs will be in place!
Bubs legs are now longer than their arms and large muscles have developed, forming thick bands of padding between their skin and underlying bones. The fingers and toes have separated and the tail has disappeared now
The baby's brain and nervous system are maturing and their muscles and nerves now work together to facilitate their first movements. The baby has taste and tooth buds at this point, which will continue to develop. The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute!
The baby has primitive reflexes and can respond to touch if stroked on the palm of their hands or the soles of their feet. At the moment the baby's movements are small, jerky and uncoordinated and far too small for me to feel them just yet.
The baby can open their jaw and stretch. Their body is now straighter and small ribs can be seen through their chest.
Their digestive system is developing rapidly.
The embryonic heart is completely developed. External genitalia are not apparent until next week, but a male's testes will already be producing testosterone.