Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Hayley's ultrasound video
Hayley is now on YouTube! I've embedded the video above. If for some reason it doesn't work, click here.
As you watch, look for the following: a big healthy brain; no cleft lip; a healthy, beating, 4-chamber heart; girl parts; a whole lot of bones; Hayley saying hello by waving a little and opening and closing her mouth.
Yes, she does look a bit scary at times. That's just how the ultrasound was set up. As Miranda is fond of saying recently, Hayley is going as a skeleton for Halloween this year.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Lookin' good at 22 weeks
)
In case you couldn't tell already, we're having a girl! Confirmed by ultrasound, Squirtle is now officially known to all as Hayley Olivia Tuttle. I don't think I could possibly be more excited. We're really having our little dream girl!
)
Now the real fun begins. We're going to make your room perfect for you and get all kinds of cute clothes to fill your closet. In fact, we celebrated the day of the ultrasound by buying several adorable outfits and ordering your crib and dresser. Also, now that you can actually hear us in there, we're starting to read to you and play music. I hope you like what you hear.
We love you so much, Hayley!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
My little dream come true
Dear Hayley,
Yesterday your mama and daddy got to see you for the first time in over 14 weeks and all I can say is you're beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and perfect. You're developing into a healthy little baby girl and we couldn't be more proud. It was especially charming when you waved at us. You might not have been able to see it, but both your father and I instinctually waved back.
I just want to tell you how incredibly wanted and loved you were long before you were conceived. Before your father and I were even married, I had a dream about you. That's where you get your name, Hayley. Since that night we've talked about you countless times and imagined you in our life. I never suspected I'd be so lucky as to have it all come true. Yet, when the doctor told us you were you, I did not cry or do anything outrageous. I just felt a calm come over me. This was supposed to be. You picked us as your parents long ago, and I can't thank you enough for that.
I love you, sweet daughter of mine.
Love,
Mama
Yesterday your mama and daddy got to see you for the first time in over 14 weeks and all I can say is you're beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and perfect. You're developing into a healthy little baby girl and we couldn't be more proud. It was especially charming when you waved at us. You might not have been able to see it, but both your father and I instinctually waved back.
I just want to tell you how incredibly wanted and loved you were long before you were conceived. Before your father and I were even married, I had a dream about you. That's where you get your name, Hayley. Since that night we've talked about you countless times and imagined you in our life. I never suspected I'd be so lucky as to have it all come true. Yet, when the doctor told us you were you, I did not cry or do anything outrageous. I just felt a calm come over me. This was supposed to be. You picked us as your parents long ago, and I can't thank you enough for that.
I love you, sweet daughter of mine.
Love,
Mama
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Celebrate good times, come on!
Sometimes good things come in pairs. Last night, our beloved Boston Red Sox beat the LA Angels to win the ALDS and advance to the next round of playoffs (ALCS). Squirtle, being the Sox fan that s/he is (naturally), joined in the celebration with mommy and daddy. As we jumped around the room in excitement, Squirtle also started moving quite a bit in Miranda's uterus. Although this was nothing new for Miranda, Squirtle's little flips and rolls were so exaggerated that, for the first time, I was able to feel them with my hands.
Oh my goodness, there's a baby in there!
Oh my goodness, there's a baby in there!
Monday, October 6, 2008
We're half way there!
This past Friday we had our 20 week (which is the midway point) check up and everything seems on track for a healthy baby. I've gained 5 pounds in the last 4 weeks, which brings my total weight gain to a whopping 6 pounds. I have a feeling this number is going to rise sharply fairly soon as my appetite is back and I've begun my ravenous-all-the-time portion of this pregnancy.
The next good news we received was that the blood tests I took around 16 weeks all game back with good results. This was my AFP screening which tells us if the baby is at increased risk of being born with open neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), down syndrome, chromosomal abnormalities (such as trisomy 18) or abdominal wall defects. Had the test results caused any alarm I would have had to have an amniocentesis to gather more information. I'm very happy to not have to have an amnio as the procedure requires me to be poked in the stomach with a VERY long and fairly large needle and carries a few scary risks.
We had the opportunity to hear Squirtle's little heartbeat again, which took some time to find as s/he was moving around quite a bit. Once the heartbeat was located I was once again overwhelmed by the fact that I love this little baby inside of me so much I can't even stand it. It's also such a proud mama moment for me. It's like, "WE made that. Furthermore, MY body is doing all it needs to to sustain that little life. Wow." It's just incredible.
Our next appointment is 2 weeks from today, October 20. That afternoon we'll go in for another ultrasound and as long as Squirtle cooperates we'll get to find out the gender! This is the day we've all been anticipating for months now and it's hard to not get too excited about it. Besides potentially finding out the gender, I'm really just excited to get another little sneak peek at this little being inside of me. Squirtle has grown so much since our last ultrasound and this will be our first opportunity to see him/her look like an actual baby. Like I said, it's really hard not to get too excited; I can't wait!
Another little update is that I'm feeling the baby move a lot now. It's an incredible sensation that I first felt almost a month ago, but it was subtle and infrequent. The movements are growing stronger and I feel Squirtle daily with some chunks of time where s/he's moving constantly for a prolonged period. The movements aren't quite strong enough for anyone other than me to feel, but I think that's getting close. Sometimes I like to have a little fun with it and I'll poke my belly and wait for the response. Other times I'll lay down and switch from side to side because each time I switch I can feel Squirtle move around to get resettled. After about my 6th time tossing around Geoff usually tells me to knock it off and let the baby be already. I can't help it. Plus, I figure I'm in for plenty of sleepless nights and it's the least Squirtle can do.
Pretty much, I just adore this tiny baby.
The next good news we received was that the blood tests I took around 16 weeks all game back with good results. This was my AFP screening which tells us if the baby is at increased risk of being born with open neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), down syndrome, chromosomal abnormalities (such as trisomy 18) or abdominal wall defects. Had the test results caused any alarm I would have had to have an amniocentesis to gather more information. I'm very happy to not have to have an amnio as the procedure requires me to be poked in the stomach with a VERY long and fairly large needle and carries a few scary risks.
We had the opportunity to hear Squirtle's little heartbeat again, which took some time to find as s/he was moving around quite a bit. Once the heartbeat was located I was once again overwhelmed by the fact that I love this little baby inside of me so much I can't even stand it. It's also such a proud mama moment for me. It's like, "WE made that. Furthermore, MY body is doing all it needs to to sustain that little life. Wow." It's just incredible.
Our next appointment is 2 weeks from today, October 20. That afternoon we'll go in for another ultrasound and as long as Squirtle cooperates we'll get to find out the gender! This is the day we've all been anticipating for months now and it's hard to not get too excited about it. Besides potentially finding out the gender, I'm really just excited to get another little sneak peek at this little being inside of me. Squirtle has grown so much since our last ultrasound and this will be our first opportunity to see him/her look like an actual baby. Like I said, it's really hard not to get too excited; I can't wait!
Another little update is that I'm feeling the baby move a lot now. It's an incredible sensation that I first felt almost a month ago, but it was subtle and infrequent. The movements are growing stronger and I feel Squirtle daily with some chunks of time where s/he's moving constantly for a prolonged period. The movements aren't quite strong enough for anyone other than me to feel, but I think that's getting close. Sometimes I like to have a little fun with it and I'll poke my belly and wait for the response. Other times I'll lay down and switch from side to side because each time I switch I can feel Squirtle move around to get resettled. After about my 6th time tossing around Geoff usually tells me to knock it off and let the baby be already. I can't help it. Plus, I figure I'm in for plenty of sleepless nights and it's the least Squirtle can do.
Pretty much, I just adore this tiny baby.
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