As for the "Thumpin'" part of the title, that would be a reference to the baby's heartbeat! We had an appointment with the midwife on Tuesday morning and she found the heartbeat almost as soon as she put the monitor against my belly. Ben was able to come with me as our appointment was pretty early in the day and it was cool for him to be able to hear it again, too. Generally speaking the midwife said everything looked great and that my weight gain is right on track. My allergies have been a little bothersome (8,000 - 9,000 pollen counts will do that!) and the cautionary information on the eye drops I usually use said to talk to your doctor if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. I was so excited that the midwife said they were fine to use. No more itchy eyes! It was actually kind of funny... the midwife said something like, "Most drug companies put that warning on everything because no one really knows what every single drug will do to every single pregnant person. You'll never see a label that says, 'Hey pregnant people! Take a big dose of this!'" haha
We'll come back in two weeks for a regular check-up and the ultrasound to see if we are having a boy or girl! The appointment is Thursday, April 12... we're so excited! After the appointment we'll call our parents and my grandmothers and also post it to the blog to share the news. In the meantime, we thought it might be fun to take a little poll to see what you all think we are having a boy or girl! You can vote (just one time, please!) using the little poll on the right side bar of the blog. If you are reading this in your email, click here to go to the blog to vote. No matter which one you choose you'll have a 50/50 shot at being right! :-)
Here's what the baby is up to this week:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
It's hard to believe the baby is about as long as a dollar bill! Or, maybe not as I feel like my belly had a growth spurt this week. What do you think?
(I feel like I look more pregnant than this in person!)
