14 weeks, 2 days

Crown to rump, Boo is around 9 centimetres long and weighs 43 grams. The body is now growing faster than the head. This week, the parchment-thin skin covers itself with lanugo (ultra-fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth). Though eyebrows are beginning to grow and the hair on top of the head is sprouting, this hair may change in both texture and colour after birth. About now, Boo can grasp, squint, frown, and grimace. He/she may even be able to suck his/her thumb. Researchers believe these and other movements probably correspond to the development of impulses in the brain.

Boo say's HI

We had an appointment at the WCH today, which we thought would be pretty run of the mill - the exciting part was that we'd get to meet our Student Midwife, Melissa.

So, we met Melissa (who's lovely, BTW), but the best and luckiest part is that the doctor that we saw today was really into "training" of the Student Midwife, so we got to hear Boo's heartbeat, then he got Melissa to do her first Ultrasound!

Bonus for us!!!

I couldn't see too clearly myself, as I was on that bad angle you get with some screens (think plasma), but Rod saw lots of movement and bouncing around - it was very exciting.

Boo is now just under 9cm, and it's quite amazing that I can't feel any movement yet, considering the party that he/she is having in my uterus!

So, here's another piccy. Boo's grow heaps since the last scan a month ago....

To help you out, Boo is facing downwards in this picture (just lining up the exit for in 6 months!!) and there's a little bump on the head - this is the nose!

Just gorgeous, we think!

Next scan in 2 weeks, so stay tuned! (apparently, if lucky, the gender may be seen at 16 weeks!!!!)

Fishing at Zadow's Landing

Yesterday was a day the carp and yabbies feared - - yes, it was a family outing to Zadow's Landing for a few hours of fishing, yabbying and kransky's.

Zadow's landing is a little spot on the Murray between Mannum and Murray Bridge, just down from Caloote.

We found it by accident last time we were there.

This time, Rod and I decided to go the Mannum way (rather than Murray Bridge, as we did last time) as it would be a nicer drive through the hills (and we could stop for a danish at a cute country bakery in Birdswood).

Well, we got lost. Wrong turn out of Palmer. Should have kept going along the pipeline to Mannum......

I managed to SMS Ami (we were in and out of reception), only to get the reply that they were lost too.

Comedy of errors.

Then we finally got on the main road that we THOUGHT was correct (would lead us to the Caloote turnoff), only to see Adam and Ami driving towards us.

HILARIOUS !!

So we all stopped, consulted, decided to continue back the way Adam and Ami were coming from, and we were there within 5 minutes.

Yabbie nets went down, rod's were cast and we sat back to enjoy.

Quite a few nibbles, with myself the only lucky one to clear the Murray of another pesky carp.

Kranskys were enjoyed by all over a fire, before heading home (via Rod's parents to drop off the carp for their eating pleasure).

Oh yeah - no luck with the yabbies. It's a shame, as we want a "claudia" for the office......

The Bola

I met a girl last weekend who told me about a charm called the BOLA....it's a tradition from Mexico. The bola makes a soft chiming noise with movement. Worn low on the belly during pregnancy, your baby will learn to recognise the sound. Once your baby is born you can wear it on a shorter leather cord when feeding, and your baby will love the sound that it makes and be soothed. Bola rattles can also be bought for baby to rattle themselves.

I was so enchanted by this idea, that I just had to buy one. I've been wearing it religously since I received it on Thursday....here it is:

13 weeks, 2 days

Boo is now nearly 3 inches / 7 to 8 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs nearly 23 grams -- about half a banana. Unique fingerprints are already in place and if you poke my stomach gently and it's felt by Boo, then he/she will start rooting -- that is, act as if she's searching for a nipple. If Boo is a girl, she now has approximately 2 million eggs in her ovaries; she will have only a million by the time she's born. She'll have fewer eggs as she gets older, and by age 17, the number will have dropped to 200,000.

I won......

Forgot to put this on here last week......I got a call on Wed 12/9 from a store in NSW stating that I was one of the winners in a website competition that they had run. The prize was a brand new Baby Bjorn carrier worth $190.00. Very happy with my form. The entry was to do a 25 WOL (words or less, for those not in the know) as to why you wanted a Baby Bjorn carrier. My cheesy entry went something like this:

Bubs and I don't like to be apart

Baby Bjorn ensures we're heart to heart

Daily jobs are a breeze

With both my hands freed

Here's the prize - we haven't "assembled" it yet. It's the newer version of the 2nd hand one that we bought on 10/8.....

How freaky - the couple on the box bears an UNCANNY resemblance to myself and Rod!!!

Needless to say, I am now full swing into my competition entering again! I'd slackened off slightly. So, currently in the running for a trip to Canada, a trip to Fiji, a shopping spree in Melbourne, VIP tickets to Justin Timberlake in Sydney (not a fan, but a free trip is ALL GOOD), Home Theatre Package.....and the list goes on......

12 weeks, 3 days

12 weeks, 3 days and starting to stick out a bit!

Heartburn sux!

Steering clear of curries, schnitzel, yiros, tzatziki, 100% orange juice.........

Whinge whinge!

Vegemite on muffins still ALL GOOD!

Praying....

....to the Labour God for you Jade!!!! Come on Pickles......mummy's ready!!

(see link to The Ritchies on the right)

12 weeks today!!!

Whooo-hoooo ..... 12 weeks pregnant today, so first trimester has been and gone - how fast was that!!!

Belly is starting to pop out a little now - and no wonder, as acccording to all manner of books and pregnancy websites, Boo has more than doubled in size in the last fortnight! Go Boo!

I read somewhere today that Boo is now the size of a lime!!!!

Here's the lowdown on the 12th week:

Boo's face is beginning to look more human (whew!), even though he/she is only about 6cms long from crown to rump and weighs slightly less than 14 grams. The eyes, which started out on the sides of the head, have moved closer together. The ears are almost in their normal position on the side of the head. The liver is making bile and the kidneys are secreting urine in the bladder. The fetus squirms if my abdomen is prodded, although I cannot yet feel movement. Fetal nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly and synapses (neurological connections in your brain) are forming. Boo has acquired more reflexes: touching the palms makes the fingers close, touching the soles of the feet makes the toes curl down and touching the eyelids makes the eye muscles clench.

Baldric says......

"Thanks Nanna for my new teddy.....love it to bits! Makes a great pillow so that I'm on the carpet without being on the carpet (technicality!)..... Of course, I had to remove the eyes and nose buttons within 5 minutes of getting it, but now it's just perfect!"

11 weeks, 4 days

Measuring from the crown of head to rump, Boo is about 4cms and has all parts, from tooth buds to toenails. Boo is busy kicking and stretching with movements are so fluid they look like water ballet - too early for me to feel anything though. Fingers and toes have fully separated and now Boo's main task during the next six months will be to grow larger and stronger until he/she can survive on its own outside the womb. Boo now has the early components of sucking and swallowing (although not mature until 24 to 28 weeks) and the taste buds are mature enough to taste the amniotic fluid that surrounds him/her. Boo's baby's kidneys are now functioning and secreting fluid into their bladder - fluid that will soon be passed as a type of 'urine' into the amniotic fluid. This cycle of swallowing and urinating amniotic fluid continues up until birth.

PS - check out the counter - we dropped under 200 days today! yay!

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day last weekend with Rod's parents, Arthur, Dorota and Kaylis, and later on Veronica & Lucas.

Good food, sunshine and conversation was shared by all, with some great happy snaps of the day: