Belly Shot - 18 weeks, 2 days

Here's me all tizzied up for an awards dinner at the Hilton.....champagne was flowing for everyone but me... a plethora of belly rubs were received:

Catchup: 17-19 weeks

WOW, have just realised how behind I've been.....we've recently gotten a new PC at home and have had issues with setting it up, so my internet time has been less.....

So, here's a catchup of Boo's developments for the last couple of weeks - as I type this Boo is 19 weeks!


17 weeks:

Boo is now nearly 13 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs approximately 140 grams. His/her skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord. He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now and holds his/her head more erect and the body and limbs are longer in proportion to the head.

18 weeks

Vernix (a white cheese-like protective material) has formed on Boo's skin with the lanugo (soft, lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs) - both serve to protect your his/her skin during the months in water. Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs. Vocal chords are formed and Boo goes through the motions of crying but without air there is no sound. Features of your Boo's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound. Boo is now measuring about 14.2cm from head to rump this week and weighs about 190gm.

19 weeks

Boo has the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. He/she has a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.
Throughout Boo's body, nerves are being coated with a fatty substance called myelin, which insulates the nerves so that impulses can flow smoothly. Scalp hair becomes apparent this week. It has sprouted and continues to grow. The milk teeth buds have already developed and over the next few days the buds for the permanent teeth will begin to form behind the milk teeth. If Boo is female the uterus starts to develop. If Boo is a boy, the genitals are distinct and recognizable.
He/she is swallowing amniotic fluid and his or her kidneys are making urine. Size is around 15.3cm from head to rump (mum - thats more than half a ruler) and weights 240gm.

16 weeks, 4 days

Boo is now about the size of an avocado (about 11.6 cm long from crown to rump and weighing approximately 100 grams). In the next three weeks he/she will go through an tremendous growth spurt, doubling weight and adding inches to length.

In or out of the womb, babies are playful creatures. Boo has probably already discovered their first toy -- the umbilical cord -- which he/she will enjoy pulling and grabbing. Sometimes it may even be clutched so tight that less oxygen gets through, but don't worry -- it won't be held onto long enough to harm him/herself.

The circulatory system and urinary tract are in full working order, and Boo's inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid through his/her lungs.

Who knew....

....I'd get so excited by a couple of tallboys!?!?!!


A girl at work is moving to Sydney and selling off some bits and pieces. I jumped at the chance to buy these 2 tallboys (total $80!!) for the nursery.


I spent an hour in there tonight putting all wondersuits, singlets, beanies, mittens, booties, nappies, blankets and breastpads (!!) in the drawers.


I look forward to rearranging multiple times between now and March....as all sizes are currently mixed up (oh the humanity) and there is no colour coordination going on yet (seriously not OC).

15 weeks, 5 days

My tiny tenant is frequently getting the hiccups, which babies master before breathing. Babies don't make any sound because their trachea is filled with fluid rather than air. Boo is now weighing in at around only 70 grams and measures nearly 11 centimetres long, crown to rump. Legs are growing longer than the arms now, fingernails are fully formed and all the joints and limbs can move. External genitals should be developed enough that an ultrasound technician can tell you if you're going to have a boy or a girl - - so fingers crossed that Boo will have his/her legs open for this Friday's scan!

More prizes to be had.....

I found out today that I won 2 x comps......

* double pass to the Adelaide premier of "Death at a Funeral"
* 1 hour pregnancy massage

Hopefully win #3 for the week will be $30 million in Powerball on Thursday night.

Whoo hooo.....

Flinders Ranges

Just returned from spending our October long weekend in the Flinders Ranges. Here's some happy snaps from our bushwalking adventures:


We weren't even at Wilpena Pound yet....this stop-off along the way was about a 45min round trek to see some Aboriginal Cave Paintings:


Of course, Rod found "Stimpy".....or was it "Stumpy"?

Ami did tell us it was boring, but we honestly thought they'd be at least a few more solar panels.....there's half an hour we'll never get back:

We had to "give way" to this emu crossing the road:

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......