Smiling At Sixteen Weeks!

Today we are 16 weeks and saw our favorite guy, Dr. Sweeney. (He's even John's favorite guy, so it's ok to call him that!)

Luke is definitely a Luke! He was not cooperating at first with the showing of the parts, and in fairness to him, his mommy does have a nasty habit of airing all his goods when he shows them, so hear! hear! for his modesty! Dr. Sweeney got him to show his stuff, though, and said, "I think we're settled. It's a boy!"

To which I promptly replied, "I accept!"

He has really grown in the last two weeks! The pictures we got today were just amazing...rather, the pictures I got. John had to go back out to the boat this week, so I videotaped, but have no idea how to do much with those Flip videos yet (the software is driving me nuts when I try to trim a video so I can just have a little part to show) and he'll have to view when he gets home. That's ok, he likes to view them on his giganta-screen in the basement, so we'll save them for that. The 3-D pictures were precious! We got a couple of profile pictures, in which I was able to very clearly see his daddy...just what daddy looks like when he's sleeping! In my favorite, we got his face full-on and he was SMILING!

I've never seen one of my babies smile...and this picture was such a treat! More, he definitely has his mommy's (and grandma's and great-grandma's and big brother's) chin and I love it!

He's measuring 16w3d, so give or take a few for the fact that it's ultrasound, and he's right on target. He weighs 5 oz., which is a whole ounce and a half better than average! Woohoo! His heartbeat was 151 and he's just precious. I said he was so sweet-looking and Dr. Sweeney said, "He's beautiful, just like his brother." Yep, that's why we love Dr. Sweeney. I feel sort of bad leaving them with the goodies I did today. I tried a new recipe--cookies and cream brownies, and frankly, I wouldn't have touched the edges of those brownies with a 10-foot pole. They were HARD. Like rock-hard. I don't know if it is because of the oreos baked in or what, but ick. I told them to eat up to the edges but not bite into them because I couldn't afford a round of crowns for the staff. He gallantly (and before he actually tried them!) said they'd devour them like always. Hmph. I would not.

Anyway...

My placenta is still covering my cervix. I asked Dr. Sweeney if he'd still call me 'low-lying' or actually previa. As I (in my head these last several weeks) thought might happen, it's previa...my placenta is completely covering my cervix. I figured it was bound to happen. This was an IVF pregnancy and it's my second baby and implantation occurred about 4 months after a fairly rough emergency c-section--all risk factors for the previas and accreta. Super. Not surprising, though.

I'm not worried. I broke down on my Google ban and looked it up a bit more, and that sort of started to scare me a bit, so I stopped. Dr. Sweeney is not worried. He says it's early, there's time for it to move, and I'm heavily monitored, so unless I start bleeding (which I haven't and would IMMEDIATELY jump to the doctor's ASAP if I did), there's no concern right now.

I believe him. Dr. Sweeney loves us and loves this baby and if he's not worried, I'm not.

Seriously, I'm not. I'm very surprised by the peace I have right now.

Still no weight gain, and I actually lost a pound (back to about 97-98) but this week I've been sick still, so...didn't ever take the antibiotic because the cold took John by storm for about 2 weeks and he has the immune system of Superman. So, me and my compromised, pregnant immune system will take a bit longer. I'm feeling a bit better every day and am very glad I didn't needlessly take the antibiotic. So, again, take THAT, Madame PA.

Finding his heartbeat more and more easily on the doppler, which makes me feel much better. Honestly, I am emotionally feeling good, all things considered, including the use of that word in light of the situation. I'm looking at nursery themes, and feeling like it will be a tropical fish/aquarium theme. I want something bright and colorful and John and I looked at those themes for Matthew but the Ahoy Mate just perfectly fell into our laps.

I love this baby. I love him more and more each day. I remember telling God, "Good luck restoring my joy."

I'm not sure, but He probably laughed at me and said, "Oh yeah, watch this." Actually, I doubt He laughed...He knew my hurt. Knowing that hurt, though, He knew He'd have to do something amazing and miraculous. And along came our Luke.

Which is not to say that I feel like my heart will ever be complete again, not while a piece of it is in Heaven...but I can say that Luke brings so, so much joy into my life and my heart and I am so grateful for every second of every day. My cup runneth over.

Here are a few pictures:

Mommy and Dixie at 15w6d

Luke's profile and little hand

This picture just SCREAMS Daddy to me!

So much like Daddy!

Sweet boy smiling!! "Hotel Mommy" still has it!

Here's what's going on with the Lukester this week:

Week Sixteen: Facial expressions are possible (Not just possible, but definite! That boy is SMILING!)

You are 16 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 14 weeks) The fetus measures nearly 5 inches (12cm) from head to buttocks. The fetus weighs about 3.5 ounces (100 grams). The fetus is covered with a protective soft down to regulate its temperature. Fat begins to form underneath skin. Baby hears external voices, sleeps and dreams. Your baby has learned to breathe. This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest, inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid. These actions help the lungs to develop and grow. More developed facial muscles may lead to various expressions, such as squinting and frowning. Your baby now weighs more than their afterbirth. The baby can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault. You are showing more now and have an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. The rest of your body is still changing. A total of 5 to 10 pound (2.25 to 4.5 kg) weight gain by this point in your pregnancy is normal. The crown to rump length of your baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches (11 to 12 cm). Fetal weight has doubled in 2 weeks and is about 3.5 ounces (100g).