Quickening

According to Wikipedia, quickening refers to the initial motion of the fetus in the uterus as it is perceived or felt by the pregnant woman. The first natural sensation of quickening may feel like a light tapping, or the fluttering of a butterfly. These sensations eventually become stronger and more regular as the pregnancy progresses. Sometimes, the first movements are misattributed to gas or hunger pangs. A woman pregnant for the first time typically feels fetal movements at about 20-21 weeks.

I recognized what I thought might be baby movement for the first time on Sunday afternoon at 19 weeks and 6 days. It wasn't a flutter or light tapping, or bubbles, tickling or anything else gentle like I had read about. It was a full out kick on a full bladder. I definitely noticed it. But there was only one solid hit, so I couldn't convince myself it was movement from the baby since I expected there to be a series of movements.

I went to work early on Thursday morning and so treated myself to some ice coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on the ride in for my 7 am start. I asked for decaf iced coffee, but by the time I got most of the way through my coffee, it became clear I got regular coffee. I had given up caffeinated drinks for pregnancy, so it's been a while since I had a drink with caffeine in it. And even when I was drinking caffeinated beverages, one a day was about my limit.

So not only was I jittery, but apparently the baby was jittery too! I was trying to do a presentation and a hands on learning demonstration all the while I could feel the baby thumping away low in my abdomen. And after taking a nap just before lunch, I had an hour or more of movement after lunch time too. I felt a little more motion about the time I was winding down to go to bed last night also.

Other than a stray bump or thump here and there, I haven't felt much today.

I won't be getting anything from Dunkin' Donuts for the rest of the pregnancy.

3000

When I checked the blog counter early this morning before work, I had 2999 visitors. Some time today while I was at work, the site had its 3000th visitor. And even if you figure my Mom may check the blog every day, that's still 2635 other hits from people who thought I might have something interesting to say too. And next month will be the one year anniversary of the blog.

Meeting Half Way

Kimi and I split the drive exactly half way and met up for Saturday afternoon in West Lebanon. We had a lovely lunch at Lui Lui's at the PowerHouse Mall. Lui Lui's specializes in brick oven pizza and authentic Tuscan Italian cuisine. They bottle their own olive oil for dipping and it may very well be the best dipping oil I've ever had since it is full of flavor, including garlic. For lunch, I had their lasagna with layers of ricotta, romano and mozzarella cheese and covered with meat sauce. It was just the right size for lunch. And Kimi and I shared a piece of caramel cheese cake.

We walked around the PowerHouse Mall and leisurely checked out some of the shops. In Ellistar, a children's boutique, I ended up buying a little Boston Terrier bean bag type stuffed animal. It has really soft plush fur and is small enough for a little one to play with, plus it looked like our babies at home. The same store had a bunch of cute outfits, but there wasn't much neutral. You had to know you were having a boy or a girl, which our child has not cooperated with that yet. So I didn't buy any outfits. There was the cutest pair of little light turquoise blue Keen sandals that I would have purchased if I even remotely knew what size shoe our kiddo would wear next summer. I think that color could have gone boy or girl.

Kimi brought with her to West Lebanon the cross stitched picture she made for our wedding. It's all framed now and looks beautiful. It will reside in our bedroom for a little while until we get the living room refinished.

The Fisher Cats Game Was A Wet One

We had tickets to the Fisher Cats game on Friday night, but the sky looked ominous and scattered thunder storms were predicted. So, we decided not to take our chances at the game and instead went out to dinner with Denise and Shawn instead. It was a wise choice since the game didn't get canceled, but it did have over an hour rain delay right in the middle. It didn't sound like a pleasant time. And then the Fisher Cats got slaughtered.

I haven't been to the India Palace Restaurant on South Willow Street in Manchester in a long time. In fact, I think it was well before they had the small fire there and had to repair that. And of course, this baby loves anything spicy just so I will have heartburn, so India Palace hit the spot. I had the Non-Vegetarian Thali combination meal. It's a traditional Indian meal served in a silver platter with Lamb Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken, Dal, Rice, Raita, Naan bread, and Kheer for dessert. I brought home left overs and had a little for breakfast on Saturday morning and I finished it for dinner the same day. I love the smell of the spices of Indian food. The India Palace always has something a little spicy and tasty that seems unique to me since I rarely get it. I did order my meal with only medium spice this time and I didn't end up with any heartburn.

After dinner, Michael and I took a quick stop at Babies R Us in Manchester. That's when the hard rain kicked in. We heard one really loud thunder clap that sounded like an explosion and set alarms off on the Babies R Us building and cars in the parking lot. We didn't buy anything at Babies R Us, just did some more looking around. Saw lots of cute clothes, but we are still waiting until to see if we will find out if we are having a boy or girl for sure.

We're Getting Another Chance

Michael and I will get another chance to find out the gender of the baby. My obstetrician called on Wednesday evening and said he had a chance to review the ultrasound results from Monday himself. He was not happy with the clarity of the ultrasound and felt that the ultrasound technician didn't get a great view of some of the baby parts, especially of the heart and spine. I think those are pretty important baby parts. He didn't indicate there were any problems, just that he wanted clearer photos to make sure there still weren't any problems with good views. So, we have a second ultrasound scheduled for Friday morning, August 29th. Let's hope the baby cooperates better this time. This means there will probably be more ultrasound photos posted soon.

IT'S A...

...normally gestating baby. Michael and I went to an ultrasound today that took 45 minutes (on a full bladder, I might add) to look at all of the baby parts and measure them. Our little crumb is 11 ounces now. Michael got a good view of most of the scan from his vantage point in the dark room. The baby's arms are longer now, so Mike could see that it moved the hands over the face quite a bit. It wasn't until the end that the sonographer tilted the screen to show me some of views. We are very pleased that our baby is right on track with the original due date and the growth in all of the body parts is equal, which is a good sign that nothing chromosomal is wrong. It is so reassuring to know that everything seems healthy and well developed so far.

The sonographer thought she saw a little boy, and showed us the snapshot she took with evidence of a boy. But she wasn't able to get a second glimpse as confirmation, so she said she wouldn't paint the room blue yet. We were hoping to know for sure if it would be a boy or a girl, but I guess healthy really is the important thing. We will just have to wait longer to find out if our household is going to be 3 girls and 2 boys, or 3 boys and Miss Elleigh May and Mommy. I had hoped to go and buy something gender specific for the baby today after the ultrasound, but I didn't end up getting anything. It just wasn't as fun thinking I might end up having to return what I was buying.

I have completed 19 full weeks of pregnancy today and as of this coming Sunday, I will be half way through the pregnancy, assuming I deliver on my due date of January 5th.

Pregnancy Dream

I had my first baby delivery dream, that I remember, very early this morning. And in the dream I had a boy. This is in direct opposition with Nana Doaner's prediction. I hope that the ultrasound on August 11th conclusively shows a healthy baby, as well as gives us a good glimpse of the baby's gender. Don't forget to vote on my poll as to whether you think we are having a boy or a girl. The poll will be open until the day before the next ultrasound.

Angora Baby Booties

I finished a pair of angora baby booties last night for little baby Abberton. They should be warm for our new arrival in the dead of January. My fingers get really warm when I put them inside the cuffs. They are a newborn size, so will only fit for a few weeks, if we are lucky. And they are completely hand wash only because of the angora, so that's impractical. But no better time than infancy to instill an appreciation for the fiber arts.

Lucas is 11 months old

Our boy is 11 months old now. Lucas will celebrate his first birthday on September 2nd. It is likely his frame has reached full height. He is a little taller than Elleigh, but he may still bulk out in the chest, face and neck. He is a snugly boy. For his birthday, Lucas wants some more fleece toys from Schnoodleware. (Mommy has already made a birthday order.) They seem to be his favorite, but he eventually shreds them and they have to be thrown away when he gets them all stringy. He also wants some more chicken poppers for his birthday, and a bag of big boy dog food. Oh... and anything with a tag he can chew off. Hopefully this means some of his puppy energy will start to mellow out as he approaches his first birthday.