In general, we’ve been doing great. Little Bit is moving a lot more now, and the kicking has really become more forceful as of late. I don’t think it will be too long before Maurice will be able to feel him/her beating me up from the outside! We did give it a good shot the other night, though Maurice thinks it’s barbaric when I shake my belly to get Little Bit to kick and move. I guess I won’t be doing that anymore, though Danielle does suggest a cold can of soda will also do the trick *evil grin*.

Today I have the 19 week heartbeat sound clip ready for everyone to enjoy. Next week will be our last one, as we will be returning the doppler back to BabyBeat.com. Little Bit is moving around too much for us to get good clips anyway. I have to sit still and not breathe in order for the doppler to pick up him/her very well.

Sometimes it’s easier to just post these files here rather than spamming family with the massive sound file through email. Plus, everyone who reads gets to enjoy the sound clip. This sound clip below is of the baby at 18 weeks. It’s a really strong heartbeat! We really enjoy listening on the doppler we rented. Plus, it keeps me from freaking out at least until I can feel the baby moving regularly. Please note that the picture isn’t really a picture of the baby right now. It’s from the NT Scan we had at 13 weeks.

Heartbeat at 18 weeks:

And since we’re so so horribly lazy, here’s the 17 week heartbeat sound clip for family that missed it last week:

To my darling child,

Mommy and Daddy love you very much, but here are just some *(pointers)-> for you to keep in mind for the next four months:

1. Contrary to popular fetal opinion: Mommy’s bladder is not a trampoline.
2. Daddy doesn’t enjoy going out late on a Sunday to pick up tomatoes. We’ll get them tomorrow!
3. Though chocolate is indeed tasty, eating an entire basket of leftover Christmas candy was not in the “What to Expect When Expecting” pregnancy manual.
4. Minsc does not intend to suffocate you. Boo does not want to release himself on your crib. And Nimue is not going to slash your throat when she meets you.
5. Mommy wants to sleep past 10 am on weekends while she can.
6. Daddy doesn’t like it when Mommy rolls over at 3am and pokes him in the back while trying to find a comfortable position.

And finally, keep growing strong (though, we should lay off the chocolate for a while…)!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

So I’m sitting at my desk at work Thursday (2/7/08) evening (5:30pm) getting prepped for the long haul of working until 9 or 10pm on Warhammer while talking with a coworker and what do you know… I felt tapping. At first I shrugged it off. “It’s way too early to feel anything,” I’d think, then it happened again. AND AGAIN! So I finally interrupted my coworker and said that I think the baby just said hello. His wife recently had their first baby, so he asked what it was I felt. I said it felt like someone was tapping me from the inside, or better yet, that someone decided to put a bag of popcorn in there and put me on High for 4-5 minutes.

It’s a very odd sensation really. One part of you wants to shrug it off as a really bad case of gas, while the other part instinctually knows what the odd little thumping is. I knew what to look out for. I have plenty of family and friends who have had kids recently to know what I should feel, so there is no doubt in my mind that the baby is quite active. In fact, as I write this, the baby is thanking me for the tasty meal from Ruby Tuesday’s (which, oddly enough, is quite healthy these days…).

On a humorous note, the best part about telling my coworkers (mostly men) is the reactions I get:

1. “WOW… what’s it feel like?”
2. “Isn’t that going to bruise you?”
3. “CAN I FEEL?”

They’re the cute reactions, all welcomed. When people ask what it feels like I simply tell them it’s like someone’s tickling your forearm very lightly with just his/her fingertips. The best part is that sometimes the baby is so active in there around 5pm that I get a little ticklish from it and have to scratch at my belly, which I think is egging the kid on to do more somersaults!

Grandma Evy and Grandpa Ed were really sweet and sent the baby a great little t-shirt! I nearly cried when I opened it up, because it was actually the first little thing I had received for the baby from anyone. Maurice is being stubborn and not letting us buy anything until after our 20 week ultrasound, but I suppose that makes sense. I mean, what to buy? We don’t know if it’s a girl or boy and it’s too soon to worry about shopping for the essentials anyway! Below is a picture of the little Texan shirt:

Unfortunately, I must also provide the obligatory 16-week belly shot. Note the fact that I am looking like I am 20-weeks. Thanks for the short waist Mom! If you think this is bad, you should have seen the entire thing. I can still slip into my size 6 jeans (just no zippage), but I never realized my butt stuck out that much. I’m going to look so horrible when I’m in my last month… god bless my elliptical machine!