Little Underwood, Big Harte

Latest appointment - check Anatomy scan - check Seeing the baby move all around - check 18 weeks We were excited to have our appointment Wednesday afternoon to see the high-risk doctor and get our anatomy scan. They took so many pictures of the baby and did all kinds of measurements. The baby's size is right on target, the heart rate was good to go at 150 and all necessary parts are present and accounted for! We did make it through without finding out the gender- eeks! We have another appointment with them in eight weeks to measure the growth between now and then. They can't see blood clots with the ultrasound, but if the growth doesn't stay on track they can sense a potential problem. Before that, we see our regular doctor in just a few weeks. 18 weeks tiny feet As for Mom, I'm feeling pretty good. The belly is slowing expanding and I'm dealing with some back pain already, but nothing too major at this point. We're excited to keep moving forward...

Here are a few more pictures from Mom and Dad's visit and Andrew's last week in Florida. They visited the Naval Air Station Museum one morning while Stefan and I were at work. Unfortunately it rained that morning so they weren't able to see the planes fly, but they had a good time checking out the museum. Enjoy!  Dad in a Blue Angels plane Dad and Andrew Andrew as a pilot Andrew and Mom flying together. Andrew and Dad take a turn. Mom and Dad at the museum Mom is intrigued! I think Andrew likes being a pilot. The Hartes at the beach in Seaside. Our beach looks better than this at the moment, but it was a nice spot to visit. The town is very quint and cute. Mom and Dad Stefan, Mal and baby bump week 16 1/2 The only pic of all of us during the visit. Seaside Beach.

We were so thankful Mom and Dad could make it down for their trip despite the threat of Hurricane Isaac. We had such a great two weeks spending time together, going out for a few dinners, talking about the baby, doing a little site seeing and checking a few things off the to-do list.  I have to say thanks again for spoiling me/us while you were here and for making the trip to spend time with us. They helped out so much around the house and it was so nice to have my family here! Dad and Andrew left on Monday and did the road trip back in two days, so they got home Tuesday afternoon. An uneventful trip thank goodness! Mom was a worker bee and spent her last two days helping me move all the stuff from the soon-to-be nursery closet and clean some baby gear we got from a neighbor's garage sale. (We don't have basements here because we are so close to sea level so my spare bedroom closets have to do the trick, not ideal.) Plus she cleaned most of my house - all while I sat...

We had our 16-week appointment this morning (although we don't hit 16-weeks until tomorrow). We got to hear the heartbeat again to confirm all is still good on the inside. The little one was in the 150s, a perfect spot to be at right now. The babe was squirming a bit so we followed it around to listen in. That sounds is so awesome! Following the trend I've set of not having a "normal" pregnancy now we've added hypertension to the mix. The 24-hour urine test came back in the normal range, so we'll have this to compare to later on if the blood pressure continues to increase later on in the pregnancy. This isn't me being stressed out and anxiety-ridden, although at times it feels that way, but likely just my body adjusting to the changes. Whew! I did have them retake the pressure after the appointment and it was amazing how much it came down after I knew everything was still okay, but it is still slightly above normal and has been for the last three appoint...