Yay! 1/2 way there! Baby Clark continues to move more and is always kicking and or elbowing me. I absolutely love it and give a little nudge back to get him/her to do it again. He/she almost does. Eric and I had an ultrasound Friday afternoon and had lots of good news... the baby is growing perfectly and he/she is very healthy. The heartbeat is good, all of the fingers and toes are there, the limbs and body are the right length, the spine is developed, there are 4 chambers in the heart and all the parts of the brain are there. We got to see everything (and I do mean everything) since he/she was in a very good position. There was lots of measuring going on and it was like seeing a 360 degree view inside my body! The ultrasound tech even said he/she was cute! (see face below- chin pointed up and to the left, eyes, nose and mouth).
The only thing that stood out was that the baby was in the 62nd percentile. I didn't know what this meant but aparently it means he/she is bigger than normal at just under a pound- 13 ounces! Now I question how accurate these weekly updates are... our baby seems to be quite bigger! The tech said that it could just be that the baby had a growth spurt recently and thats why he/she had a belly on him/her. Eric and I had a good laugh about that and I didn't tell her I had had Christmas cookies for lunch. Thankfully, I have only gained 10 pounds (I weighed myself this morning) which is safe but on the low end for 20 weeks.
From my belly: By the end of the fifth month, our baby is about 10 inches long and weighs from 1/2 to 1 pound, about the size of a cantaloupe! Our baby's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Baby's sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Hair is beginning to grow on your baby's head, covers his or her shoulders, back, and temples. This hair protects your baby and is usually shed at the end of the baby's first week of life.
The baby had its ankles crossed (see above) so we weren't sure whether or not they were going to be able to tell us if it was a boy or a girl but he/she was positioned like a pretzel and the legs weren't closed! When the technician told us I asked her how sure she was and I wanted to see the "proof"! I asked her how they are sure and she said "I wouldn't be able to tell you if I wasn't 100%!" Then she showed us, and there was no denying it! She even printed pictures of it and put "It's a _______!!!" at the bottom. Very cute. Eric and I were a little teary and everything got a little more real. Eric told me it was what he was secretly hoping for all along.
We did decide on the names which are Ian Timothy (God is Merciful) for a boy and Addison Grace for a girl (Grace of God). Well, I better not say any more because I might give the secret away! Eric and I cannot wait to see our families and celebrate the holidays with them (and of course finally tell everyone our secret!). We have been so very blessed. Merry Christmas!
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