Wow. It's been a while since my last post. Well, I was in California all of last week (Mon-Fri). Unfortunately, the weather was not gorgeous. It was grey and gloomy, and kind of chilly. I had a conference in Newport Beach. Very pretty place. I'll post some pictures when I get around to unloading them.

Dave came out there with me, and we had a nice time together. I think he was disappointed about the weather too, but we made the most of it.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I'm not going to pretend that it was a good day, but I won't elaborate on it either. The absolute BEST thing about yesterday was loafing on the couch with Dave. For the last few weeks, I have been grabbing David's hand and putting it on my stomach..convinced that he would feel Monkey doing somersaults. Yesterday, the baby was doing a full cardio routine of jumping jacks, cartwheels, and flips. And much to my delight, Dave felt the baby. It was so fun to see his face. I could feel the baby, and then Dave felt him and looked at me startled. And we just started laughing. Danny kicked a few more times and then went back to sleep.

That was the best. A blessing in disguise. I do think it was Angela cheering me up. I think she advised her brother to give me a swift kick, hard enough for Dave to feel, and knock me to my senses...and experience the joy of David's reaction.

One more thing...today is the half-way point! I am 20-weeks...or 5-months :) 20-more weeks...and we will be delighted to meet our boy.

Perfectly Normal Little Boy!

Well, we already knew the little boy part...and we had a lot of tests done that were in his favor for being healthy...but this ultrasound was the big milestone.

Dr. Muise said he measured right on and the looks like a perfectly healthy little boy.

This was the best birthday gift for David we could have ever asked for.

Danny put on a show by strutting his stuff. The first image the ultrasound tech had when she put the wand on my belly was of his junk. She laughed and said that he certainly wasn't shy :) His heart looked great. His femurs measured right on. His head measured great. He flip flopped all over the place.

His pictures didn't turn out that well though. I was hoping to get a good profile of him to put in the frame that Gretchen gave me. I wanted his to be like Angela's profile that I have in the frame Dawn gave me. I even explained this to the tech. She tried, but he was too squirmy and kept putting his back to us or his face. The pictures that were printed came out really dark too, and not really clear. I think they needed to change the toner. I'm hoping to get another ultrasound by my sisters friend that is in ultrasound training (don't worry, it's overseen by a special ultrasound doctor). Maybe that will have a better picture? I'll take a bad picture for a healthy baby any day!

I'm off to watch Grey's Anatomy and will give more updates later.

It was a splendid day and we could not be happier!

Orange.

This baby is going to be orange. I eat more orange processed crap then a normal human should consume. This includes:

• Cheez-Its


• Cheeto's


• Cheese Curls


• Macaroni & Cheese (Stouffer's is the best!)


• Nacho Cheese sauce (on tostidos)


• Shredded cheddar on a baked potato

I'm sure you noticed that carrots were not on that list? It's disgusting...but so good.

I'm still working on the veggie consumption. Last night I made a thing of steamed veggies. What a scam the whole "medley" was. It was almost ALL cauliflower. DISGUSTING. I had to dip them in my mac and cheese just to gag them down. Dave was all over me to make sure I ate them, and was laughing at my last bite when I literally gagged (I was out of mac and cheese). It was awful.

We heard on the news last week (awesome) that if I eat veggies while pregnant, the baby will get a taste of them in the amniotic fluid and be more adept to eating them later on. GROSS. I've got to admit, that little bit of guilt helped me choke them down.

Today marks 18-weeks. What's going on in my belly this week...other then somersaults.

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin and his ears are now in position and stand out from his head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

New Clothes!

I went shopping tonight with my mom, and she treated me to a bunch of new stuff. I'm looking for pictures on-line...

I found a dress for a wedding I'm going to in July. See picture below :)

I can't find any pictures of the cute clothes that we bought at JC Penney. I found some great tops and a pair of capri's. I'll have to take some pictures of them and then post them. I think they'll come in super handy for my trip to California in a few weeks.

Then we went to Champps and I ate a huge cheeseburger and fries! YUM.

Not really helping to reduce waistline expansion...but it tasted good.

The Sea Monkey Is Swimming All Over!

I can feel our little monkey moving all the time. It started last week. I thought I felt something, but then just wasn't sure because it seemed so early. It's never been the flutters. Just this strange sensation. But I know it's Danny. It's reminiscent of last time. I didn't feel Angela until closer to the end. It took a long while. Maybe because I didn't know what I was feeling. Or because the last few weeks were so stressful between all of the tests. But this time, it's this happy little feeling. And I just know. Call me crazy. But, I can feel him a lot. Especially at work. Must be the way I sit in my chair. And at night before I fall asleep. When I lay flat on my back, it's like he's getting into position...only so I can flip on my side and screw him all up.

I just can't wait for when he's big enough, and moves a lot, and David can feel him. Sometimes I feel bad, because right now, all this physical strangeness is happening just to me. I'm looking forward to when he can feel some of the freakishness :)

Yesterday I bought a belly band, also called a "tummy tube". You wear it over your pants that don't fit so well. It allows you to wear pants just a *little* bit longer before moving into maternity pants. I bought white. It's really comfortable and I like it a lot. I wore it today over a pair of black pants today. It gives clothes the layered look. Now only if I was as cute as the girl in the picture.

So today makes 17-weeks. In six more weeks...I'll have made it past the 22w6d mark. That's when Angela was born.

What goes on at 17-weeks you ask. Let me tell you.

How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Growing Sideways!

Well, it's official. Our little monkey is growing sideways. It's kind of funny. I've always had love handles...but these are out of control! And my belly just looks kind of chubby. I don't suppose the chicken wings I just ate are helping the cause. But that is not normal to eat such crap. We were eating salads for dinner, and Dave had put buffalo sauce on his. On the back of the bottle, was a picture of hot wings. I made the mistake of telling Dave they looked good. He's been itching to get Mulligan's garlic wings for weeks! Well, that was all it took. He would pick them up after dropping some movies off at Jodi's...which is right by Mulligan's.

They were delicious:) I didn't need them though.

I looked at some pictures of other people that are 16-weeks along(http://tinyurl.com/4jqt6c), and they are huge (click ahead to week 16). I mean way pregnant. I don't look like that. Just chubby looking with bigger "girls". I would feel better if I looked like them. Then I wouldn't look like I was a puffy person.

If he wants to grow sideways then so be it. As long as he's growing. I did start adding veggies to my meals. At my last appointment, the doctor said I really should. I made mention of my bland eating habits, and she said to add more veggies.

Our next BIG appointment is our BIG structural ultrasound on May 1st. Keep us in your thoughts for this one. We're going back to Dr. Muise. This is where everything when to shit last time. Pardon my language, but it's the truth. If we can get through this appointment (on Dave's birthday), we'll have a new milestone. A great big ultrasound.

Here's what is going on this week..
How your baby's growing:At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, he'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length. His lower limbs are much more developed now. His head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved toward the front of his head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of his more advanced body systems are working, including his circulatory system and urinary tract. His heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating his total blood volume through him body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, his eyes are moving (slowly), and he's even started growing toenails.

Really Long Time

Wow. It's been a really long time between posts.

I celebrated my 30th birthday on March 28th! That was a lot of fun. We had a little get together at Marinko's Saturday the 29th that David organized and it was so great to have our families and friends there.

Last weekend, one of my best friends, Jenny, got married. I was the matron of honor, and had an absolute blast. By the time Sunday morning rolled around, I felt like I had been through a grinder and/or ran a marathon. Kind of pathetic. I was up Saturday at 6:30 AM and didn't get home until 1:30 AM. I felt like the Energizer Bunny. Every muscle in my body was sore. It was ridiculous. My shoulders hurt the most though from wearing a strapless dress. I was so afraid of slouching while standing next to Jen at the altar or in all of the pictures, and now I'm paying for it.

As for the monkey in my belly, he's doing great. I feel great, and I'm finally caught up on the lost sleep from the weekend. My mom told me to stop dancing and to sit while I was at the reception, but I ignored her and danced the night away while sucking down one water after another. It was so much fun and worth being tuckered out. I'm so jealous that Jen is in the Bahamas now.

I'm in the second trimester now. That's good. I guess that starts around week 14. Today I'm 15weeks and 1day.

I still don't have a huge appetite, but I eat. Dave likes to remind me that "the boy" needs protein. Whatever. Cheez-Its are good too. He's seems to be growing via my love handles instead of my belly. That's annoying. But hey, if he's growing, and comfortable, I'll take it.

Since we've been telling a few more people, we've received some really nice cards and emails. Lots of love is coming our way, and offers for prayers. We're taking them. Never will you hear the Shafer's turn down a prayer. That's one of the advantages of telling people. After the excitement and congratulations, people immediately tell us they'll keep us in they're prayers.

I found a really funny link on my babycenter.com website. I haven't been too diligent about adding the food comparisons, but they have a cute picture slideshow that compares all the weeks of a pregnancy to a size of a quarter. Check it out.
http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-size
This might default to the size of an apple picture, because that's how big he is this week. But, click the first picture that compares a poppy seed to a quarter. It's really a fun little illustration.

OK. I'm off to watch American Idol and put the laundry in the dryer. Fun stuff. I'll get back to posting more regularly. Our next appointment is on Thursday, so hopefully everything will continue to be fantastic.

One last thing. The week 14 information says that "His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth". How can he keep peeing in the fluid that he's growing in. I've got to ask my doctor about that. It's kind of gross, but really interesting. Did you know that?