Daddy has been working hard

Work has been crazy for Herlie lately. Lots of long days and nights as evidenced by his collection of Wawa coffee cups... and that's only when he runs out of homemade coffee. Poor Daddy!

Week 26

Your baby is the size of an Eggplant                         

Your baby measures around 14 inches (35.6 cm) long from head to heel. At this point your baby weighs a little less than 2 pounds (907.2 grams).

Your baby’s eyes have completely formed and will open soon and he or she will begin to blink. Your baby will be able to distinguish between light and dark from inside your uterus.

Your baby’s oil and sweat glands are also functional. He or she can still respond to noise and has grown accustomed to the sounds of your heartbeat, digestion, and other bodily functions, as well as your voice. Your baby can even move in rhythm to music.

Your baby will also continue to gain body fat and develop its blood vessels. His or her veins are still visible through the skin right now, but the skin is quickly becoming opaque.

You should also have been able to hear your baby’s heartbeat at visits to your doctor (we have been able to hear the heartbeat each visit and my acupuncturist says the baby has a strong heartbeat based on our pulses). Your partner may even be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat by putting his or her head on your belly (he can feel and hear the heartbeat). Don’t worry if you hear a skipped beat. This is called an arrhythmia; it occurs often as the heart is developing.

Week 25 - I believe I am about 6 months along now or so

Sometimes I get confused converting between weeks and months but I think I am officially entering the final trimester this week. I feel lots more movement and even some kicks. If I have on a tighter fitting shirt you can actually see my belly move.

Your baby is the size of a Zucchini

Your baby measures about 13.6 inches (34.6 cm) long from head to heel. At this point, your baby weighs around 1 and 1/2 pounds (680.4 grams).

Your baby’s spine is beginning to form its structures as the blood vessels of the lungs start developing. Some small blood vessels are starting to form beneath your baby’s skin. As these blood vessels begin to fill with blood, the baby’s skin will take on a pink appearance.

Your baby also has fully formed fingerprints, its bones continue to harden and its nostrils are starting to open. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

July is the time for a nice ear of corn...

Week 24
I have mixed feelings about this baby size comparison to fruits and veggies since we seem to be going round then long then round, back to long again. This week however, they say the baby is about the size of an ear of corn, an image I can definitely relate to in the month of July.



Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Week 23...exclusive photos of pomegranate-sized baby revealed

Your baby is the size of a Pomegranate                                             

Your baby measures around 11.4 inches (28.9 cm) long from head to heel and weighs almost 1 pound (453.6 grams). Actually, today they estimated our baby to weigh 1 pound 5 oz.

Your baby continues to accumulate fat and drink in amniotic fluid (we think we saw baby "chewing" amniotic fluid during the ultrasound today). His or her sense of taste is maturing, along with other senses such as touch and hearing. The baby’s lanugo (hair that covers its body) is growing darker and its fingernails are also almost fully formed.

Over the next few weeks, your baby will gain significant weight and will almost double in size. The ears are also starting to develop as the three main bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) are hardening. This means the baby can listen to sounds but the brain is still developing rapidly.

Your baby’s important organs are also developing quickly. The pancreas, which helps produce insulin, is maturing, and your baby now has sweat glands. Today we got to view all 4 chambers of the baby's heart, and our tech said his/her heart was "beautiful". She measured it beating approximately 145 beats per minute.

Your baby will also be moving around a lot during this time, so the kicks and punches you felt before will continue. We watched the baby at the end of our ultrasound showing off and playing with his/her toes above his/her head. At this point, you might even be able to feel the movements from outside your belly! I started feeling movement and kicks a couple of weeks ago... 

Exclusive paparazzi photos of Baby Velez

Top picture - baby's right foot
Bottom - baby's hand and fingers

We're selling all we can to raise money to afford more paparazzi photos...stay tuned!!

Feeling lots of little kicks in week 22

      Your baby is the size of a Papaya

Your baby measures about 10.9 inches (27.8 cm) long from head to heel. At this point, your baby weighs about 12.25 ounces (347.3 grams).

Your baby is developing the senses it will use in the outside world. Taste buds have started to form on the tongue. The baby's brain and the nerve endings are also developed enough so that the baby has a sense of touch. Your baby may begin testing its sense of touch by touching its face or sucking its thumb.

Your baby’s reproductive system is developing. In boys, the testes have begun to drop from the abdomen, while in girls, the uterus and ovaries are in place and the vagina has developed.

You may notice your baby kicking and turning as well. His or her heartbeat can also be heard with a stethoscope. 

Week 21 - Baby Velez is the new orange since s/he's the size of a carrot

Your baby is the size of a Carrot                                    

From this week on, your baby will likely be measured from head to heel instead of crown to rump. Your baby should measure around 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) long from head to heel. At this point, your baby weighs around 10.5 ounces (297.7 grams).

Your baby’s digestive system has developed enough to start absorbing water and small amounts of sugar from the amniotic fluid that it swallows. Most of the baby’s nourishment, however, still comes through the placenta.

Your baby’s bone marrow has also developed enough to contribute to blood cell formation. Your baby’s liver and spleen have been responsible for creating blood cells until now. The liver will stop producing blood cells a few weeks before birth, while the spleen stops producing blood cells around week 30.

Your baby is also developing visible eyebrows, eyelashes and hair on his or her scalp.

Hangin' out blowin' bubbles

We had our 20 week ultra-sound today and received this great pic of baby floating while blowing bubbles. Well, that's what it looks like but I think it's actually his/her arm and fingers. Everything looked good that we could see but baby was moving around so much that we couldn't get a look at all parts of the heart. Therefore we are going to be scheduled for a more comprehensive ultra-sound with a more detailed view of all baby parts. We may have more pictures after that.

If you read the Week 20 blog post from Thursday, the baby is estimated to be about 9 oz. and a few days later between 11-12 oz. However, today, when they estimated the size/weight of our baby s/he weighs approximately 15 oz. Nothing to worry about, we hope, but clearly s/he is growing well. Very exciting!

Halfway there - week 20

Your baby is the size of a Banana

Your baby now measures about 6 to 6.3 inches (15.2 to 15.9 cm) long from crown to rump, and weighs approximately 9 ounces (255.1 grams). Though your baby is still small, it has grown tremendously from that first dividing cell.

Under the vernix caseosa (the waxy, protective coating), your baby’s skin is thickening and starting to form two layers, the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (deeper layer). Your baby’s hair and nails are also continuing to grow.

Your baby’s movements should become stronger and stronger as the bones continue to harden. You should be able to feel fluttering or quickening quite regularly now. In fact, from the movements, you should be able to know if the baby is sleeping or awake. This has definitely started to happen more frequently this week!!

Nursery Ideas...

In case you are curious, here are some of the ideas we've been entertaining for the nursery. We have deep blue walls and we want to do something with a celestial theme - sun, clouds, moon, stars. Here are some pictures to give you a flavor.



           




I broke down and started a Pinterest account to keep all of the ideas in one place. If you are interested in seeing more, you can take a look here: http://www.pinterest.com/funkvelez/nursery-ideas/

Week 19 - Dream, dream dream baby finally gets to sleep

Your baby is the size of a Mango

Your baby measures about 5.5 to 6 inches (13.4 to 15.2 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point your baby weighs about 7 ounces (198.4 grams).

Your baby is covered in vernix caseosa, a thick, white, waxy substance that protects your baby’s fragile skin from becoming chapped or scratched.

Your baby’s permanent teeth buds are also forming behind the already formed milk teeth buds.

If your baby is a girl, her ovaries also contain primitive egg cells. Girls are born with all the eggs that they will have in their life. If the baby is a boy, the prostate will begin developing.

Your baby will also start developing more brown fat around the neck, chest and groin area. This will keep your baby warm when he or she is born.

Your baby also might start sleeping this week. Babies can find a “favorite” position. Usually, babies will have their chin tucked into the chest. Most babies can even dream when they reach the REM stage of sleep!

Week 18 - no longer anonymous baby has prints

Your baby is the size of a Bell Pepper 

Your baby measures 5 to 5.8 inches (12.7 to 14.6 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point, your baby weighs about 5.3 ounces (148.8 grams).

Your baby’s ears are approaching their final position. Your baby’s eyes are also beginning to face forward and the retinas may be able to detect light.

Your baby’s bones will continue to harden and the pads for his of her fingers and toes will form. They will gain the characteristic swirls and creases that form finger and toe prints.

The meconium (early fecal waste matter) will start to collect in the baby’s intestines. The baby’s heart is starting to build up muscle and pump about 25 to 30 quarts of blood a day.

Week 17

Your baby is the size of an Onion

Your baby measures about 4.5 to 5 inches (11.4 to 12.7 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point your baby weighs about 3.5 ounces (99.2 grams).

The placenta, which nourishes the fetus with nutrients and oxygen and removes waste, is growing to accommodate your baby. It now contains thousands of blood vessels that bring nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby's developing body.

Your baby starts to form fat under its skin this week. This fat is important in generating heat and maintaining a steady metabolism. At birth, 2 to 6 percent of your baby’s weight will be fat. This will help your baby maintain a steady body temperature outside the womb.

The baby’s movements are becoming stronger and more frequent. Loud noises outside the uterus may also startle the baby.

Ooh La La.... baby visits Paris

Pictured are Kelli and I in the stands on court number 17 at Roland Garros during the French Open. For years Kelli has wanted to catch up to me in attending the tennis majors super tournaments and boy was the timing perfect for this year. Not sure when we'll do the Australian Open but with the baby soon joining our brood, it will be some time before we haul a child to a trip or an event this grand. So by our count, the baby will only be 1 major tournament behind mommy and daddy after the US Open this year.

Week 16 - Smiley face

Your baby is the size of an Avocado Your baby now measures about 4.3 to 4.7 inches (10.9 to 11.9 cm) long from crown to rump, and weighs 2.75 ounces (78 grams). Your baby is growing fast, and your weight is likely increasing as a result. Your baby’s muscles are now developing to the point that your baby can hold its head erect, in a straight line, and its facial muscles can display a variety of expressions. Your baby’s nails are well formed and he or she is emptying out its bladder every 40 to 45 minutes. Your baby is also covered in lanugo and his or her ears have moved from the neck to the head. Depending on the baby’s position, your doctor may be able to determine your baby’s sex on an ultrasound scan. For some parents, this is one of the most exciting moments of pregnancy.

Week 15 - Daddy loves apples

Your baby is the size of an Apple Your baby measures about 4 inches (10.2 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point, your baby weighs about 1.75 ounces (50 grams). The speed of your baby’s growth over the next few months is picking up. Your baby’s skin has developed but is so thin and translucent that you can see through to its blood vessels. The skeletal and muscular systems continue to develop as your baby slowly becomes more active. His or her bones harden and retain calcium. Some fine hairs, or lanugo, are also developing all over your baby’s face. This hair will eventually cover your entire baby and will be shed before birth. If you’ve been pregnant before, you may feel your baby start moving at this time. If this is your first pregnancy, it will probably be another few weeks before you feel any movement.

Week 14

Your baby is the size of a Nectarine...

Your baby measures about 3.5 to 4 inches (8.9 to 10.2 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point your baby weighs about 1-1.5 ounces (28.4 grams).

Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck his or her thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, your baby's facial muscles are getting a workout as tiny features form one expression after another. 

The baby has also started secreting hormones of its own from its matured thyroid gland. Its body systems are also starting to work on their own. The digestive system is practicing moving food through the intestines while the renal system is creating and eliminating urine.

Your baby also continues to practice breathing the amniotic fluid through its lungs. In addition, he or she has developed soft nails on its fingers and toes. Your baby’s blood is also starting to form in its bone marrow and blood vessels. Its hands continue to develop as well and are becoming more functional.

As the eyes and ears continue to move into place, the baby’s mouth has gone through major development. The sucking muscles are growing strong and the salivary glands are almost fully developed. The esophagus, windpipe and larynx should all be present by the end of this week.

Cravings...

Right now I find myself stopping each morning on my way to work to buy Wawa chocolate milk. Even though my stomach is still a little queasy and breakfast foods are questionable, right now we want chocolate milk. And watermelon! Hmmm...

What were some of the foods you Moms out there craved during your pregnancies?

                                  

Yeah Ushering in the Second Trimester

Your baby is the size of a Tangerine

Your baby measures approximately 2.5 to 3 inches (6.4 to 7.6 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point, your baby weighs between 0.5 and 0.8 ounces (14.2 and 21.3 grams). The placenta and your baby also weigh the same now. Your baby’s vital systems are all fully developed and your baby will now concentrate on growing as much as 1 inch per week.

Your baby is developing significantly. One thing that is apparent is the slowdown in the growth of your baby’s head as its body catches up. Your baby’s face is also starting to look more human — its eyes are beginning to move closer together while its ears are moving to their normal positions.

Internally, your baby’s intestines are migrating into its abdomen. The intestines are also beginning to form villi, which aid in absorption and digestion. The liver also begins to secrete bile; the pancreas starts to secrete insulin. Your baby is practicing swallowing as it continues to take in amniotic fluid and pass it out as urine.

While your baby may have a thumb in his or her mouth, practicing for nursing, its sucking muscles are not fully developed yet. All 20 teeth have also formed and are hidden under the gums. Your baby can also smile and its vocal cords are rapidly developing.

Final week of first trimester...

Your baby is the size of a Lime

Your baby is now approximately 2.5 to 2.8 inches (6.4 to 7 cm) long from crown to rump. At this point, your baby should weigh about 0.3 to 0.5 ounces (8.5 to 14.2 grams).

At week 12, your baby is fully formed. Though its brain and organs will continue to grow and develop, it has all the necessary pieces. However, it wouldn’t be able to survive outside of the womb yet. Your baby’s brain will continue to grow from this point on but will maintain its current shape. The pituitary gland, located at the base of your baby's brain, is also beginning to produce hormones this week.

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close. His or her mouth will make sucking movements. Toes will curl, and eye muscles will clench. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously.

Your baby has also started developing nerves and a spinal cord which allows him or her to feel some types of pain. Fingers and toes have separated and hair and nails are starting to form.

Your baby’s vocal cords also form this week. In addition, the kidneys begin to function as the baby starts swallowing amniotic fluid and passing it out as urine. Your baby’s digestive tract is also strengthening.

Most importantly, your baby’s heart is beginning to pump several quarts of blood daily. This can be heard with the aid of a doppler (a special listening device). The heartbeat will be very fast, like the clicking of horse hooves.

The external genitalia have also developed and will begin showing signs of either the male or female sex. Though your health care provider may guess the gender, there is still a lot of uncertainty.

Home stretch of the first trimester - week 11

Your baby is now almost fully formed! At just over 1 1/2 inches long, he or she is about the size of a fig. Your baby's hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under the gums, and some of the bones are beginning to harden. He or she is already busy kicking and stretching, and these tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. Movements will become more frequent as your baby grows, but you won't feel the acrobatics for another few months. You also won't notice your baby's hiccupping, which may be happening now that his or her diaphragm is forming. http://www.babycenter.com/my-pregnancy-today-app

Hoping for a smooth transition...

Well, it is officially official, I have been released from IVF NJ and am ready to find my very own Ob/Gyn group. I had a practice picked out that was recommended to me by a few friends and work colleagues. I was happy to use this practice because they were supposed to have midwives on staff. However, yesterday I found out that the 1, and only 1, midwife on staff no longer participates in births. Hmmmff. Well there goes that well-intentioned plan. I did a search in my area of practices that had midwives on staff. The closest I came is a practice in the Princeton area. This practice, the Delaware Valley OB/GYN & Infertility Group, P.C. has as an ancillary practice a core group of midwives that are part of the Princeton Midwifery Care. Why a midwife? you might ask. Besides the fact that care and delivery by a midwife was recommended by my big sis, it is also important to me to try to honor my core beliefs and values as much as possible during my pregnancy and the delivery of our baby. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this approach,  "midwifery offers an alternative model for maternal care and childbirth.  Midwifery care is more woman and family centered, more natural and less interventive than traditional obstetrical care for those who prefer a more holistic approach to pregnancy care." I have my first appointment on Tuesday next week. I will let you know how it goes.

Need some room....

Some head room that is.  The noggin seems to be accounting for half the baby's size.  Holy uterus Kelli, here he/she comes.  It could mean we may have a brainiac in our midst (actually Kelli's midst) or someone who will do well in soccer.  Regardless, we'll love that baby's head no matter how small or big it is.  Yes, I do know this is typical for a baby at this stage but just seeing the size, it is just too hard not to comment.  Now to more important facts, the baby is on track with its size and heartbeat.  We also found out yesterday that we no longer will need to go back to the office.  So this likely will be the last picture that we'll see in a long while.  We will however continue to update this space.

We are a quarter of the way there, and here's where we're at...

Although barely the size of a kumquat or a cocktail shrimp – a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom – and weighing in at less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby now has completed the most critical portion of development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in your baby's body rapidly grow and mature. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. Your baby is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs – including the kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) – are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His or her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over the heart, and your baby's feet may be long enough to meet in front of the body. The outline of your baby's spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from the spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his or her developing brain and sits very high on the head, which measures half the length of his or her body. From crown to rump, your baby is about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size – to nearly 3 inches. http://www.babycenter.com/my-pregnancy-today-app

Who doesn't like Gummy Bears!

So today was an awesome day.  We saw our baby dancing the jitterbug.  I don't know how else to explain what we both witnessed.  It was like the baby was giving us jazz hands and feet while moving its body side to side.  Seriously it might have been the best dance moves I've ever seen.  Patrice, our ultrasound specialist, said this is what they call the gummy bear stage.  The baby measured 2.97cm (a little over an inch) and we got to see the 2 halves of the brain forming, the development of the spinal cord and the umbilical cord. Patrice as always showed us the very strong heartbeat and she pointed out the baby's chin on 2 different occasions.

Looking like a real baby this week...

Your baby now measures about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long from crown to rump. He or she is as big as a cherry or grape.

Overall, your baby is starting look more human now that the embryonic tail at the end of its spinal cord is nearly gone. All of the baby’s joints are working. It can make a fist and may even begin to suck its own thumb. And it’s starting to grow 10 tiny toes.

Gonads have become testes (for boys) or ovaries (for girls). Your baby’s digestive system also continues to develop. Its anus is forming and its intestines are growing longer.

The skeleton may begin ossifying as the bones form cartilage. Your baby has also started taking its first few drinks from amniotic fluid.

Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form – as do his or her tiny teeth. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The eyes are fully formed, but the eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks.

Your baby has tiny earlobes, and the mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, he or she is poised for rapid weight gain.

Thank you Dr. Darder

Today's picture is brought to you by Dr. Darder, one of the two founding members of the practice. Unfortunately the picture seen here is not as clear as the view we witnessed 30 seconds earlier.  At that point in time we could completely see some specific areas of interest like the head, hands and feet or at least what looked like a good representation of those parts.  As you can imagine by looking at the picture below, the top portion of the X axis is where the head is and just below towards the middle are two bulging areas that we saw earlier that appeared to be hands.  I'm still dumbfounded and mesmerized by what is going on in this little world(below) and complete awe overcomes me to the point where I'm speechless.  I am, however, keeping an eye out for something resembling a tennis racquet to appear next to the baby so that we could sell the picture to whoever wants to buy it and start that college fund.

Baby loses tail, gains fingers and toes!

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, eyelids practically cover his or her eyes, breathing tubes extend from the throat to the branches of the developing lungs, and your baby's "tail" is just about gone. In the brain, nerve cells are connecting with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby – about the size of a kidney bean – is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it. 

Source: BabyCenter.com