22 Weeks...flying by!!

Wow!  22 weeks have come and gone and I feel like we just found out we were pregnant a few weeks ago!  I think this summer will be a long one though...7-9 months pregnant in the Memphis heat!!  That 110 degree weather is going to be rough!  We will surely get through it though :)

Baby Facts:
He is now the size of a papaya!  Average length is 10.5 to 11.5 inches and weight is 13-16 ounces.  His fingernails are almost fully grown.  His lips are formed as well.  He is developing his first canines and molars below his gumline.  His face is now fully formed.  Blood is traveling through his umbilical cord at a rate of 4 mph.  He is now settling into a sleep cycle - snoozing 12-14 hours per day! 

I am still feeling great!  I got rid of my sinus cold a few days ago!  Whew - I felt like I was sick for an eternity!  They really need to come up with some cold medicine safe for pregnant folks!  We have our next doctor appointment this Thursday at 9:30 am.  We have another ultrasound scheduled, so we are excited to see our baby again!

Update on my sister's baby:
Peyton was able to go home on Saturday, March 26th!!!  Her hospital stay lasted a week.  Everyone is doing well and they are all happy to be home again!  Since Alison delivered Peyton in Mason City, she never left the hospital.  Thanks for all the prayers!!

Have a great week everyone!
Brian and Megan

21 Weeks!

Happy Monday!  We are 21 weeks along and things are still going great!!  We had a big moment last night in the Petersen house........Brian felt the baby kicking!!!!!!  That is something we have both been looking forward to for months now!  I could tell that the kicking had gotten stronger (after all, it is a boy...haha!) and thought maybe it could be felt from the outside.  When I put my hand down on my lower belly, sure enough, I could feel it!  So Brian got to feel the baby kick about 10 times!  It was a great end to our weekend :)  I'm pretty sure that made his night, and mine!  The baby was extremely active from about 8:00 - 11:00 last night, moving around every couple seconds!  I also kept waking up and changing positions in my sleep and he would be kicking then too!  I hope this is not foreshadowing his most active times of the day once he is born!  We may be in for some really sleepless nights!!  Also, we have registered at Target and Baby's R Us.  Please feel free to view what we registered for and let me know if we have missed anything.  We did it in a hurry and so I'm sure we forgot some vital items!  Thanks!

Baby Facts:
The baby is now the size of a large banana.  Not sure how he went from a cantaloupe to a banana, but that's what I've been told.  Average weight is roughly 12.7 ounces and length is 10.5 inches.

My older sister, Alison, and her husband, Todd, just had their baby girl on Saturday afternoon.  They named her Peyton Meryl VanOtterloo.  She was 8 lb 8 oz and 21 inches long.  She has had a few complications since birth.  Peyton swallowed some of the meconium (baby excrement that consists of swallowed amniotic fluid, digested materials, and dead cells).  It is a tar-like substance, and it coated her stomach and lungs.  She was immediately taken to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for treatment.  She also had jaundice.  Neither Alison nor Todd were able to hold Peyton for over 24 hours!!  The latest I have heard from Alison today is that the jaundice is better today and she does not need to be in the lighted beds anymore.  Her blood still contains an elevated amount of WBC's, so she either has an infection or is about to fight an infection.  They have to keep her in the hospital for another week!  Please keep Peyton, Alison, and Todd in your thoughts and prayers as they get through this hard time!!

Have a wonderful week!!
The Petersens

Our latest ultrasound pictures!

Side profile with a nice shot of his foot!

Face Profile...Brian thinks he looks just like him!  HA!

Looking right at us!!  Being an eye doctor, my favorite parts of this picture are his eye sockets!!

20 WEEKS - HALFWAY!!!

Hello everyone!  We can hardly believe that we are at the halfway point already!  Time has flown by so fast!  I'm getting excited and nervous at the same time.  A baby brings so many changes to your life, I just want to do the best I can for him and be the best parent possible!  We can hardly wait for August to come!!

Baby facts for the week:
He is now the size of a cantaloupe!  He measures approximately 6.5 inches long and weighs roughly 10.5 ounces.  His taste buds are now working - so everything I eat, he can taste!  Brian is really pushing for me to eat more fruits and veggies...lol!  We both had the day off today from work and decided to go to a matinee movie (The Readjustment Bureau - AWESOME movie by the way!) - we always bring along our own drink and order popcorn at the theater.  My drink of choice today was a can of V8 fusion!!  Gotta get in those fruits and veggies :)

Special thanks goes out to my sister-in-law, Marne, for keeping me on my toes and emailing me today wondering why the blog had not been up-dated yet for the week!!  :)

Have a great week everyone!
Love,
Brian and Megan

19 Weeks!

We can't believe we are already 19 weeks along!  Our doctor appointment this past week was pretty amazing!  We had the big ultrasound where they check all the baby's organs and make sure HE is growing at the right pace.  Everything turned out great and we are going to be having a baby BOY!!  We are both very excited and can't wait until August to meet our baby!  Our next appointment is March 31st.  Time is going by very quickly in this second trimester!!  I can see why it's called the "honeymoon trimester"...I feel great and feeling the baby move is the most wonderful feeling in the world!!

Baby facts for the week: He is now the size of a mango!  Not much has changed since last week.  He is not really developing anything new at this point.  He will just continue to get bigger...as will I!!  Sleeping has gotten better now that I'm getting used to laying on my side all night.  Thanks for all the suggestions, mainly from my preggo sister Alison, sleeping with a pillow between my legs seems to be the trick!

We took a mini vacation to Little Rock, AR this weekend for a half marathon that Brian ran in.  He ran his fastest race yet, finishing the 13.1 mile race in 1 hour and 32 minutes!  I was very proud of him!!  Here is a picture of him with his medal at the end of the race! 

That's all for this week!  Have a great week everyone! 
Much love from the Petersens!