Seven weeks! Our little blueberry...

Baby Taylor is seven-weeks-old and the size of a blueberry!

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Seven week ultra sound

We got to see the baby today! After much anticipation, we got to see the baby...sort of. Even though I had just gone to the bathroom, my stupid bladder was in the way. Plus, I have a tilted uterus, which makes it hard to see. At any rate, we saw a small "blob" with a little flicker...the heart beat! It was beating at 127 beats per minute and the baby measures 7.88mm from crown to rump. My gestational sac is 17.1mm. All good things! We get to go back in two weeks to get a clearer image and then I am done with the reproductive doctor!

The baby is to the right of the little cursor/plus sign. The big black mass behind the baby is my full bladder!

Everyone's so happy about Baby Taylor!

Jim came home on Friday with Baby Taylor's first collection of Husky gear—a onesie, jersey and hand-knitted booties. Our baby is going to be ready for the 2010 football season!

I took my dad out to lunch yesterday for his birthday. In addition to a normal birthday card, I got him a card that said "Happy Birthday Grandpa!" As soon as he realized what it meant, he got teary eyed and was really excited.

Today we received flowers, a balloon and a teddy bear from Pam (Jim's mom), who lives in Virginia. At my cousin's baby shower, I told my grandma and aunt, who both burst into tears and nearly started screaming. It was really exciting. I was also able to tell Megan over the phone. I don't know when I'll see her in person, and I just couldn't wait.

This baby is very lucky to have so many people who love it!

Six weeks pregnant

Baby Taylor is the size of a sweet pea, .25 inches!

Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.

Bought my first (of many) maternity items

I bought the most comfortable pair of jeans this weekend from Motherhood Maternity along with a pair of black work slacks. They have the cutest clothes there and the sales girl was really helpful. I have a feeling I will be purchasing new bras soon, because mine are getting just a little too tight...

We received our first presents for the baby last week from Jim's grandparents—two soft, adorable blankets and a sweet bib. They are very excited to be great-grandparents for the first time!

Breaking the happy news to our parents!

We broke our happy news to my mom and Jim's dad, step-mom, grandparents and sister and brother. It was so great!

I have a "Mom to Bee" shirt that I wore when mom came over to visit. After 30 minutes of visiting, I finally asked her if she liked my shirt and then the tears started. It was really nice.

The next day we told the Taylors. We bought a small cake and had the bakery write "Baby Taylor, April 2010" on it. Jim pulled it out at dinner, Sue nearly screamed and then everyone started crying and hugging. It was really special.

We sent Jim's mom a Willow Tree "Grandma" figurine and had her call when she opened it. Jim was on the phone with her when she found out, so that was nice. It's hard having her so far away, but this was the next best thing.

My dad's birthday is next week and we plan to tell him then.

Five weeks pregnant

How big is Baby Taylor?
About the size of an apple seed, .13 inches

Your embryo (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing! (thebump.com)

We had our first appointment with our midwife's nurse...answered a lot of questions, got a lot of information and had a lot of blood drawn. We go back to Seattle Reproductive Medicine for a seven-week ultra sound on Aug. 17 and then we "graduate" to the midwife!

Baby Taylor...coming April 2010

We are very excited to announce that we are expecting a baby in mid-April 2010! We had a long and difficult journey to get here and we feel very blessed.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven—a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance."

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4