Baby Estes - 12 Weeks!

We went to Kaiser yesterday for our 12 week appointment to see Baby Estes! It was so exciting to see that it has grown SO much in 4 weeks since the last time we saw it. It defiantly looks like a baby now. We saw its head, arms, legs and torso and butt. We saw the two hemispheres of the brain too. We saw and heard its little heart beating again...strong! The baby is about 3 inches long now and about the size of an apricot, only not completely round. And it weighs about 1 oz.!

It was quite the wiggler which was SO fun to see! Here are some pictures.

Here is the baby's face on the left. Sort of looks like an alien, but it's OUR alien!

Here is the back of the baby's head on the left and its butt is on the lower right.

Here is the back of the baby's head on the left and its butt on the upper right. Sort of like its twisting its torso.

Our next appointment is two weeks before Christmas and won't be an ultrasound. (I'm very sad about this.) We had thought we could find out the gender at that time, but looks like we'll have to wait until the beginning of January instead. Oh well.

I had thought that by knowing if it was a boy or a girl would help me start to bond with the baby more. But since it's not going to happen until later, I'll have to trust that God will help me bond in other ways. I am just thankful that the baby is continuing to grow at a healthy rate and that I have stayed healthy too.

I haven't had any major "morning sickness" which has been SUCH a blessing! My only really bothersome symptom has been exhaustion. For about a good month or two I had to come home from work and get directly in bed for a nap. It was hard to stay awake at work and sometimes I even used my 1/2 hour lunch break for a nap in my car! I am pleased to say that even though I haven't had a nap in a week now, I'm still tired, but not as bad.

I have been struggling as to when to buy my first maternity clothes. I'm down to about two or three pairs of pants that I can still wear. (Sometimes with the button UNdone, but still getting away with it.) I will probably have to bite the bullet and get at least one or two pairs of maternity pants pretty soon. But that is to be expected I guess.

We are constantly amazed and thankful for all the changes happening to my body because of this little one. We are excited for its development and thrilled when we get to see it on screen. Thank you for continuing to pray for us. We'll keep you updated!