FINALLY!

After a long day of work, Scot came home and could hardly wait to kick his shoes off and unwind. While we were relaxing on our bed talking about the day, our little girl gave my belly a swift kick. I saw my stomach gently pop and immediately told Scot to put his hand there. Much to my surprise, Scot finally felt her move. I was so excited, I could hardly hold back the tears. I had waited my whole life for a moment like this!

Half way there!

What an exciting week this has been (although I am three days late in posting)! Twenty weeks is yet another milestone...half way there. As of today, we only have 137 days to go. Wednesday we found out we are having a little girl, and last night Scot and I went to Babies R Us to begin our registry. It was easiest for us to pick out the bigger items on our first trip. We have to go back to finish it, as we quickly realized that one hour is not enough time for Scot to tag all of the items he wants...haha! The highlight of this event was watching Scot's face turn from "Okay, on to the next section"....to.... "Oh, look at this cute little pink bathrobe and booties. She has to have this"!

According to the baby books, our baby girl's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Her sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. She will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the eyebrows.

Here is a 20 week and 2 day picture of my ever-growing belly. This morning she has been very active in there...perhps doing somersaults. I have finally been able to see her little kicks and jabs from the outside. I know this is cute for now as she still has a little room to move, but will soon become very uncomfortable.

How sweet it is!

Our original plans of the "Cake Party" have been put on hold for a few reasons. First of all, schedules seemed to conflict and it would be another week or so until we were able to actually have the party. Second, there was no way Scot, Canyon, and I would be able to keep the big news of a little sister quiet for that long. So, we decided to tell our families, and have a not-so-big-of-a-surprise Cake Party in a few weekends with our families and the Kaplans. As you can see, before this decision was made (and before we knew if it was a boy or girl), I was ready to return home and whip up the proper cake! So sweet.

After our ultrasound, we returned home and looked into our pantry to see exactly how much this little girl weighed. Canyon is holding his little sister's weight of 11 ounces in sweet orange segments.

IT'S A.....

This past Wednesday (the 23rd) Scot, Canyon, and I went to Dr Wilson's office for my 20 week ultrasound. The same tech that did my ultrasound two months ago, at my 12 week, was there again. Her words when Canyon and I entered the room were, "Didn't I already tell you what this baby was?" Yes, yes she had. However, after much research I was convinced that at 12 weeks it was much too soon to see the difference between a boy and a girl. For proof of this - click on THIS LINK to see what I am talking about. Anyhow, the minute Scot arrived into the room and she put the ultrasound wand on my growing belly, little girl Shapiro was sitting right there....legs open as if to say, "Neener, neener, neener!" Oh my, are we in for trouble!!

The little arrow is pointing to her girl evidence...so obvious that the tech didn't even have to tell us it was a girl. I quickly announced, "It's a girl". Canyon's face was pricless, as he was doing his best to take it all in. What he had been naming baby Vladimir over the past few months has quickly proven him wrong...he has met his "sisterly match"!

Here she is, almost in her "boxer position". Arms up, ready to take on the world! You can see her arm, rib, and facial bones here.

Little girl Shapiro was moving quite a bit during this utlrasound. It was amazing to see all of her tiny little twists, turns, and jabs. At one point, we were pretty sure we saw her throw a right hook to my belly! Here she is either preparing us for the fact that she is a gymnast, yoga enthusiast, or an Olympic diver (or maybe not), with those little legs over her head in a perfect backwards somersault position.

Her heartbeat measured at a beautiful 149 bmp. Right on track for a baby of this size! This was the first time Scot and Canyon have been able to hear her heartbeat. The tech left it on for a few seconds so we could give a good listen.

There are two little tiny feet, pressed against my belly. Those little feet are just over an inch long, and she was estimated to weigh between ten and eleven ounces. About five ounces short of one pound! Perfect little toes for playing This Little Piggy!

Here we have one hand and five tiny little fingers. We were able to count all ten fingers! One of the most amazing things we saw was little girl Shapiro drinking the amniotic fluid. It was a perfect side profile shot. Even the tech was pretty impressed as that is apparently not something she catches the babies doing very often. Well OUR little girl gave us a good show. All of the black areas are fluid. Her mouth (when open) is black and her esophagus is a black tube down to her belly. She casually opened her mouth and started guzzling down the amniotic fluid. We could see the muscles pushing the fluid down into her belly. The picture was so clear, the only thing we were missing was the sound of gulp, gulp, gulp!! The tech quickly reminded us that little girl Shapiro drinks and pees the same amniotic fluid everyday!

19 Glorious Weeks!

We're almost at the half way mark. Today is 19 weeks…only five more days until we find out whether Canyon will have a brother, or sister! There has been quite a bit of baby movement this week. I am still fascinated by it, and will continue to be throughout the pregnancy. My fruit cravings are still going strong, while meat continues to be the villain. Seeing as Baby Shapiro can now hear, I have already found myself becoming an over protective mother. While driving to school the other morning, a car pulled up behind me with its bass pumping so loud – I just knew Baby Shapiro was bouncing around inside of me. Seriously!! I have NEVER been so annoyed. It took everything in my power not to slam my car into park, jump out and walk over to his car, and punch him in his face for disturbing my baby. How dare him! No worries, that feeling quickly subsided when I reminded myself to calm down.

Baby Shapiro’s crown-to-rump length is about 5.2 to 6 inches this week - about the length of my hand. Our baby weighs approximately 7 ounces and will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and birth (a scary thought for me)! One of the most amazing aspects of the baby's growth and development is that of the fetal brain; its brain is one of the first organs to appear. Baby Shapiro’s oversized head shows the brain's importance in its development. Because the nerves that connect the muscles to the brain have grown into place, our baby's movements are consciously directed. Its ears stand out from the sides of the head and the buds for our baby's permanent teeth appear. Baby Shapiro’s arms and legs have reached their relative proportions by now, and its feet are approximately one inch long. How cute is that??

Madame Zaritska

I find myself sitting in front of the computer again, another sleepless morning. I'm wide awake at 5:45. My sleeping skills stink! Thank goodness for modern technology, I found a website to keep me entertained for a few minutes...Madame Zaritska!

Madame Zaritska, has reviewed your answers. She has summoned all of her powers to generate a prediction for you that will tell you the secrets of your special day. Beware, if your answers were not truthful, your prediction may not be correct, so honesty is important to Madame Zaritska!

Madame Zaritska, using her mystical powers, has the following prediction:

The day you deliver, outside will be foggy. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 11 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 15 pounds, 10 ounces, and will be 20-1/2 inches long. This child will have dark gray eyes and barely there black hair.

FIFTEEN POUNDS?? And black hair?? This could only mean one thing....I received King Kong's embryos!

18 Weeks

This picture was taken on Friday at 18 weeks! I am feeling great, and can't wait until our appointment on the 23rd! I have been active during the day, but still collapse around 9:45 at night. Sleep is becoming a little more difficult. I find myself awake at least 3-4 times per night for a bathroom run...I swear my bladder is the size of a walnut! My hips have become a little uncomfortable from sleeping on my sides (and I know this is just the beginning), other than that - no complaints! Some people can't believe how small I still am for 4 1/2 months, while others can't believe how much my belly has grown. I say, "The belly's in the eye of the beholder." :) Not too long now before those dolphins turn into whales!
Baby Shapiro's crown-to-rump length is about 5 to 5.5 inches long. Our baby continues to develop fat layers and weighs about 5.25 ounces. (These are just estimates) It will continue to grow and develop, but the rapid growth will slow down for a little while. Around this time, our baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows its presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that Baby Shapiro can hear now! Our little one will get used to familiar sounds, such as my heart beating, its daddy and brother's voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds such as Riley's bark. Poor Baby Shapiro will become startled if he hears a loud sound.

Tiny Touches

Popcorn popping, butterflies, gas bubbles...this is how the feeling of the baby kicking has been described to me. As we all know, this is my first, and I have been wondering how I will know when I feel our little one move. Over the past week, I have been feeling tiny touches on the inside of my tummy. It usually happens (that I notice) in the evening when I am still. It is a rather cute feeling, and quite a reasurance that there is a little life in there.


This afternoon, Riley and I were taking a little snooze (seeing as we were both up all night, ill), and while I was laying there, I put my hands on my belly. I could feel the fluttering on the inside, and within a few seconds, I felt a tiny thump on my right palm. I shook my belly gently with my hands as to tell the little one, "Hello". Thump...I felt it again. So, once more I gave it a gentle shake - and once more I felt a little thump. This continued on for a few moments on my right side. I am pretty sure I could feel the baby moving around on my right side, and occasionaly "thumping" into my palm. It was the sweetest little feeling I have ever felt. Baby Shapiro has diligently earned the nickname, Thumper. (PS. That is not a picture of my belly)

The Votes Are In...

38% of voters think Baby Shapiro is a boy, while 61% say it's a girl! Unfortunately we have two more weeks until we find out for sure. Scot, Canyon, and I will be going to the doctor on Wednesday, September 23rd at 3:00 for the big ultrasound. Canyon is keeping his fingers crossed for a brother, while Scot and I are happy to see a healthy baby...a boy would be nice, because Canyon has been such a joy. However, a girl would be just as exciting, seeing as I am currently out numbered by Scot, Canyon, and Riley! We will then have the "Cake Party" as it has cleverly been named, with the future grandparents and the Kaplans! Stay tuned for pictures...

Labor Day

Nothing says Labor Day quite like the beach! Scot and I took Canyon and his friend to New Smyrna last night. We woke up early this morning, had a pancake breakfast, and headed out to the beach for the day. Nannie and Pop (Baby Shapiro's future great-grandparents) spent the day with us out there as well.

There I am at 17 weeks, 3 days. We left Baby Shapiro's personal print on the beach!

Canyon, showing his enthusiasm for his baby brother or sister (he's actually practicing for all of the brotherly things he's going to teach the new arrival)!!

College Football Begins!

Pickles and sardines for the pregnant tailgater! This was, of course, just a joke...I don't crave pickle and sardine sandwiches. We feasted on grilled shrimp and portabello mushrooms, cheeseburgers, grilled veggies, chicken kabobs, fruit, veggies, and cheese trays...and my dad's famous banana pudding!

Baby Shapiro's first University of Central Florida football game...thank goodness they pulled through with a win of 28-24 against the Samford Bulldogs (from Alabama).

Proud grandparents-to-be treated us to a spectacular time!